Chapter 2

*Wendi

The girls could hear city’s most popular club long before they saw it. The beat from the hottest DJ spilled out of the three-story building and into the night. Charlotte parked in the nearest parking garage and the girls all got out of the car. They gave each other a quick once over before they headed towards the neon lights.

Wendi looked doubtful as she examined the line of people that wrapped down the block. Du Wolf Club was wildly popular and from the looks of things, nearly impossible to get in. “Girl’s maybe we should consider going elsewhere.” She looked down at herself and silently cursed her sandals for not being heels. “No way are we getting in with this line,” she sighed again.

Charlotte flipped her beautiful hair over her shoulder again and flashed the world a breath-taking smile. “Oh, you of little faith! Just smile and be yourself. I promise that it won’t be as bad as you think.”

As the girls made their way to the back of the extremely long line, Wendi felt eyes on her. She looked up to see that all along the velvet ropes that separated those waiting on the club from those simply passing on the street were a few randomly placed bouncers in high quality tight black tee shirts and black dress pants. Each of the men were well sculpted and looked like something from a pin up calendar. They were all silent, with eyes that never stopped scanning the crowd. The security people didn’t have ear devices or other obvious forms of communication but they seemed to move with an amazing amount of precision.

Wendi noticed that she caught the eyes of the tallest one. He was at least 6’3 with medium length light brown hair and a sharp jaw. He was ruggedly handsome and seemed to be staring at her intensely. Wendi was taken back by how boldly he looked at her and considered stepping behind her friends. Before she could look away, she saw him approach with a determined look on his face. Wendi used her elbow to get Charlotte’s attention.

Excuse me ladies,” the bouncer said as he approached. He had a husky voice that was hard to forget. He unclasped the velvet rope nearest them and held it in his hand. “Right this way.” He gestured for the girls to exit the line.

As they stepped out of the crowd and onto the empty sidewalk, he closed the ropes behind them. The bouncer stood between the ladies and the street protectively, his musclebound arms twitched at his sides. He again waved his hands in a sweeping motion forward, indicating he wanted them to follow him.

Charlotte cleared her throat and gave Wendi one of her famous I told you so looks. Wendi knew she would never hear the end of it so she kept silent. The ladies followed the bouncer past the line of waiting patrons and around the regular doorman. He pointed them to the exclusive VIP entrance and asked them to make sure they had their identification ready for the second doorman.

Before he turned to leave them. He gave Wendi a sly wink. She couldn’t help but smile brightly back at him. He gave each of them an appreciative glance before he turned to return to his post. Wendi couldn’t help but notice that his eyes lingered on Charlotte just a bit longer than he had on any of the others. She considered running after him, to tell him Charlotte was single but decided her friend might die from embarrassment. Instead, she made a mental note to try to convince her friend to covertly slip him her number before the night of celebration was over.

The blonde and gorgeous doorman checked the girls ID cards and gave each of them a black VIP stamp of a black howling wolf on the back of their hands. He instantly parted a thick red curtain that seemed to separate the club from the real world. Wendi shuttered and felt like she was being invited to a mythical world. “Have a good time, ladies,” the doorman said as he politely waved them inside.

The main floor of the club was packed with people. All of them seemed to be having a good time. The neon light up dance floor took up the majority of the room. Along the north wall there was a huge stage and DJ booth with speakers that seemed to be the size of Wendi’s bathroom. Electric lights shone down from moving tracks on the ceiling and made interesting light patterns all around the room. The southern wall held a huge bar, with several shelves of what looked like top shelf alcohol. The bar was lined with stools full of people talking and drinking, that were being served by sinfully good-looking staff. A few high-top tables were scattered around the room with groups of people groups around them. Almost everywhere Wendi looked, people were dancing wildly.

The air almost felt electric. It seems to crackle with a combined energy of people genuinely having a really good time and her own excitement . The familiar steady beat of the music seemed to surround her, begging her to move along. Christy’s head began to bob along instantly. Charlotte’s hips had already started to sway seductively but with an natural elegance that Wendi was envious of. Kami seemed to be looking intently at the dance floor, possibly looking for a spot large enough to accommodate them. One of the girls pointed towards the bar and Christy, Kami and Charlotte stepped towards it.

Wendi, however, stood frozen in the doorway. Her feet refused to obey her. For a second, she seemed absolutely mesmerized by everything happening around her. She immediately loved everything about Du Wolf Club. But the thing that really caught Wendi’s attention was the delicious smell. Instantly, she was almost overcome with the world’s most intoxicating aftershave. It filled her head like music and made her ears feel like they were strangely ringing. Her mouth watered. Wendi’s eyes began to instinctually search the crowd.