Ultraviolet

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Babe

I stormed out, the dress in hand, and headed over to Jess's office and slammed the door behind me. Quickly, I changed into the outfit. Luckily Jess had a mirror in her office so I could check myself out. The dress fit perfect, almost scarily perfect. The dress was still short, but elegantly so. Thin white stripes draped over my shoulders, growing into long triangles that fitted over my chest. A deep chasm that reached halfway between my belly button and my collarbone exposed my cleavage, the pure white of the material making me appear tan.

Walking across the bar, back into the red door room, I felt more powerful than I had ever before. Hadeon and Jess were huddled in the corner of the bar, too busy gossiping to notice. The rest of the boys all fell silent, each and every pair of eyes followed my steps as I walked across. Before I walked in, I turned back and nodded at the boys, all of them too gobsmacked to pick their chins up off the floor. Behind them, Hadeon glared. I flashed him a cheeky smile before walking in to Adrianna, who was almost as excited to see the dress on me as the Security guards were.

"Who's the target?" I joked, taking a seat across from her.

"His name is Harvey," Adrianna explained, sliding a picture of him over to me. "He's only nineteen, and has been getting in using a fake ID. I just need you to get him into this room so I can give him a stern talking to."

"Okay." I breathed, mentally drawing up my plan of attack.

"I trust you, Esme." Adrianna watched me after she spoke, searching my face for an ounce of weakness or doubt. I had none. Based on the way the security guards reacted to the dress, this might be as simple as asking him politely.

I stepped out after the club was half-packed. Enough people that no one was paying attention to me as I slunk out from behind the red door. First, I stepped into the bathroom and fixed myself up, making sure my new dress was straight and sitting perfectly, then pulled my hair out of the bun it had been styled in. I brushed my fingers through my dark locks then pushed the hair over my shoulders. The dress should be the main focus, I thought.

Being out on the dance floor was a completely different view of the club. The bright lights flashing every colour of the rainbow right above was disorienting. Added with the number of guards stationed around the floor, the place felt extremely claustrophobic, like some kind of party prison.

As I sat down in a booth, I saw him. Harvey. Black hair cropped short, piercing green eyes, a smattering of pale freckles over his nose. Even recognisable with a scared look on his face. I plotted my strategy, then stood up.

Harvey travelled slowly, and I zigzagged through the room, half-following, half-drifting, keeping an eye on him (hopefully) without tipping him off. His eyes travelled around the room, surprisingly more interested in the interior design than the many scantily-clad ladies dancing on the floor, before he locked his sights on the bar. A group of girls were standing between him and the bar, so I marched over and stood where he was about to walk up.

He joined beside me, both of us waiting for the bartender, Jess, to come over and take our orders.

"Hi." He smiled. His voice was soft, like he rarely ever raised it.

"Hey." I tried to make my voice deeper, seductive, but it just came out sounding like I was coming down from a cold. I ditched the effort. "Have you been here before?" I asked.

"Oh, um, no. First time." He laughed awkwardly. I nodded, pretending that I didn't know it was a lie.

Hopefully I was reading his awkwardness correctly, as I tried to relate. "Its not really my scene." I admitted.

"Mine either." He looked over my face, his gaze halting at my eyes for just a second, trying to figure me out. "Why are you here then? If it's not your scene?"

Fuck.

I didn't think that one through.

"Uhm," I dragged. "My friend forced me to come."

"Oh, that sucks." He sympathised. "Where is she now?"

Fuck, again.

"She's with some guy somewhere. She didn't ditch me or anything. She's still in the club, actually." As I rambled on, an idea popped into my head.

Here goes nothing.

"Theres a couple spots in here that are... more private."

Jess looked up, acting nonchalant despite being extremely against this mission of mine. "What do you want?"

"I'll buy you a drink." Harvey offered, stepping closer to Jess. "I'll have a Corona, and you?"

"Vodka soda, please." I said to Jess.