Chapter 85
Lola
She was. For the bar. For celebrating. For whatever came next.
The bar was all low light and warm shadows, music pulsing in time with the heartbeat of the city. Brick walls caught the gold glow from Edison bulbs strung overhead, and every table felt like it belonged to someone dangerous.
Gino claimed a high–top near the back, the perfect vantage point to watch and be watched. Lola dropped onto the stool, the wrap over her new tattoo warm against her skin.
Two days of grinding work done. Tonight, I get to just breathe.
The first two round were easy—a citrusy cocktail with enough sugar to hide the bite. Gino tried to match her sip for sip, Dom lobbed playful dares across the table, and for once, she let herself just exist in their orbit, loose and laughing.
Halfway through round two, she slipped to the bar to order another for the table. The guys were busy charming a pair of women who’d wandered over.
That’s when he appeared.
Tall. Crisp shirt with the top two buttons undone. The kind of smile that had been practiced in mirrors until it looked effortless./
“You were in the competition, right?” His voice was smooth, pitched just low enough to cut through the noise.
She angled her head, a smirk already forming. “Depends who’s asking.”
“I didn’t see your work, but if it’s half as good as you look…” He let the pause hang, like an open door.
She raised a brow. “You could tighten up your line work.”
He laughed, leaning in. “Guess I’ll have to prove myself. Let me buy you a shot.”
Her first instinct was to decline, but the bartender was already setting down two short glasses, amber liquid catching the light.
“Second place is still worth celebrating,” he said, sliding one toward her. “To the runner–up.”
Fine. One quick toast, then I’m gone.
Two drinks on an empty stomach had proven to impair judgment.
She tapped her glass to his, tapped it on the bar and tossed it back. Smooth. Too smooth. No burn. No bite.
Exactly what regret tastes like, too sugary sweet.
The effect was immediate–like someone had pulled the plug on her body. Her knees went watery. The edges of the room warped, bending in ways they
shouldn’t.
No. No, no, no.
Her fingers curled on instinct around the bar, but his hand was already at her elbow, deceptively gentle..
“Easy,” he murmured, steering her toward the side exit like they’d arrived together.
The bass of the music was just a vibration now, muffled and far away. She tried to pull back, but her limbs were sandbags.
Chapter 85
Damn it Lo, you fucking idiot. WHY. We don’t accept drinks from strangers, we know this. Baba is going to murder me when she finds out.
The last thing she saw before the dark swallowed her was their table–servers and girls all over the place.
Where the hell are they-
The bar was loud enough to rattle bones–lights strobing, bass thumping like it had a grudge. Gino kept one eye on the high–top where Dom was holding court, the other on the redhead weaving through the crowd toward the bar. Lola was trouble wrapped in a bandanna and black stilettos, and every guy in here seemed to know it.
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