“Well, that sounds boring.” Quinn pulled herself off Kassie. Her face dropped in disappointment. “I was hoping you’d have some hot boyfriend that had an even hotter brother you could introduce me to. He’d obviously fall head over heels in love with me, and we’d live happily ever after in—”
“In a cottage in the woods with your three kids. How long have I been listening to this fairy tale?” Kassie said with a laugh.
Quinn had a flare for the dramatic. Everything about her was drama. From her jet-black hair and dark makeup, to her mash-up of sexy-punk-meets-emo fashion and her super outgoing personality. All drama.
Quinn paused, tapping her finger against her chin as if she was thinking. “Actually, I’ve since changed it. It’s a villa in Tuscany, overlooking the countryside. I’m still thinking three kids, but I’m not big on birth control, so that’s open for discussion. Could be more.” Quinn wiggled her eyebrows.
All Kassie could do was laugh at her friend. “Man, Quinn, did I miss you!” She looped her arm around Quinn’s shoulders and they walked towards the bar.
“Time for dancing and drinking. Or are you driving?” Quinn turned responsible for a second.
“Nope, I’m good to drink. I took an Uber down here. I’ll grab an Uber home, too. Call me Miss Responsible! You?”
“Uber all the way, baby!” Quinn switched on the party-girl mode again. She pounded her fist on the bar. “Barkeep! Can we get two Sex Appeals over here, please?”
“You know I shouldn’t start with one of those,” Kassie said.
“Nonsense, Kass. You’ll be fine. You can drink your little martinis later tonight when you’re trying to lay off the alcohol. We could start with Sex on the Beach instead?”
Last time Kassie had a Sex on the Beach, she had no memory of the rest of the evening. There would be none of that tonight. “Sex Appeal it is.”
The bartender rolled her eyes at Quinn’s attempt at humor when she thanked her with payment for the drinks. “Thank you, barkeep. And keep the change.”
“Barkeep? No one says barkeep anymore. Weirdo.”
“Takes one to know one, doll,” Quinn responded, before she sipped at her drink. “Drink then dance, then drink. Sound good?”
“Sure.” Kassie listened to the music and took deep breaths, letting the boom of the bass and the thud of the beats race through her. She needed this. One night to kick back and relax. To let go and just be herself.
The song that came on was one of Kassie’s new favorites. She quickly downed her drink and made her way to the dance floor, her inhibitions apparently already subdued by the alcohol.
Quinn followed behind her.
They danced to song after song, and drank two more Sex Appeals—at least that’s what Quinn said they were. Kassie wasn’t a big drinker, and things were becoming blurry, and her head was heavy. But the music kept her moving. She felt the beat throughout her whole body. The faces on the dance floor blurred, but it didn’t matter. She was dancing by herself and having the best time ever.
Quinn was grinding and dancing with strangers, doing some mixture of moves from the sixties and head banging. But she did it all with confidence, and that made everyone around her go right along with it. Story of Quinn’s life. She was always the life of the party and leader of the conga line.
Kassie moved to the music among the crowd on the steamy dance floor. A sheen of perspiration shone on her skin. Perhaps the alcohol was wearing off, which wasn’t a bad thing.
She hadn’t been paying much attention to the people around her, but out of the corner of her eye, she spied a guy on the dance floor in a knit hat and tight jeans. Without giving it much thought, Kassie danced up to him, and on closer inspection, she noted those jeans fit him in all the right places.
Her heart rate kicked up a notch, making her lose some of her reserved veneer. She swayed her hips in front of him, and still not daring to look up at his face, she lifted her arms, twisting and undulating her body until she was almost brushing against him.
The mystery guy’s hand landed on her hip, and softly caressed it as he moved to the sexy rhythm she had set. In the distance, Kassie heard Quinn hooting and hollering about the guy Kassie was dancing with, but none of it was coherent enough to make sense.
As the song faded into a new one, Kassie rolled her hips, the sensation of his hand on her hip causing goosebumps over her heated skin. She moved closer, circling her hips until she was in the mystery guy’s arms. Letting go and having a little fun for once felt right. Maybe Quinn was onto something, and she needed to hook up with some random guy.
“Hey.”
Still in a fog, Kassie looked up at her mystery dance partner. He towered over her. But the face she looked up into was all too familiar. His hungry, big brown eyes stared down at her, making her knees weak.
Her voice was shrill. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m supposed to be here to take care of those guys.” Luc pointed to the two guys dirty dancing with Quinn. “Make sure they make good decisions.” He was unfazed by Kassie’s reaction, or the fact that she had been dancing up on him.
“Oh, Kassie, if I were you,”—Quinn acted like she was whispering, but she was actually yelling— “I would definitely let him take care of me. I bet he’d take such good care of you. Mmm.”
Kassie’s face now burned hot, and feeling almost sober again, she shook her head. “Quinn, I think you’ve had enough—” But before she could finish her sentence, Quinn was off dancing with Luc’s friends again. Kassie sighed. “Great. That’s my friend Quinn, who obviously has had too much to drink.”
“Kass, she looks like she’s a big girl. I’m sure she can take care of herself,” Luc suggested.
“Aren’t you supposed to be making sure those boys are making good decisions? Cause Quinn is not a good decision.” Kassie huffed and moved away to sit down at the bar. She raised a bill into the air, calling for the bartender’s attention. “Can I get an Appletini please?”
Luc looked at her with a furrowed brow. Then he caught the bartender. “Club soda for me, please.”
She looked at Luc and realized he was the designated driver. It was odd how hot she found his overprotective act. It was different than how Kaden and Dom treated her. Luc was strong, dark, and his lips curled up in the corner in the start of a devilish grin. The kind of grin that turned her insides to jelly.
“Speaking of making good decisions, do you think another drink is a good idea? How many have you had already?”
Kassie shook her head. Why does he care so much what I do? I’m fine. “Luc, I’m fine. I’m sober now. One Appletini isn’t going to hurt me.” She flipped her hair as she turned, and a wave of dizziness came over her. She should’ve taken that as a warning that she wasn’t quite okay. Unfortunately, her stubbornness refused to let her back down.