Bad Things (Tristan & Danika, #1)(11)

“You know him?” I asked Tristan.

He nodded, pulling me along.

I found myself quickly distracted. The club was breathtaking. Long couches flanked numerous indoor pools that formed one huge circle, a huge waterfall the center of it all. Nearly every pool had its own bar. It was by far the most impressive club I’d ever seen, but one huge shortcoming stood out to me right away.

“Where’s the dance floor?” I asked him.

He waved at the pools. “This is the lounge, though you can sure as hell dance here if you want.” He pointed at a large arch that led into a darkened room. “That’s the dance floor. And as you can see, there are bars everywhere. We just need to find the one our friend, Cory is working at to get hooked up with free drinks.”

A few bikini clad women frolicked in one of the nearby pools. They were giggling loudly enough to draw attention.

“I didn’t bring a swimsuit,” I told him.

He glanced at the pools, looking surprised at the idea. “I didn’t think of it. If you want to swim, I’ll find us some suits. It’s up to you. Let’s get a drink, dance, and then decide.”

“How are you ever going to find a random hookup, if you spend all your time with me?”

He just smiled. “You let me worry about that.”

I hadn’t really been worried about it. Not at all, in fact. There was something about him, and it wasn’t just his size, that seemed to command every room he walked into, even this one. Charisma, I thought.

By the looks women were shooting him, I knew that he wouldn’t have to look hard to find anyone. Hell, showing up with a woman on his arm would probably only make him more appealing to this crowd.

“Am I like your wingman tonight?” I asked, as a particularly bold blonde gave him a thorough once over.

He seemed to like that idea, his smile widening unabashedly. “Wouldn’t that be ironic?”

“Why is that ironic? Because I’m a woman?”

His mouth twisted, and he stopped to study me. “I’m not sure I should answer that. It’s not a…friendly answer.”

“Well, now I have to hear your explanation. What’s that supposed to mean?”

He sighed. “You asked for it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

He leaned in close, speaking into my ear. We were just outside of the room that held the dance floor, so it wasn’t so loud that I couldn’t have heard him. I thought he was just doing it for dramatic effect. “It’s ironic that I’d use you for my wingman, when I want to f*ck you more than any of the women here.”

“Oh,” I said eyes wide on him as he pulled back. “That was sweet, you silver-tongued devil.”

He laughed, and I couldn’t help but join him. Those dimples, and the clear admiration in his eyes, were a potent and irresistible combination, and his shameless flirting didn’t raise any red flags for me. On the contrary, I thought he was too much fun.

“What are we drinking, sweetheart?” he asked, tugging me back the way we’d come.

“Hey! Where are we going? I thought we were going to dance!”

“I just spotted my friend at that bar over there. Time for some free drinks. Lady’s choice.”

“Something with tequila,” I told him.

“Now we’re talking.”

We approached one of the bars near the club’s entrance. A good-looking blond male bartender grinned when he spotted Tristan, holding up his hand in a small wave after he’d handed two martinis off to a man in a suit.

“Hey, Cory,” Tristan said as we drew close. “This is my friend, Danika. Danika, this is my friend, Cory. Tell him what you’d like to drink.”

I shook the man’s hand, immediately taking a liking to him. I thought that was because of his easy-going smile. He was handsome, but more than that, he just had one of those faces that made you want to like him at a glance, with kind eyes and a sweet smile. He was wearing a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and I could tell he was built. He was thinner than Tristan, but he still obviously spent some time at the gym. If I had been on the lookout for a man, which I emphatically wasn’t, Tristan’s friends would have been some prime candidates.

“Nice to meet you, Cory,” I told him, not even having to raise my voice. I thought that was something you must only get in the really nice clubs, since all the ones I’d been to before I’d have had to yell to be heard.

“Nice to meet you, Danika. What can I get you to drink?”

I shrugged, biting my lip. I wasn’t a big drinker, so nothing specific came to mind right off the bat.

“Something with tequila,” I said.

“Shots or cocktails to start?” he asked, looking between me and Tristan.

“Let’s start with a shot,” Tristan said, his hand going to the small of my back to usher me onto a padded, high-backed bar stool.

We watched Cory as he mixed the shot. The only bottle I recognized was tequila.

“What’s he making us?” I asked Tristan.

“Hell if I know. Something with tequila.”

Cory made a production out of pouring the shots, sliding them to us with a smile. “Diablo shots.”

I laughed. “That sounds ominous.”

Cory wiggled his brows at me. “Oh, it is. Go for it.”