1. VVIP

Music thrums from within the bar as well. It’s not as loud as the beats coming from the nightclub, but racy enough for many of the patrons to gyrate against one another in the small dancing space. The bar is nearly filled up with people, mostly young ones ranging from twenty-one to maybe forty, sitting on stools. and sipping various colored drinks. The bar is long, and there are about three bartenders manning at portion of it. Their moments are quick and efficient. One of them performs an elaborate routine with at cocktail shaker, spinning it in the air, shaking it according to a rhythm, occasionally opening it, and adding ingredients. The other slashes a charming grin to a gaggle of ladies at one end of the bar. This bartender is model handsome, and the pearly teethed smile makes the ladies swoon. On the other end of the bar, there is a group of frat boys taking shots, and the bartender fills small shot glasses with an amber-colored liquid.

The bartenders are all dressed entirely in black. They all look about my age.

Coraline grins at the whole display, and tugs on my arm, “come on, let’s find a seat”

We manage to squeeze onto a couple of seats in front of the bartender handy with the tumbler acrobatics.

“Oh, it has been too long,” Coraline smiles.

“Do you go to bars often?” I ask her after realizing that I don’t know much about her after-work activities when she was not spending time with me.

Coraline inclines her head in contemplation, “Well, I won’t say often. But once in a while when I want to let loose, I do. But after the shooting, I’ve been afraid you know. The last thing I wanted was to die because I had a few and couldn’t run away fast enough.”

I feel a pang of sadness for her situation and feel guilty for protesting coming here too much.

“If

dunno, take you home afterward. I’m not too into drinking, so I will be the designated. driver. Besides, I’ve got a sweet Maybach at my beck

shakes her head fondly, her expression grateful although she says, “you

jazz.” She sighs exasperatedly, but I could say that she was

slides in front of us after serving his previous clients with a thousand-megawatt grin. His hair is dyed an alarming shade of red, and his eyes are amber-colored from what I assume to be

you guys around here, so you must be new. My name’s Lemon and I

to have, I wonder if it’s his actual name. And then mentally slap myself because obviously, it’s not. Nicknames exist for a reason, although the bartender’s name-tag has the

on

name,” Caroline, much less reserved than I am when confronted with curiosity, comments

but I like the intrigue

amusement and something else that makes me want to bolt away with Coraline in tow. It’s a strangely mixed

like

eyebrows raise “For the Forum thing down the road at the fancy hotel?”

“Yeah.”

Lemon comments, contorting his body so he faces me, “I didn’t

Coraline chirps before I can say ‘yeah, but

up his forehead, “Well, double damn. You must be really something to get

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255