Strictly Business | 18+

05. Paint the town

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How did the week manage to pass by so rapidly? Alexa had completely forgotten the fact that she agreed to join her friend for the surprise outing tonight.

She tried to conjure a lie that seemed at least believable but knowing Emily, that wasn't going to work when it came to her because she was persuasive and persistent. A deadly combination.

There was one hour left before their shift ended which meant Alexa would go home with Emily and the pair would get ready at her house.

"Is there a possibility that I can take a rain check for tonight?" Alexa asked while she was on the phone with her best friend. Emily almost dropped the call and stormed to her friends office but decided to be the good samaritan.

"Nope." That was the answer. There was no explanation, no empathy. It was just straight rejection to Alexa's silly request which came as no surprise.

Alexa groaned and sank into her comfortable chair, wishing the chair could swallow her whole. "You're not even going to try and show an ounce of remorse."

"Lex, if I received a dollar for all the times I showed you remorse every time you wanted to bail on me I would've been a millionaire by now. Tonight there are no exceptions."

"Okay fine. Will you at least tell me where we're going?" Curiosity killed the cat but it was also killing Alexa's patience because she despised surprises.

"That would spoil the surprise Lex so unfortunately I can't disclose that information." Emily knew Alexa was rolling her eyes right now, they've been friends for so long which meant they picked up on each other's habits. "And don't roll your eyes, now if you'll excuse me. I need to get back to work, my boss can be quite the pain."

A laugh reverberated from Alexa's chest and she wondered how her friend knew her that well - it was heartwarming. "Goodbye Emily." She placed the phone on the hook and then turned her attention back to her laptop.

The company planned on hiring a new photographer to do the photoshoots for the book covers in case an author didn't want abstract art and preferred having a model to represent their novel.

Alexa was required to be present during the photoshoot to determine whether or not they were going to hire the photographer or not. She set a reminder in her calendar for Monday because her chances of forgetting the specific time was fifty-fifty.

After she finished all of her admin, her eyes drifted to the small black clock on her desk. Thirty more minutes.

Thirty minutes before her Friday could officially begin and she already dreaded it because she didn't know what tonight's surprise would entail.

Her mind was plagued with the reasons behind her hatred towards socialising. She took a little walk down memory lane and remembered her teenage years - some of it at least.

Back then she enjoyed spending the night out with her friends, then slowly she transitioned into her introvert self. What if she suffered from social anxiety?

That wouldn't make any sense though because she was surrounded by so many people on a daily basis and it was an obligation for her to interact with them.

She could really use Valentina's help right now but she wasn't keen on therapy. Maybe that's exactly what she needed but for now denial was her sense of comfort.

Two hours later both women were dressed and ready to paint the town red - that was the biggest lie of the century, it was only Emily who looked forward to putting her painting skills to use. Alexa resembled the character Wednesday. All she needed was black hair to match the constant frown on her face.

It was fitting because her outfit was black and it was one of her favourite colours. How ironic.

"You look-" Emily knew she would never have been able to complete her sentence because her friend was ready and loaded with a response.

"Like I'm about to dance on stage, shake my ass and men will throw money at me?" There it was. "Seriously what is this?" She asked, referring to the clothing she currently wore. "More importantly where are we going if we're dressed like this."

Alexa tugged on her black halter top, attempting to cover her stomach but the attempt was futile - she also felt like her entire bottom was showing in the shorts she wore. "We're going to a club."

Emily braced herself for the anticipated disapproval. "A club? That's your surprise?" Alexa definitely wasn't impressed with this surprise and rightfully so, her friend knew how much she disliked that particular environment.

Emily held her hand up. "I know what you're thinking but I can assure it's not that kind of establishment but you have to trust me."

Now Alexa's curiosity morphed into confusion. "At this point I'm unsure what emotions I'm supposed to feel. I'm annoyed at this outfit choice, confused because I don't know where we're going and embarrassed because I should've known you'd pull something like this." Her tone of voice was monotone, almost robotic making Emily burst out laughing.

"You're so funny." She said sarcastically, pinching Alexa's cheeks - this made the grumpy woman laugh before slapping her friends hands away. "Now, we have to leave or we're going to be late."

Alexa was extremely hesitant and uncomfortable because the shorts kept exposing the bottom of her ass cheeks but she decided to step out of her comfort zone.

So finally after much deliberation and mental preparation she dived head first into the ocean of surprises. "Alright, let's go." Though there wasn't any excitement present in her voice at least she was open minded and was joining her friend for a night out.

She would work on the enthusiasm later.

On the bright side there were two good things that took place this week. Alexa finally got that personal assistant that she desperately needed and they were becoming really good acquaintances.

The second thing was happening right now and she wasn't even referring to the club, she was referring to the provocative clothing she wore. She was actually allowing it and was about to step outside where tons of people were going to see her ass cheeks jiggling in the skimpy material.

There was a first time for everything.

Alexa felt anxious while they drove to the mystery location. Emily turned on the car's radio to distract her friend because she could easily sense the anxiousness.

They moved their bodies to the rhythm of the song playing. The music filled their ears and altered Alexa's mood, it reduced her feelings of apprehension - even though it was only for the moment.

Alexa relaxed in the passenger seat, watching the sunset, disappearing behind all of the tall buildings. She actually hadn't been out in what felt like months, knowing her it probably was months.

The anxiousness and feelings of doubt slowly dissipated as the car approached the club. Alexa bounced her left leg out of habit and bit her bottom lip.

"Glad to see you're in a better mood than earlier." Emily said as she turned into the designated parking area.

Alexa placed her hands on her friends head, messing up her straightened hair. "I'm still upset at you for practically forcing me to wear almost-" Alexa looked down at her clothing. "Nothing."

"Don't ruin my hair." Emily said dramatically as the car came to a halt. "And I didn't force you to wear anything, you could've said no."

Before they got out of the car Alexa turned to look at her friend, a look of boredom plastered on her face. "Have you met yourself Em? The word no isn't in your vocabulary."

With narrowed eyes Emily responded. "Touché." The two woman exited the vehicle. Alexa followed her friend because she wasn't quite familiar with this area. The road was lively with individuals walking up and down the busy street.

They started walking and Alexa assumed they were going to enter the dark building situated next to the parking area. "Is this the club? It looks .. dead."

Emily chuckled and shook her head. "So observant." She turned her head to look across the street and Alexa did the same. "It's across the street and now would probably be the perfect time to tell you it's a BDSM club."