"Who is the one, Bruce?" a girl who clasped her arms around Raymond while observing him and staring ahead. She noticed that Raymond was absorbed in another girl. She nudged Raymond and finally jabbed him at the sides out of frustration.
"My dear, I am sorry. Perhaps the music was a little too loud. Shall we go ahead and find a place to sit over there?" Raymond indicated that the vacant area was convenient, adjacent to the one he was trying to approach next.
"Why don't I get some drinks while you wait at the booth?" Raymond was desperately trying to rendezvous with Albert. So he could approach the enigmatic girl in the club. Albert snuck up at Raymond from behind him and said, "Bruce! This is Annette. Where is your partner? Shall we all dance together in the middle of the dance floor?"
"Clark! Just in time, I was with-" Raymond stopped because he had completely forgotten the name of the girl he was with.
"Smooth Bruce, at this rate, you will blow your cover. You suck at this." Albert said it with a whisper, giving Raymond a knowing look.
"I need to switch; cover me," said Raymond desperately and he left. His professional focus takes precedence, leading him to abandon his newfound female abruptly and switch to someone who is a potential lead in their investigation.
Raymond left Albert behind with the mess he made. He did not waste time approaching the girl in the black off-shoulder midnight dress, who was murmuring something to another girl dressed in red. He could not take his eyes off her and saw her tinkering with her friend's bottle, which struck him as suspicious. As he approached, the girl in red was in a trance, and the girl in black gently rested her friend's head on the countertop.
Raymond approached the counter casually with the friendliest smile. "Two shots of Tequila Slammer." Just like that, he managed to pique the girl's interest.
The mysterious girl in black said, "And two Sangritas, John."
The bartender passed them the drinks and they downed them immediately.
The mysterious girl said, "You don't seem to be common around these parts. You stuck out like a sore thumb."
Raymond: "I am just here, trying to enjoy the New Year's without any reservations."
"You must feel trapped to be sheltered under prestige and wealth." The girl's tone was one of sarcasm.
Raymond: "I like the music and the atmosphere here; it's not really about showing off or anything."
"You don't look like you are struggling; this club is a bit high-end, isn't it?" The girl remarked.
"It is not where you are, but who you are with, that makes the night great. Am I right?"
Raymond was trying to deflect her growing hostility and so he tried to steer the conversation away from anything that could escalate her negative perception of him. His eyes twinkled and reflected the hues of the pulsating lights in the club.
"I am Ally, and you are?"
"I am Bruce."
"Shall we call for a few more shots to spice things up?" Without waiting for Raymond's consent, she called the bartender to bring a few more shots. As the drinks arrived, Ally suggested, "Let us play a game to get to know each other."
Raymond, captivated by her forthrightness, said, "Why not?"
"Let's play the classic rock, paper, scissors game. Each of us will take a shot of tequila at the beginning of the game. We will play with three sets of rock, paper, and scissors. The best out of three wins the round and the loser will drink another shot of tequila and answer the winner's question. Let's begin."
'In the end, it is just another game that encourages excessive drinking.' Raymond pondered with a sigh.
"Best two out of three, I won the first round," said Ally with a smile.
"Now drink this." Ally delivered Raymond the drink. Raymond noticed Ally's hand moving subtly towards the drink, mirroring the action he saw earlier with her friend's bottle. His alarm bells rang, suggesting that she might have already spiked the drinks.
Raymond needed to avoid the drink and was thinking of an excuse. Suddenly, a girl came over and snatched the drink away from Ally's hand and drank it. Both Raymond and Ally were perplexed. It was the girl that Raymond ditched earlier.
"Bruce! I was waiting for you to get me drinks and you never came back!" yelled the girl.
Ally eyed Raymond suspiciously. The girl continued to cause a scene and glared at Ally.
"Ally, is it? I know you. You were that girl who dropped out of NYU Art School and now you are a part-time hooker!"
The girl tried to grab the remaining tequila shots and splash them on Ally, but Raymond stopped her. Raymond was now drenched in spiked tequila.
"Are you alright?" Raymond asked Ally.
"I am fine, thank you." Raymond's sudden, thoughtful gesture and quick thinking surprised Ally. Raymond was shielding Ally from the girl. His toned chest was so close to her that it brushed her breasts, causing her nipples to harden. She inhaled his scent, which was a unique blend of sandalwood with the underlying aroma of the tequila that was lingering on his body. Ally blushed and whispered, "Kiss me."
As the abandoned girl anticipated the display of intimacy that happened before her eyes, she continued to throw glasses at the two. A security guard immediately stopped the girl and dragged her off the property.
Raymond took the remaining tequila shot on the counter, drank it, and proceeded to kiss her passionately.