Double Dare You

Only Top Shelf

Love was just a silly game for a popular person who agrees to a petty bet with friends to seduce an ordinary person – and this ordinary person, namely me, I noticed this bet even before it started. My friends think I'm jaded. That I've been burned one too many times and now I assume the worst in people. I haven't been proved wrong yet.

I was sitting at the bar nursing a drink; wearing scrub bottoms and a long sleeve black t-shirt. I stank of B.O. from the 16-hour shift in the ER that I just finished and I was seventy percent sure that the yellowish spot on my sneakers was vomit. The other thirty percent: yellow curry from yesterday's lunch. My hair was a mess and my mascara was smeared.

Through the front door walked in this group of suits, blending into each other like a herd of Zebra. You couldn't tell one apart from the other, except for the main one. The main one can vary depending on the group, but tonight he was a little taller than the others and obviously had too much free time because his body was chiseled.

One of them yelled out, "A round of vodka to celebrate my good man, Liam!"

Another slapped the bar, "Only top shelf for the youngest partner of the Law Offices of K.L.G."

They crowded the bar and I had to move over a couple seats to avoid getting elbowed. I tried to look invisible. I did not want to play the cat and mouse game tonight.

After three shots Liam notices me and his mouth spreads out into a smile. He turns to one of the Zebra's. They shook hands and Liam says, "Deal."

"Damn," I muttered and downed my drink. I put a tip under the glass and with purse in hand I made to leave. Not fast enough.

But two can play at this game.