𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐌𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 (𝐁𝐖𝐖𝐌) .

12ღ

I felt the beat of the instruments rum throughout my body. I could feel my heart beat out of my chest. Ophelia rubbed her body up onto Cristian, as she stood to his right. I stood as far away as possible from him. I came out to have a good night; not to deal with unnecessary drama.

At least not that drama.

"So you're just not talking to me anymore?" I asked Alecia, she ignored me and twerked to Ride With Me with Chiara, as she awkwardly swayed alongside her. "I'm your best friend. Don't do me." She rolled her eyes, "Girl, you've got to figure yourself out." And started dancing away from me. I've never felt more alone in a group of people.

I secure my purse over my shoulder and push my way out through the group of people. I throw in a few, sorry and excuse mes as I walk to the bar set-up in the lobby. Popping my neck I ask, "What's the strongest drink you have here?" The bartender chuckles, "Legally?" I smile at him. "Y'know I'm a lawyer..." His expression changes. "Everclear... but I wouldn't recommend it in high dosages." I sit in the stool directly in front of him. His eyes were dark, matching his expresso colored skin. He had the look of a hipster, with the classic clean-cut glasses and hair full of locs. "It wouldn't hurt to drink a little bit."

He moves his dreadlock out of his eyesight and looks at me skeptically, "That's what they all say, then you know what happens next?" I rest my hand in my palm as he bends down to meet me eye level. "Oh, do tell," I say mockingly.

"They end up batshit drunk, stripping on the streets of New York." I roll my eyes and back away from him. His smell was an intoxicating oak. "Good thing I pass out when I'm drunk." He playfully shakes his head as he prepares the glass for me. It was not until he started cleaning the glass that I could tell his muscles were a different breed. He was ripped. "Oh, let me guess, you like my muscles?" I went silent at the read. "I'm a personal trainer, it kind of helps to be fit." My eyes go wide, suddenly my throat runs dry. "So, about that Everclear."

He sucks in his breath, "You sure about this?" I nod my head and playfully say, "I'm absolutely sure, besides, you have to listen to me because I'm the customer." He shrugs his shoulders and begins to pour the drink slowly. "No rocks, salt, or lime?" I shake my head. He pushes the drink to me. "Before you enter hell, I should tell you my name is Ezekiel." I pause, the name sounds familiar to me. Whatever. "Monet." I shake his hand and enter the gates of hell, taking the first sip of my drink.

• • • •

"Ezekiel!" I say laying on top of the slab. My words were spilling out of my mouth, slurring like no other time. "Gimme...m-more!" He shakes his head and takes my hand, attempting to get me off of the table. "No. I'm not babysitting a grown woman." I roll my eyes at him. "Fine," I push myself off of the table, knocking down a bowl of citruses. "Shit. You- you stay." Ezekiel mutters under his breath, picking up the fallen fruits.

Almost autonomously, I grab the bowl of salt sitting on his station. His head slowly rises to mine when he sees what I'm doing. "Don't you dare. Monet please, I don't get paid enough for this shit." I turn my palm over, sticking my thumb and fore-finger out, "Alcohol, neow!" He raises both of his hands in defense and walks over to the station. "Monet, please don't make me get security."

I turn my head at him sideways. "But I'm pretty, you would never." Acting in a seductive manner, I turn my body towards him and rest my leg on his shoulder. "Look at my sexy thighs, Zeke." He refrained from looking at the obvious, as I was wearing a short dress. He looks at me and asks once more to put the salt down.

I didn't grudge.

He reaches for the walkie behind him when I drop the glass bowl onto the ground. The shatter was painfully loud, especially now that the 6 shots I took hit me like a dozen cargo trucks. Call me a lightweight, that shit still hit hard. He lets out a frustrated grunt and grabs the broom, forgetting about the device. "I really hope you didn't come here alone." Woozily, I turn my head towards the bar and see the shining bottle just in my reach. Uncapped and uncorked; free and ready to drink.