Free Marry Me for Money by Mia Kayla Page B

smile crept up his face. “Beth, I’ll be back.” He pointed one finger at Luke. “You—watch this girl and make sure she drinks. Understood?” He turned to leave and passed through another roped-off area toward the back. I focused on his retreating back until I couldn’t see his figure any longer.
    I took a swig of my water as Luke observed me, quietly studying me like I was some sort of animal he’d never seen before.
    “How do you know Kent?”
    “He’s my friend.” I continued to drink my water.
    Luke laughed once. “Yeah, right. Kent doesn’t have any friends—well, me maybe, but no female friends, that’s for sure.” He raised two fingers to the bartender in front of us and pointed to his glass.
    “So, what happened out there? I only saw Kent gripping that guy in a death hold,” he asked, leaning against the bar.
    “Those guys were getting frisky, too frisky, and then…I don’t know. Kent came out of nowhere and helped me out.” I took another drink.
    Luke examined me from head to chest with another bewildered look on his face. He was silent, studying me once again. To ease the awkwardness, I glanced to my side at the couple groping each other.
    Silence was broken when the bartender placed two drinks in front of us.
    “No, that’s okay,” I said, pushing the glass toward Luke.
    He tossed money on the counter and inched the glass back in my direction. “Well, Kent told me to have you drink. You heard him.”
    “I’m sure he didn’t mean whatever is in that glass,” I said, eyeing the deep gold liquid in front of me.
    “Come on, I bought you a drink.” He lifted his glass toward me and nodded to my drink on the bar.
    “Fine.” I reached for the glass, feeling the coldness. It was a hard contrast to my warm hands. I lifted the glass and wrinkled my nose at the potent smell. “What is this anyway?” I took a sip and made a face. Whatever it was, it was strong enough to kill the germs on my kitchen counter.
    “Keep drinking. It’s good.”
    I shook my head as I took another chug. The liquid coated my throat and hit my stomach with a burn. I felt queasy. I lowered my head and closed my eyes as I felt the burn deep within my belly. “Crap, that stuff was strong.”
    “Don’t throw up. That’s one sure way to get us kicked out of this place.”
    He caressed my neck and massaged it with one hand. His touch gave me goose bumps and not the good kind.
    I lifted my head and moved slightly away. “I don’t even know how I’m going to drive home.”
    He leaned in and ran a finger on my outer thigh. Bile rose in my throat, and I flinched at his touch.
    “I can take you home,” he said, edging closer toward me.
    The scent of liquor on his breath mixed with the smell of the expensive cologne he was wearing. Everything about him repulsed me.
    I pushed myself off the bar stool in one swift movement and moved away. I was tired of being fondled today.
    “No flippin’ chance, loser.” I said, narrowing my eyes at him. I stomped toward the roped area where Kent had entered.
    A stoic bouncer stood there. I tried to stand straight, but failed and stumbled slightly. I was queasy from the drink Luke had given me, and all I needed was to get home. “I’m here to see Kent,” I said.
    The bouncer nodded and moved to let me pass.
    Darkness engulfed the room. The only sources of light came from tea lights on the tables. The music pounded in my ears, but as I skimmed the room, I saw no one was dancing. People were sitting and drinking at the tables.
    I moved past a girl straddling a guy on the couch. His hands were up her skirt. I scurried to the next table and watched a group of three crowd around a mirror sprinkled with a powder-like substance. I’d seen enough movies to know what they were doing.
    I walked faster and scanned the room for Kent. I wanted to tell him that I was leaving. The faster I moved, the more I felt like falling. Taking off my heels, I stepped barefoot on the cold, hard floor.