I lose it.
Jump over the VIP railing and onto the dance floor, push the guy off her, and pull her into my arms.
“Are you following me?” I yell at her.
“No!” she yells back.
“Good,” I say, as the guy comes back looking for a fight. I raise my finger into the air, letting Bouncer Ron know there’s going to be trouble. He bounds over the railing and, with the help of two other bouncers, drags Mr. Hands off the dance floor.
What I'm about to do is so against my better judgement but, what the fuck?
Tonight Ariela is going to be just another sexy piece of ass.
I’ll dance with her, get her drunk, hot, and horny, then I’ll take her home, fuck the shit out of her, and forget about her for once and for all.
Just like all the others.
To all the girls I've fucked before.
That can be my theme song.
Friend’s home - Santa Monica
ARIELA
When I get back from Malibu, my friend is waiting for me in her kitchen.
“So, the kids are in bed and my husband is home. Let’s go to a club.”
“A club?” A club is the last place I want to go. I’m mentally exhausted from seeing Riley.
From being near him.
From kissing him.
“I have a dress you can wear, in case you didn’t bring one. Come on, I haven’t been to a club in ages. And you need to get out there. Speaking of which, how was dinner with your old friends?”
“He was there,” I say quietly, still barely believing it myself.
“Oooh, tell me all the details. I’ll grab a bottle of wine.”
“Uh, no, let’s do the club,” I say. On second thought, clubs are loud and talking is nearly impossible. The last thing I want to do is talk about my night. Drinking sounds like a better idea.
Drinking, dancing, and not thinking.
I shimmy into a spandex dress, throw on a pair of heels, and pretty soon we’re waiting in line.
“I can’t believe we have to wait in line on a Monday night. We look good, right? Like good enough to get in? What do you think of this shirt with this skirt? I picked this shirt since it’s flowy on the bottom and hides my belly. I got my body back right away after my first two, but this third one is killing me.”
“You look great,” I tell her.
“So, tell me about tonight.”
“He was there.”
“Yeah, you said that already. How did he look?”
“He looked good.”
“But you already knew he would, based on the magazine, right?”
“Yeah, but he looked better in person. He’s matured. Filled out in all the right places. And that jawline of scruff. Holy shit.”
“Did you talk?”
“It was kind of a disaster. He walked in, saw me, said What the fuck? to Keatyn, and hid in the kitchen.”
“Oh, that’s not the kind of reaction you want.”
“No, not at all. Keatyn went to talk to him. Then she came out and told me to go talk to him.”
“Awkward, much?”
“Yeah. But we didn’t talk.”
“What did you do?”
“We made out.”
“You, what? How? Why?”
“I don’t know. He said it didn’t mean anything but it did. It was the hottest kiss of my life. He pushed me up against the wet bar, slid his hands up my skirt. I would have done him right then and there.”
“But you’re married.”
“Yeah, I’m married.”
“You going to fix that?”
“Yes. I want a divorce.”
“Based on what you told me about Collin, I would agree with you. And that’s saying a lot. I loved the two of you together in college. I even stood up for you at your wedding.”
“I know.”
“You’re lucky you don’t have kids with him.”
“I didn’t want to get pregnant. He kept pushing for it. He’s been pushing for it since we got married. I mean, sex with him was one thing. A baby, well that’s a lot bigger commitment. I couldn’t risk tying myself to him for the rest of my life in that way.”
“So, you’ve known for a while?”
“I knew at my wedding, Sarah.”
“What?!”
“It’s true. I told my dad I didn’t want to marry Collin. Well, that’s not right. I told him I didn’t love Collin the way I loved Riley.”
“What did he say?”
“That I was being ridiculous. That it was just cold feet. That we’d been together for so long. That the family loved him. All very logical things.”
“I was your maid of honor. You should have told me.”
“I know. It’s really not Collin’s fault our marriage is failing. It’s mostly mine. I never loved him the way I should have.”
An hour later, we’re finally in the packed club. We immediately head to the bar and order a round of shots.
“Tonight we forget about our lives for a few hours and just dance,” Sarah says, clinking her shot glass into mine. “Let’s get out there!”
We work our way out to the crowded dance floor and it’s not long before a cute guy is dancing with me.
His hands are touching my ass and I don’t care.
It’s just dancing.
It’s fun.
The place is full of energy and I feel alive.