Status: In Progress
I'm in Kandyland So Don't Save Me
Four
“Do you need me to come out with you girls?” Connor asked, walking up the hotel steps with us. I loved when he tried to pretend like he was a big muscular man. His confidence almost made up for his scrawny, designer suit-and-skinny-tie look. Almost. His flaw was that he looked too flawless to look even remotely harmful.
“Thanks, Connor, but if I’m ever cornered by a rapist, I need someone who will hit him, not hit on him,” I replied, my eyes practically glued to my Blackberry.
“Girl, I wasn’t talking about protecting you; I was talking about prying that phone out of those cold hands and making you have fun for once,” he retorted.
I was about to say something when Vanessa saved me. “Connor, can you do me a favor, please?” she asked him, stopping in the hotel lobby. I stopped as well, but she merely waved me ahead. “You can go up, Tor. I just, uhm, have a quick scheduling question for Connor.”
I nodded as I headed back up to my room. Ness didn’t have an assistant so I was more than happy to share Connor. Although I was more than sure Connor liked her more than me. But since I was his formal boss, it was understandable. Unless you’ve got a six-figure paycheck, you’re not going to like your boss.
I got dressed in a tight black dress with a square neck and short hemline. Not quite the club look, but I wasn’t the dancing type. I was the one at the bar who had a watchful eye on my best friend who was like a younger sister to me. Clubs were never my scene; they were Ness’s.
I slipped into a pair of sleek black heels and tied my hair back in a classy ponytail. I went across the hall and knocked on Ness’s door. After a few unanswered knocks, she finally came out, looking pale and sickly.
“Are you okay?” I asked her in a worried tone. I was about to put my hand on her forehead when she slapped it away.
“Yeah, I’m great!” she answered, smiling. “Let’s get going, I don’t want to keep the boys waiting too long. Mike texted me the place.” She started walking ahead of me at full speed before I could even catch another glance at her to see if she was truly alright.
By the time we arrived at the club, she was looking a bit better. The color had returned to her face and she looked excited instead of anxious now. I shrugged it off as maybe something having to do with Brian since she hadn’t pulled her phone out for a while now.
We had no trouble finding the guys since they weren’t the most ordinary of people there. Besides, it wasn’t too hard finding the messy black spikes of the one named Se7en in a crowd. Despite our differences in appearance though, we all apparently had a similarity in drinking habits since they already had vodka shots lined up for us when we reached the bar. They handed us a shot before they even greeted us.
“Uhm, do you want to take this for me? I kind of still feel sick from last night’s alcohol,” Ness said to me with a nervous laugh.
“Sure,” I replied, downing both her shots and mine. “That explains why you didn’t look too well earlier. Sure you don’t want to leave?”
“I said I didn’t want to drink, not that I didn’t want to dance and party,” she replied, laughing. She and the guys went off to the dance floor so I found a seat at the bar and ordered myself a martini, sending a few texts in between sips.
“Well, hello there,” came a stranger’s voice from next to me. “I’m AJ. And you are…?”
“Not interested,” I replied, not even bothering to look up. I was too used to this. Creepy male seeing a gorgeous lone female sipping a martini all by herself at the bar and attempting to make his moves. It was as if having a drink by yourself was the universal sign for ‘down to fuck.’ In my case, it meant that I was dragged here by my friend and was waiting for her to queue our exit.
The man chuckled. “And what does it take to get a girl like you interested? You know, just in case I decide to ever approach another gorgeous woman like this…”
“A little class would be nice.”
“You don’t think I have class?”
“Obviously not if I’ve rejected you and you’re still here,” I retorted, finally looking up at him. He had dyed-black hair just above shoulder length, a v-neck and skinny jeans on, and a look about him that almost screamed ‘emo.’
He was about to open his mouth to say something when a voice cut in. “Yo, AJ. What’s up, man? You giving our AP rep a hard time?” It was Se7en, who was apparently good friends with the creeper since they both shared a warm welcome.
“She’s your interviewer? Damn, good luck, bro. This one’s feisty,” AJ said to his friend laughing.
I rolled my eyes and resisted the urge to snap ‘I’m right here, dumbasses,’ but instead I let them finish their short conversation as I continued to sip on my drink and text an old buddy of mine.
Se7en sat down next to me when his friend left and ordered himself a Jack and Coke on the rocks. “I see you and AJ hit it off pretty well,” he joked. It was the first time he had ever talked to me.
I rolled my eyes. “Why am I not surprised you guys are friends?”
He laughed at my comment. “You know, you’re pretty judgmental. I can tell you don’t like our music, but that doesn’t mean you should judge us as people.”
“I didn’t judge you, I judged your friend,” I said, my eyes finding AJ at the end of the bar, hitting on another poor, helpless soul.
“You judge anyone who looks like that. I can tell,” he replied, taking in a big gulp of his drink. I ignored his comment and continued to text. “It’s midnight here so two in the morning in Cleveland. Who could you possibly be texting?” he asked me, eyeing my phone.
“An old friend in New York City,” I replied vaguely.
“Ah, the city that never sleeps. Explains a lot. You don’t seem like a Cleveland type of girl.”
“Now who’s being the judgmental one?” I asked, looking up at him with a smirk.
He grinned at me. “Touché. Well, it’s not quite New York City, but I hope you enjoy Albuquerque anyway. I think you’ll find no trouble not sleeping here.” He winked before grabbing his drink and walking back towards the dance floor.
I looked back at him as he walked away, wondering if that was his attempt at making a move. I had a feeling that my judgments about their sleaziness were just about correct. Maybe their bad reputation amongst the walls of AP was well deserved.
“Thanks, Connor, but if I’m ever cornered by a rapist, I need someone who will hit him, not hit on him,” I replied, my eyes practically glued to my Blackberry.
“Girl, I wasn’t talking about protecting you; I was talking about prying that phone out of those cold hands and making you have fun for once,” he retorted.
I was about to say something when Vanessa saved me. “Connor, can you do me a favor, please?” she asked him, stopping in the hotel lobby. I stopped as well, but she merely waved me ahead. “You can go up, Tor. I just, uhm, have a quick scheduling question for Connor.”
I nodded as I headed back up to my room. Ness didn’t have an assistant so I was more than happy to share Connor. Although I was more than sure Connor liked her more than me. But since I was his formal boss, it was understandable. Unless you’ve got a six-figure paycheck, you’re not going to like your boss.
I got dressed in a tight black dress with a square neck and short hemline. Not quite the club look, but I wasn’t the dancing type. I was the one at the bar who had a watchful eye on my best friend who was like a younger sister to me. Clubs were never my scene; they were Ness’s.
I slipped into a pair of sleek black heels and tied my hair back in a classy ponytail. I went across the hall and knocked on Ness’s door. After a few unanswered knocks, she finally came out, looking pale and sickly.
“Are you okay?” I asked her in a worried tone. I was about to put my hand on her forehead when she slapped it away.
“Yeah, I’m great!” she answered, smiling. “Let’s get going, I don’t want to keep the boys waiting too long. Mike texted me the place.” She started walking ahead of me at full speed before I could even catch another glance at her to see if she was truly alright.
By the time we arrived at the club, she was looking a bit better. The color had returned to her face and she looked excited instead of anxious now. I shrugged it off as maybe something having to do with Brian since she hadn’t pulled her phone out for a while now.
We had no trouble finding the guys since they weren’t the most ordinary of people there. Besides, it wasn’t too hard finding the messy black spikes of the one named Se7en in a crowd. Despite our differences in appearance though, we all apparently had a similarity in drinking habits since they already had vodka shots lined up for us when we reached the bar. They handed us a shot before they even greeted us.
“Uhm, do you want to take this for me? I kind of still feel sick from last night’s alcohol,” Ness said to me with a nervous laugh.
“Sure,” I replied, downing both her shots and mine. “That explains why you didn’t look too well earlier. Sure you don’t want to leave?”
“I said I didn’t want to drink, not that I didn’t want to dance and party,” she replied, laughing. She and the guys went off to the dance floor so I found a seat at the bar and ordered myself a martini, sending a few texts in between sips.
“Well, hello there,” came a stranger’s voice from next to me. “I’m AJ. And you are…?”
“Not interested,” I replied, not even bothering to look up. I was too used to this. Creepy male seeing a gorgeous lone female sipping a martini all by herself at the bar and attempting to make his moves. It was as if having a drink by yourself was the universal sign for ‘down to fuck.’ In my case, it meant that I was dragged here by my friend and was waiting for her to queue our exit.
The man chuckled. “And what does it take to get a girl like you interested? You know, just in case I decide to ever approach another gorgeous woman like this…”
“A little class would be nice.”
“You don’t think I have class?”
“Obviously not if I’ve rejected you and you’re still here,” I retorted, finally looking up at him. He had dyed-black hair just above shoulder length, a v-neck and skinny jeans on, and a look about him that almost screamed ‘emo.’
He was about to open his mouth to say something when a voice cut in. “Yo, AJ. What’s up, man? You giving our AP rep a hard time?” It was Se7en, who was apparently good friends with the creeper since they both shared a warm welcome.
“She’s your interviewer? Damn, good luck, bro. This one’s feisty,” AJ said to his friend laughing.
I rolled my eyes and resisted the urge to snap ‘I’m right here, dumbasses,’ but instead I let them finish their short conversation as I continued to sip on my drink and text an old buddy of mine.
Se7en sat down next to me when his friend left and ordered himself a Jack and Coke on the rocks. “I see you and AJ hit it off pretty well,” he joked. It was the first time he had ever talked to me.
I rolled my eyes. “Why am I not surprised you guys are friends?”
He laughed at my comment. “You know, you’re pretty judgmental. I can tell you don’t like our music, but that doesn’t mean you should judge us as people.”
“I didn’t judge you, I judged your friend,” I said, my eyes finding AJ at the end of the bar, hitting on another poor, helpless soul.
“You judge anyone who looks like that. I can tell,” he replied, taking in a big gulp of his drink. I ignored his comment and continued to text. “It’s midnight here so two in the morning in Cleveland. Who could you possibly be texting?” he asked me, eyeing my phone.
“An old friend in New York City,” I replied vaguely.
“Ah, the city that never sleeps. Explains a lot. You don’t seem like a Cleveland type of girl.”
“Now who’s being the judgmental one?” I asked, looking up at him with a smirk.
He grinned at me. “Touché. Well, it’s not quite New York City, but I hope you enjoy Albuquerque anyway. I think you’ll find no trouble not sleeping here.” He winked before grabbing his drink and walking back towards the dance floor.
I looked back at him as he walked away, wondering if that was his attempt at making a move. I had a feeling that my judgments about their sleaziness were just about correct. Maybe their bad reputation amongst the walls of AP was well deserved.