The Arrangement

Chapter Six: Mistakes

The next week Maverick had been all over the magazine covers with Mr. Ronaldson's daughter, Valerie.

Is there a power couple arising? headlines read.

I cried about it more than I'd like to admit, and I might have impulsively stopped all of my subscriptions to every magazine.

Standing in front of the mirror, I propped my hands up on my hips, looking myself up and down.  I was in a black sweater with no pants on, but the big sweater went down just enough to cover my underwear.  My mascara was streaming down my face.  My long, blonde was thrown up into a messy bun that was hardly even considered a bun anymore.

All in all, I looked like a mess.

I also admit that I might've already had a fairly large amount of alcohol in my bloodstream when I announced to nobody except for myself:

"I'm going out." I looked at myself again. "Of course, I'm changing, but I'm still going out.  If he's going to go out with people, then I have the right to do the same." I lifted my pointer finger. "The best way to get over a guy is to get under another."

I need friends, my brain said, sadly.

Even my brain was sad.

I turned away from the mirror and walked into my closet to assemble an outfit for my night on the town.  Once I'd found an outfit, I changed into it and returned to my mirror.

The tight black skirt I was wearing stopped about mid thigh, and the sheer black fabric of my top exposed my black bra as well as my cleavage.  My blonde hair fell to my chest with more waves than usual due to the bun I'd had it in.  I fixed my makeup before slipping on a pair of balck heels and grabbing my purse.

"What does a girl have to do to get to Club Ivy?" I asked Marlon upon getting into the car.  He looked back at me in shock before quickly turning back around and beginning to drive.

A few minutes later, he parked in front of a dark looking building.  Despite how dark it looked, the bright neon sign above the entrance told me that it was in fact Club Ivy.

The line was long, so I huffed like a spoiled teenager before walking directly up to the bouncer.

"Hey, big man, how would a girl like me find themselves past that door?" I asked, my voice sounding low and seductive.

"Waiting in line," he answered gruffly.  I pulled a one hundred dollar bill out of my purse.

"Would this change your mind?" I asked, holding it against his chest.  He just grumbled before taking it and stepping aside.  I smiled before stepping into the club.

The music was blasting.  I couldn't even tell what song was playing as I walked towards the bar to fuel up on alcohol before hitting the dance floor.

After I downed the glass of alcohol the bartender handed me, I whooped and headed to the jam-packed dance floor.  Immediately, someone grabbed my hips, pulling me back against them.  I grinded my hips back against him as he moved with me.

The stranger brushed my hair away from his neck before pressing his lips to my neck.  I reached my hands and laced my fingers through the stranger's hair.

After a moment, I turned around, connecting my lips to his.  The kiss was rough and messy.  And it was nothing like kissing Maverick.  I shook the thought and pulled the stranger even closer to me, using the kiss to forget about Maverick.

My hands ran up and down his chest as his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me even closer to him.  I lifted my right leg, wrapping it around his leg.