Alexei And Grace

06 | Private Quarters

I WAS DRUNK. PROBABLY MORE DRUNK than I'd ever been before. And, it came to my attention as the room span in and out of focus, that I was also alone.

I didn't know where Lena had gone, or how long it had been since I'd last seen her. What I did know was that being drunk actually felt pretty damn amazing, and I wanted to drink even more!

          I sidled up to the bar where a few people were sat and climbed onto one of the stools, wobbling and nearly falling in the process. Was it me, or was the floor shaking? It definitely wasn't stable under my feet. I had to grip the bar for dear life!

          "A fishbowl," I requested of the waiter who was dressed in an immaculate tux. He was actually pretty handsome, if I thought about it...he had the same dark hair and stubble as Alex, though his eyes were a flatter shade of brown and his cheeks were slightly pudgy...

          The waiter glanced at me nervously, probably wondering if it was a good idea to provide me with more alcohol. I did my best imitation of Lena that I could, fluttering my lashes and smiling. It probably didn't work quite as well, but I could be sexy...right?

The waiter turned around and began assembling my drink, throwing all sorts of dangerous concoctions into the bowl. I watched, dazed, wondering how he'd suddenly managed to acquire another two copies of himself to help him with the job. He was amazing!

"Fifteen pounds," all three of the waiters requested at the same time. How they managed to be so synchronised was just beyond me.

I fumbled with my purse, cursing the expensive nature of club drinks and struggling to differentiate between five, ten, fifteen and twenty pound notes. Eventually I just grabbed a handful and threw them at one of the waiters, but to my dismay they went straight through him.

"Shit," I cursed, giggling as the three of them set about collecting the money from the floor.

"This is too much, Miss," the waiter said, thrusting a few notes back over the bar but I shook my head and pushed him away, allowing my touch to linger.

"Keep the change."

          I took a sip of the fish bowl. Well, technically it was more like a gulp or three but who's counting? Certainly not me since I couldn't remember what came after four! Was this fish bowl stronger? It certainly tasted funny - bitter and sharp at the same time. Ah well, best to drink it quickly then.

          "You might want to slow down, there," the three waiters said to me anxiously, their bodies twisting and spinning around my field of vision. How odd! Was this an added part of their duties, to entertain?

          Either way, their concern over my fish bowl was charming. I leaned an elbow on the bar and pressed my head to my hand, sighing sweetly at each of them individually. "This is so nice," I sighed. Never mind that my whole fish bowl was almost finished. I gestured to the three waiters again. "Another, kind Sirs!"

"Um..." they all gulped, eyeing me nervously. Did I have something on my face? I wiped at the corners of my mouth self-consciously but still their stares persisted.

Just then, I felt someone tap me on the arm. It was a man in his mid-thirties at a guess, with a crinkled white shirt on and a tie that had been loosened to dangle more like a noose. "Why don't you find someone else to get you a drink?" he said sternly. It didn't sound like a question. His face was grizzly and agitated, and there was only one of him, though his whole body was swaying from side to side. The way his cold eyes glared right through me made me shudder.