Bound by shadows

Living A Little

We arrived at the club in Julia’s car, she handed the valet her keys to park it. I had worn a silver gown from Julia’s wardrobe, which clung to my body and revealed my curves. The gown, was way up my thighs, and it gave me a sexy look. I couldn’t go home to get my own dress because we had left from Julia’s house.

At the entrance, the security guards gave us a quick glance and nodded, letting us through. Julia’s excitement was rubbed off on me, and soon, I felt a rush of excitement as well.

“Let’s go to the bar and order drinks,” Julia shouted over the loud music.

I nodded and followed her to the bar. When we got there, Julia signaled the waiter.

“What would you like to have?” the waiter asked.

Julia looked at me,

“What should we have?”

“Tequila,” I said.

Julia smiled, surprise written on her face. I could tell she was not expecting me to order alcohol.

“Tequila for me too,” she said.

The waiter nodded and left.

“Someone is in the mood to get drunk,” she teased.

“I haven’t been to a club in… lord knows how many years. Now that I’m here, I might as well enjoy it,” I said, giggling.

The waiter returned with our shots. Just then, two guys approached us.

“Hey, beauties,” one of them said.

Julia responded first, her voice flirty. “Hey,” she stretched the word, her tone flowing with charm.

“My name is Justin and this is Philip,” the first guy, Justin, introduced himself and his friend.

He was tall and lean, with a low haircut and tattoos covering his neck, making me wonder if his whole body was also covered in tattoo.

“Nice to meet you, Justin and Philip,” Julia said, still using her flirty tone. This was her element—clubs and parties had been her thing since high school.

“I am Julia and this is my friend, Kate,” Julia introduced us.

I nodded at them. “Hi.”

They smiled back. “Would you like to join us at our table?” Justin asked.

“Ye—” Julia began, but I interrupted.

“Actually, we’re quite happy here as we are now,” I said.

Julia gave me a disapproving look, clearly not pleased with my response.

“Come on, you ladies are too pretty to be sitting at this bar all by yourself,” Philip said.

He had been quiet until now but I had felt his gaze on me. He looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t place him.

“Yes, Kate. It’s going to be such a bore if we sit here by ourselves,” Julia urged, her eyes pleading.

After a moment, I gave in. “Okay, but let me finish this first.” I drank my tequila in one gulp.

“Yeah, me too,” Julia said, following my lead.

Justin and Philip smiled as they used their hands to signal us to follow them. Philip stayed by my side, trying to start up a conversation while Justin and Julia walked ahead, chatting and laughing.

“He’s not going to eat her, you know,” Philip said near my ear, noticing my concern for Julia.

I smiled. “I know.”

“You sure? Because you seem to be staring holes into their backs,” he teased.

I laughed. “Yeah, I’m sure. I just look out for my friend, but she can take care of herself.”

Philip nodded. “Then maybe you’re avoiding looking at me. Am I that bad looking?” He made a playful pouting face.

I laughed, taking in his appearance. He was muscular and tall, with honey-brown skin like mine. He had a face that likely broke many hearts, not my usual type but certainly someone I could consider for a one-night stand. Still, he felt familiar.

“Have we met before?” I asked.

His gaze faltered slightly before he smiled.

“Unless you mean a few minutes ago, I’d say no. If we did, I am sure I will remember a pretty face like yours.”

I laughed. “Thanks, and you’re not bad looking either.”

“Well, that’s good to know”

We reached their table where three more guys were seated. Justin introduced us.

“These are Aiden, Harry, and Cam. Guys, this is Julia and Kate.”

“Hi,” Julia and I said in unison.

The three guys looked us over, their gazes sweeping over our bodies.

“Nice to meet you,” they said.

Philip gestured for us to sit. Julia sat next to Justin while I sat opposite them with Philip.

“Can we get a shot of that?” Julia asked, pointing at the tequila bottle on the table.

“Yeah, sure. Help yourselves,” Aiden replied.

Julia poured the tequila into the small glasses and passed one to me. I drank mine quickly and asked Julia to pour me some more.

“So, do you ladies live in Dallas or are you just visiting friends and relatives?” Cam asked.

“Oh, I’ve lived here for over five years now but Kate just moved here,” Julia answered, pouring more tequila.

“Where did you live before you moved here, Kate?” Philip asked.

“Uh… New York,” I replied.

“How about you guys?” Julia asked.

“We’re here on business, thought we could take a little break from all the work,” Harry said.

“That’s good,” Julia said, smiling as she leaned closer to Justin.

“What do you do?” Philip asked me.

“I’m a web producer,” I said.

Philip nodded. “A friend of mine married a web producer.”

“Really? That’s great.”

“Yeah. They’re no longer together though.”

“Why? Are they divorced?”

“No, she just left,” he said, his tone suddenly becoming harsh.

I was surprised by his sudden harshness and shifted a little from where I sat down close to him.

Seeing my reaction, he softened. “Do you want to get out of here?” he asked, his hand moving to my thigh, the moment his hands started moving up my right thigh, I felt an ache between my legs. By then, I had already drank several shots and was feeling quite drunk.

I grabbed the tequila bottle, poured another shot, and drank it before replying,

“Yeah, I guess.”

Philip smiled. As we stood to leave, my phone rang. I brought it out from my purse, signaling Philip I’d be back. Philip sat back down. I left the table, staggering as I walked. I stepped outside. I could not answer the call inside because of the loud music. I went to a corner and stood by the wall. I looked at the caller ID on my screen and saw that it was an unknown number.

“Hello?” I said.

“I didn’t know you liked clubs. I would have taken you to one,” a deep voice on the other end said. I was too drunk to recognize it.

“Who is this?” I asked, trying to steady my voice.

“Turn around,” the voice commanded.

I turned and bumped into a chest. Looking up, I recognized him.

“You! What are you doing here?”

“I should be asking you,” Mr. Arrogant said.

“How—” I began, but then I felt sick. I turned away and vomited by the wall. He held my hair back and patted my back. After, I was through, I looked up at him.

“Did you follow me here?” I asked.

He smirked, and was about to reply but was interrupted.

“Kate? Are you okay?” Philip asked, as he reached us. He stood by side and put his hand on my waist.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied, feeling Mr. Arrogant’s intense gaze shift from my face to Philip’s hand on my waist. His eyes hardened.

“I was looking for you,” Philip said.

“She said she’s fine,” Mr. Arrogant replied, shoving Philip away harshly.

“Don’t—” I began to scold him, but I fainted. Mr. Arrogant caught me and lifted me up.

“Where are you taking her?” Philip asked, his voice distant as I drifted into darkness.

“None of your business,” He replied harshly.

Philip stood there, his face grim as he watched Mr. Arrogant carry me to his car and drive away.