Guilty

Zane

"How do you know Josh?" I ask one of his friends. Despite not knowing anyone, Josh insisted I come along to his bachelorette party. Most of the guys here have as much depth and interest as flies. 

But a few minutes ago two guys walked in, one had blonde hair that reminded me of spun gold. He smiles at everyone and immediately makes a beeline for Josh. I know his type, friendly and can get along with just about anyone. He reminds me of what I was like in college, and what I'm still like around the people I know. 

The man who walked in with him was his polar opposite, he had ink-black hair like mine. Though, it's styled with one rogue curl hanging on his forehead. His eyes were a dark grey, almost blue. He looked dangerous, probably best to avoid talking to him. Naturally, he walked over to me and sat beside me at the bar.  

"So how do you know Josh?" I asked him, he turned his head to fully look at me. He gave me a brief once over and then his posture relaxed a little. 

"We work together, known him since he was twenty-two, you?" He had an accent, mostly American but mixed with something else, I was guessing Russian. 

"We went to college together, at Yale, I'm Zane Ivory," I said to him, tipping him my glass. 

"You've known him longer then, mind explaining who all these people are?" He asks me, glancing at the men crawling around the bar, "Nikolai Romanov, by the way." 

I nodded, "No idea who these people are, my guess is ass-kissing finance bros, I guess you don't work with them?" 

"There's a fairly good chance I could, not that I'd notice. No one is kissing my ass," Nikolai said, shooting dirty looks at any man who stared at him too long. 

I laughed, liking him already, "Shame, I was hoping we could persuade one of them to buy us a drink. Maybe if we pretended to have an investment idea?" 

"You could hit on one of them, a couple of them have got to be swinging that way with how aggressively they're staring at us," Nikolai says, taking a sip of his whiskey. 

I smirk, "I think they can hear us talking shit, this room echoes," I inform him. He looks at me and smiles, delights shining in his eyes. 

"Good, let's hope they stop blowing sunshine up Josh's ass, god knows he likes himself enough." 

"Give him a break, he's getting married in a few days," I say, snickering as Josh shoots us filthy looks. 

"Oh yeah? You banking on that happening then?" Nikolai says absently, dropping his voice a little so no one but me could hear him. 

I frowned at him, I didn't understand what he was implying. Before I could ask, my phone started buzzing and I picked it up. My eyes narrow when I realise it's Emery calling me. I was already getting angsty when I called Juliette half an hour prior, I thought I'd heard something about stripping but obviously, my hearing was failing me. 

"Sorry, got to take this," I say to an unfazed Nikolai who nods before walking over to Josh and whispering something into his ear. 

I turn my back to the men and raise the phone to my ear, "Emery?" 

"Can you....put me...t-through to Josh, feel like I should tell him something," She says, her words are slurred and she's stuttering. I pause, if she's this fucked up what state is Juliette in? 

"Yeah sure, how's everything with you?" I ask her. 

"Fine, we're i-in a strip club, Juliette's on the pole right now..." Emery hiccups and I feel my jaw go slack. 

I'm glad everyone here is too drunk to notice my frantically gripping the phone, and the only two sober men are currently focused on Josh. 

"Where are you?" I ask Emery, harshly.