Verena was looking forward to a nice sleep since it was her day off from her night shift, that was as soon as they are down cleaning the bakery, their boss had gone home to early so they had to close down the shop themselves, speaking of they....

"Verena" Chloe called her name in a sing song manner.

She turned to Verena with a mischievous grin. "Come on, V, let's go out tonight! It's my birthday, and I want to celebrate!"

Verena hesitated, wiping down the counter for the last time. "I don't know, Chloe. I'm pretty exhausted from today's shift. And I have to pick Emma from Mrs Goody.

Chloe pouted, her eyes sparkling with persuasion. "Ah, come on! You can't abandon me on my special day! I'm sure Mrs Goody won't mind taking care of Emma throughout the night. Besides, you're too boring for a night in. You need to get out and live a little!"

Verena raised an eyebrow, laughing. "Too boring? What's that supposed to mean? There is nothing wrong with boring "

Chloe teased, "There is everything wrong with boring! You're always so reserved and quiet. You need to let loose and have some fun! And what better way to do that than at a club?"

Verena shook her head, smiling. "I'm not really the club type, Chloe. And I'm definitely not dressed for it."

Chloe waved her hand dismissively. "Details, details! We'll get you dressed up and ready to go in no time. Trust me, you'll have a blast! And who knows, you might even meet someone special."

Verena rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "You're not giving up, are you?"

Chloe grinned. "Not until you say yes! Come on, V, it'll be fun, I promise!"

Verena sighed, knowing she was fighting a losing battle. "Fine, Chloe. But if I end up regretting this, I'm blaming you!"

Verena squealed in delight, throwing her arms around Chloe. "Yes! I knew you'd come around! Let's get ready to party! I have just the right place in mind. I just need to call an Uber"

As they got into the Uber Chloe pulled out a makeup bag and began rummaging through it. "Okay, Verena, we need to get you looking club-ready!"

She protested, "Chloe, I'm not really comfortable with a lot of makeup..."

But Chloe was well, stubborn. "It just makeup! A little mascara and lip gloss will make all the difference. Trust me, you'll love it!"

Before Verena could object further, Chloe was applying a coat of mascara to her lashes and dabbing lip gloss on her lips.

"Now, you look so much better and ready to catch a man" Chloe said giving Verena the mirror to see her work.

Chloe was good at this makeup thing.

"I don't need to catch a man, Chloe. I am already busy taking care of Emma, I don't have time to date anyone right now".

"Excuses, excuses. You are going to thank me for this later."

"I doubt that" Verena muttered under her breath.

As they arrived at the club, the pulsating music and flashing lights enveloped them, and Verena felt a surge of nervous energy. This place reminded her too much of her past.

Chloe found some of her friends seated by a corner and pulled her to go meet them.

"Hey Maya!"

"Now here comes the birthday biatch!!" The girl Maya hooted, hugging Chloe.

"Who's your hot friend?" A guy said, giving Verena a once over.

"She's Verena, she works with me in the restaurant. Verena, these are my friends. Everyone Verena"

He shook her hand "Nice to meet you, Verena. My name is Rowen but my friends call me Ro".

She gave him a smile, "Mine calls me V"

"First time here?"

"Yeah" she lied, "I don't go out much".

"Hey Ro, leave the new girl alone and order the drinks"

Rowen gave her a wink before leaving to get the drinks.

By the time he came back, one of Chloe's friends that just arrived was seated beside her. So he sat opposite her and chatted with the other guys.

Without him talking to her, Verena felt so out of place and decide to get busy with the drinks.

Someone shouted, "Tequila shots for Chloe's birthday!" and she got swept up in the cheer, feeling like she was being carried along by she crowd. One shot became three, and before she knew it, the room spun around her. Verena stumbled, and Chloe caught her, laughing. "You're such a lightweight, V!" she teased.

But Verena didn't care anymore. She just wanted to survive the night and get home to bed. She wasn't a big drinker, and the shots had hit her hard, so she found herself on the dance floor dancing to the music.

She could hear cheers from Chloe and her friends as she moved with a careless abandon, swayed to the music, her arms waving above her head, and her hips swiveling to the beat. Her eyes were glassy from too many drinks, sparkled with a mischievous glint as she caught the gaze of a stranger across the room. With a flirtatious smile, she beckoned him over, her finger crooking in a come-here motion.

He seemed entranced by her so he dropped his drink and made his way through the crowd, his eyes fixed on hers. She pulled him closer to her, placing his hands on her waist and pressed her body against his. She didn't know what she was doing, she just knew she liked the feel of the stranger's hands on her body. Without hesitation, she dragged him into a corner of the room, where she pushed him against the wall and gave him a sloppy kiss. She stopped kissing him when she realized he wasn't kissing her back and pouted.

"Why won't you kiss me?"

"Because it is a dangerous game, Eden"

"I want you" she said, giving a loud hiccup and giggling at the sound.

"That's a dangerous thing to say"

"Danger is my middle name... well, actually, it's Rose, but a little risk never hurt anyone... much. And I am sure you take a lot of risk".

He stared at her intensely before descending on her lips. He kissed her possessively, turning her so her back was now against the wall. He pried her lips with his tongue and she gave it s little bite earning a moan from him.

The room around them melted away, and all that was left was the two of them, lost in the moment. Suddenly he stopped and took her hand, leading her out of the club, and into a car before she slipped into unconsciousness.

The next morning, she woke up, with a gazillion people using hammer to pound her head. The first thing she noticed was that she wasn't in her room

Then she realized she was naked beneath the covers and was hugging a really warm but hard pillow whose hands were wrapped around her waist.

Holy sh...

She bolted upright, her head banging badly by the sudden movement.

Panic set in as she scrambled to recall the events of the previous night. Fragments came back – the club, the dancing, the kiss – but the rest was a blur.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

Chloe!!!!

This was Chloe's fault!

She quickly gathered her clothes discovered that her shirt was missing, the overused cloth must have been torn from last night's passion, so she took the stranger's shirt instead dropping some cash on the table for it and made a beeline for the door.