Capítulo 1
My life used to look perfect; in a way, it really was… until today. Today was the day everything changed, the day my life took a full one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn and went straight down the drain. Well… maybe not everything. Just keep reading.
“Come on, Alessia, don’t be boring. Just because Paul dumped you tonight doesn’t mean you’re going to sit here and mope forever; there are plenty of better guys out there.” Ava spoke while rummaging through my closet like it belonged to her instead of me. Honestly, I didn’t want to go out. Paul? He’s an idiot. Can you imagine your boyfriend of five years breaking up with you through a text message, only to announce his engagement to another girl a few hours later? No? Well, neither could I… until today. And now my best friend Ava was here, determined to drag me out of my apartment to distract me from the disaster that had become my life.
“I really don’t feel like going out, Ava. Can’t we just stay here, order dinner or something? If I show up somewhere in public right now, people will just see me as the pathetic girl Paul dumped.”
“Not happening; we’re going out tonight. You’re going to have fun, you’re going to drink, and we’re going to forget all about him.” Ava pulled an olive-green dress from my closet and held it up. “Or, if you prefer, we could go slash his tires or do something equally painful to that bastard.”
She narrowed her eyes at me and tossed the dress straight at my face. “Get that ass up. None of my friends are dying over a man; you have fifteen minutes to get ready before I come back in here and dress you myself.” Then she walked out before I could protest.
With my mood somewhere below rock bottom and no energy to argue, I forced myself up and shuffled toward the bathroom like a zombie. When I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized the girl staring back at me; was that really me? My eyes were red and puffy, and I was pretty sure my nose was still a little runny. God, I look like a mess. I splashed cold water on my face, wiped it dry, and started putting on some light makeup, nothing too heavy; then I slipped into the dress Ava had chosen. It hugged my curves perfectly and had a beautiful neckline. My fingers brushed through my pink hair as I grabbed a brush and smoothed it into place; yeah… the pink hair was a summer impulse. I dyed it just to annoy my parents; it didn’t work, but at least I liked how it looked.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, Ava walked back into the room and looked me up and down. “You look… sexy. Much better than the walking corpse you were five minutes ago; now come on, we’re late.”
Late? Late for what?
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s a surprise, Lessi; you’ll see when we get there.”
This woman was going to make me lose my mind; then again, I’d probably lose it without her too. Reluctantly, we left my apartment, and once we were in her car she started driving while talking nonstop like someone was paying her by the word. A few minutes later she parked, and I reached for the door handle—
“Wait!” she squealed, leaning toward the back seat before I could get out. She grabbed something and handed it to me: a black lace mask.
“We’re going to need this inside, sweetheart.”
Something clicked instantly in my head. “Ava… for the love of God, tell me you didn’t bring me to that club.”
She just laughed and slipped on her own mask; hers was blue, while mine was black with delicate lace. “If I had told you we were coming to Nocturne, would you have agreed to come with me?” She raised an eyebrow. “Exactly. So put the mask on and let’s go.”
Nocturne. The most infamous erotic club in the city. You had to be kidding. I had never been here before; first, if my parents ever found out they would literally kill me, and second… Paul. Honestly, it just wasn’t my style; I had always preferred quiet nights, making love with my partner—right, I don’t have one anymore.
Before I could overthink it, I sighed. Ava looked me straight in the eyes, my mask making my honey-colored gaze stand out even more. “I talked to Max and Hilary; they’re waiting for us inside. We’re not doing anything crazy, Lessi, just a couple of drinks and then we’ll go home. I promise.”
“Just a couple of drinks and then home… right?” I muttered.
She nodded with a victorious smile, and with a sigh of defeat I put on the mask and stepped out of the car. The bouncer stood in front of the luxurious club entrance; Ava handed him a red card, and without a word he pulled aside the black velvet rope for us. Inside, she held my arm as we walked; red and purple lights bathed the room, and the smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke filled the air. To my surprise, no one was openly having sex like I had imagined; at least… not yet.
Ava walked straight to the bar and ordered drinks while I looked around. Everyone wore masks; some of the outfits left almost nothing to the imagination, yet no one seemed to be jumping on anyone else, which was… comforting. She handed me my drink and motioned for me to follow her, and without questioning it I did. We walked down a dark hallway and up a staircase lit with soft golden lights.
“This is the best place to drink in peace,” she whispered. “Max should be upstairs.”
At the top of the stairs another bouncer stood guard; Ava pulled out another card, this one with a golden flower on it, and again the rope was lifted without a word. Upstairs was quieter; it still smelled like alcohol, but the music was softer and the atmosphere calmer.
“You have way too many access cards,” I whispered in Ava’s ear. “Do you come here often?”
She just winked.
Promiscuous woman.
At one of the tables sat a blond head I would recognize anywhere: Max, and the redhead beside him—Hilary. We walked over and joined them, and Hilary squealed with excitement the moment she saw me.
“Damn, A, how did you convince her? Did you bribe her, threaten her?”
“So funny,” I muttered.
“We heard about Paul…” Hilary started before Max kicked her under the table. “Shit! Sorry. Let’s just have fun tonight, okay?”
“Idiot,” Ava murmured, shaking her head. “Maybe I threatened her a little, but hey, I got the bear out of her cave; let’s start by getting drunk and forgetting everything.”
Ava raised her glass.
Something told me this was going to be a very long night.
