In the Beginning (Volkov Bratva #1)(18)

But it wasn’t just her. It was amazing just how attractive people were in New York. Sure, there were attractive people wherever you went, but she imagined this was what it looked like in Hollywood, men and women alike hoping for the chance at fortune and fame by being scouted by talent agents or for modeling gigs.

Piper reappeared with a tray of Vodka shots, as well as shots that she called lemon drops. When they were all distributed, Amber held up hers with a smile.

“To new friends,” she began, looking at them all. “And epic beginnings.”

Toasting, Lauren hesitated, then tossed back her first shot, nearly spitting it back out as the burning alcohol slid down her throat, settling like lead in her stomach.

“How do you drink this?” She demanded to no one in particular, coughing and waving at her eyes as she grew suddenly warm.

Matt laughed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Years of club hopping, grom. You’ll get used to it eventually.”

More rounds of shots found their way into Lauren’s hand, and after the second—or third—she could hardly feel the burn anymore, a pleasant warmth filling her. She felt euphoric, laughing at a joke Matt was telling though for the life of her she couldn’t figure out why it was so funny. Piper sauntered off to the dance floor, grabbing the first guy she saw to dance with. Rob and Amber were lost in their own world, leaving Matt and Lauren to themselves.

She looked out to the dance floor, watching how people lost themselves in the music. Though she wasn’t brave enough to venture out there on her own like Piper had, she was enjoying herself all the same just sitting and talking with Matt.

He had ventured off a few minutes ago, returning with a beer for himself and a water for her—explaining that the shots would catch up to her.

“Are you enjoying it here?” Lauren asked, leaning over so he could hear her over the music.

“Oh yea,” he said rolling his eyes. “Having a blast.”

She laughed, shaking her head. “Why did you come if you don’t?”

He shrugged, looking out to the dance floor where Piper was making out with one guy, while simultaneously dancing with another.

“You have a thing for her, right?”

He grimaced. “Is it that obvious?”

“Maybe a little,” she said not wanting to embarrass him, remembering her conversation with Amber nearly a month ago.

He shrugged, taking his glasses off to wipe the lenses with the hem of his shirt. He looked considerably older without his glasses on, the angle to his jaw more prominent. It was almost shocking to see the difference it made. Matt was attractive with glasses on, but without them, he was far past attractive.

“I like to think if I give it time, she’ll notice all of this,” he said when he had his glass back in place, waving a hand at himself.

Lauren laughed. “If she’s lucky.”

As they talked more, Lauren found that she had more in common with Matt than she thought. He also came from a small town in rural Alabama and decided that if he ever wanted to get out of there—and sense he was smarter than everyone there—he left without ever looking back.

He met Rob their first year at school,when he’d found himself in a precarious place with his living arrangements, Rob let him crash at his place, ultimately the pair moved in together.

After an hour, the drinks had finally caught up with her. She excused herself, thinking to ask Amber to come with her, but changed her mind. Growing up with a cop watching over her, she knew basic self defense and had a bottle of pepper spray in her purse if she really needed it.

It took a minute to get through the crowd, but she was pleasantly surprised at the restrooms. She had been expecting typical public restrooms, the kind that made you seriously contemplate if you couldn’t wait. These, however, were clean and clearly designed with women in mind, from the mirror that spanned wall to wall, giant lightbulbs outlining it, to the baskets set up on the counter with scented hand soaps and other things.

Girls stood in front of the mirror, reapplying their makeup, talking about the owner of the club though Lauren couldn’t catch a name before they were exiting. She finished her business quickly, washing her hands in the basin, drying them with paper towels. It had all been relatively quick, making her feel silly for panicking.

Damn Ross.

She headed back onto the floor, wondering if the crowd had grown bigger in the little time she spent in the restroom, before a man blocked her path, his hands in the air as he thrusted his hips, trying to—in his opinion—entice her to dance. She smiled politely, trying to move past him, but he latched onto her wrist, pulling her forward until they were nearly touching.

“Just one dance, sweetness,” he beseeched, smelling strongly of alcohol and something bitter. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”

She tried to pull free, but when that didn’t work, she tried reason. “No, thanks. I need to get back to my friends.”

“Come on,” he said with a smile, his grip tightening just a bit.

Calm, she needed to stay calm because if she panicked, it would only make it worse. “I don’t—”

“I think she said no.”

Relief flooded her at the sound of that Russian brogue, already feeling the heat of his body behind her. Now, it wasn’t her trying to get free, but the guy snatched his hand back like he had been burned, apologizing profusely before hurrying off and disappearing into the crowd.