Chapter 16: Mistakes are Made

The third time Roxie took me out, I don’t know what came over me, but the animal inside me started to take over. I did things I never thought I would be capable of.

We were standing at the bar when a guy a little older than me approached. He introduced himself as Alan. He was definitely not my type and not anyone I would ever even take on a casual date. He was at the club with two friends who seemed fine letting him fly solo, and he decided to hit on me and maybe get lucky.

That was definitely not going to happen. When I say he wasn’t my type, I mean he was shorter than Nick—maybe five-seven or five-eight—and overweight, with a round belly. I thought about what Roxie had told me the first time about the game she and Ryan used to play, where she would flirt with guys below her. I hate referring to another person like that because it’s not really fair. Many of those guys are some of the nicest and sweetest men you will ever meet, and they deserve much more respect than they typically get.

So when Alan first approached me, I was nice but made it clear I wasn’t interested. “I’m just here with my friend,” I said, smiling politely. “We’re having a girls’ night.”

He still offered to buy me a drink. I could see his two friends watching from a few feet away. They were talking to each other, clearly ready to laugh at poor Alan when I shot him down. I mean, it was for sure right, and a woman like me would not waste her time with an unattractive guy like Alan. Well, his two “friends” attitude pissed me off. I wasn’t thinking about Nick or the game. I didn’t even realize Roxie was recording me. But I smiled at Alan, introduced myself, and started talking to him.

“I’m Sarah,” I said. “And yes, you can buy me a drink if you want.”

He looked totally shocked by my response. Later I would find out that because Alan was not conventionally attractive, Nick was even more turned on by it, just like Ryan had been when Roxie flirted with guys that she normally would not have given the time of day. But at that time, I wasn’t thinking about that. I was thinking about the two jerks who had sent Alan to crash and burn, and I wanted to show them up.

So I started doing something I had not really done in fourteen years. I started flirting with him, really flirting. Not like I had on the previous nights out, which had been more playful and fun. I was actually giving him the time of day like he had a real chance. I laughed at all his jokes. I touched his arm like Roxie did when I was making a point. I tossed my hair and gave him coy little looks. I could see his friends were totally shocked and then impressed by the response Alan was getting.

At one point, another guy came up, good-looking, and asked if I wanted to dance. He clearly thought Alan had no shot, so he had moved in. I thanked him but said, “Alan and I were about to dance.”

Alan’s expression was priceless. When I led him onto the floor, holding his sweaty hand, he told me he wasn’t a very good dancer.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “Just relax and have fun.”

He really was not a good dancer. He was terrible and kept trying silly moves he must have seen in movies or something, but I went with it, stayed nice, and kept my hands on his shoulders or arms. Roxie kept taking videos. She knew exactly what I was doing. At one point she came out and joined us, and we turned him into an Alan sandwich, two hot, sexy women dancing up on him. It was probably the first time in his life.

After a while, Roxie and I excused ourselves and went to the restroom. Roxie laughed so hard while I was washing my hands, telling me I was such a naughty girl, and I laughed too. “The woman I met at the pool party would never have done anything like what you just did,” she said. “I’m so impressed. I’m proud of you.”