Moonlight Kingdom

Chapter 2

A week after delivering the pizzas to West Side, Ray had already forgotten about Dakota. After all, he was only strange to her, he wasn't super attractive. There was nothing ugly about the tall man, but there was nothing strikingly different about him either—apart from the uneasy feeling he gave Ray, he looked just like everyone else. However, he looked a little bit more punk, but that was everyone from the West Side.

Dark black hair cascaded down Ray's back as she searched for her silver clutch. She was going out with her friends for the evening, for it was Friday night—the exact thing a twenty-three-year-old woman should be doing in a city full of vastly different activities to tickle anyone's fancy.

"Where are you?" She sighed to herself as she rummaged through her closet. She regretted putting on her silver heels this early in the evening, for her ankles were already starting to hurt and it wasn't even eight o'clock yet. "Dammit!" She yelled as she stood up and swept back her long hair. "I know I just had it."

She was wearing a dark emerald dress that hugged her bust and hips in all of the right places. Ray was many things, and curvy was definitely at the top of the list. She hasn't been to a gym in years, but that added to her womanly figure. She was all woman, all natural, and all beautiful. She used to be self-conscious of being thicker, but she learned that it was her life she was living, so why should she worry about others? With that mindset, she was able to put on the green dress she adorned at this moment and wear it as if it were made for her and only her.

The hemline of the dress reached a few inches above her knee, while the neckline plunged deep between her breasts. The material was silky, forming, and comfortable. It felt as if she were almost wearing nothing—which Ray's favorite accessory to wear was nothing—for she needed to be comfortable when it involved her friends and alcohol. It would be a rough night tonight, but Cameron promised she would have Saturday off, so why not take advantage?

As she held her hair back while digging around in her room, her phone decided to buzz on her vanity.

Forcing aside the current pain in her ankle, she shuffled over to her phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Bitch, where are you? We're down here waiting!" Her best friend—Stacy—screeched into the receiver.

"I'm coming! I can't find my clutch!" Ray responded irritably. After all, Stacy could wait. It wasn't even eight o'clock yet—the time they were supposed to meet—and she couldn't help it if her best friend decided to be a half-hour early. Stacy was always eager to get drunk and laid.

"Fuck your clutch and get your ass down here. I have an extra in my car. It's black, and black goes with everything."

"I want my silver one. I'm wearing silver heels," Ray remarked. Although she loved Stacy, she was never one to be shy with snarky comments.

"Then change into black ones. Your silver heels kill you anyway, why're you even trying to wear them?" Ray could hear the disappointment in Stacy's tone. However, Stacy was right. Why would Ray even try? They were already hurting her feet and she only had them on for about fifteen minutes. A night out like this would be far longer than a quick fifteen-minute stroll around the block.

"Good point. I'm coming." Ray hung up and didn't give Stacy a chance to respond, for she was rummaging through her closet once more to find her black heels. The black shoes were not as cute as the silver ones, but they were far more comfortable. Stacy might be bossy, but she knew what she was talking about.

Ray finished tying the straps on her heels before leaving her apartment with happy, relieved ankles.

"About time!" Stacy sighed as Ray emerged from her apartment building. "I've been here—"