Ok, even I can admit I’m feeling a bit buzzed now. Ok a lot buzzed, but we have a perfect game plan to eat frozen pizza, mozzarella sticks and leftover takeout chicken parm when we get home, so all this booze should be absorbed soon. Or hopefully most of it?
Anyways, now that Justin has agreed that this place isn’t a total sleaze fest, he’s relaxed a bit on the bodyguard front, but every twenty minutes or so gives me a look to make sure I’m still good.
Just when I think I’ll start to slow down for the evening, I hear the DJ start playing Ashanti and Fat Joe’sWhat’s Luv. I am immediately flooded with silly memories of jamming to this at my fifth-grade school dance.
Geez, was that really something I needed to know all the lyrics to at the age of eleven?!
I look for Nikki, but see that she’s making out with Justin. Before I know it, my feet are taking me to the middle of the dance floor, and I am dancing like I don’t have a care in the world.
The way I’m rolling my hips, shaking my ass, and running my hands over my body while singing the lyrics to the music is definitely something that sober Amelia would cringe over, but she ain’t here. Drunk Amelia at your service!
I see everyone on the dancefloor smiling at me and dancing along. Out of the corner of my eye, and probably hazy vision at this point, I catch someone standing still in a room full of swaying people. I almost don’t give it a second thought until—
“AMELIA!”
Oh fuck.
8
Evan
“She’sgonna be the death of me,” I mumble to myself.
“You say something Mr. Cooper?” Teddy asks. My driver, a tall, African American man in his fifties, who is often either too polite, or too nosy, but always nice to be around.
“No, Teddy. And I’ve told you a million times to call me Evan.”
“Sorry sir, force of habit. You sure this is where you want me to take you?” Teddy asks with an arched eyebrow.
“Don’t judge me Teddy, just planning on picking up a family friend from this party. Clearly she’s lost her mind,” I say while rubbing my hand down my face.
“No judgment from me sir, I mean, Evan. This car is a vault. You can say or do as you please, and you won’t hear a peep from me,” Teddy promises as he looks at me in the rearview mirror. “Also because I signed an NDA, but even if I hadn’t, your secrets would be safe with me,” he says with a grin on his face.
“Thanks.” I offer a forced smile. Best I can do given what’s on my phone screen.
I’ve lost track of how many stories Nikki has been posting all night.
Yes, I saw that Nikki was tagged on Amelia’s story and then found my way onto her friend's page. God, I’m cyber creeping.
I push away the creep vibes and refocus on the fact that I’ve basically had a front row seat to Amelia’s night thanks to Nikki’s Instagram. I’m going to have to talk to them about online safety at some point. I mean Nikki’s page is public for fuck’s sake, anyone could be doing what I’m doing right now.
Fuck, what am I doing?
As soon as I figured out the location of this party, I immediately had Teddy reroute us there. I’ve been playing detective all night trying to find them, and it’s just dawned on me that I don’t exactly have a plan as to what I’m going to do once I see Amelia.
Hey, haven’t seen you since I yelled at you at a pub, but I’m here to take you home because you’re dressed way too sexy for my liking. Also, are you still engaged to that douchebag by any chance?
Jesus Christ, what am I thinking?
That’s it, I'm not thinking at all.
One flash of Amelia on my screen when I’m anywhere within driving distance of her and I just bolt for the door. Although it isn’t exactly the first time I’ve done something like this, but now isn’t the time to think about that spontaneous trip to Miami.
“We’re here, boss,” Teddy says as we pull up to a hipster-looking spot.
“Gosh, I’m thirty-five, but I might as well be seventy-five. I can hear the music from inside the car, I fear for the headache I will inevitably get by just walking in there,” I dryly say.
Teddy laughs, “Go on and handle your business, I’ll be out here waiting.”
