A party, and an invitation.

Eliza watched Chloe fidget in place as she waited for an answer. Her mind must have been going a thousand miles an hour based on the expression on her face, one that Eliza herself was all too familiar with. After a silence that seemed to last an eternity, Chloe finally speaks up.

“You know what, never mind, forget I said anything.” Chloe motioned to stand up, but Eliza stopped her, clutching onto her wrist.

“You can’t just say all that and just run away. You’ve piqued my curiosity.” Eliza says, her tone sincere but also firm. Chloe’s eyes dart side to side, as if looking for an escape or some excuse to get out of the situation she found herself in. When nothing appears, Chloe admits defeat, sighing and sitting back down.

“It’s just…kind of awkward for me to ask this, as I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but I didn’t know who else I could ask.” Chloe refused to hold eye contact during their conversation, a nervousness and flushness taking over her face. “So, there’s this…thing I’m going to, a party of sorts, and uh…I wanted to ask if you…” She stutters, her mind finding it difficult to find the right words, desperately trying to dance around the subject.

“You’re asking me out to a party? Is that what you’re embarrassed and flustered about? It’s not a sex cult party, is it?” Eliza joked, doing her best to lighten the mood. And then to her surprise, Chloe didn’t answer. Her hesitation on answering sent an uneasy chill up Eliza’s spine. “Chloe, you’re…not in a sex cult, right?” These words seemed to rouse Chloe out of the trance she was in, immediately defending herself.

“Wait, what? Heavens no, not at all, it’s just…how much do you know about The Night Life bar downtown?” Eliza’s eyebrows cocked up in surprise.

“I know enough, I think. It’s a strip club, ain’t it?”

“I mean, no…but yes. It’s a gentlemen’s club, a pretty high end one at that. It’s more of a night club that occasionally has…live performances. That’s not the point.” Chloe shook her head in a flustered manner. “Anyway, I was invited to an exclusive party there, VIP’s only, and I really wanted to go.”

“Well that’s great, but I don’t see where I come in.”

“I was…getting to that. To attract people to join their VIP service, they hold these parties for them and invite attractive girls to drink, mingle, and party with them. They invited me personally, but there was one condition. They will only let me in if I bring 2 attractive girls with me…” Chloe looked down in embarrassment, biting at her lip.

“Ok, I think I get it, so you’re asking me to go to that party with you?” Chloe nodded her head.

“And uh, I was also wondering if Kat would want to join as well.” Eliza didn’t even have to ask Kat what her answer would be, her missing a party with wealthy people with questionable morals? No way in hell she would pass up on that. The only question left was if she wanted to go as well. It was a gentleman’s club after all, their patrons are not known for keeping their hands to themselves, at least that’s the prevailing rumor anyway. Chloe could see the indecisive look on her face, quickly speaking before Eliza made up her mind.

“Look, when you get there it’s not like you have to do anything, you can just go in and get some free drinks and peace out. You’re not obligated to do anything, in fact, you can report to security if anyone gets too handsy, I promise.” Eliza looked at Chloe inquisitively, wondering just how much truth was in her words. While sure there may be no obligations, she knows better than to think there won’t be any misconduct in the middle of a drunk filled club. Then again, it does sound like a lot of fun, especially since she would never have dreamed of being invited to such an event. And, did Chloe just admit she looked attractive? Shaking that stray thought away, her gaze returned to an anxious Chloe, waiting for an answer.