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“My mother is a senator for the state of New York. Nassau county,” he said quickly.
Paige sucked her drink down the wrong tube and choked. She coughed and flapped a hand in front of her face, warding off tears. Parker leaned forward and went to pat her on the back, but she shooed him away.
“This is not me freaking out,” she croaked out. “I’m just surprised. A senator, Parker? Jesus, why didn’t you say something?”
“It doesn’t matter to me. I’m not very close to my mom, but she’s from a pretty wealthy background,” he explained, sipping his bourbon. Paige took some deep breaths, trying to get rid of the burning sensation in her throat.
“That’s a pretty big deal, Parker. I must have seemed like such a bitch to someone like you,” she said. He frowned.
“What do you mean, someone like me? And no offense, Paige, but I’m pretty sure you would’ve seemed like a bitch to anyone,” he pointed out and she laughed.
“Fair point, but still. You probably went to great schools – youdogo to a great school, Trinity College is amazing. I’m just some hobo,” she joked. He shrugged.
“Things weren’t always roses, my parents struggled for a while after they got married. My mom’s family didn’t really approve of my dad, so she got cut off. I went to public school, thank you very much, and I don’t go to Trinity anymore.”
Paige raised her eyebrows and tried to decide which point to dissect first. Why wasn’t he going to Trinity anymore? Why did his mom’s family not approve of his father? Parker wasn’t very forthcoming with information, so she probably only had one or two more questions before he cut her off.
“What do you mean, she got cut off?” she asked. Parker shook his head and downed his drink in one swallow.
“It didn’t last long. She divorced my dad and they accepted her back. Enough chat about families, I think I know what you mean about getting migraines,” he said. A waitress stopped by their booth and dipped down to swipe up Parker’s empty glass, giving him a seductive smile when she asked if he wanted another one. Paige was tickled when he didn’t even react, just nodded yes.
“Right. No more families. Screw ‘em,” Paige lifted her glass, toasting herself before taking a healthy sip.
“I’ll drink to that,” he said, and just then the waitress delivered his second drink.
They kept the conversation light after that. Parker told her about how he'd played basketball for most of his life, during and after school. It was the main way he kept fit back home. She told him he should try walking ten or more miles a day,everyday, and then talk to her about keeping fit. He told her he would think of trying it some time. She told him she didn’t think he could handle it. He had laughed and agreed.
Finally, it was after his magical time of eleven o’clock. He just stood up and dropped a bill on the table before telling her they could leave. She scrambled out of the booth after him and followed him outside.
The nightclub really was only three doors down. She could hear the music thumping. Like a typical nightclub, there was a line of people going down the side of the street away from the door. A large man stood at the front of the line, and another man, on the shorter side, slender, and very well dressed, stood behind a podium. He had a walkie talkie in his hands and was scanning something on a tablet screen.
“Joey,” Parker called out as they got close. The guy looked up and smiled.
“Well, if it isn’t Park Carrington, in the flesh. I didn’t believe you when you called! How is it going?” the guy called Joey asked, coming out from around the podium and hugging Parker tightly. Parker laughed before pulling away.
“When have I ever lied to you? Things are good, man. This is my friend, Paige,” he said, holding out an arm to introduce her. Paige stepped forward, ready to shake the guy’s hand, but Joey just leaned in and hugged her, as well. In her heels, she was a lot taller than him and her nose was nestled in his hair. He then pulled away abruptly and held her at arm's length.
“Oh, you are just too beautiful for words! Park, where do you find women? A model agency on speed dial?” Joey joked. Paige glanced at Parker, who looked away with a cough.
“Shut up, Joey. How does it look in there?” he asked.
“Crazy. It’s Friday and there’s some football thing going on in town, a bunch of players from all over Texas are crawling everywhere. It’s a wet dream come to life,” Joey said while winking at Paige. She laughed.
“Enough room up there for us?” Parker asked, tucking his hands into his pockets. People waiting in the line began to angrily yell about not being let in, but Joey ignored them.
“Always, doll. Even though I didn’t believe you, I set aside a table,” Joey said before turning to lead the way into the nightclub. “The first bottle is on me, but any more, you can get. I love you, but not that much.”
They followed him up a set of stairs in almost pitch black. Paige was almost tempted to reach and grab the bottom of Parker’s jacket to use as a lead. When they got to the top, the music was even louder. Joey opened a solid black door and they followed him into the actual club.
Paige smiled as she paused to look around. She hadn’t been dancing in a long time, and this club was packed. House music seemed to pour out of the walls. Lights flashed from all four corners. The dance floor was wall-to-wall people, and at the four corners of the floor were large podiums with go-go dancers on top of them.
The DJ booth was tucked against a far back wall, the bar was on the opposite wall, and both had tables built into alcoves surrounding them. Paige knew from being in similar clubs that those were the VIP tables – tables you only got if you ordered a full bottle or more. Bottles cost hundreds of dollars usually, so despite having worked in nightclubs, Paige had never sat at a VIP table. She was excited she was finally going to experience it.
“Okay! Follow me! I got you a prime spot! Most of the other tables are already booked up!” Joey yelled to be heard over the music before moving to skirt around the dance floor.
Paige stood still until Parker walked past her, and then was surprised when he reached out a hand behind him. He glanced back and smiled at her until she laced her fingers through his warm ones. He squeezed her hand and lead her through the people, keeping her close. Warmth spread from her fingers up through her arm until she could feel it in her chest. Could feel it all over her body.
Joey stopped at an alcove in a corner, only one table down from the DJ booth. He showed them a menu and Parker picked a nice bottle of whiskey. Joey winked at her again, told them to have a good time, and disappeared into the crowd. Parker slid into the booth and showed Paige a secret compartment under the table where she could store her purse.
