Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

J une 20 TH

The weekend. Finally. I cleaned Monty’s cage and took him to Central Park to hop around on this beautiful day. I still have no words for what happened with Jack yesterday. He did message me and tell me I was not fired and we’d talk on Monday. That helped soothe my worries some, but now Monday looms larger than normal.

Now to curl up and debate on which version of Pride & Prejudice to watch. Or maybe I’ll just binge them all. Nothing better to take my mind off the disaster headed my way on Monday than Mr. Darcy.

Paige closed her journal, tossed it back on her bed, and started a bag of popcorn for dinner. She’d stopped on the way home from the park with Monty and picked up a big bag of chocolate candy to mix with the popcorn .

She had just made it through the Colin Firth version when someone knocked on her door. Paige opened it to find Leah looking fabulous in a slinky cropped metallic top with spaghetti straps and a short micro-mini black skirt.

“You’re not even dressed yet?” Leah accused. “Hurry up. We’re going to be late!”

Paige frowned as Leah pushed her way in. That was when she saw Amelia and Eli right behind her.

“Oh, Paige.” Eli wrinkled his nose as if she smelled bad. “You are not going to WET in pajamas.”

“WET?” Paige felt as if she’d missed a whole conversation.

“Yes, remember? Dracklen told us it was the big solstice party last time we saw him and Noah got us on the VIP list again three weeks ago,” Leah said with exasperation. “I had to agree to go with him to get us on the list. Noah is downstairs waiting for us.”

A flicker of a memory surfaced. “Oh, crap. I totally forgot. I don’t have anything to wear. Not really. And I haven’t showered. I took Monty to the park and watched movies.”

Her three friends looked at each other but then nodded in unison as if they’d come to a silent agreement. She was the friend who had lost her mind and memory over the course of the last several months. First Eli’s performance, and now this.

“Get in the shower,” Eli ordered. “Shave everything.”

“I’ll get the clothes,” Leah said as she ran for the door.

“I’ll get the makeup.” Amelia rushed into Paige’s room.

“Girl, what are you waiting for? Go! Go! Go!” Eli shoved her toward her small bathroom that barely fit a toilet, a pedestal sink, and a shower so small it was hard to fit your entire body into at one time .

Thirty-four minutes later, Paige looked completely different. She was sure Mrs. Griffin would call her a slut if she saw her in the micro-mini red leather skirt with the navy blue shimmering lingerie top. Because that’s what it was. It was a silk lingerie cami with lace edging. However, it looked really cute and covered more skin than Leah’s actual top.

Paige was rushed out the door, down the stairs, and straight into a cab that Noah had ordered. “Sorry to keep you waiting. I forgot we had this planned,” she told Noah, who didn’t look fazed at all.

“No problem. We’re on the list and the party doesn’t really ramp up until eleven. We’ll be right on time.”

“Does nothing get you flustered?” Paige asked as she saw him shift closer to Leah. For once, Leah didn’t scoot away.

“What good would that do?” Noah asked. “I like to remain in control. I can’t control others, but at least I can control my reactions. If you’re late, you’re late. I made sure we had transportation and texted Dracklen to let him know when to expect us. He has a section of the VIP room reserved for us.”

Leah looked over at Noah in his jeans and a tight white crew-neck T-shirt. He had a black linen blazer on, looking relaxed but dapper. “I’m in a constant state of chaos,” she said to him as if in hopes it would scare him off.

Noah smiled at her kindly and then reached out and patted her knee but made sure to leave his hand there. “I know. It’s one of the things I like about you. If we were all the same, the world would be pretty boring.”

Noah had been a consistent but not overbearing presence in Leah’s life ever since Paige’s conversation with Leah about her feelings for him. Leah stopped pushing him away but wasn’t pulling him close either. Her fight or flight had moved from flight to frozen. But it was giving her time to really get to know him without the pressure of a defined relationship. The way she was looking at Noah made Paige think that a defined relationship wouldn’t be too far off. And she was happy for them. Noah was a great guy. He wasn’t trying to control her friend. He wasn’t trying to change her either. He seemed to embrace her chaos. He was her anchor in the daily storm of her life, and it was really sweet.

The taxi stopped to pick up Felix and soon they were on their way to WET. It was nice to have something take Paige’s mind off what had happened with Jack and his mother. Until Eli asked about him.

Paige groaned and closed her eyes.

“That’s not a satisfied groan,” Leah pointed out.

“Jack’s mother interrupted us, grabbed him by the ear, called me a slut, and demanded I be fired,” Paige told them after giving them a very vague idea of what was happening before the interruption.

The cab was quiet until Amelia tried to smother a snort, which had Felix clearing his throat to stop a laugh. Leah had buried her head in Noah’s shoulder, her whole body shaking with silent laughter. Even Noah was looking up at the ceiling of the cab, struggling not to laugh. Eli didn’t hold back. He fell onto Paige’s lap, laughing so hard tears were coming out of his eyes.

“I’m not fired since you all seem so concerned about it,” Paige said, even as the giggles began to take over.

“Oh, Paige. The billionaire boss trope turned into Mommy Dearest .” Eli howled with laughter, and the entire crew lost their composure.

“It feels good to laugh about it. A man who respects his mother is hot,” Paige said, wiping tears from her eyes. “But one so far under her thumb he goes to sex clubs to be a dom since he can’t be respected in real life tells me that this is a trope fail for me. Too bad because when it was good, it was hot.”

“They can’t all be Billionaire Boss hot,” Leah said between fits of laughter.

“Which Billionaire Boss ?” Amelia asked.

“Any of them,” Eli said before howling again.

“I’m just proud of you, Paige,” Amelia said, stopping the laughter in the cab. “You tried it. I would be too scared to try half the stuff you have.”

Paige thought about it as her friends agreed with Amelia. “You know, you’re right. Seven months ago, I would have never done any of the things I’ve done now. And while they might have all ended in sexual disaster, I’ve made some good friends.”

“Speaking of friends, will Moxie and her group be there tonight?” Leah asked. “I wanted to ask her where she got that cute skirt she wore last time.”

“They’re coming. I texted Roman,” Noah told them. “I needed to see if they wanted on the VIP list.”

Wow. That was so nice, and by the way Leah was looking at Noah was as if she was really seeing him now. “Noah, why did you do that?” Leah asked, but it wasn’t in her normal, hostile tone. It was one of genuine thought.

“Because I wanted you all to have your friends with you, and I’ve noticed they’ve become your friends, too. Plus, if you can’t tell, I like your friends, Leah.” Noah paused when Leah reached over and placed her hand on his and gave it a squeeze.

Paige, Eli, and Amelia all shared a knowing smile. It was finally happening. Leah had stopped running.

“Oh,” Noah said, finally looking away from Leah after he laced his fingers with hers. “Griz texted me yesterday to see if it was too late to add Gina. Apparently, they’re hitting it off. ”

Paige smiled and leaned back as conversation flowed around her. She might be messing up on the losing-her-virginity thing, but the friends she made and the confidence in her career and herself more than made up for it.

Paige and Eli tumbled out of the cab first. They were all laughing and talking as the smell of fresh pretzels hit them, along with a sea of perfume. The line to get into WET was down the block and a food cart was taking full advantage.

“Hey,” Eli said, frowning, “is that the hot doctor who ghosted you because of work?”

Paige looked to where Eli pointed and saw Fraser and a young blonde in a skin-tight mini-dress walking toward them.

Fraser caught her eye and whispered something to the woman. She headed for the pretzel cart and Fraser waved and joined them as the rest of Paige’s friends got out of the cab.

“Fancy running into you outside of the ER. Looks like your ankle healed well,” Fraser said to her before greeting her friends.

“And it looks like you’re having a fun night out,” Felix said pointedly, looking at the blonde who was yelling, asking Fraser if he wanted salt on the pretzel.

“Yeah, it’s been fun. My niece is in college here. Every once in a while, I spoil her with a nice dinner and a night out. She’s interning in the hospital. While we see each other some, we don’t get to talk. As you all know, it’s never dull in the ER.”

Paige didn’t know whether or not to believe him. The frowns on her friends’ faces told her they weren’t buying it. “That’s nice you get to spend time with family.”

“I’d rather spend some more time with you. I was hoping I’d talk to you again after we talked things out,” Fraser told her.

“I’ve been busy, just as I am sure you have been,” Paige told him with another quick glance at the woman.

“Are you free next weekend? I have two tickets to Picnic with the Pops in the park. I’d love it if you went with me.”

Paige looked at her friends, who gave her a shrug showing they were growing indifferent. Things had started so well with the hot doc. He was busy. She was busy. They’d both let the communication ball drop. “Sure. Text me the details. But now we are meeting some friends. It was good seeing you again, Fraser.”

They walked away right as the woman joined Fraser and handed him the pretzel. She didn’t lean up for a kiss or reach to hold his hand. Maybe it really was his niece. She’d find out more next weekend.

“I don’t know about that,” Leah admitted as Noah checked them in the VIP entrance.

“I don’t either, but we did have something, and we both didn’t try to see if we could make something of it. I thought I’d give him another chance and see where it goes,” Paige told her.

“And interrogate the hell out of him, right?” Eli asked.

Paige laughed, but that had been the plan. “Exactly.”

WET was wild. A moon and stars were hanging from the ceiling of the packed nightclub. Dracklen had managed to reserve them a small space in the corner of the VIP room close to his bar. Moxie, Griz, Gina, and Roman were defending it with their lives.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re here!” Moxie scrambled up from where she was lying across a loveseat. “They said we had five minutes for our group to show up or we’d lose our spot. Dracklen had kept them at bay as long as he could.”

A waitress came over and set the reserved sign on the table after being notified the entire party was there. “Bottle service?”

Noah ordered a couple of bottles of champagne as Paige hugged her friends before a very sexy man approached them. He was in dark gray slacks, loafers, and a button-down white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, showing off very fit and tan arms. He had black hair and the sharpest blue eyes Paige had ever seen. Too bad he wasn’t walking toward her, but toward Noah.

“Mr. Townsend,” Noah said with a smile as he shook the man’s hand. “Thanks for putting us on the VIP list.”

“Please, call me Wilder. I was happy to accommodate you. Your campaign has our waiting list full for the next six months.”

Moxie and Paige shared a look that said “yummy” before looking back at the owner of WET nightclubs.

“These are my friends,” Noah said, introducing them all to Wilder Townsend.

His handshake was strong and warm and he was definitely making Paige WET.

“Is Dracklen taking care of you?” Wilder asked Paige as some of their party moved off to dance.

“Dracklen is the best,” Paige said, ready to repay her friend for saving her. “He saved my life once at a different nightclub by rushing me to the hospital after I had an allergic reaction. We all trust him to look out for us, which for women, is a very big compliment.”

Wilder nodded. “I have two sisters. I understand. Now,” he said, dropping his voice and leaning forward a bit. “I know all my employees, and I know Dracklen works at The Red Door.” He left the rest unsaid, but the twinkle of amusement in his eyes told Paige he wasn’t judging but was more amused that she’d been there.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Paige teased.

“Indeed, I would.” Wilder looked behind her shoulder and gave a small nod. “Unfortunately, it won’t be tonight as work calls.” Wilder lifted her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles. “It was lovely meeting you, Paige Turner.”

“You too,” she managed to say as Wilder met up with another man in a suit and disappeared down the VIP stairs.

“Did you just have a gazie? Because I did,” Moxie said with a sigh. “That man is F.I.N.E.”

“Gazie?” Paige asked as they both kept an eye on the door, hoping he’d come back.

“My nickname for an orgasm.” Moxie grabbed her hand then. “Come on, everyone’s dancing. Let’s go.”

Paige tossed her head back, the lights twinkling above her, and let go. Her friends were all around her as they danced the night away.

She let go of Jack. She let go of Fraser. She let go of everything and just danced. She laughed with her friends, danced with strangers, and decided Pride and Prejudice marathons had their place. But so did nights out with your friends. It filled her heart. When she dropped into bed the next morning, she fell asleep with a smile.