“True, but he has the best shit.”
Justin gaped at Caleb. “You’ve done drugs?”
“You know I’m adventurous,” Caleb said as the two walked back toward the bar.
“More like idiotic,” Justin said heatedly. “How could you do that crap?”
“Chill,” Caleb said over his shoulder as he set the two empty glasses on the counter. The bartender snatched them up and refilled them. Caleb handed Justin his drink. “Don’t act like my parent.”
“I’m not,” Justin groused. “But I care about you.”
“Ah.” Caleb chuckled and mocked punched Justin in his shoulder. “How sweet.”
“You’re an ass,” Justin said as he sucked down the second glass.
“You better take it easy, J. You keep tossing those drinks back and I’ll be carrying you out of here before we’ve had a chance to party.” Caleb turned when a busty blonde slid her hand over the guy’s shoulder. The man’s eyes seem to glow as he gave the girl a cocky grin. “Hey, hon.”
“Wanna play?” she asked as her red lips slid over Caleb’s cheek.
Caleb eyed Justin. “Will you be okay by yourself for a little while?”
Justin snorted. “I think I can manage to be five seconds without my bodyguard.”
Something passed behind Caleb’s amber eyes as he gazed at Justin intently. He gave one short and hard nod before he reached into his pocket and then tucked his hand in Justin’s front pocket. His best friend had slid him some cash. “Holler for me if you need me.”
Justin waved his hand. “In this noise?”
“Trust me, J. I’ll hear you.” Caleb and the blonde pushed through the crowd of people hovering by the bar, and then they were gone. Justin dug into his pocket and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. He smiled, turned, and waved the bartender down.
“No need.”
Justin turned and frowned. Juice was standing there with two glasses in his hand. “I got this for the chick hanging all over me, but she bailed.” He offered one of the glasses to Justin. “Let’s bury the hatchet. Sorry about the slur against gingers.”
The man smiled, and it seemed genuine. Justin hesitated and then took the offered drink. It was the same cherry red as the drinks Justin had been throwing back. Juice raised his glass. “To newfound friendships.”
They clinked glasses, and Justin swallowed his drink, hissing at the strong alcohol that burned on its way down. Juice chuckled and took the empty glass from Justin’s hand, setting it on the bar. “Why don’t we find somewhere a little more private to talk?”
“No,” Justin said. He didn’t trust the man. “I’m gonna hang here for a while.” He waved his hand, indicating the bar.
“Suit yourself.” Juice smiled wickedly over the rim of his glass and then took a sip of his drink. The man’s eyes seemed to bore into Justin, studying his face. If the guy wasn’t such a douchebag, Justin would say that Juice was very handsome. He wasn’t thick with muscles like Caleb, but Justin could tell the man worked out. He had heavenly blue eyes, cropped brown hair, and smelled amazing.
But the guy was a total jerk.
Justin touched his temple when he began to feel dizzy. No, not here. The last thing he needed was to get sick while at the club. He didn’t want to cut Caleb’s fun short. Justin slid onto a stool, trying his best to take in deep breathes and fight the wave of dizziness.
“Are you okay?” Juice asked.
“Fine,” Justin lied. He blinked a few times and noticed how this bout of sickness felt different from the rest. There was no fever or nausea, yet the room started to spin slightly.
Setting his glass on the counter, Juice slid an arm under Justin’s. “You need some fresh air.”
Justin nodded and let Juice led him away. He knew he shouldn’t go with this guy but was unable to stop himself. As they walked through the crowd, Justin noticed that they weren’t heading for the front door, but the back exit.
“Where are we going?” His legs wobbled, and Juice slid his arm around Justin’s waist, holding him up. He tugged away, trying to get Juice off of him, but the guy had a tight hold on Justin.
“For some air,” Juice answered, and Justin could hear something lecherous in the man’s tone.
“Caleb,” Justin said, but his voice was no more than a whisper.
“Left you all alone,” Juice replied as he shouldered the back door open and pulled Justin outside. “Which is a pity. No one who looks as good as you should be left unguarded.”
What did that mean? Justin tried to think past the fog in his head, but it felt as though his brain was skipping through Oz. He shook his head, trying to focus, but he couldn’t. The door slammed shut behind them, and Juice turned, pinning Caleb to the brick wall. His fingers glided over the collar around Justin’s neck.