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Chapter 34
Wobbling in four inch heels, black dress clinging to her like a second skin, Nayome observed herself skeptically in her bedroom’s full length mirror. Glancing at the pile of discarded garments draping over the edge of her bed, Nayome looked longingly at the pair of loose-fitting jeans Dani had relegated to thenopepile.
“I can’t walk in these,” Nayome complained, catching herself as her ankle started to roll.
“I don’t understand how you’ve lived in the city for so long, and not figured out how to power walk in heels.” Dani was shaking her head, gliding effortlessly around Nayome’s bedroom in vicious looking red patent leather stilettos.
“I guess I’m just not a masochist.”
Dani rolled her eyes, sifting through the wreckage of Nayome’s closet. “Ooh, these are cute!” Dani held a pair of knee high boots up.
Snatching them eagerly, Nayome kicked off the heels and zipped up the boots. They had a small kitten heel, which was probably the only reason they got through Dani’s radar, and were much more manageable.
Dani stood back up, giving Nayome a full once over. “Perfect!” She said, nodding her head.
“It’s not too short?” Nayome asked, spinning around and glancing at her back in the mirror. She had to tug the dress down to keep it from riding up, it only cleared her butt by a few inches.
“It shows off your legs. Besides, us shorties can pull off the length without looking trashy.”
“I guess I’ll take your word for it,” Nayome sighed, running a hand through the smooth cascading waves that had been teased out of her auburn hair. They had spent the last hour getting ready, and Nayome had to admit Dani could work wonders with a hair straightener. “Are you sure the lipstick isn’t too much?”
Dani had brought some make-up, and insisted Nayome go with a bold dark red lip. She hadn’t ever worn anything like it before and couldn’t decide whether it looked good or not. It was certainly striking, though.
“Nayome, you look bomb,” Dani was smiling, as she put a couple of large silver hoop earrings on, standing back to assess the effect on her look. She must have been satisfied, because she turned away from her reflection to face Nayome. “Let’s get this party started.”
Nayome smiled weakly. She had agreed to this, she reminded herself. Putting herself out there might help get her free of this miserable rut she was in. This was going to be fun.
“Oh stop looking so grim,” Dani said, as she grabbed her clutch.
“Sorry,” Nayome said, “I just haven’t been out like this in forever.”
“That’s the point. The place I want to try is only a few blocks away, you down to walk?”
Nayome tested a few steps in her mini heels. When she felt relatively solid, she nodded and they headed out.
* * *
The club Dani picked was packed, and small. A DJ, who was raised on a small pedestal in the back corner of the narrow space, was blaring something that sounded like a trendy mix of jazz and r&b. It was loud enough to make conversation difficult. Nayome had to lean over the long, polished bar to shout her order at the bored looking bartender.
“Isn’t this place great?” Dani asked, as she squeezed a lime into a colorful gin cocktail.
Nayome almost answered with ‘it’s a bit loud’, but caught herself. Dani was doing something nice for her, she should at least try to get into the spirit of it. “It’s so busy, how’d you hear about this place?”
“Mary from accounting, she met her new boyfriend here. Apparently it’s a good place to pick-up.” Dani raised her eyebrows suggestively, a mischievous smile spreading across her face. “Look, I think that couple is leaving. Let’s grab their seats.” Dani squeezed efficiently through the sea of bodies, apologizing here and there where she couldn’t avoid bumping into someone. By the time the couple had paid their bill and were gathering coats, Dani had positioned herself perfectly to slide into the freshly vacated seat, setting her bag triumphantly down on the small round high top table. “Excellent,” Dani said, as she scoped out the bar from her new vantage point.
“From the two men at the corner of the bar.” A pretty waitress appeared, dropping off two pink martini’s at their table. The waitress winked at them “They tipped well, so I’d wager they’re a pretty good catch.”
Dani smiled, staring unabashedly at the two men. “They’re cute. What do you think Nayome? Should we invite them over?”
Nayome glanced over, trying not to make eye contact with either of the men. They were cute, she supposed, if you liked the slick, corporate look. They had clearly come here straight from the office, the only thing indicating they were winding down for the day was the slight loosening of their collared shirts, and their blazers slung over the back of their barstools. Nayome blushed as the blond turned around and caught her looking. Turning quickly back to Dani, she caught the smile spreading over his face as he saw her reaction.
“Damn it, he caught me staring.”
“Oh, heads up. They are coming over.” Dani shifted in her seat, somehow maneuvering the cross of her legs so they were on even better display than they had been before, her glossy red heels reflecting the lights that were being disbursed by a few spinning disco balls. The atmosphere did have a bit of a classy, retro vibe Nayome appreciated. It was more upscale than a pub, but not as aggressive as a nightclub.
“Hey, beautiful,” The blond stepped up next to Nayome, leaning against their tiny table, which put him a little bit too close for comfort.
Nayome refrained from rolling her eyes. This guy was like…the antithesis of Bal, he was slim, blonde hair trimmed in the latest style. Clipped short and close to his skull on the sides, fading into a gradual longer length towards the top. The length of it was carefully styled to swoop to one side, as if casually. “What’s your name? I’m Kevin.”
