“Jesus Christ,” she breathes, running a shaky hand through her tangled hair. “That's...that's fucking terrifying, Charlie. We could have...” She trails off, unable to finish.
I cross the room and place my hand over hers. “I know.”
“And this Thor guy just happened to be watching us? How do we know he's not just spinning some hero story to get into your pants?”
“I thought the same thing at first,” I admit. “But he didn't try anything. He could have taken advantage of the situation, but he didn't. He just made sure we were safe.”
Minny's skepticism fades slightly. “Man bun guy,” she murmurs, recognition flickering across her face. “I remember him now. Tall, built like a brick shit house, with those intense eyes.”
I nod, a slight flush creeping up my neck. “That's him.”
She slides onto a barstool, wincing as her head throbs. “So, what happens now? Do we call the police? Report those assholes?”
“Thor already alerted security. He said the guys are probably long gone by now.” I fill a glass with water and hand it to her. “Drink this. Slowly.”
She takes small sips, her hands still trembling slightly. “I can't believe this happened. I've been going to clubs for years, Charlie. I should have been more careful.”
“Those fuckers.” She sets her glass down with more force than necessary, water sloshing over the rim. “We're supposed to be having fun, not dealing with...with this.”
“I know.”
“So where is he now? Your knight in shining armor?”
“He left about an hour ago. But...” I hesitate, feeling a flutter of nervousness in my stomach, “he asked me to dinner tonight.”
Minny's eyebrows shoot up, her jaw dropping before transforming into a sly grin. “And? What did you say?”
I nod, feeling a flush creep up my cheeks. “Yeah, he kind of insisted. I bet he won’t mind if you come along too.”
“He insisted, huh?” She smirks mischievously. “Well, well, well. Looks like someone made quite an impression on you.” She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.
“It’s not like that,” I protest, though my cheeks grow hotter. “I barely know him. I just want to thank him properly for helping us.”
“Oh, sweetie,” Minny laughs, wincing slightly at the pain it causes her head. “That's exactly what it's like. And there's nothing wrong with that. And no, I will not be crashing your dinner date. This is your chance to have some fun with a hot guy who literally saved us.”
“It's not a date,” I insist, though the flutter in my stomach suggests otherwise.
“And I'm not nursing the worst headache of my life right now.” She grabs my hands. “What are you going to wear?”
“I have no idea,” I admit.
“Then we need to go shopping.”
“Don’t you have a conference to attend?”
“Shit,” she swears when she peers at the clock. “It started like an hour ago.” She rushes around the room, tossing open her bag and pulling out an outfit before she disappears into thebathroom. A few minutes later, she emerges, dressed, with her hair slicked back into a tight bun.
“I’m sorry to have to leave you, but my boss will kill me if my name doesn’t appear on the attendance list.”
“I get it.”
Minny grabs a pair of dress shoes from her bag and slips them onto her feet.
“What time is your date?”
“I’m not sure. He didn’t set a time, just said he would be back to pick me up.”
“Well, hopefully, I’ll be back before he comes by. I’d like to meet this guy. You know, give him the once-over.” She smiles as she heads for the door. “Feel free to borrow something out of my bag if you don’t feel like shopping. I’m sure there will be something in there that will work.” She opens the door with a smile. “See you later. Maybe I can sneak out, and we can grab lunch.”
