scrambling from my bed, i rubbed a hand across my eyes and flipped on the lights as i made my way to my front door with severus trailing behind me.

"i knew it. you fell asleep," olivia proclaimed when i pulled open the door.

rather than try to deny the obvious, i turned and walked away so she could enter. "why didn't you use the key i gave you?"

"i left it in the car with taylor. his mom called him as we pulled in."

i bit the inside of my cheek at the way olivia said mom, like it was a dirty word. her own parents had been absentee at best. she had warmed up to mine over the years, but still maintained a standoffish attitude where parents were concerned.

"why aren't you dressed? is this a ploy to get out of going? because i might as well tell you, it's not going to work. so get your skinny ass in there and get dressed."

"don't be bossy. i was up late writing and my alarm failed to wake me up," i said, holding up the culprit to take the blame for me.

olivia took the phone from my hand and trailed behind me as i headed to my bedroom to change. she perched on my unmade bed while i searched my closet for something presentable to wear. i wasn't a fashion expert, but even i had to admit my closet was sparse. my dresser overflowed with yoga pants and t-shirts, but my closet looked mostly ignored. it was comprised of a few things i'd picked up over the past few years along with a few remnants of my high school wardrobe. looking at it now, it was really pitiful.

"your closet is fucking anorexic," olivia complained as she peered over my shoulder. she reached around me, pushing hangers aside to search for the perfect outfit that wasn't there. "you need a complete wardrobe makeover. and a yoga pants intervention," she added, glaring at my hot pink pair.

i shrugged. eventually i would supplement my wardrobe, but it wasn't high on my priorities list. grabbing a black lightweight chiffon top and black cami from the closet, i headed to my dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans i'd had since high school. judging by the look on olivia's face, she didn't approve, but i didn't care. jeans never went out of style, and they still fit.

sticking out my tongue at her, i slipped into my bathroom to shower quickly and get dressed.

fifteen minutes later i left the bathroom with a puff of steam wafting behind me. i pulled my hair up in a loose knot since i didn't have enough time to dry and straighten it. makeup was another thing i didn't put much effort into, but i applied just enough to add some color to my cheeks. growing up, my mom had tried her best to teach me to be a typical girl, but being surrounded by boys constantly, i learned to appreciate roughhousing and burping contests over makeup and clothes.

when i joined olivia and taylor in the living room, i figured my appearance must have passed olivia's seal of approval because she made no comments to the contrary. taylor sat on the couch petting a quite content severus. olivia was at the counter messing with my phone. "your alarm works better if you set it to go off at six thirty p.m., not six thirty a.m., einstein."

"oops, good point," i said, catching the phone after she tossed it to me.

taylor grinned. "it's the thought that counts, right?" he stood up after giving severus one last stroke.

i returned his smile. taylor was cool that way. he was no slouch in the looks department either. he and olivia were actually a good match. clearly he thought she was beautiful because he said so many times, but he also didn't treat her like a trophy. over the years, i'd seen a steady stream of guys come and go with olivia. most of them thrived on the idea of dating someone as pretty as she was, but they were still douche faces who treated her like crap. thankfully, she was quick to let them go. taylor had proved to be different. he treated her as an equal rather than a possession. i could tell his intentions were to get more serious, but olivia had major commitment issues. it would be interesting to see how it all played out. olivia was a tough nut to crack, but something told me not to count taylor out.

we got into our typical lively conversation about nothing in particular during the drive. taylor was a couple years older than olivia and me. he worked for a pharmaceutical company in orlando and made good money. his job required him to travel quite often, but he always had plenty of stories to share with us. i was tempted to put my historical romance stories aside and write a book about flight attendants after listening to some of his anecdotes. the book would practically write itself.

we ended up eating at a small pizza joint downtown before heading to what i realized had been olivia's intended destination all along. i shouldn't have been surprised. truthfully, i should have been suspicious when she let the subject drop the day before. she was never one to give up so easily. as soon as taylor pulled into church street station i knew where we were and who worked inside.

my normally brave friend avoided making eye contact with me as we climbed out of the car. instead, she took her boyfriend by the arm and walked toward the new nightclub. if taylor was in on olivia's plan he hid it well because he looked oblivious to our silent standoff.

we could hear and feel the throbbing of the music from the parking lot. having been friends with olivia for so long, i wasn't a complete novice to clubs. they just weren't my thing. still, every so often, i would let her drag me along. i usually had fun for the most part, but that was because i never had any expectations. even in a club filled wall to wall with people it was easy to remain inconspicuous. this time was different. i knew exactly why she had chosen the red moon. i wasn't an idiot. olivia was trying to play cupid, and the red moon was where alec tended bar. part of me relished the chance to make up for my odd behavior the other morning at the beach. at least i could prove to alec i knew how to act normal. unfortunately, the more dominant half of me wanted to run back to my apartment and hide where i felt safe.

olivia must have sensed my reluctance since she reached back and grabbed me by the wrist. i told myself i still had time to pull away, but each step brought us closer to the club. looking around, i spotted a small coffee bar across the street where i could hide out for a couple of hours, but olivia kept a firm grasp on my wrist. before i knew it, we had reached the door.

"here you go," olivia said, handing over two ids to a tall, well muscled bouncer. i snatched my hand away and reluctantly reached inside my small purse. pawing through the contents, i didn't know whether to panic or feel relieved when my driver's license wasn't in its customary spot.

"looking for this?" olivia held out my license and grabbed me by the hand to tug me inside the club.

"so now you're a thief?"

"i borrowed it while you were getting dressed. just wanted to make sure you didn't have an excuse to bolt." my friend knew me too well.

when we got inside, i stopped before reaching the long bar where people stood shoulder to shoulder waiting to place drink orders. there were three bartenders behind the counter working the crowd, but only one of them held any significance to me. i intended to play it cool, but my palms began to sweat the moment my eyes found alec's. damn, he was as handsome as i remembered. he grinned, nodding his head in my direction. he recognized me. fantastic. nothing like making a lasting impression.

olivia pulled me the rest of the way to the counter where a space had miraculously opened up. it was at the opposite end of the bar from where alec was working, but was just large enough for olivia and me to perch on two stools with taylor standing between us.

alec smiled again, watching me as he prepared a drink order. maybe someone like olivia would have no problem maintaining eye contact with a hot guy across the room, but i looked away, pretending to fumble with my purse. i stood up to readjust my stool, keeping my head down. after getting myself situated, i found the nerve to glance back at alec. he smiled as if he had been waiting for me to look at him. shooting me a wink, he turned his attention back to the customers in front of him.

that was my weakness, especially from someone with such striking eyes. call me a slut, but it wouldn't take much more than that to get me to drop my panties for him. winking for me was like liquor to an alcoholic, and he was getting me drunk. i suddenly realized i had bigger problems than making eye contact. at some point he was going to walk over to us and i would have to say something. preferably something witty or smart. the harder i tried to come up with something clever, the more my mind went blank. shit, of all the times to experience writer's block. my heart felt like it would beat out of my chest. i had nothing. all i could think about was how i wished i wouldn't have worn my hair up. i could have used it to hide my embarrassing rosy red cheeks. i fidgeted uncomfortably on my stool, praying to any god that would listen to give me the sanity to make it through this.

olivia placed her hand on my shoulder. "see, it's not so bad, right? what are you going to get to drink?"

"uh, i'm not sure yet."

olivia turned her attention back to taylor. i felt like a third wheel as their voices were drowned out by the crowd. truthfully, i was probably too distracted to listen anyway. i found myself studying alec again as he chatted with two women he was preparing drinks for. neither of the women could have been more flirtatious if they tried. they both wore undersized shirts that displayed as much cleavage as they could possibly get away with. the way they stuck out their chests, you would think they wanted alec to take a bite. personally, i found it more funny than attractive, but clearly alec knew how to handle himself. he leaned in close while they talked before throwing his head back, laughing deeply. the two skanks absolutely ate it up, like either of them stood a chance.

i didn't know what had come over me. alec and i were not a couple. we were nothing. certainly nothing to elicit jealousy over. it had to be his off-the-hook sex appeal. it was clouding my judgment. as if he could hear my thoughts, he turned my way, flashing a devastating smile as he sauntered over.

be cool. be cool. the words rang through my head.

"hey, olivia," he said, greeting her with enthusiasm. "taylor, my friend, how's it hanging?" they fist-bumped before alec turned his attention to me. "and the lovely nicole," he said, winking again. holy hell, there went my hormones again. was it possible to fall into insta-lust with someone? i'd never believed in love at first sight, even though my current thoughts had nothing to do with anything lovey dovey and everything to do with the persistent throbbing between my thighs.

i had every intention of returning his greeting. i even opened my mouth with the expectation of saying something, but my tongue stuck stubbornly to the roof of my mouth like i had just eaten peanut butter. he may have just seen my impression of a guppy, but i at least nodded my head for good measure.

olivia coughed slightly, trying her best to hide her laughter. taylor unwittingly saved me by engaging alec in a play-by-play account of the last tampa bay rays game. ironically, i had also watched the game while eating dinner at my family's house sunday night. even after getting my own place, mom insisted i still come over every sunday for dinner. she said it was the only way she could be certain i ate at least one good meal a week. not that we ever ate a traditional family dinner at the dining room table. in our house we ate while watching tv, usually sports of some kind. it may have been unconventional, but we never claimed to be normal.

listening to taylor and alec trade stats about the game was like listening to my brothers, tony, zachary and riley. i could have easily joined their conversation and held my own. like how davis should have been pulled in the sixth before giving up a two-run homer to tie the game. his arm was obviously shot at that point. i was hesitant to give my two cents, fearing alec would see me the same way my brothers' friends had back in high school. a cool chick to talk sports with, but not worth dating.

olivia knocked on the counter to get their attention. "boys, if you're going to talk about boring sports all night, nicole and i will have to find other ways to occupy our time."

taylor stopped mid-sentence with his eyebrows raised. "oh yeah? i'd be up for watching that."

"get your mind out of the gutter, perv. how about you get me a drink instead?"

"sorry, babe. my manners are horrible," taylor said, planting a kiss on the back of olivia's hand. she practically melted against him before straightening up. i knew from our conversations she was trying to maintain boundaries with taylor, but clearly he was slowly finding a way beneath the cracks. i silently cheered for him.

"so, what's your poison?" alec asked, turning his attention to me.

i took a deep breath before answering. "uh, i'll take a coke." it wasn't the most cosmopolitan choice, but at least i didn't choke on the words.

"hell no. we're doing shots tonight," olivia crowed, tearing her eyes from taylor. "we're here to loosen you up tonight."

alec chuckled lightly at her words.

"liv," i warned, glaring at my friend.

"come on, nicole. it's been ages since you threw caution to the wind. you need to relax and let loose a little. if you're not careful, you'll develop a reputation as some crazy cat lady."

i would never admit it to olivia, but my worst fear was that she would turn out to be right. i had a recurring nightmare that ten years from now i'd still be a virgin holed up in my apartment writing stories about other couples' love lives. i wished i could change my personality. i wanted to badly. remaining a virgin at twenty-two was not a status i set out to achieve. hell, in high school sometimes it was all i thought about. when you're an underclassman you don't want the reputation as a slut, so you kept your knees together, but somewhere between junior year and graduation that stigma began to change. it started with one of my friends losing her v-card, and then another friend after that. before i knew it, i was the only one in my group of friends who hadn't had sex yet. it didn't feel like a big deal at the time since there were plenty of girls in my graduating class who held the same status as me. all of that changed during my first year of college. everyone seemed to be hooking up-except me.

alec laid out four shot glasses-after i nodded my consent-and filled them to the brim with whiskey. everyone reached for a glass, leaving the last one for me. "are you allowed to drink on the job?" i asked, stalling for time as i picked mine up tentatively.

"i can now. i'm off the clock. it's sorta hard to be on a date while i'm working." he winked at me again.

i gaped at him before turning to olivia, who wore a feigned expression of innocence. and i was back to wanting to kill her. throwing caution to the wind, i brought my glass to my lips, downing the contents in one gulp. the fiery liquid burned a path down my throat before settling in the pit of my stomach. a cough trickled up my throat, begging to be released, but i held it back as tears filled my eyes.