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“You got it.” Alex switched seats with Michael for better access to the drinks and went to work.
“So, are you an expert at mixing or something, Alex?” Charlotte asked.
“I worked as a bartender in high school.”
“What?” Charlotte gawked at him and he chuckled.
“By then, I was an expert at making infallible fake IDs.” He shrugged. “I needed the job and the tips for college tuition.”
His self-congratulatory smirk made Charlotte shake her head. “Wow…”
“He had the potential to become a criminal mastermind,” Spencer said.
“Yeah. Luckily, he met us,” Michael added.
Charlotte studied each of them quietly for a moment. When she turned to look at me, my heart skipped a beat. “You’re an interesting group,” she said.
“I’m glad you think so.” Lincoln smirked at her. He then slung an arm around her shoulders and whispered something in her ear.
The jealous beast inside me that had apparently been in hibernation until I met Charlotte lifted its head. Jealousy surged through me with such intensity that it shocked me to the core. Before now, I’d never had an envious bone in my body, especially toward my friends. It took one woman for me to resent Lincoln at the moment and I wasn’t sure what to do with the feeling.
Swallowing hard, I turned away from them to stare out the window. I focused on the swaying palm trees lining the sides of the road instead.
The vibrant lights of the nightclub were like beacons, welcoming us before our limo pulled up to the curb. The guys climbed out first. Spencer, ever the gentleman, assisted Vera out of the vehicle. Without thinking, I turned to offer Charlotte a hand only to realize that Lincoln beat me to it.
Of course, he did. He had more right to help her than I did. My jaw tightened as I watched Lincoln’s hand wrap around Charlotte’s smaller one. A clap on the shoulder forced my attention away from the duo.
“What are you frowning about?” Alex asked. “Careful, you might outdo the professional scowler over there.”
He pointed to Micheal who was frowning at the crowded entrance of the club. Like me, this was probably the last place he wanted to be, but he’d endure the night because everyone else wanted to do this. Maybe I’d stick with Micheal tonight. We could find a corner and keep socialization to a minimum.
“Oh, my gosh. Look at that line.” Vera gawked at the crowd at the entrance. “We’ll never get in.”
“Let me see what I can do,” Lincoln said.
“Work your magic, Mr. Hollywood,” Alex drawled.
Lincoln approached the two security guards who were checking IDs. It didn’t take long before their no-nonsense masks turned into smiles of recognition. Despite retiring from the NFL, he was still a legend. I’d always watched the way people gushed over him because of his celebrity status with amusement. Tonight, however, it didn’t make me laugh. Instead, I gazed at Charlotte with a frown. Was she impressed by Lincoln’s celebrity status?
Lincoln grinned at us as he waved us over. The people in line watched with curiosity and resentment as we skipped over them and walked through the red rope barriers. Music assaulted my ears as we stepped inside.
Michael eyed the crowd with disdain. “There are less crowded VIP sections here, right?”
“But we can’t afford the VIP sections,” Charlotte said.
Michael’s eyebrows popped up as he gazed at her with amusement and Spencer chuckled. I liked that she forgot who she was partying with. It said a lot about how down-to-earth my group of friends was, and I’d always liked them for that.
As if reading Michael’s expression, she blushed and giggled. “Billionaires… right. In that case, lead the way to the VIP section.”
Minutes later, we were ushered to a part of the club where the atmosphere shifted from chaotic to much calmer.
“This is more like it,” Michael said as he aimed for a table. He then pulled out his phone and started tapping away.
We all settled in and the drinks soon started flowing. I was quiet for the most part because I was busy watching Lincoln and Charlotte’s interactions.
Did they have the talk yet? Was she officially his girlfriend again? The way he’d been touching her with familiarity all night said she might be. The touches were innocent enough but still… Charlotte didn’t seem the type to let just any man invade her personal space. Not knowing what was going on between them was driving me crazy.
Vera approached with a glass in hand. She smiled at me. “Hey, Jamie. You don’t seem to be enjoying yourself.”
