Okay, I don’t typically go out drinking in the middle of the week. Actually, I don’t go out a lot in general. There were two clubs in town where the younger crowd hung out. Once you were my age, an advanced twenty-five, you hung out at the bars instead. However, bars didn’t do ladies night. Rose insisted we go out, taking advantage of ladies’ night at a club with a free cover. We’d get free drinks and I’d get to dance. I needed to dance after I’d been avoiding Colton since our night of searing hot passion. Or maybe he was avoiding me. I didn’t know how to act around him, and in true one-night-stand awkwardness, I chose to avoid it all and hide when I saw him.

I met her outside the club, and she of course was dressed to kill, or be laid perhaps. She was a beautiful woman. I had always been a little jealous of the natural sexiness she had. She could wear a paper bag and look like a goddess.

“Hey, gorgeous,” I said, when she walked up to me wearing a tiny black dress with heels that would probably kill me.

“Hey, baby!” she said, overly loud, and drawing attention from the others going inside. “You look hot.”

I laughed, looking down at my plain, although tight, red skirt and white top. I rarely wore red, as it always made me feel a little slutty, but tonight, I felt daring. I was still riding the high of multiple orgasms and being told repeatedly how sexy I was. If anything, Colton had given me a huge boost of confidence at a time when I really needed it.

“You ready? What are we looking for? Tall, dark and handsome? Mysterious? Dangerous?” I teased.

“Please, you know me, I’m up for whatever gets me hot. What about you? What should I be looking for?”

I grinned, “I think I’m good.”

“Uh, how can you be good? We haven’t been out—” she stopped talking and looked at me. “You didn’t sleep with Jason!”

I scrunched up my nose. “No!”

“Don’t act like you’re surprised I asked. He was your one. He can call, talk sweet and your panties drop.”

“It wasn’t him. It was Colton.”

“Colton?” she asked, confusion on her face.

I smiled. “The neighbor.”

Her eyes widened. “No way!”

I winked.

“I want details.”

I blushed. “He’s amazing. Like, beyond amazing.”

“I’m jealous. Super jealous.”

I shook my head. “You should be. I’m not going to give you details, but,” I said, holding up three fingers.

“No!” she screamed. “Three!”

I laughed, not confirming or denying anything.

“Damn, come on. I need to get in there and find me a man. You got me worked up just talking about great sex. I need great sex. I’ve had way too much plain, boring sex.”

We got in line, got our hands stamped and headed inside. I was truly not interested in finding a guy to take home, but I would definitely help her find a good prospect. We walked in, identifying the regulars and steering clear. Next, we found the mean girl snobs that we detested. They were just like us, having grown up right here in Beatrice, but somehow felt they were above everyone else who lived in town.

We managed to find a little table toward the back. It wasn’t a great spot for attracting a lot of attention, but it did make it a lot easier to carry on a conversation.

“So, are you two going to hook up again?” she asked, sipping her Long Island tea.

I shrugged. “I don’t think so. I’m not interested in anything serious.”

“Come on, he’s hot. And three times? You would have to be crazy to let that get away.”

“I don’t think he’s looking for anything serious either. I don’t really want a boyfriend. The last thing I need is to get involved and have my heart shattered again. Jason really did a number on me,” I explained, downing the ice-cold beer and not giving a shit that I looked like a redneck.

“Get over it. Seriously, Jason was a douchebag. You were so far above him. I’m glad he cheated on you.”

“Hey!” I protested.

“This guy, Colton. He has a kid. I assume he’s a single dad? Is he married? Where’s the baby mama?”

“No idea. I didn’t ask and he wasn’t sharing.”

“Hmm, definitely a little suspicious, but I saw him in the diner that day. He seems like a good guy. Any single dad that good with his kid has to be a good guy.”

I laughed. “I don’t think that is a hard and fast rule. I don’t think I’m up for all that anyway.”

“All what?”

“Say we did start dating, seeing each other. He has a daughter. I’m not sure I’m ready to be a stepmom.”

“You’d be a great stepmom.”

“I think we are getting way ahead of ourselves.”

We both sucked down our drinks, happily accepting the new drinks that were bought for us by a couple of guys we had gone to school with. They were old friends and very comfortable. I liked comfortable and safe. There were no expectations of sleeping with them. They made their way over and we chatted, talked about stuff happening in town. It was nice to catch up.

They eventually left, going in search of ladies to take home for the night.

I felt a good buzz and knew Rose had to be feeling one as well with the way she was downing her drink.

“Soooo,” she said, dragging out the word. “Mr. Hot and Dirty. Are you gonna hook up again?”

I laughed. “No. I told you, it was a one-night thing.”

“Have another drink and I bet you’re going to be making some drunk calls.”

I smiled. “I don’t have his number.”

“That’s probably a good thing. Speaking of naughty boys, check out the dude in the black shirt.”

I looked around the club. “You’re going to need to be far more specific than that.”

“Come on! You can see him right there,” she said, openly staring at the man that had caught her attention.

I looked again and knew exactly who she was talking about. He was attractive enough, but not as sexy as my Colton. Wait, my Colton? What the hell? I blamed the alcohol. It was making me a little loose around the edges.

“I’ll be back,” she cooed, heading toward the man who had no idea what was about to hit him.

I watched her sway her hips, before she reached out and touched his chest with her hand. I bit back a laugh. She was forward, but the man didn’t seem to mind a bit. He was into it. Rose turned to me and winked before leading her prey onto the dance floor.

I watched them dancing and immediately thought about Colton. I wondered if he would be a good dancer. The way he moved his hips told me he probably would be. I briefly closed my eyes, remembering what it felt like to have his hips moving against and into me. I was glad I didn’t have his number. It was going to be hard enough to keep myself from going over and knocking on his door and demanding sex.

“Hey,” Rose said, interrupting my thoughts.

“What are you doing back here?” I asked, looking for her dance partner.

She shrugged. “Eh, he has no hip action. I’m not wasting my time on that.”

I burst into laughter. “You’re giving your potential one-night-stand a trial run on the dance floor?”

“Well, ya. I’m not going to waste my time with a guy that is not going to be any good in bed.”

“How do you know that’s the case?”

“Trust me, I do. I’ve learned the hard way. The trick is to get the guy on the dance floor, do a little bumping and grinding and you’ll know how he moves and what kind of package you’re working with. Now, I’m not saying the man has to be huge to be good, but if he can’t move and he’s not packing, I’m not interested.”

I burst into laughter, shaking my head. “Wow. I had no idea. Why have you never shared this bit of information before?”

“You weren’t ready to hear it. You’re not like me. You’re a good girl.”

I scoffed. “I can be bad.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I like you just the way you are.”

I sighed. She was right. I wasn’t like her. “Well, I had a naughty night,” I said, defiantly.

“Yes, you did, and I am so proud of you. I’m glad you moved on. You were in desperate need of getting laid.”

I laughed, not offended in the least. She was right. I had pretty much given up on men and had turned down one date after another. I wasn’t interested in getting my heart broken again. Jason and I had hooked up now and again after our breakup, but we always ended up hating each other the next morning. It was like a bad country song.

“Are you giving up for the night?” I asked her.

She grinned and winked. “I see one more prospective candidate and it looks like he has a friend.”

I turned to see where she was looking. There were two relatively attractive men, although a little young.

“I don’t think so. I like men. Those guys look fresh out of college, if that.”

“Come on, they’re probably in their sexual prime. Old gals like us need the younger men to keep up with us.”

I laughed. “I don’t know if that’s true. I prefer experience and expertise over longevity.”

Her eyes widened. “Jenna! You are a dirty girl.”

I shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe a little.”

We finished our drinks and both ended up leaving the club alone.

“I should have taken my chances with black shirt guy, I guess.”

“I’m sorry. I know you had your heart set on taking a man home.”

“How about one more drink?” she asked.

I groaned.

“Come on, we’re both off tomorrow. We can stay up late,” she cajoled.

“Fine. Don’t be so damn picky this time.”

We headed for the bar we usually went to. We both did a couple of tequila shots with beer chasers, leaving me feeling pretty damn drunk.

“I’m tired,” Rose mumbled.

“You’re drunk.”

“So are you.”

We both burst into laughter.

“There is no way we can walk home. Do we dare call Bob?”

I rolled my eyes. “He’s going to tell my mom.”

“We could call your mom,” she suggested.

“No! It’s almost two!”

“Then we call Bob. Come on, he could use the money. He’s the only taxi in town. I’m sure he expects these calls.”

“Fine,” I mumbled, knowing it was our only option.

Bob was happy to pick us up. He’d been giving us rides since we were eighteen and hitting up the keggers. He was a sweet, older man who lived all alone. His taxi service was his way to get out and socialize.

“Thank you, Bob,” I said, as I opened the front passenger door of his car, hoping I wasn’t slurring my words.

“You have a good night, Jenna. Take care of yourself.”

I waved and stumbled up my walkway, my eyes drifting to the left, secretly hoping Colton would come outside and ask me to come over. I smirked as I fumbled with my keys, trying to unlock my front door. God, I was going to feel like shit in the morning I realized as I closed the door behind me. Dammit. I hated hangovers.

I made sure the curtains were closed in my room before falling face first into bed. I did not want the sun waking me up too early.