A masked waiter passed them by, and Meredith was more than happy to
quickly down a shot of tequila. A little liquid courage couldn't hurt, right?
She turned to ask Lily if she wanted a shot, but her friend was nowhere to
be found. Looking around, she slowly realized Lily was already dancing
with a masked stranger, looking for all the world like she was having the
time of her life.
Damn Lily.
"Hey!" Lily called out, waving at her as if she'd only just now remembered
they'd come to the party together.
Meredith pointed at herself with a wry grin before shaking her head.
Dancing while sober was something she had never done in her entire life.
She wasn't up for a dance – not yet. Maybe after a few more shots she'd be
ready.
She staked out a seat at the bar, content to sit and just observe her
surroundings for the moment. Her eyes never left Lily's figure as she gulped
down shot after shot of vodka.
Damn, girl. You know how to drink, she thought, praising herself.
When the alcohol finally hit her, Meredith was more than ready to party.
She rose from her seat and grinned when a tall blond guy made eye contact
with her and took her hand in his, pulling her toward the dance floor.
"I'm Luke," the blond guy introduced himself, resting both of his hands on
her waist before they moved to her back, caressing her skin.
"Meredith," she said, moving closer to him and dancing seductively,
pressing her body to his."It's nice to meet you, Meredith," he whispered
huskily.
Meredith moaned when she felt his hand slip under the hem of her dress.
She knew he was crossing the line when he touched her bare ass, but she
loved what he was doing. The shots had made her bold.
"It's nice to meet you, too," she murmured as she rubbed against him.
Pulling Luke even closer, she caressed his hard chest, enjoying the feel of
his strong muscles underneath her hands. She felt like she was close to
shedding her inhibitions, but in a good kind of way.
Just when she was about to suggest moving to a booth to continue their fun
in private, Luke was pulled away by another stranger. A woman wearing a
red leather corset, black satin thong and black fishnets shoved him down
onto the nearest chair before straddling him and giving him the bitchiest lap
dance she had ever seen, glaring at Meredith when their eyes met. Luke, on
the other hand, looked more than happy to be in his current position.
I should have known he was taken, she thought glumly as she marched back
to her seat from earlier at the bar.
Her eyes roamed over the crowd as she searched for Lily, but she couldn't
find her. Her best friend was probably already having the time of her life. At
least one of us is, she thought.
Just then, Meredith realized that over half of the females in attendance were
wearing nothing but lingerie.
"Unbelievable, right?" the female bartender said after noticing Meredith's
obvious staring. She poured her another shot of vodka without prompting.
Like everyone else, she was wearing a mask.
"Are they hired performers? Or are they guests?" Meredith asked,
genuinely curious.
"Everyone here except for the staff and security are guests," the bartender
answered with a knowing smile. Meredith could tell the woman knew
exactly what she was thinking.
"So these women are basically taking advantage of the masquerade to hook
up," she said haltingly, since she'd just pieced everything together. She
remembered the furnishings she'd noticed earlier in the booth, and blushed.
"You bet."
She tipped her shot back, wincing as the vodka burned her throat on the
way down, warming her chest. She looked back at the writhing throng of
people on the dance floor. These women were from prominent, wealthy
families, just like her.
Her gaze came to rest on Luke, who was now making out with the woman
from earlier. She grimaced when she saw the woman openly caressing the
evident bulge in Luke's slacks.
Fuckers.
"I did not bring you here to watch couples making out," said a familiar
voice at her side. She swiveled around to find Lily, looking like she'd just
come down from heaven.
Maybe she really had.
"Where were you?" Meredith asked, looking closely at her best friend's
face.
"Somewhere over there – having a little taste of heaven." Lily had a sly
smirk on her face.
Rolling her eyes, Meredith examined Lily carefully. If she was already
trashed, it was going to be a real buzzkill. Lily glared at her.
"Mer, will you just relax and enjoy yourself already? What's so wrong about
kissing a few guys and having some fun? Besides, you're wearing a mask.
You could finally have sex without anyone even knowing who you are,"
Lily said matter-of-factly.
"I was enjoying myself. But someone stole my guy from me," she retorted,
crossing her arms across her chest as she remembered how easily Luke had
been whisked away.
"So steal him back. Whoever she was, I know she's got nothing on you. Be
confident. And follow me," Lily said with a wink. She downed a shot of
tequila before taking Meredith by the wrist.
Meredith found herself being dragged into the crowd once more, dancing
with Lily like there was no tomorrow. Her best friend was right. There was
nothing to worry about. All she needed to do was let loose.
Tonight, she could be the most carefree version of herself.