Jordan made his way into the club through the hidden back door of which only he and Keelan knew. The door had been strictly guarded and very necessary to avoid having to weave through endless bodies of sweats and reeking hormones.
As he rounded the dark corner, he immediately spotted the hunched over figure of his friend seated at the bar, his hands resting on the marble countertop as his fingers scrolled through his phone while he took a sip of what looked like martini.
Sensing the foreboding presence of his friend, Keelan looked up from his phone and sure enough, there was his friend approaching him with his usual stoic face; his hands were embedded deep into the pockets of his black pants. As usual, he was dressed in a black suit with a black tie around his neck.
A smile crawled unto Keelan’s face as he immediately tucked his phone in his pocket and got up to greet his friend, their usual pleasantry a typical hand shake as they bumped shoulders.
“What took you so long? I was supposed to pick you up,” Keelan shouted over the music and leaned closer to Jordan as they both took their seats on the metallic barstool which had a black foam material for the people to sit on.
“I had some things to take care of,” he answered, his voice only an octave higher than the usual volume of his tone, making Keelan have to strain his ears in order to pick up what his friend was saying due to the booming music.
“Oh ok. I initially thought you were going to ditch but I guess I’m just lucky tonight,” he snickered as he watched Jordan shrug off his suit jacket before unbuttoning his sleeves and rolling them up to his elbows, revealing his fully inked arms underneath.
“So are you going to order something?” he gulped down his own drink, leaving the glass bare as he awaited his friend’s response.
“Sure. I’ll have a vodka martini,” Jordan replied as he loosened his tie and unhooked a few buttons on his now rumpled white shirt.
He ran his hand down his face in stress as Keelan signaled for the bartender who hurriedly got their orders ready and fetched their drinks, dropping the filled glasses onto the black coloured quartz crystal glass countertop.
Jordan grabbed his own glass and immediately downed his drink, releasing a deep sigh hoping to breath out every ounce of stress in his body as the bitter and dry vermouth went down his throat.
He raised his hand again, signaling for another shot. “Martini. Bone dry,” he demanded as he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to forget the day’s events before turning his neck side to side hearing a satisfying crack. He did the same, moving his shoulders in a circular motion, hoping to relieve some burden from his shoulders-that also resulting in a comforting pop.
The day had been rather hectic for him since his new wine brand had just been released today. The Cabernet Sauvignon-precisely the La Pelle 2020 Sauvignon Blanc de Napa Valley-would hit the market in two days but the official unveiling of the wine had taken place today at The Beekman which was located in the Financial district of Manhattan.
He had tried to make sure that there were only a few invited guests and some of his employees present at the event but that was simply impossible due to how the press had surrounded the entire event centre, hoping to grasp the jackpot scoop of the century; the unveiling of J. K’s new wine brand – the now ruling king of the Cabernets.
“Stressful day uhn?” Keelan asked as he watched the tired figure of his friend. Maybe he shouldn’t have suggested celebrating right on the night of the unveiling but there was only a once in a blue moon opportunity with having Jordan spend time with him and not drowning himself in his work as usual.
“You have no idea,” he massaged his temples which were beginning to throb with the music blasting from the speakers hanging off the top corners of the room.
He probably should have skipped out on the celebration offer that Keelan had proposed, at least for tonight.
“Maybe I should just let you retire for the night since you’ve had a busy day. We could celebrate sometime next time,” Keelan suggested.
“No, it’s fine,” Jordan objected. “It’s now or never. I probably wouldn’t even have any free time after tonight.”
Lifting the now filled lead crystal glass to his lips, he took a sip this time as he let his eyes finally wander round his club. He didn’t know why he was doing so, seeing as he technically owned the place and had visited over a million times, courtesy of Keelan, but he went with his guts which told him to do just that.
As his eyes skimmed through the sea of sweaty bodies-some grinding on each other while others made out shamelessly, almost undressing themselves, he had no idea what he was searching for until his gaze stopped on a certain figure hiding beneath the shadows that had been cast upon the room by the circuitous movement of the disco lights in the middle of the dance floor.
He squinted his eyes instinctively as he tried to decipher why the figure seemed rather familiar. Looking closely, he couldn’t contain his surprise as his eyes widened in realisation.
It was her.
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