Chapter Five

Kelly

I studied Ryder closely and wondered if being insanely attractive was a prerequisite to being friends with Marcus. Ryder winked at me with an amusing gleam in his eye.

“Yea, yea. Watch it, bro, or the next time you have to play Barkeep, I will make your life hell.” Ryder’s wolfish grin was charming. He winked at me again and poured four tall glasses with an inviting, light amber liquid from a complex-looking tap.

Marcus handed me mine, his hand brushing my neck possessively. He then passed two more drinks over my shoulder to Sara and Gene.

We bade Ryder goodbye, and I allowed Marcus to lead me to a great table, one that was suspiciously unoccupied. Every other table in the place was packed, some overflowing with people.

“It’s ours,” Marcus whispered to me as I settled myself.

I smoothed my short black skirt over my thighs, watching Gene weave back through the crowd when Marcus nodded again.

It was creepy to watch if one were paying attention.

I groaned when I saw the purpose of the detour. He was bringing back a tray of what looked suspiciously like tequila. I had not once in my life tried “to kill ya,” and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to start now. I don’t usually drink. I have had a few beers since I was a teenager, but that was it.

When I looked back at Marcus, all thoughts scattered for a minute before my brain jumped back into gear.

If I decided to sleep with someone while sober and then got drunk to fortify my nerves, would that make me a bad person or a good person? Would I be okay with it when I woke up in the morning?

Those were questions I would have asked myself at any other time with any other man. Yet, there wasn’t another possible answer I found other than yes.

Gene set down the tray of shots in the center of the table and grinned as he sat back down beside Sara, who stared at the pure alcohol with one delicate black brow raised.

“I have a question,” Marcus said as he leaned back against the booth.

“What?” I glanced up at the merriment in his gaze.

“What are you doing here?”

I was slightly offended by his question.

“I didn’t mean it that way. You are incredibly sexy, but you don’t meet the typical criteria of the people who come here.”

“I told you everyone could tell,” I said accusingly to Sara.

“He is but one man, Kel, not everyone.” Sara laughed. “Though he is one fine young piece of meat.”

“Must you always be this derogatory?” I snapped playfully. Marcus didn’t say anything, but I could feel his silent laughter from beside me.

“Must you always be this rational?” she shot back.

“Most times with you, I need to be. If not, I think you would fall apart.” I stopped speaking when the look in Sara’s eyes registered in my mind.

She had pulled entire sentences out of me in front of strangers, and I hadn’t even stuttered once.

Gene set a shot in front of each of us, and there was still enough left for at least four more rounds.

“It won’t bite you, but if you don’t want to, that’s okay. I can drink enough for the two of us, all by myself.” Marcus grinned and downed his shot smoothly. He struck the glass on the table a second before Gene and Sara.

They smiled at each other, and no one commented about me not taking mine. While they spoke of trivial small talk, I stared at the plain glass shooter filled with an amber liquid ten shades darker than my beer.

“Screw it,” I whispered under my breath. I was going to hell anyway; I might as well enjoy the ride.

I hadn’t thought the others were watching me when I downed the shot, but they cheered the moment the liquid passed down my throat.

“Welcome to the big leagues, little sister,” Sara said proudly.

When the tequila hit my stomach, the warmth expanded instantaneously. It was unlike anything I had pretty felt before.

Marcus looked at me with a silly, knowing grin plastered on his face.

“You’re drunk, aren’t you?” I asked, and he nodded.

“Very,” he agreed.

A stab of disappointment went through me. It felt hypocritical, but I wanted him to want me without the aid of alcohol. Not even that would change my mind now. If I didn’t see where this led, I would regret it.

Sara passed another round of shots as if sensing my tiny hesitancy. She gave me a long, meaningful look I couldn’t ignore.

“Drink up, girly, or it’s alcohol abuse.” All at once this time, we downed the shots.

While the first had been pleasant, the second was mind-shattering. I blinked, trying to bring the booth back into focus. My wild times were over, for this moment at least. I knew enough that I had just hit my limit. I felt like mush, on a booze-ridden haze of unusual happiness. I was smiling, and I didn’t seem able to stop.

“Go on.” Sara nodded toward the bowels of the club.

I rolled my eyes, my body already moving out from under the table against my will. I stood just short of the booth. I stared at Marcus and debated the best way to ask him, but then I didn’t have to.

“Where are we going?” he asked, surprising me with his eagerness.

“I am not entirely sure yet.” I looked around and spotted the bathrooms Sara had previously mentioned.

I smiled to myself. This was just too easy.

Sin should be so much more complicated than this.