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We’d moved on to a small nightclub. The place was decorated in a 1920s speakeasy style, with velvet seating, crystal chandeliers, and an art deco bar complete with an enormous metal tub of gin bottles. The vibe was retro but fun, and I could tell Stella loved it the minute we entered. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of bartenders wearing fedoras and flapper wigs, then she smiled with delight.
“This place is amazing!”
“Yeah, I found it last time I was in the city. It makes a change from the usual clubs. Mid-week it’s strictly jazz, but on a Saturday night, they switch to modern music to attract the club crowd.”
We hit the bar. I ordered beers for me and Harley, and sparkling water for Stella. Both of us had had enough of weird cocktails and I wasn’t in the mood for shots. Getting wasted wasn’t my aim, although I was pleasantly buzzed.
Service was fast and I took our drinks back to the table where Harley and Stella were sitting. The club was packed, writhing bodies crammed on the small dance floor while a DJ played the latest tracks. The modern music created a sense of disparity with the decor vibe, but it kind of worked.
A striking girl with long, black hair brushing the curve of her ass sashayed past. She caught my eye and did a double-take.
“Quinn Ellis? Is that really you?”
I frowned for a moment, then remembered who she was. Karin, my ex from a couple of years ago. God, had it really been that long? She’d changed from a pretty girl into a sex bomb. It threw me a bit - the girl I remembered had been attractive but not stunning, but the spark we’d once had was long gone.
“Hey, Karin.” I smiled politely, hoping she’d take the hint and not linger. Luck was not on my side, however.
Karin dropped down on the cushion beside me and smiled. “Looking good, Quinn!” She smirked, casting a quick look over my face and chest, and lingering on my crotch. It felt rather invasive, and I shifted uncomfortably. The Karin I knew wouldn’t have been this forward. Fuck, she really had changed. And not for the better.
I felt Harley and Stella watching our interaction. Harley looked curious but from Stella’s stony expression, it was clear she wasn’t impressed with Karin. At all.
“How come you’re in NYC? I thought you’d gone off to some fancy college in the sticks?”
“Yeah, I did. Still there. Here for a couple of days with my friends.”
Karin looked across the table. Her face brightened when she saw Harley. Then her gaze lingered on Stella for a moment, and I could almost see the gears moving in her head.
“Isn’t that…”
“Harley’s girlfriend, Suzie? Yeah, she’s at college with us.”
Karin looked slightly puzzled as if my words didn’t compute, but thankfully she accepted what I said without questioning it too much. The last thing we needed was another tell-all expose with Stella’s face plastered all over the morning news.
“Right, cool. Nice to meet you, Harley!” Karin leaned toward Harley, giving him a glimpse of her cleavage. He dipped his head slightly and then looked away, making it clear the dance floor was way more interesting than her. Karin’s gaze drifted over Stella again but didn’t linger this time.
Stella, meanwhile, continued to stare at Karin with suspicion. Was she jealous? It sure seemed that way. That gave me hope that perhaps I wouldn’t be stuck in the friend zone forever. Maybe in time she’d see me as more than a friend. I sure hoped so, as my feelings for her were definitely more than friendly.
“I’ve missed you, Quinn,” Karin told me when she realized Harley wasn’t interested. Her hand rested on my bicep and she pushed closer against my body, close enough for me to smell the overpowering perfume she must have showered in.
“Really?” I snorted in disbelief shuffling away. “That surprises me, given you dumped me for one of my friends.”
“I was young, stupid. It didn’t take me long to realize I’d made a mistake.” She attempted to look regretful, but I wasn’t buying that shit.
“I thought you and Ethan got engaged?” For all of a week.
“We did, but he wasn’t the one for me.” She pressed her breast against my arm and batting her eyelashes at me. Objectively, she was beautiful.
I wasn’t blind.
Her doe eyes and plump red lips were every guy’s wet dream, but her looks did nothing for me. I knew from bitter experience her beauty was only skin deep.
The minute someone better came along, she’d be off. Which was exactly what happened when we dated. Ethan’s family were richer, had better connections, so when he expressed interest in her, she casually ended our 12-month relationship via text and moved on.
If anything, she had done me a favor. Girls like her were a dime a dozen. She and the likes of Cassie and Rowena had a lot in common.
“Not rich enough?” I asked. Her eyes widened in surprise. I extricated her hand from my bicep and pushed her back, putting some much-needed distance between us.
“No, that wasn’t—”
