“Joe, this is my friend Sophie. She’s helping us out tonight.” Mel introduced Sophie to her boss.

“Very nice to meet you, Sophie.” He smiled widely, showing his crooked teeth.

“You too.” Sophie shook his hand as he looked her over like an object.

Mel gave her an apologetic look. “You were looking for me?” She pulled Joe’s attention away from Sophie.

“Yeah, Cindy didn’t show up again. Can you cover her?”

“Yeah sure. I have to show Sophie around. I’ll come see you in a bit.” Mel grabbed Sophie’s arm and pulled her along.

Mel gave Sophie a brief tour, showing her the main stage where Mel would be performing later, and the area that Sophie was supposed to mingle around. The décor was just as eye catching as the entertainment; everything was sparkles and lights.

Mel introduced Sophie to Kate, another girl that would be working around the crowd, enticing the customers to open their wallets. Kate was short with voluptuous curves. She loved when men looked at her. Her hair was curled into tight bouncy ringlets and her lipstick was a bright pink like the dress that squeezed her to the point it looked likely it would pop off. Sophie couldn’t help but smile at Kate’s enthusiastic mood. She was ready to take on any man brave enough to approach her big personality.

It didn’t take long for customers to start filling the bar. Sophie sipped the sweet drink that the bartender had poured for them. Kate had greedily sipped through four glasses in the past hour as they chatted. Sophie was too wary of what was happening around her to let go and enjoy herself. She hadn’t seen Mel since she left to go backstage to get ready. The acts had begun on the main stage, and Sophie was amazed with how the girls danced so confidently with so many male eyes greedily watching their every move. The room filled to capacity as people poured in from the streets. Sophie soon found it hard to move around without pushing through the bodies.

Kate flirted with countless men, chatting easily like it was the most natural thing in the world to be surrounded by horny men. Sophie was grateful that Kate took the attention from her nervous disposition.

“Excuse me?” Sophie turned around and looked into the deep brown eyes of a tall, well-dressed man not that much older than herself. “It looks like you’re not enjoying that drink. Can I offer you something else?” He was handsome in an unconventional way. His features were sharp but worked together to create a memorable face.

“Um…sure. Thank you,” Sophie accepted gratefully.

“What would you like?” He smiled to reveal straight white teeth.

“Not sure, but something less sweet would be great.”

“Sure thing.” He leaned against the bar and ordered Sophie and himself a drink. He was tall and his athletic narrow form indicated that he knew how to move his body. With two drinks in his hand, he turned around and held hers out for her.

“Thank you.”

“I hope you don’t think that I’m being to forward, but I think you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.” He seemed so much more confident now. “Are you a model or something?”

“Me? No, definitely not. How many drinks have you had?” Sophie laughed off his comment. She never really knew how to respond when people gave her a compliment. Her cheeks heated with embarrassment.

“Just starting.” He held up his drink and took a generous sip.

“This is so much better,” Sophie said appreciatively after trying her drink. It didn’t take her breath away like the last one that tasted more like a dessert.

“Do you come here often?” he asked cautiously.

“No. It’s actually my first time. I’m here with my friend.” Sophie turned around to see Kate doing shots at the bar with a couple of rowdy men. They began chanting her name as she plowed through the row lined up on the bar for her.

“She seems to be having a good time. I’m Cale, by the way.” He held out his hand.

“Sophie.” Sophie slipped her small hand in his and he brought it to his lips.

“Excuse me, miss?” Sophie turned to see one of the waitresses standing beside her. “The guy at the end of the bar told me to give you this.”

Sophie looked over in the direction the waitress indicated and noticed Ashton. He was leaning casually against the bar. He stared back at her as he sipped his drink.

“It’s water.” The waitress shrugged with an awkward look upon her face.

“No, thank you,” Sophie declined. She turned her attention back toward Cale, who was looking back and forth between Sophie and Ashton.

“Please don’t tell me he’s your boyfriend,” Cale asked with a tilt of his head toward Ashton.

“No, he’s not.” She pulled the straw out of her glass and discarded it on the bar before she tipped her drink up to her lips and drained the entire glass. “This is really good.”

A smile curled the edges of Cale’s lips. “Let me get you another.”

“Sure. I feel like having fun tonight.” Sophie refused to look at Ashton at the bar, but every once and a while she would find herself subject to his dangerous, dark glare from the other side. He was impossibly attractive, like the devil promoting how pleasurable sin could be. Why the hell can’t you leave me alone?

After a few drinks Sophie’s guardedness slipped away and she let herself enjoy the evening, no thought to the future or what lay outside of here and now. The waitress made a few more attempts at offering her water from Ashton but she declined every time. “Suit yourself. He keeps paying me a shit load of money to keep offering it.” The waitress strutted away to serve other customers. She shot Ashton an evil glare as she downed her drink and then turned back to Cale. He was now flanked by a couple of his friends. She didn’t even know their names, nor did she care to ask. She was past the point of caring about formalities. A new drink would always appear in her hand after she finished one. She lost track of who was giving them to her.

When Mel finally came out on stage, Sophie screamed her name. Mel winked back at Sophie. Mel was as comfortable as the other girls upon the stage, moving her body in the language of sex. It was really quite beautiful if it wasn’t cheapened by the men hollering and whistling to her.

“A friend of yours?” one of the guys asked. Sophie couldn’t even keep track of who was speaking anymore. Her senses had suddenly become clouded together.

Sophie found herself at the edge of the stage. Mel crawled over to her seductively before leaning in to speak to her. “You are going to get yourself in trouble, girl in the red dress.” She leaned back and continued her dance.

“I’m having fun.” Sophie washed away Mel’s concern. Their exchange seemed to get the crowd worked up, the commotion grew louder.

“It was a bad idea bringing your naïve butt in here,” Mel said, artfully dipping down to speak before standing back up to continue her dance. Sophie watched Mel signal someone across the room. Sophie turned away from the stage to see who it was, but dizziness was pulling at her, causing her to stumble.

“Here.” Cale wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against his body. His need for her pressed against her side, causing her to suddenly realize she may be in over her head. He grabbed her breast, fondling her. “Why don’t we go somewhere more private?” he whispered in her ear.

Sophie put her hand against his chest and tried to push him away but he was too strong. “No,” she slurred. He reached with his other hand and cupped her behind. “Hey!” Sophie objected.

Ashton was suddenly there in a blur, his hand on the collar of Cale’s shirt. “Don’t fucking touch her,” Ashton demanded. She had never seen him so enraged.

“Who the fuck are you?” Cale tried to remove Ashton’s grip on his shirt. He immediately stopped his resistance when two bouncers approached the scene. Sophie felt relief as she watched Cale and his friends retreat.