Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy #1)(101)

My heart was still beating fast as I looked around the massive ballroom brimming with life. Jolts of apprehension zapped my belly at the sight of each short-haired boy, but I was thankful none of them was Kaidan. I shook my head, staving off wonderings of where he might be.

Another throng of people had formed around the dance floor. Curious, I grabbed a nearby chair and stood on it. Apprehension filled me about what I’d see, but it was only Blake break-dancing in the center of the open space. And that boy could dance. He was pulling off better moves than I’d seen on prime-time dance shows. Anyone would envy his ability. Other guys would also be envying the number of girls he’d be pulling in after this stunt. The whisperer swooped next to me, making my breath hitch.

It was time to give this demon a show.

I caught sight of the person I needed. The demon followed as I went to the laughing couple. Marna reached up and straightened the guy’s tie, but her hand dropped in surprise when she saw me standing there with my evil shadow.

“Sorry,” I said to the guy. I grabbed Marna’s hand. “Time to do some shots.”

“Wicked.” She squeezed my hand and didn’t spare a backward glance for her abandoned prey.

I led her straight to Trevor, nudging our way through the waiting customers and propping my elbows on the ledge. Marna squeezed in next to me. The demon poked his nosy, smoky head between us, but we didn’t acknowledge him.

When Trevor saw me, I smiled at him and he bypassed the other customers.

“Finally back,” he said. “Ready to pound another beer, blondie?”

I shook my head. “Two tequila shots with lime.” He raised an impressed eyebrow and grabbed the bottle.

“Hey, we’ve been waiting over here longer,” a man yelled.

“Be right with you,” Trevor told him.

I glanced at my watch. Hour one was over. I could have three drinks. Trevor set two golden shots in front of us with a shaker of salt. But no limes. I looked up as he called the other bartender over and tossed him a lime wedge. The other guy grinned and nodded. What were they doing?

“If you girls want your limes, you gotta come and get ’em.” Trevor and the other bartender stood side by side in front of us, balancing lime wedges perpendicularly between their teeth.

Marna laughed, licked her wrist, and shook some salt on the damp skin. No problem. I could do this. I followed suit, salting my wrist, and we both picked up our shot glasses. When we looked at each other to toast, there was a moment of understanding. An apology. An acceptance. A kindred spirit.

We clinked glasses, licked the salt from our skin, threw back the shots, and leaned over the bar. The guys leaned in as well, and I barely registered the people around us whooping over the sound of my heart pounding. I tilted my face and bit the lime from between his teeth without even touching him. But as I took possession of the fruit, he dragged his warm tongue across my bottom lip. The scent of tequila with the sensation of his tongue and the flavor of lime had me pulling away, dizzy with thoughts of Kaidan.

“That was fun.” I almost leaped from my skin at the demon’s sour voice. “Now what?”

“Another shot,” I said to Trevor.

“Tequila?” he asked.

I paused, indecisive. I needed to up the stakes. I took in the faces of the people pressed to the bar around me. There were about ten of us, and many more at our backs. I had a purse full of money. I leaned to the girl next to Marna, who held an empty wine glass.

“Hey, wanna do a shot with us?” I asked her, upbeat.

“Me? Oh, no. I can’t handle liquor, only wine.”

“Aw, come on. It’s New Year’s!” I beamed at her. “I’m buying you one.”

I watched her colors turn from a misty reluctance to an eager orange.

“Okay, but just one!” she said.

“You’re doing a shot?” asked her friend on her other side.

“I want to get shots for everyone at the bar right now,” I told Trevor. His eyebrows flew up.

“Everybody? You know how much that’ll cost?”

“Yep. Don’t worry, I’m good for it.” I winked, my first ever wink at a guy. My skin throbbed with adrenaline.

I took a consensus vote from nearby girls as to what drink we should have. They came up with some shooter I didn’t know. Trevor got busy, lining up a row of at least twenty small tumblers.

The mix of ingredients gave Trevor the opportunity to show off his skills, tossing a bottle up and catching it upside down by the neck as it poured. He did that with several bottles and jugs. Then shake, shake, shake, and pink shooters came to life. I passed them out to the crowd, being met mostly with happy thanks, and having to talk a few people into accepting. It was out of my comfort zone to be a pushy temptress, but with that demon breathing evil air down my back, I pushed those people to take the shots. I’d deal with the guilt later.

Together, twenty shots were lifted in the air as we all whooed. Marna tapped my drink and we tipped them back. It tasted like candy with a bite. The heat of two shots in a row rocked through my system, and I could feel it down to my tingling feet. My whole body begged for another. Trevor ran a hand through his hair and waited for what I’d say next. As the alcohol coursed through me, I struggled to make out his colors and the colors of others around me.

“One more, for the four of us,” I said to Trevor, pointing down the row to the other two girls who we’d befriended in our sweet, evil way. “Surprise us.” He got to work without hesitation. I noted the time on my watch. This would have to be my last drink until almost midnight. I hoped it would be enough.