Chapter 1 The Dare.

Charlotte. I couldn't help but feel nervous as I walked up to the club's gate. Now, I regretted agreeing with Laura to visit the club, and I currently thinking about my life and how I had gotten here in the first place “What was I thinking?” I muttered to myself, my eyes glued to the floor. It wasn't late to draw out of this. The most Laura will do is tease me. Probably for life, or maybe she would finally stop when I got a boyfriend. That is, if she ever did. A ping from my shoulder purse jolted me out of my thinking. It was her phone, and she just got a message from Laura. “You can still pull out if you think you're not up to the task.” “I knew it.” I seethed. Deciding to back out of the dare now would be admitting that Laura was right. She would tell me I wasn't confident enough to go all the way with a guy. “Just know I would be calling you a coward for as long as I live. You won't see the end of it.” “That little minx.” Of course, I would trust Laura to keep to her words. Just like she had promised in the message, I knew Laura would never allow me to see the end of it. “Here goes nothing.” I murmured, as I fished out the ticket from my purse. It was just yesterday when I had played a truth or dare game with Laura. No, more like Laura forced me to play the game. She wouldn't stop bugging. At first, I had stuck to truth, and Laura soon disagreed with me choosing truth again. She had claimed the game was boring. And so, I unintentionally played into her hands, and now about to do one of the craziest things in her life. However, I knew deep down this was the craziest thing I had done yet. One of the bouncers' eyes raked over my body and I felt naked. This was another plot of Laura. She had picked out my outfits. It was a strapless mini leather gown, and the back was held together by a flimsy knot. “Wh… what?” I asked, as the bouncer stretched out his hand. “Ticket.” He responded. His voice was icy and curt, making me wonder if he had truly raked his eyes over her earlier. “Oh. Yes.” I mumbled as I handed her ticket over to him. D’mores wasn't just any club. It was one for influential people, and I still couldn't understand why Laura had taken such drastic efforts to help her unwind. Immediately I handed over her ticket and the bouncer confirmed its authenticity, he moved out of the way for me and I got into the club. Just like every other club on a Friday night, D’mores was filled up with partying folks and I immediately felt out of place. I considered leaving, but remembering Laura and her messages I decided to stay back. Also, thinking about it, this could be another way for me to celebrate my birthday. I was going to turn 23 in a few hours, and throughout my life, I never really did anything crazy. I have always lived prim and proper, never breaking rules. “I think the rules should fuck themselves toning.” I encouraged myself as I walked towards the bar. There I would order the strongest drink and forget about my life outside the club. As I waded through the crowd of people, I worried about my hearing. The music was way too loud, and I wondered how the crowd found it fun instead of annoying and disturbing. However, I was going to be joining the crowd tonight. I had promised myself some fun time if I could reach some goals before my birthday, and the universe smiled at me. I got my long awaited promotion at my workplace, and now, I will be moving cities. When the promotion came, I had treated herself to a nice and expensive dinner, but Laura said it didn't count. After all, I treated myself out from time to time. Then she suggested a wild night. However, when I refused, she had opted for a dare game. As I maneuvered through the crowd, a guy with an ugly scar on his chin flashed me a flirty smile as he made his way towards me. “Want to dance with me?” He asked, but I shook my head with a polite smile. I wasn’t sure I could hang out with someone immediately when I got into the club. I needed to chug down some drinks before I could muster courage. Luckily, the guy could take no for an answer, and he turned away as soon as I shook my head. However, as I took a few more steps, I felt a hand grouping my ass and smacking it lightly. However, instead of calling out whoever it was, I forced myself to ignore it and walked to the bar. “What would the pretty lady want?” The bartender asked, flashing me a smile. “Um.. I … I am not sure.” I stuttered. I was really nervous at that point. I felt like everyone could see through my act, and they would notice I had never been to a club and didn't belong to the crowd. “Is it your first time here?” The bartender asked again. His smile was warmer now, and I nodded with an embarrassed smile. “I haven't been to a club before.” I blurted out, and the bartender let out a hearty laugh. “Welcome…..” He trailed off, expecting me to introduce myself. “Charlotte.” I completed it for him. “You can call me Lottie.” I smiled. “Welcome to D’mores, Lottie. I am Brian, and since it's your first time, your first drink is on me.” He grinned. “Why, thank you.” I slightly bowed my head. “So, what would you like to take?” “Your strongest one.” I gulped a little loudly. I needed something strong enough to wash this nervousness off. “Here's your drink, Lottie.” Brian slid a wine glass to Charlotte a few minutes later. “Take your time with it. The strongest like you requested.” “Thank you.” I murmured, looking around the club. Everyone seemed distracted and busy with one thing or another. It was either they were saying and partying to the song, flirting at a corner or drinking the night away. “You make it so obvious that this is your first time in a club.” Brian joked and Charlotte's head whipped over to him. Was I being so obvious? “Well, it's my birthday tomorrow, and I achieved a huge feat in my career.” “That's impressive.” I was glad Brian didn't make any remarks about her being young or something. Instead, his eyes mirrored his words. He found her impressive. However, Brian soon caught her off guard. “Attention everyone.” His voice hollered,almost louder than the blaring music from the speakers. “It's her birthday Eve. Let's show her some love.” “Why…” My question was stuck in my throat as I looked around and noticed the eyes on me. However, one pair of icy blue eyes caught my attention. He had a smirk on his lips and he seemed to have been taking my figure in. However, I wasn't creeped out. Perhaps, going wild for one night might not be a bad idea after all.