The gates of hell are opened for us by Stone and we all walk in together. The scenery is the same as Saturday night, blaring music, dark but lit up with LED lights in some areas, changing colors with the music, and of course topless women everywhere.
Alina and Ellie previously told us that they'll be hanging out with us for the first hour and then they need to go off to work.
I'm trying to be more open-minded this time around and have fun for the sake of my best friend.
Ellie leads us to a table in the same area that Steph, Mia, and I were a few days ago.
For it being a Wednesday night, it's packed in here, more so than Saturday night.
Alina and Ellie offer to grab us some drinks at the bar while Steph and I sit down.
My eyes guide me over to the VIP area to see if I can spot X on my own but no one catches my eye that I haven't already seen.
Julian is sitting on a black leather couch looking fine as aged wine, tattoos showing, that are accentuating his muscles. I can definitely see why Steph turns into a 6th grade girl just talking about him.
Once again, I see Penelope. She's acting like she owns the place swaying her hips with a drink in hand, boobs completely hanging out, and in a black lace nearly see-through skirt that hardly covers her lady area. She's wearing shiny black stilettos that are way too high for her own good.
She spots me looking at her, looks between Steph and me, smirks, puts her drink down on the table in front of where Julian is sitting, and climbs up onto his lap. What she does next makes my blood boil, she full-on starts making out with him.
That fucking bitch.
She knows exactly what she's doing. He doesn't seem too into it though because he hasn't even touched her in response.
Please, please tell me Steph did not just see that.
I ever so slowly turn around and see a stunned Steph just staring at the scene before her. My heart breaks for her right now.
"Are you okay?" I ask knowing that she's not.
I see Alina and Ellie standing at the table with drinks in hand, staring at the same vile scene we are.
Steph snaps out of it, stands up, and says "I'm leaving."
I grab her hand so fast and tug. She looks down at me as I'm still sitting in my chair.
"Do not leave Steph. Do not let her win." I say sternly because I know she'd say the same to me.
She nods in defeat and slowly sits back down. "Fuck her," Alina says and Ellie nods in agreement.
"Let's just drink and try to forget this ever happened," Steph says sadly.
"You got it," I say proudly.
…
It's been a half hour of sitting here and I'm only on my second drink because I don't want to get sloppy in this place and do something I'd regret, like rip off every red strand on Penelope's head. Steph is on her fourth drink and is finally starting to get out of her well-understood, depressive state.
I look back to the VIP area hoping Penelope is off of Julian now and that's when I see Funny with Adria holding his hand. She's leading him to the couch and once he sits down she sits on his lap. She's rubbing his arm up and down slowly.
His arms are on full display tonight, he's in denim jeans and a plain black t-shirt showing off his sleeved tattoos. His nose ring is catching the light and shining just as much as the watch on his wrist. I literally forget to breathe at the sight of him.
I need to stop this.
I turn back around before he notices me. I slowly look at the girls and try to quietly tell them as though, as if they can hear me over the deafening music.
"There he is" They look at me confused.
"What babe? I can't hear you over this music!" Alina asks holding her hand at the back of her ear.
"There he is!" I say at a much higher volume than before.
"There who is?" Alina asks looking around.
"That guy…, Funny I was telling you about," I say trying to be discreet. Alina and Ellie look around some more.
"Girl, you need to be more specific," Ellie says.
"The one in the VIP area," I say.
Alina and Ellie look at each other questioning who I'm talking about and peak over.
Steph is in her own little drunk world at the moment, pounding as many drinks as her little body can take, I'd rather her not be part of this right now anyway.
"Millie we need you to be more specific," Alina says raising her eyebrows waiting.
I dare not look over there, so I don't. I keep my head facing the girls and look down at the black circular table filled with drinks.
"He's the one with Adria on his lap," I say trying to be quiet, as though he can hear me from here.
Every. Single. One. of them freezes.
Even Steph has snapped back into reality.
Their faces almost turn white and look at each other fearfully.
Ellie takes a big gulp of her drink and asks "Who's gonna tell her?"
The other girls look down not wanting to let me in on what they know.
"Tell me what?" I ask.
They all just look at each other nervously and now I'm starting to panic a little by their body language and lack of information.
"Someone tell me!" I demand, I'm starting to freak out.
Alina looks up and glances at the VIP area and then back to me "Honey…that guy you're talking about, his name is not Funny. That man is X."
I shake my head slowly.
They all nod in unison.
No…no.no.no.
"I think I'm going to be sick," I say.
Ellie gives me a half-sympathetic smile.
"This can't be happening," I say frantically but quietly enough that I don't think anyone can even hear me over the blaring music.
To me, the music almost seems muted at this moment.
It's all hitting me like a freight train. How could I be so blind and naive?
The way Ghost just obeyed like a punished child to him the first night.
And his name…oh god his name…he didn't actually mean his name was Funny, he was being sarcastic because everyone and their mother knows this man's name, except stupid little me.
And when I asked him how he got the nickname he said it was a misunderstanding that stuck. Oh my god, how embarrassing!
Holy shit my mind is going a mile a minute I feel like I'm going to faint.
Oh god! And the way I constantly insulted the most dangerous man in the house over and over and over again. How has he not killed me yet?
I'm in deep. I'm in so deep. What do I do?!
Ellie breaks me of my nearing panic attack and says "he's staring at you"
For a minute I have no idea who she's talking to until I see that she's looking straight into my eyes.
"No" I half whisper, half beg and goosebumps come over me.
"What do I do?" I ask to whoever will save me.
"I don't know babe," Alina says truthfully.
"So not helpful Alina," I say with my hands covering my eyes.
Steph has been quiet this whole time and finally speaks up "Girls, I need a minute alone with Millie."
They nod and get up "We need to get to work anyway. We'll keep checking in on you babe." Alina says sweetly.
I can't help myself but I turn my head and look at him, at X. He's looking right at me and I know he knows what I just found out.
My heart is racing at the sight of him, but this time not in attraction but in fear.
His eyes never leave mine until Penelope sits on his open thigh and kisses his neck like the whore that she is. Adria follows X's line of sight, looks right at me and then sucks at the other side and he closes his eyes.
I turn back around feeling a pang of jealousy and look at Steph.
"Emily..focus!" she demands.
"I need you to tell me everything that happened between you two," she says worriedly.
"Nothing," I say truthfully.
She lifts an eyebrow "Okay, that man back there is no one to be playing with you hear me? I'm not stupid, I know you sneak out every night to see him" I put my head in my hands.
I'm so stupid, how could I be so naive to not know?
"If I would have known even for a second that it was him you were meeting up with, I would've deadbolt locked you in that suite like Rapunzel," she says and I nod sincerely embarrassed.
"We should go," she says and I nod in agreement.
As we both stand up, Julian comes from behind us and puts his arm around Steph kissing her cheek.
She blushes "Happy birthday Julian."
He thanks her and looks at me and nods "What's up I'm Julian."
I give him a polite smile and say "Millie".
Julian raises an eyebrow and says "Where are you ladies going?"
I look to Steph who still has Julian's arm around her and says "I think we're going to leave."
He shakes his head and says "No babe, please don't go, it's my birthday. I brought you a drink, at least have one?" He's giving her a puppy dog face.
I can tell she's contemplating the decision as he whispers something in her ear. I don't want to take away a fun night for her or for him so I speak up and say "I'm just going to get some air, you guys have a drink, and then I'll come find you?"
Steph looks at me not really liking that idea but she's in a tough spot right now.
I continue on, "Go.. I'll be fine."
She agrees with a nod and smile and they leave me by myself.
I use every ounce of willpower in me not look in the direction of the VIP area while on my way out of the back door.