Chapter 1 The Dare at the Club

{EVIE}

“I dare you to kiss a guy.”

I slurp calmly on my cocktail, my right leg crossing over the other, trying to conceal the smile breaking on my face. 

“Okay… who do you have in mind?” I asked calmly, despite the bubbling excitement inside me at the dare.

Becky perks up on her spot on the lounge seat, her soft blue eyes gleaming with a smug expression beneath the club’s neon lights, the booming music echoing softly around us where we sat in the lounging area, away from the mingling bodies of intoxicated people raving on the dance floor. Tasha and Darla hoot, their expressions mirroring Becky’s.

She casually shrugs. “Any guy, it’s your pick, gorgeous.” She drawls, lips stretching into a sly smile now.

My face finally breaks with a smile, “Hm, alright, that sounds fun.” I smirk, placing my drink down on the table between us then sit upright, clearing my throat. “Let’s see what we have here…”

Darting my gaze around, I search the room for a worthy target.

We had come here to unwind. It was the weekend after all, but one too many drinks had caused us to engage in this game and here we are. It was fun though, and I wasn’t complaining.

This dare was as easy as pie.

I narrow my eyes, a frown soon settling on my face when I don’t find someone suitable.

“Come on, Evie, how hard can it be to find one guy,” Darla whines, rocking impatiently in her seat. “Just pick anyone.”

“Yeah, Evie, there’s like a dozen guys swarming this place, just pick one already.” Tasha joins in.

Becky chuckles, “Just give her a moment, girls, you know Evie gets with these things. She doesn’t just kiss anyone.”

I want to roll my eyes at them, at Becky’s words too, but she’s right. I don’t just kiss anyone, even in a dare. You’d have to meet a minimum requirement at least; that is… allure me.

“Oh, please… It’s just a kiss!” Tasha and Darla say at the same time, their voices pitching.

I finally roll my eyes, a quiet sigh escaping my lips, and I shake my head sparing them a glance.

“So… find someone?” Becky speaks up after a moment, catching my gaze. “Or are you going to forfeit?” she grins and my lips curl with a grimace.

Forfeiting means I would have to pay a hundred dollars and drink five shots of Martinez in three seconds. Paying wasn’t the problem. I can’t hold my liquor and that entails embarrassing moments I’d rather not let happen.

Becky knew that too, they all did. I’m the only one in our little friend group who can’t handle more than two shots of alcohol. Five would be disastrous and Becky and the girls are going to have a field day with it.

I spring up to my feet, shaking my head, “No way, I’ll find someone. I know he’s here somewhere.”

“Ooou, go girl!”

“Yeahh, that’s what I’m talking about!” Tasha and Darla chorus at the same time but I ignore them and turn.

“Well, if you say so,” Becky leans back against her seat, legs crossing at her ankle, her hands planted behind her, supporting her weight. “But you have sixty seconds or else…”

She didn’t have to complete the sentence, the mischievous glint in her eyes says it all.

Breathing out, my eyes frantically sweep across the club. Thirty seconds go by and I still haven’t found who I wanted for the dare.

Forty seconds. Fifty seconds. Fifty-five…

The girls’ voices are a constant bout of teasing. My teeth clamp onto my bottom lip, and I bounce on one foot.

I’m starting to think the universe wants to embarrass me. How hard can it possibly be to find someone I actually want to kiss?

I might as well just kiss anyone and get it over with. But before I make a move, my gaze catches onto something, or rather… someone.

I pause, my breath catching in my throat. And then, a smile spreads like wildfire across my face.

“I take it as you’ve found someone?” Becky observes but I’m already stepping out of our booth.

“See you girls in a bit.” I wink, grab my purse, and make my way to my target.

He sat at the far corner of the room; a VIP spot, secluded in privacy. It was no wonder I couldn’t find him.

He was shrouded in the shadows of the dim red and golden lights in his booth. I could barely see him, but he had looked up for a moment and the light had caught his face, just enough to allure me.

And the closer I got to him, the clearer I could make out his frame. He pauses when I waltz into his booth, his glass of whatever he was drinking—probably whiskey—hung mid-air close to his mouth before he lowers it slightly.

His eyes flash, his face contouring with curiosity and something else, over sculptured features. His lips parted as if to speak but I cut in first, without introduction as I stepped into his personal space.

“It’s nothing personal, but just enjoy it,” I say before straddling him and I don’t wait for a response or a reaction either. I grab his face in my hands and lock my lips against his.

He freezes against me and I almost let out a moan. A sudden, heady sensation instantly washes through me at the feeling of his mouth. I thought I was prepared when I came here to fulfill this deal—and I knew the girls were watching—but I never expected this stranger’s mouth to feel so… delectable. It was almost illegal.

But this was meant to be a dare and I had done my part. I wasn’t supposed to enjoy it this much. I shouldn’t…

What happens next sends a bone-deep, toe-curling shiver through me when I start to pull away.

He leans upright, locking me against his body—his arm wrapping around my waist, the other one snaking into the root of my hair and gripping firmly—and kisses me, harder.