Chloe and the Fake ID (Chloe PoV)

I carefully put the finishing touches on my makeup before stepping back. A critical scan of my face and outfit for any potential flaws found nothing. I was ready.

“Well? What do you think?” I asked as I pulled my gaze from the mirror to present myself to Alexis for judgment. I struck a pose. “Do I look twenty-one?”

Her head tilted to the side, eyes running over my outfit. The dress was shorter than what I normally wore, stopping mid-thigh. The only thing shorter was the dress I wore on my first date with Jake. This one was emerald green; the fabric light and floaty. The spaghetti straps were adorned with delicate beads, and a single gold necklace, shaped like a delicate crescent moon, rested just above my collarbone. That I borrowed from Alexis at her insistence. Completing the look were my trusty pair of flats. Plain, compared to the dress, but I wasn’t about to go dancing in heels. I wanted to enjoy the night, not suffer through it.

Of course, my outfit was nothing compared to Alexis’. She wore a tight black bodycon dress that left little to the imagination. This was further enhanced by the off-the-shoulder straps that provided an ample amount of skin to ogle and a hemline that was higher than mine. Her hair was done up into a messy bun that was the perfect balance between chaos and order.

Alexis didn’t answer, and the silence was growing. Her eyes lingered here and there, an appreciative look on her face as she took it all in, enjoying what she saw. It felt… nice. I loved Jake, and he was doing a lot better with complimenting me on how I looked, but it all felt empty. Not his fault and I was coming around to fully accepting that. Still, it was hard hearing him compliment me knowing he wasn’t moved by what he saw. Not like other people were. It was different with Alexis. There was something in Alexis’ tone. The way she looked at me, complimented me; it moved me in ways I never experienced with Jake.

Made me feel guilty as hell enjoying that level of attention and to see someone I care about look at me with desire in their eyes.

I shifted nervously under Alexis’ silent gaze. “Well?” I pressed, unable to handle the silence any longer.

She finally pulled her gaze up off my—had she been staring at my chest? Her lips quirked in a half-smile, and my cheeks felt warm. “Not in the slightest.”

“Thanks,” I said with a frown.

Her laughter was light as she moved towards me. Hands on my hips, she smiled down at me. “You are adorable though, so you have that working for you.”

Her closeness, combined with the intensity of her gaze, caused an odd reaction in me. I struggled to hold eye contact as my heart raced. Why was this making me nervous? Alexis was just complimenting me on how I looked. Jake did that all the time. Well, not all the time, but enough. I was just nervous about meeting Victoria and going to the club.

Looking up at her, seeing the loose strands of her red hair frame her face, I found myself unable to speak. My mouth was dry, and I found my eyes drifting toward her lips, shiny from the lip gloss she was wearing.

A new voice cut through the silence that had fallen between us. “I leave you alone for five minutes, and you’re already all over another woman,” Victoria said with playful tone. Alexis released me as if burned, stepping back and looking away. Trying to ignore the awkwardness, I looked over at Alexis’ friend and damn near did a double-take as I laid eyes on the most stunning woman I’d ever seen.

The woman had a smile that could stop traffic—certainly tried to do that to my heart. I may have forgotten how to breathe for a moment. When she moved, eyes followed. Watching her made me feel clumsy in comparison. Alexis had warned me Victoria was stunning, but she must have learned from Jake how to undersell appearances.

She was mesmerizing. Overly so. Enough to make me wonder if she had an undiagnosed Gift. Passive desire would be my first guess. Maybe longing or yearning.

Victoria’s eyes ran over me. She lacked Alexis’ intensity, but not by much. Her gaze was... curious? Intrigued? Not sure what it was, but there was a spark of interest. “So,” she said with a smile that could melt hearts. “This is the mysterious girlfriend who poached your crush.” Her voice was light and airy as she moved beside Alexis to lean against her friend. Her daring minidress accented her long legs as she used her friend as a prop to show off her eye-catching figure.

Alexis turned her head to glare at her friend. “Shut up.”

Victoria laughed as she poked Alexis’ cheek. “Aww. Don’t be like that!” She was still smiling as she looked over to me. “You’ve got quite a man. Not often a guy turns down a threesome with two hot—”

“I will fucking **** you!” Alexis hissed, clasping a hand over her friend’s mouth. Alexis looked at me, a hint of fear in her eyes as she silenced her friend. It clicked then what they were talking about, and I couldn’t help but giggle at the mental image of these two beauties hitting on Jake. They’d have better luck seducing a zen master who had sworn off worldly desires.

Alexis gave me a strained smile. “Don’t believe a word—”

“And he turned you down?” I shook my head. “No idea I was dating an idiot.”

Victoria’s laughter was muffled by Alexis’ hand as he pulled it away. “Oh, I like her. I’m Victoria.”

“Ah-ah. Hands off,” Alexis warned.

Victoria stuck out her tongue. “But she’s so cute!” My heart felt like it would leap from my chest as she walked over, grabbed my arm, and held it against my chest. Looking over, I was able to appreciate just how deep that v-cut in her dress went. She leaned close, breathing a husky whisper against my ear. “Chloe, right? You can tell him the offer is still on the table, if you two are interested.”

My breath caught, inhaling her sweet perfume as my mind checked out. My face burned hot as I found myself staring into those perfect eyes. I had no words as her fingers ran down my arm.

The moment was broken when Alexis dragged her friend away. “Honestly. It’s bad when I’m the one who has to play the voice of reason.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll play nice,” she said, patting Alexis’ arm. “Right, I should give you this.”

I took the offered envelope and found a plastic card inside. Right. My fake ID. Giddy excitement ran through me as I held it up, getting a good look. Seeing it…

“It’s... not bad.”

“Let me see.” Why was I getting so fidgety around Alexis now? She stood beside me, looking down at the ID. The smell of vanilla and peonies lingered.

She snorted, holding a hand over her mouth. Her hand rested against my shoulder. “Don’t let it get you down. It’ll get you into the club.” She paused, looking from the card to me, then back at the card. “Just, uh, don’t try to use it anywhere else, alright?”

I felt my shoulders slump, trying to hold a smile. I’d been hyping myself up thinking I’d get to slowly work through the wine section at the local store, but it seemed I was going to be reliant on others for that.

Alexis probably mistook my reaction for something else. “No worries though! As I said, the club is super lax about letting people in. You’ll be fine.”

“Was hoping I’d be able to buy wine with this,” I lamented, putting the fake ID in my small bag.

“Oh! If you want to drink, I have the perfect solution for that.” She moved over to Victoria, who arched one of her eyebrows. “Tada! Let me introduce you to my lovely honeypot, Vicky! Toss her into the crowd, let her sit for a minute or two, then reel her in.” Alexis looked proud. “Never had to pay for a drink in years!”

Victoria looked at her friend, aghast. “Is that why you hang out with me?”

“Why else would I?”

She pouted. “My company?” Alexis just gave her a smug look. “Hmm. I’ll remember this next time you want me to—”

“On that note!” she said with a loud clap. “Let’s get this show on the road!” She was at my side again, hands on my arm as I found myself swept along for the ride.