Chapter 18

            “Listen, I don’t want to tell Nick about this whole thing just yet okay?  Let’s just have fun tonight and not mention any of this until we meet for lunch tomorrow, agreed?” Caryss begged Liz and Stacie as they were walking to the front of the line outside Mood. 

            “Agreed,” responded Liz and Stacie in unison.  Caryss gave her name to the bouncer and the three ladies were ushered into the ultra-hip night club without a word being spoken to them. 

            “Wow, friendly bunch that works here, eh?” commented Stacie once all night club employees were out of earshot.  Caryss and Liz giggled a little and all three ladies walked further into the club, searching for Nick and whomever else he was with. 

            “I don’t see him, do you?” Caryss asked over the music that grew louder and louder the further they walked into the club. 

            “He’s probably up there?” yelled Liz as she pointed to the VIP section.  The three ladies walked timidly towards the entrance leading to the VIP room and just as they figured they would be, they were stopped by a bouncer.  He looked all three girls up and down one at a time, as if trying to determine whether or not they were hot enough to get into VIP without a name on the list. 

            Since this was not the first time Stacie had been to a club like this, she knew his game and squashed it before it really got started.  “Although the three of us would love to do sexual favors for you so we can get into VIP, we are on the list so that won’t be necessary.”  She rattled off their names as Liz and Caryss tried to stifle their laughter and the bouncer stared at her with an un-amused look on his face. 

            “Well?  We’re waiting?” chided Stacie, placing her hands on her hips and cocking her head to one side. 

            “Your names may be on this list, but if I don’t let you in, you don’t get in; and right now, I’m not thinking there’s anything in it for me to let you in.”

            “I’m sure your manager would think otherwise,” retorted Caryss, getting very irritated by the bouncer’s attitude.  By this time a small line had formed behind them of other people waiting to enter the VIP area. 

            “Oh, you think?  Why don’t you go find him and ask him you stupid bitch and let the people that belong in VIP get past you.”

            “Excuse me, is there a problem?” an attractive sounding male voice said from behind the three girls.  They looked up at the bouncer and saw a sheepish look come across his face.  The man behind them continued.  “Cause if there wasn’t one before, there is now.  How dare you talk to a lady like that.” 

            “I’m very sorry Mr. McLean,” the bouncer stammered and Caryss, Liz and Stacie slowly turned around and found themselves face to face with the Sex God himself. 

            “Ladies, what’s the problem?” he asked, eyeing each girl without being too obvious about it. 

            “We are on the list and he won’t let us in,” piped up Liz.  She was surprised she could even talk considering her legs felt like jello and her brain seemed fuzzy and confused when she looked into his mocha eyes.  “We are actually here to meet up with Nick….and you,” she said awkwardly, breaking the eye contact she had going with him. 

            “You’re Liz, aren’t you?” he asked, those beautifully full lips curving into a sexy smile.  “Nick told me about you.”  He grabbed her hand and raised it to his lips, kissing it softly and letting his lips linger against her sweet smelling skin.  Liz turned crimson and Stacie glared back at the bouncer who was standing there dumbfounded. 

            “Don’t you feel like an ass right now,” she muttered to him quietly.  He looked down at her and at first she thought he was going to pummel her, but his expression was apologetic and her fears were eased. 

            “I’m very sorry ladies.  I should never have treated you the way I did.  Please accept my apology and tonight everything is on the house.”  He gave the ladies and AJ a weak smile and stepped aside to let them into the VIP area. 

            Once inside the VIP area, the girls turned back to AJ and thanked him for his assistance.  “I honestly don’t think we would have gotten past him if you hadn’t shown up when you did,” gushed Stacie, feeling a little star-struck for the first time.  She was a closet AJ fan and it was getting the best of her at that moment. 

            “You must be Stacie,” he said as he took her hand and kissed it as he had done to Liz’s.  “By the way, some guy named Jim is at our table with Nick, Howie, and Howie’s date.  He’s been looking for you since he got here.”

            “Jim’s here?  Oh my God!” squealed Stacie with excitement.  “Thanks again for getting us in,” she shrieked before taking off towards the table and Jim.

            “Anything for Nick’s girl,” he responded, even though Stacie was already out of earshot, as he made eye contact with Caryss for the first time.  “Caryss, I presume?” he asked in a funny British accent as he stepped closer to her and grabbed her hand.  He brought it to his lips as he had done with Liz and Stacie and kissed it gently.  “It is a pleasure.”

            “Likewise,” she responded with a smile.  She looked over at Liz and then back at AJ.  “Well, I’m going to find the sexy blond guy that invited me here.  I’ll leave you two alone to get better acquainted.”  She gave Liz a coy smile and walked away.    

            “Do you dance?” he asked her as they watched Caryss walk away.  She looked at him, her knees turning to jello and her brain getting fuzzy again, and simply nodded her head.  “Let’s see your moves then,” he said seductively and grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the dance floor.  A few minutes later they were joined on the dance floor by Nick, Caryss, Stacie, Jim, Howie and Suzzie, Howie’s date. 

            They danced for the next two hours, never stopping to rest once.  AJ was very impressed with how well Liz kept up with him and she was impressed by how much he turned her on.  Halfway into the first song she was ready to tear his clothes off and get busy, but she kept her cool and focused her energy on her dance moves instead. 

            The other couples were on and off the dance floor, taking breaks to sit at their table and have some drinks.  Liz and AJ came to the table a few times to chug some water, but usually headed right back onto the dance floor.  The girls were having so much fun, not one of them ever once thought about the events earlier that night at Laurie’s condo.  Even after all four couples left the club and went to a 24 hour diner down the street for some post-club munchies and audible conversation none of the girls thought about it.  It wasn’t until Caryss and Nick got back to the hotel early the next morning and Caryss was plugging her cell phone into the charger that that reality came tumbling back into her lap. 

            “New text message,” she said quietly as she looked at the screen on her phone.  Even without any indication of who it was from she instantly knew it wasn’t from anyone she expected.  She opened her inbox and a few seconds later, she gasped and her phone fell from her hand onto the floor. 

Sometimes bad things happen to good people…this is going to be one of those times.  Go back to Chicago before it’s too late.