Chapter 6

Flashback: Late Evening, Summer 2019

The street thrummed with a wild, gritty buzz under a sky slashed with neon—hot pinks, electric blues, and acid greens spilling down onto slick asphalt. Leftover rain puddles threw back warped reflections like some trippy mirror.

Bursts of laughter and hollering cut through the dark, mixing into a chaotic jam as packs of buddies shoved through the mob without a care. Couples huddled tight under sputtering lamps, their murmurs swallowed by the noise, and lone wolves eyed the swarm with desperate hunger.

Evelyn’s hair hung loose and messy, flashing glints of color with each stride, and falling away from her face. Her lips were painted a bold red—her eyes smoked out to hide whatever she didn’t want seen under that flirty haze.

Her black dress clung like it was painted on, squeezing her breasts just right—the bottom hiked high on her sun-baked thighs, her legs stretched endlessly by strappy heels clacking sharply on the wet ground.

Right next to her, Lauren matched the vibe, strutting tall in a red mini that dipped low enough to show off plenty of cleavage, the material pulling tight over her long legs, her stilettos adding that extra snap to her already towering frame. She hooked her arm in Evelyn’s, their pace locked in.

Evelyn’s head swam a bit from the vodka they’d knocked back in Lauren’s shoebox apartment, the lime’s bite still stinging her throat, firing her up for whatever the night tossed their way.

“So, what’s the story you spun this time?” Lauren prodded, squeezing Evelyn’s arm as they weaved through the crush, her eyes looking for trouble.

Evelyn had to think for a moment, the booze fuzzing her edges. She let out a giggle that bubbled up easily, her hips swinging extra just to pull catcalls from a knot of dudes propped against a tagged-up wall, their stares glued to her like magnets.

“Uh, something about cramming for a test tomorrow, I think,” she shot back, light as air, as she rolled her eyes at how pathetically simple it was. “Poor guy,” she tossed in with a fake pity twist.

Lauren tossed her head back, her cackle bouncing off the buildings. “Just get rid of him already and run wild with me, guilt free.” Her eyes drifted forward to the line outside the club.

Evelyn leaned in close, catching a whiff of Lauren’s flowery perfume mixed with the street’s dank edge, dropping her voice to a hush like they were plotting a heist. “Nah, he’s steady, you know? And I still get these nights with you,” she said.

“Besides, I don’t feel guilty. He’s the one who chased after me,” she went on. “I was in jail when he met me. What’d he think he was getting? I’m twenty-one, not some settled forty-something.”

Lauren’s eyes lit up with that shared spark, yanking Evelyn’s arm tighter, her laugh ripping through the air. “On that note, I got rid of Mike last week,” she said, all breezy, but with a thrill underneath. “Kept blowing up my phone, whining to come back, tears and all that bullshit.” She mocked a baby voice, screwing up her face. “But screw that—life’s too damn short for average cock,” and they both cracked up hard.

They hit the front of the line. The two bouncers, built like tanks with faces roughed up from years of the gig, spotted them right off from old times, their eyes sparking with that greedy gleam. Evelyn sauntered up to the first one—a stocky buzzcut type—wrapping him in a hug that pressed her right up against him, tits grazing his chest, arms lingering around his neck.

Lauren did the same with the other, the tall one with the scruffy goatee, leaning her lanky frame into him, her laugh low and teasing as her hands skimmed his shoulders. “Trouble as usual, Evie,” the buzzcut bouncer growled low, his eyes moving to her chest, his hand grazing her hip for a second too long.

“We’ll see,” she purred back, flashing a wink as she peeled off.

Inside, flashing lights matched the thunderous house music, and the bass reverberated off the walls, shaking everything loose. People were crammed together on the dance floor, rubbing against one another in a steamy, sticky jumble.

Over at the bar, it was all glasses clinking, hollered orders, and the random smash of a bottle hitting the deck, the whole mess feeding that buzz of letting loose.

Evelyn and Lauren pushed through the crush, their dresses sticking to every curve, turning heads like spotlights—guys freezing up mid-chat with their mouths hanging open, girls muttering jealous digs.

They stumbled through to the bar, where a kid with a nose ring noticed their approach—he’d seen them before—his eyes dipping quickly to Evelyn’s bare thighs, then Lauren’s deep V-neck. They called for tequila shots with lime, and he doled them out, the gold stuff catching a low glow.

Down the hatch they went, scorching their throats, lime biting sharp, the salt licked off their wrists like some old ritual that always got the night rolling. “To ditching the guys,” Lauren tossed out, playful as hell, her green eyes scoping the floor while she bobbed a little to the beat.

“To snagging fresh ones,” Evelyn fired back, her hazel eyes sparking with that hunt vibe. She threw her head back, her body humming right along with the tune. The tequila’s fire spread warm through her gut—melting away whatever held her back.

They both noticed the approach of two men.

Calvin radiated confidence with his dark hair pushed back and his endearing smile. His shirt was unbuttoned to show a toned tattooed chest. His slim, almost slender, body drew Evelyn in.

Joe, who was taller and had short blonde hair, focused on Lauren, his eyes tracing her body. “Ladies,” Calvin said, his voice smooth and his expression bold as his eyes lingered on Evelyn. “Mind if we join you? You look like you’re in charge of this place.”

Evelyn’s gaze flicked to him, her smile teasing. She leaned against the bar, her breasts prominent, her voice playful yet dismissive. “We’re waiting for our boyfriends, guys.” Her tone was light, but her eyes held Calvin’s, sparking the cat-and-mouse game she relished.