The Assistant

T H E C L U B

CHAPTER 1: The Club

"Come onnnnnnnn! We need to get out of here! We have the rest of our lives to be boring." Corey sighed. Lilliana had been bugging him for hours to get out of the house and had already listed to him the best clubs in town which she had scoped out the night before. He did, however, have to admit lying on bed and blasting Led Zeppelin on his record player wasn't exactly how he liked to spend his Friday evenings.

"Maybe you'll meet a lover."

Corey gave her an irritated glare.

"Okay maybe not.... But there has got to be some guy in the whole of New York City that sparks your interest."

Lily continued , already scouring her closet for an outfit. She tossed a black top that ended right above the navel to Corey and a black pair of ripped jeans. She slipped into a slinky red dress that accentuated her every curve and started yanking Corey off the bed.

"Fine. Fine! OW, stop! Ok just let me change."

Corey yelped as he slipped on the crop and jeans. He paused in the mirror, glancing at his reflection for just a moment. He was skinny, but his stomach was toned, flat, and relatively tan, though he was starting to get paler as they creeped into colder months. He was perfectly built for the sunny excursions he got to enjoy during the time he spent surfing in California over the summer. He longed for the warmth that he savored while riding waves in Baja, but was relieved to be back in his cozy New York apartment with Lilliana. He sighed again and ruffled his sandy blond hair.

"If you're done checking yourself out, can we leave?" Lilliana drawled from her chair in the corner. His friend also looked quite good in her low cut dress that fashioned a zipper up the side. Her blond hair was curled and she had put on a full face of makeup. The latter was a rare sight to see, since she almost never had the energy to put on mascara (never mind eyeliner and lipstick). It didn't matter though, she was beautiful either way.

"You're hilarious, Lil." The nickname rolled off his tongue easily, as he had been calling her that ever since they had been children, still dreaming of leaving their boring town in the suburbs of Montana. Corey grabbed his phone and slipped on his vans. "Get your fat ass up, let's make this a night we won't remember in the morning."

oOo

Neither of the college students wanted to scrounge up the money for an Uber or face the dredges of the New York metro, so walking it would be. Ten blocks. Ten. Whole. Fucking. Blocks. to some club called Oasis.

Corey could accept the grueling walk if only because it gave him a chance to gather himself along with his confidence. Ever since he was a little kid he had always lacked the confidence and composure that came easy to other people. It was that, however, that made Lil and Corey such great friends; he could always rely on his other half to give him assurance.

"Gods. It fucking freezing." Lilliana stuffed her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket, well it was his leather jacket, but she had stolen it a long time and never seemed to have the opportunity to give it back.

"Stop complaining. This was your idea." Corey said back. "If it was up to me we would be back at home, warm in our apartment."

He was about to go on a full rant about what a stupid idea this really was, but the long line leading out from the front door of Oasis came into view and he screwed his mouth shut. They took their place at the back of the line and Corey took out his fake ID and frowned down at it. It had worked before, but that was when he was trying to get into back-water clubs that he and Lil went to before they went to college. He bit his lip, realizing the security might be a little tighter here.

"Dude. Hey! Earth to Corey!" Lil waved a hand in front of his face, causing him to draw his attention to her. "You look like a ball of nerves, loosen up." She enunciated the last words more than the other, knowing that Corey often got anxious about, well, pretty much everything.

The line moved up far too quickly and before he knew it, they were already nearing the front of the line. Corey's hands began to slightly shake and he hurriedly stuffed them into his pockets, attracting the attention of a few people behind them.

"Relax. I'll do the talking." Lilliana smiled at him, and though that never-ending reassurance was still blooming from her, she looked a little anxious. Just a little.

You're nineteen. That's just two years away from twenty one and people have always told you that you look older than you are. Corey desperately tried to reassure himself but found it useless as the two of them stepped up to the bouncer.

"ID, please." The man was quite large and watched intently, with a frown, as Corey shakily pulled out his fake ID. The man looked closely at it and then after a moment took it from him to inspect more closely.

Corey shot Lil a nervous glance, but the girl just kept staring forward, confident as ever, with a smile plastered on her face. Christ, Corey thought, this woman will be the death of me. The world seemed to tilt completely off its axis as the man raised up the ID to another man dressed in the same black, scary-looking, security, uniform that he was.

"Look kid. I don't know what-" The second security man started, but was quickly interrupted by a deep voice that came from behind them.

"They're with us." The man's sensual voice had Corey instinctively turning to see where it had come from.

And that when he saw him. The most beautiful man Corey had ever beheld in his entire life. Everything about the stranger radiated grace and ease. His short black hair gleamed like raven's feathers, offsetting his pale, smooth, skin perfectly. And his eyes, gods they were beautiful. Light glimmered and danced in his grey, almost silver, irises as they twinkled with amusement. They were like the cold light just before dawn and Corey was quite sure he would get lost in them if he stared for too long. His two friends, not nearly as breathtaking, but handsome all the same, stood close behind him.

"Mr. Hunter! My apologies, I...wasn't aware." The man's name sounded awfully familiar, but Corey couldn't quite place it. The bouncer's gaze ranked one more time over Corey before he shoved the boy's ID back into his hands. Corey thought he saw what could only be dissatisfaction on the man's face, but couldn't get a closer look before Lil grabbed his hand and he was pulled deep into the loud, crowded club.

"OMG! Who was that? Dude, dude! Are you even listening to me?" Corey could not say that he was as he glanced around the club for the stranger. The loud music and swerving bodies around him didn't help his ability to focus and compose himself either.

"I have no idea who that was!" Corey had to practically shout to be heard over the loud music. He looked back at Lilliana, who he now found was looking around as well.

"Ugh. Ok, but he sure did look like soul-mate material."

"LIL! LILIANA. What are you doing here?" Corey heard someone shout her name and she faced the direction of the sound, her lips up-turning in a smile as she looked at the girl who had shouted her name. He could only assume this was another one of her friends, as the stranger greeted her with a friendly smile.

"Hi! How have you been? Corey, I'm going to get us some drinks. I'll be back soon." She stalked off with the girl before he could protest, leaving him alone in the center of the dance floor. With no one to dance with Corey felt unbelievably awkward and helpless. He had started to walk away when a pair of large sturdy hands gripped his hips and he was pulled back into a broad chest. Corey went rigid.

"So" Corey heard the familiar deep voice as the stranger's hot breath tickled his ear and he struggled to breathe. "What's a pretty boy like you doing in such a dark place?"

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