Taming Alec(7)

“Arie, I’m twenty-three. I think I can dress myself at this point,” I said sarcastically.

She gave me a look. “Obviously, you can’t.”

I watched as she unzipped her bag and started pulling clothes out—no, not clothes. The things she was laying out on my couch were nothing more than scraps of material pretending to be clothes.

“Arie, I hate to break it to you, but we’re not the same size,” I said as I pointed to my chest. “I doubt if one of my boobs would fit into one of your shirts.”

“That’s why I brought stretchy clothes. We’ll make them fit.”

I rolled my eyes. There was no way that anything she owned would fit me.

“Let’s try this on first and see how it looks.” Arie held up a dress I’d seen her wear a few times.

“I’m not wearing that. My ass will hang out.”

“Your ass will not be seen tonight. I promise. Try it on!” She tossed it to me.

I groaned as I pulled off my clothes. I put the strapless dress on. The material clung to my body like a second skin. I tugged it down so that it covered my ass, but then it showed way more of my boobs than I would ever want a bar full of people to see.

“I told you it wouldn’t fit me,” I grumbled.

She frowned as she looked me over. “Okay, so my dresses are out. Your boobs make them shorter on you.”

“You think?” I pulled the dress off and tossed it at her.

“No worries. I brought plenty of outfits for you to try on.” She threw the dress back into the bag.

I watched as she sorted through the clothes. When she picked up a tube top, I growled at her. She rolled her eyes before throwing it back into the bag as well. The next outfit was nixed before she had even lifted it off the couch.

“I’m going to strangle you,” she seethed. “The next outfit I pick up, you’re wearing. I don’t care if I have to dress you myself.” She sorted through the clothes some more before finally smiling. “This is it!”

She picked up a black shirt and a black miniskirt. The skirt made me cringe, but the shirt wasn’t that bad. It was sleeveless, but at least it would cover my stomach.

She handed them to me. “Try these on.”

I sighed as I pulled on the miniskirt. It was shorter than anything I owned by at least six inches. I tried on the shirt, and although it was tight, it covered everything well enough. It showed a bit of cleavage but nothing indecent.

“I told you we’d find something,” Arie said smugly.

I tried to pull the skirt down a bit. “If anyone sees my ass tonight, I’m suing you.”

“Oh, shut up. No one will see your ass. Here, put on these shoes, and you’ll be good to go.” She handed me a pair of black open-toed shoes with six-inch heels.

She obviously wants me to kill myself.

Arie studied me thoughtfully. “Now, we need to work on your makeup.”



Alec had told me the name of his bar, but I’d never heard of it, so he had to give me directions. I stared at the bar as Arie found a parking spot in the lot full of cars. Apparently, I was the only person in Morgantown who hadn’t known this place existed. I watched as several people made their way across the lot to the entrance.

“Damn. You said he owns this place?” Arie asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s what he said. I didn’t expect it to be so—”

“Popular?” she supplied.

“Yeah, popular. I figured it was some dive that no one knew about,” I admitted sheepishly.

“I’ve never been here, but I’ve heard about it. Supposedly, some really good bands play here.” Arie opened her door. “Come on, let’s check it out.”

I reluctantly opened my own door and climbed out. I’d felt nervous before, but now, I was terrified. I didn’t do this kind of scene. Clubs and parties weren’t a part of my life. I’d thought that maybe I could handle coming here because I’d assumed it was just a small bar. Obviously, I was wrong. I didn’t think I could deal with this large of a crowd.

Arie met me in front of her car and grabbed my hand. She tugged me along as we walked across the parking lot. I had no doubt that she knew I wanted to bolt.

After reaching the entrance, we stood in line for a few minutes. The bouncer checked our IDs before letting us through the door. I grinned when I saw him staring at Arie like he was starving and she was the world’s largest buffet.

Poor guy.

She hadn’t even noticed—or maybe she had and just hadn’t cared.

As soon as we were inside, I stopped dead in my tracks at the sight of so many people, causing a few girls to run into me from behind. My face turned red as they glared at me while passing by.

“Come on, Rebecca,” Arie said as she pulled me along.

I looked around as I let her lead me to an empty table in a corner of the bar. People were everywhere. The dance floor was crowded as both men and women moved with the beat. I watched as a girl danced between two men. One man held her hands as she was grinding her way down his body. Coming back up, she turned away from him and then did the same to her other dance partner. I shook my head.

I am so out of place here.

Almost all the tables were filled, and the bar was surrounded by a mob of people. I watched as some forced their way through the crowd to order their drinks. I tried to see if Alec was behind the bar, but it was impossible. There were just too many people.