Gone Bad (Nigerian Novel) -Editing

Chapter 2: The Midnight Adventuress

My hairs rise in response to the night air brushing against my exposed legs -must be that vasodilation from yesterday's Biology class.

I check my phone and the glowing outline of 11:50 stares back at me.

Mentally calculating how long I can stay here, I decide three and a half hours will be all this adventure can take.

Even then I was risking a commute time a little too close to my family's morning devotional schedule.

Something within me prays or perhaps wishes for today to be miraculously different. Yet deep down I doubt God will be moved on His throne by such a request.

Feeling a wave of guilt coming on I put aside all worries so I can enjoy myself -if fornicating to dirty lyrics while destroying their liver was what people called enjoyment anyways.

I feel a jeweled arm loop through mine and watch along as Vic's man candy approaches the security official.

With only a few words the door swings wide open and the three of us slip past him.

Inside the music plays at a volume much lower than I had expected -but the crass music remains the same.

He keeps walking and I turn a questioning glance on Victoria who merely shrugs as she follows.

The further along, we get the darker it becomes, and a jazz tempo slowly replaces the hype beats.

Silhouettes of women flanking over stout men begin to crowd the wide path, and I avert my gaze hoping we are here by mistake.

This Victoria girl gan...

She nudges me and I see the shady arm candy take a sharp turn that leads down another hallway.

This one is a bit brighter, and I sight a few abstract paintings that add a calm allure to the grey walls.

A vaulted door stares back at us and I watch with relief as Adam -aha that's his name- presses a black card to the lock.

Immediately a stunning terrace is revealed.

Suddenly, the blood flow fear had been holding back comes rushing all at once, and I shake the excitement from my fingertips.

Vic herself grins like a kid in a candy store as we step inside.

"Over there." Vic's boyfriend says and I follow his arm in the direction.

At the very corner of the glass wall sits three people, immune to the magnificent canvas of the night sky before them.

So this is the real exclusive clubbing, not bad at all...

The only woman in the midst of them chatters on with the younger man, but the third...

When I say God creates.

Dark luscious beard, muscles wrapped around a wine-tailored suit, school fees worth wristwatch sitting under those hot calloused hands.

How did I get so Instagram model meets fictional man lucky?

Yet my Cheshire grin soon sours. He's way out of my league.

No way am I going to personally know how nice his facial hair is.

I don't even realize my legs are still moving till I find myself a few inches from hitting his arm with my thigh.

Quickly I step back and ogle something more appropriate like the amber light dangling from the ceiling.

"Aye, my man! How you doing?" Adam says to the guy from earlier.

This causes him to take his eyes off his female companion and immediately he smiles.

"Adams bro, glad you could make it." the man says as the chair scrapes behind him and they perform a signature handshake.

"Like I'd miss the opportunity. Anyways this is my girl Victoria and her friend...uh what's your name again?" says the man whose name I shouldn't have bothered to recall.

"Oluwalonimi, y'all can call me Nimi for short." I supply dryly.

Looking between the three on the table, the beautiful woman is the first to welcome me.

"Hi, I'm Sade. Do have a seat hun, I can imagine your feet must be killing you right now. The waiter will be back soon, just tell him what you'd like." she says her bloody lips curving as she motions to the chair beside my thigh.

Unfortunately, I am unable to get past her face before I turn green as I note her ample cleavage on display.

I force my eyes away and sandwich between Mr. Hunk and Vic -who was too preoccupied with her boyfriend's wandering hands to notice me.

Isaac beckons to a man in uniform and I immediately enter an internal frenzy.

The closest I had been to alcohol was the ethanol in my school's chemistry lab, and even then I hadn't drunk any!

"When he comes just make your request the bill is on me. You are over 18 right?" he says, his sole cat gaze resting on me.

Do I look that young? Vic is having no problem pulling off the university girl guise yet here I am squirming under Isaac's scrutiny.

Vic immediately comes to my rescue while I scramble for words as technically I'm still underage -two months is a lot in the eyes of the law.

"She's definitely old enough to handle her own stuff man. You don't need to worry just chill." She says smoothly. Half-truth, impressive.

Isaac gives a noncommittal shrug and returns to his conversation with Sade this time snaking his arm around her chair.

When the dreaded waiter arrives I order a glass of champagne and hope it's not as intoxicating as the notorious tequila from romance novels.

Once he leaves I hear a voice beside me. "Hm, a finer taste I see."

My eyes interlock with the man who hadn't said a word since we came in, and I deprive myself of such a beautiful sight as I turn my gaze away.

"If you mean boring then I suppose you are right," I say after a calculated pause.

I can tell the scoff on his face, and he swiftly responds. "Well I doubt it could get any worse than this," he says and I'm forced to look at his clear glass cup.

"Water?" I ask my lips twitching at the corners.

"I'm driving myself home tonight so I have to play things safe -and boring," he says taking another swig from his cup.

"I didn't pin you for the safe type," I say meeting his dark eyes.

"Well I'm always up for some adventure every once in a while..." he states in a lower octave than I had expected.

I remain in the pool of his gaze enjoying the feeling of falling into its depths. "Lucky for you drinks aren't the only things that can be exciting."

To this, his sleeve brushes against my arm, and I can't help the cheeky grin that crawls onto my face.

Maybe night parties aren't so bad after all.

Author's Note
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