Twelve Days The Beginning - By Jade Reyner Page 0,39
They would just have to get over the whole Cole, Dale and Vaughn incident first.
Annabel glanced over at Elise who had subconsciously shrunk back into the booth when the other girls had arrived. Catching her eye, Annabel mouthed “You OK?” and the concern in her face seemed genuine. Shocked, Elise managed a weak smile and a small thumbs up and then the moment passed and Annabel was back to her usual self, ordering a large vodka and coke from the passing waiter to ‘get the party started’.
Amelia and Olivia also looked beautiful. Both had gone heavier on the make-up than Annabel whose natural beauty really didn’t require much help. Olivia had opted for hot pants over sheer black tights with a silver sequined top and had finished the look off with knee high leather boots. The look was almost of a dominatrix and Elise had to prevent the smile from forming as she thought of Vaughn and what he had potentially let himself in for the other night. Who knew that inside this shy new girl was a strong independent woman waiting to get out? Abruptly she stopped her train of thought as she realised that she was thinking about Vaughn again.
Amelia was the only one of them who had opted for trousers although they were skin tight leather which made Elise’s eyes water wondering how on earth she had managed to pour herself into them. She wore a cream satin halter top which left her midriff exposed, and sported a visible black bra underneath. The look was good and suited her although the bitch in Elise did wonder if it was just a bit too obvious. Whilst she had nothing personal against Amelia, she knew that Cole was having issues with her and although she had no idea what had gone on between the two of them, her sense of duty and love for her best friend dictated that she side with him - even without knowing anything about the situation. Maybe that was wrong but she trusted Cole’s judgement implicitly and if he felt that she was a bitch, then she guessed that there must be a good reason.
By now the waiter had returned with the drinks for the other girls and a refill for Celeste. He also dropped a bottle of mineral water in front of Elise and left their table with a flirty wink. Elise rolled her eyes – OK so she had defended this guy from Celeste totally unnecessarily – she was seriously out of touch.
“C’mon girls – drink up! My man is down there and I need to go find him – NOW!!” Celeste shouted dramatically, bringing them to the attention of some of the other members who were trying to enjoy a few quiet moments.
“Shush....” giggled Annabel but wasted no time in grabbing Celeste’s hand and heading off to the stairs and the dance floor. Olivia, Amelia and Elise all followed suit, leaving their jackets and bags in the safety of the booth.
As soon as they opened the glass partition door, which led to the stairs and the dance floor, they were assaulted by the music, loud and throbbing and Elise realised just how much protection the VIP area afforded.
Descending the stairs she noticed two raised platforms, one on either side, where professional dancers were gyrating in time to the beat. Having never seen anything like this before Elise stopped and stared for a moment marvelling at the fluidity and the sensual nature of the artists. They each appeared lost in their own world, lost to the music and for a second, Elise envied them. Moments of pure abandon were few and far between for her and she wished that she could just lose herself like that and maybe wake up to a different life, a different time.
Glancing down the steps she realised that the others had gone on without her and although she followed as quickly as she could, the crowd was just too immense and she was soon effectively on her own, swallowed up by the mass of heaving bodies.
Realising she was never going to reach them, she stood for a moment and contemplated turning back to the booth to wait until they came to find her. As she began to move back in the direction of the stairs, the music abruptly changed and to her surprise, The Communards classic from a few nights ago filled the room. Never one to resist this track, although marginally surprised to hear it played