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“Cheers to being single and sexy!” she giggles, giving me a wink, and tosses her head back, downing the whole glass of wine.
“The Uber will be here in five, get your shit together and down that wine,” Maddie announces, frantically pacing around the apartment, collecting her coat and bag.
“Mads, where are we actually going tonight? Am I going to need my entire week's wages?” Knowing Maddie, it’s going to be somewhere high-end, full of corporate assholes for her to bat her eyelashes at.
Basically, a room full of Jamies. Just what I need.
“The new nightclub on 10thAvenue. Have you not been on social media in the last week, Si?” She lifts an accusing eyebrow. “It’s called The End Zone. Apparently, it’s owned by some sexy, mysterious, unattainable boxer, according to a New York magazine’s most eligible bachelor article. The opening night is tonight and I managed to nab us tickets from a client at work.”
“That actually sounds really cool.”
I grab my phone out of my clutch and look up The End Zone. As I predicted, it’s high-end yet sexy, so I best master my best flirty smile for those barmen and free shots tonight. With a newfound spring in my step, grabbing my leather jacket, we make our way out of the flat and off to my first night being single in the City.
CHAPTER2
SIENNA
My legs bounce erratically up and down in the Uber all the way over to 10thAvenue, and my hands can’t stop fiddling. I try to quiet the noise going on inside my brain. This is the start of my new life, again. I’m free.
I failed to mention the darker details to Maddie, the recent nights when Jamie would have complete breakdowns, shouting and smashing the apartment up. After days upon days of reflecting on our relationship, the realization dawned on me I had completely lost myself.
Maddie was concerned enough about me already, which is why I needed to concentrate on breathing to calm the rising panic coursing through my body. I promised her, her bubbly best friend would be back, and that is what she will be getting.
I tap my fingers on my wrist, trying to ground myself to the present. Despite the freezing temperatures outside, I notch down my window a couple of inches and take a deep breath. The cold air makes my nose run. The fumes of the traffic almost choke me.
Facing the window, I close my eyes and continue to breathe, calming my thoughts. My body instantly starts to relax into the leather seat. I can control my anxiety if I catch it quickly enough, like right now. It’s always there in the background, waiting to creep up on me.
“Si, are you ok?” Maddie whispers with a smile.
I place my hand on top of hers and let out the deep breath I had been holding in.
“I will be, promise. Just need to get my head in the zone and get ready to party with my bestie.” I flash her the best fake smile I can muster. She seems to sense this as she slowly nods, not wanting to press me any further.
Maddie was the first person I met when I moved here seven years ago. I remember tiptoeing into my new dorm with just a small pink suitcase of all my belongings. Not wanting to disturb anyone in the middle of the night. Maddie leaped straight out of bed screaming with excitement, wrapping me up in the tightest bear hug I think I had ever had in my life. I knew in that moment we were twin flames. They do say every Scorpio needs an Aquarius in their life.
The Uber coming to an abrupt stop shakes me from my thoughts. “Thank you, have a good night,” I say as I open the car door, the cold air almost taking my breath away.
“Mads, hurry up! It's fucking freezing. I need a better alcohol blanket,” I shout over the Uber as I wrap my arms around myself to keep from shivering. Also partly to hide the fact my nipples are way too obvious in this dress. Ugh, my brain is starting to sound like Jamie.Shut up, shut up, shut up.
“Well, it’s a good thing I got us VIP passes, so we don’t have to stand in that.”
Her perfectly manicured finger points to the queue of people winding along the sidewalk. Maddie steps in front of me, her high heels clicking against the tarmac, and links her arm through mine. “Let’s go get our party on,” she shouts for the whole street to hear. A laugh escapes me. She is always the party starter.
“Too right”
We head towards the red carpet leading to an oversized gold door. Excitement is jolting through me. God, I need a shot of tequila, pronto.
We breeze past the queue of people freezing their butts off, waiting to gain entry into the club. The place is buzzing, and the music is filling the streets. We pass the big burly bouncers our ID cards. The bald older man snatches it from my hand, stealing a quick glance at it, then my face. With a grunt, he thrusts my ID back out.
I flash him a big smile and walk through the entrance, following the red carpet. The warm misty air of the club wraps around my body and stops the shivering. With Maddie’s arm still linked through mine, we hand our coats to the barely legal woman chewing on a pen in the booth and she passes over our tickets without even so much as a glance in our direction. I shoot Maddie a side eye as we turn on our heels and make our way through the next set of glass double doors.
The beat of the music hits me first, almost taking my breath away as the bass slams through my body. We stand on the sidelines of the club and I take it all in. Yep, this place isfaaancy. But not in a pretentious, boring way, no. This place is exciting and sexy. This place is wow.
The walls are painted a deep red, with massive crystal chandeliers reflecting the strobe lighting. The dance area is in the center of the room. Black flooring, speckled with glitter, surrounded by black leather booths with gold tables - solid gold, I would bet. This place is dripping with wealth. It is filled with unimpressive, mostly dark-suited men with hooded eyes that are standing by the dance floor, watching, like lions hunting their prey.
My glance quickly darts around the room, zoning in on the most important part of the club; the bar. I snatch Maddie’s hand as her gaze traveled the room; the excitement bubbling on her face.
“Wow, Sienna, this place is incredible and have you seen how hot all these men are? I have not seen one who isn’t a complete sex God yet.”
