I couldn’t help but laugh at the rant she had gone off on. “It’s okay, Evie. Calm down. We will go and find you a sex stud tomorrow. You really do need to get some and get it out of your system. I’ve noticed your book selection as of late have been moving further away from young adult and closer to pure erotica, so I figured you were looking for some good material.”

The following 24 hours crawled by as Evie and I anxiously awaited our big night out. I wasn’t quite sure what to wear to something like this so I allowed Evie to dress me; however, I retained veto power over her selections. She was finally getting to wear her red and black striped hoochie momma dress which she paired with knee high black heeled boots. She looked even more amazing than usual with her jet black hair piled in a messy bun held together with black chopsticks. I wanted to wear pants so she dressed me in distressed skinny jeans paired with a sheer black top and my black and red lace bra underneath. Evie and I argued over what shoes I was going to wear. I wanted flip flops, she wanted stilettos. We compromised with sparkly black ballet flats. I kept my hair down and straight, I felt a little less vulnerable when it was down, almost like it was a layer of protection of sorts. I was a little apprehensive about the rather provocative way in which I was dressed, but Evie assured me that I looked great and that we would fit in just fine. I had no choice but to trust her. At 9:00 sharp, we headed out the door and were off to pick up Mina.

Chapter 16

Mina lived with her parents about 20 minutes away from campus. Our picking her up and meeting her parents provided her an easy alibi since she was planning on staying the night at her boyfriend Noah’s apartment. I was glad to see that Mina was dressed similar to how Evie and I were, she wore black skinny jeans, a metallic silver top, and black stilettos. I had met Mina several times at the campus coffee shop and library, but I had never realized how pretty she really was until then. Her naturally blonde hair laid in perfect curls just past her shoulder blades and her stunning blue eyes shimmered against her top. After quick introductions with her parents, we rushed out the door excited for what the night would bring.

A half an hour later we were paying the door man our $20 cover charge to get into the warehouse in the middle of nowhere. The doorman was Mina’s brother’s friend who got us in as 21, but couldn’t do anything about the entrance fee. Even though Mina bitched about it to him, I didn’t mind much because I hoped that we wouldn’t have to buy many of our own drinks throughout the night.

Based on the outer appearance of just a metal rectangular shaped warehouse, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when we went inside, but surprisingly, the dimly lit space looked like what I assumed a regular club would look like. Bars lined the two walls to my left and right; a good-sized stage was centered against the back wall; the main area was filled with tables and chairs with the exception of the small open space directly in front of the stage that was currently being used as a dance floor; there was a door leading to what looked like a hallway on one side of the room; and there were several pool tables set off to the other side. The place was pretty full, all of the pool tables were in use and there were only one or two open bar tables.

Before I had an opportunity to look around anymore, Mina grabbed mine and Evie’s hands and drug us off towards a group of people seated at some tables that had been pushed together. People stopped to look at the three of us as we made our way across the room, it was impossible not to notice. I thought we may have resembled Charlie’s Angels ~ the striking blonde, the bad-ass Asian, and the mysterious brunette. Even though I wasn’t really mysterious at all, it was the best I could come up with for myself… the ‘boring brunette’ just didn’t have the same ring.

As soon as we reached the table, Mina jumped in the lap of who I assumed was Noah and started making out with him wildly. The whole table cheered at them which caused Mina to start laughing and break the kiss. She then introduced us to Noah, who was just as nice as he was good-looking.

“It’s so nice to meet you both,” he said as he shook both my and Evie’s hands. He then looked over at Mina and told her, “I’m not sure I’m going to approve of you hanging out with the likes of these two ladies. The three of you beautiful women together will be nothing but trouble.”

“You know I don’t need any help finding trouble. I found you didn’t I?” she teased while kissing his neck.

Noah laughed and moved her mouth to his. “Yes, you did, you naughty girl,” he said against her lips.

Seeing the two of them together made me so hopeful, yet so envious too. I could see how much they truly enjoyed being with one another, they were adorable together.

“Hey Mina, are you going to introduce your friends to the rest of us?” one of the other guys at the table called out. “I’m sure they didn’t come with you to watch you and funny boy there kiss and make goo-goo eyes all night.”

“Oh, right! Sorry guys,” she said as she jumped off Noah’s lap. She then walked us around the table introducing us to the rest of Noah’s bandmates and friends. However after the first or second introduction, I stopped processing the names and faces because I caught sight of the lead singer of the band that was currently on stage. In the excitement of our arrival, I had barely noticed the band on the stage and the group of people gathered in front of them as well as the loud music that filled the room, but my brain had been on such a sensory overload, I had failed to notice just how incredibly hot the front man was. I somehow made my way around the table, I think I had met a Max, a Seth, and a Justin, but I couldn’t be sure about those and had no clue on the rest. Several of them had girls in their laps or by their sides and I didn’t remember any of their names either.

When we got back to where Noah was sitting, he had beers and stools waiting for us and he explained to us the setup for the night. This was only 32 Leaves’ fourth time playing here, but Noah explained it was quickly becoming one of their preferred spots because of the older crowd and the overall chillness of the place.

I tried very hard to pay attention to the conversation that was going on around me but I kept finding my attention and eyes tuned in on the guy holding the microphone. I was awestruck. He was tall, probably six-five or six-six, and his defined muscles were on display via the sopping wet black t-shirt was plastered to his chest. His dark hair was shaved close to his head and tattoos covered both arms and crawled up the front and back of his neck. Small piercings in each nipple were also evident through the thin cotton shirt that clung to him.

Mina leaned over close to my ear and said, “He’s pretty amazing, huh.” It was more a statement of fact than a question and I nodded without breaking my focus.

“I think I’m in love,” I murmured only loud enough for her to hear.

“You, me, and every other girl in here,” she chuckled.

And at that moment, as if he heard our conversation over the loud music and across the crowded room, he turned in our direction, locked his eyes with mine and flashed me a wicked grin. Instantly, I looked away, mortified that he had caught me staring at him.

A few moments later Mina said, “He’s still looking at you, ya know?” I shook my head no and kept my gaze on my drink that sat on the table in front of me.

“I’m sure he’s looking at someone else,” I replied .

She just shook her head at me and laughed. “Ok-ay, well in case it was you that he was eyeing and you end up talking to him later, I’ll tell you what I know about him. His name is Mason but everyone calls him Rat.” She made an ugly face when she said the nickname which mirrored my thoughts exactly. “His brother owns this place and he’s basically treated like a rock God around here. When their band, Jobu’s Rum, isn’t playing, him and his boys sit at those reserved tables over there, and there’s always a herd of groupies surrounding them.” Mina motioned her head towards a collection of tables that were positioned perfectly in between the bar and the pool tables and that also had an unobstructed view of the stage.

“I came here a handful of times with my brother before Noah and the guys got this gig, so I’ve been here maybe ten times or so and he’s always here, always with a different girl, sometimes more than one in the same night,” she continued. “Not that I can blame him though, if I looked and sounded like he did, I would probably be a male whore as well.”

Learning that the Mason guy was one that got around was not a surprise in the least. Like Mina had said, with his looks and voice, I’m sure naked women were lined up for his disposal around the clock. I turned to say something to Evie, but she had moved around the table and was engaged in a cozy conversation with one of the other members of 32 Leaves, Max was it?

The room got a bit quieter and I noticed that Mason (I refused to refer to anyone as Rat) and Jobu’s Rum had finished playing and there were some workers taking down the instruments. I then glanced over to the tables that Mina had pointed out, and I was disappointed to find that they were still empty. Feeling silly for actually looking around for a guy, I decided to do an inventory of the people in the pool area, maybe finding some other possibilities for the BB challenge. And it was then that I saw him.

Ash and a group of five others, what appeared to be three couples, were stationed at a pool table up against the far wall. The other two couples appeared to be shooting a game of doubles while Ash sat on a barstool next to a cocktail table. A blonde girl, big surprise there, stood between his legs so that I could only see her back. Not long after I noticed them, they started making out. I had a straight shot view of his one hand buried in her long straight hair while the other caressed her back and ass. It was like a car wreck for me, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away. My stomach felt as if a brick had just been dropped inside it and my mouth was free of moisture. Even after they broke the kiss and she turned around to lean her back up against his chest, seeing him tenderly stroke her arm and bury his nose in her hair made me sick. I didn’t quite understand why I was freaking out so bad seeing Ash with another girl. First of all, it wasn’t like I had any claim on him. I knew he dated and slept with lots of girls, all the time. Second, I saw him every Saturday evening with a different chick and not only was I obviously okay with it, but I would then crawl in bed with him hours later. Maybe that was it. Maybe because on Saturday nights I knew that I was ultimately the one that was going to be sleeping in his bed, it didn’t bother me so much. Or maybe on Saturday nights because I knew what to expect, I had a chance to prepare for it.

No matter what the reason was, the fact remained that I was overwhelmingly jealous when I had no right to be, and I was quite irritated that he was ruining my night. A night that was supposed to be free of Ash and Dylan. The longer I watched Ash and his date together, the more I thought I was going to vomit. I needed a change of scenery and a drink pronto.

“Do you want to go to the bar with me to get another drink? I don’t feel like waiting for the server to come back around,” I asked Mina suddenly as I jumped off my stool.