Mister West by R.J. Lewis (animal farm read .TXT) 📕

“This will be the first party drink I have had in like a year,” I tell her. “Crazy, hey?”

“I wish I had your willpower.”

When we get our drinks, we make our way to the sitting area.

We get intercepted almost straight away.

“Where are you ladies going?” a man asks, stepping in. He looks to be our age, wearing a polo and jeans. I stare at his bulging biceps. His muscles can’t be real. I bury my face in my drink as Ana smiles in that charming way she does.

“We’re about to sit down,” she tells him.

“What’ll it take to have you girls sitting at my table?”

“Another round of drinks,” she boldly tells him.

He smirks at her, loaded with confidence. “You got it. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“I’m Ana.”

He swings his gaze to me. “And you, blue eyes?”

I’m not impressed by his cockiness, or the nickname. It’s probably because Aidan’s destroyed the way I look at any other cocky man again.

“That’s Ivy,” she tells him when I don’t answer.

His eyes linger on me longer than a beat. “Come this way, ladies!”

He takes us to a table close-by. There are two other guys sitting around and one of them has a girl on his lap. Her brows shoot up when she sees us slipping into the booth across from her. She eyes my dress and hair and then she’s looking at Ana. She’s looking at us like we’re centipedes – gross, ugly centipedes that need to be squashed. I want to tell her she doesn’t need to worry about us stealing her spotlight. She can have it. I just want to get a little buzzed, dance a little and go home to my giant bed in my quiet, quiet,quiet room where I can hear my heart beating in my ears.

I wonder what Aidan is doing right now.

I imagine him in the office, head down, buried in paperwork.

I also remember him in the throes of passion, head back, groaning as I made him come. Definitely must not think of that.

The dude whose name is Brett (?) introduces us to the other guys. I forget their names because I’m starting to stare back at this girl, wondering what her problem is.

“This is Cynthia,” he then says.

Cynthia.

It’s a pretty name.

“Why is your name Ivy?” she asks me, raising her brow.

“Because my mother deemed it so,” I answer dryly.

“But why did she name you that?”

“I don’t know.”

“You never asked her?” She looks insulted.

“I haven’t.”

“That’s weird.”

“Okay.”

Now she’s looking at Ana. “Is that your gold card?” she asks, catching Ana slipping it in her clutch. “Because I don’t think it’s your gold card.”

“Why don’t you think it’s my gold card?” Ana returns.

“You’re not money.” She makes sure the guys know this and repeats, “Guys, these girls aren’t money.”

The guys don’t care. Cynthia is ignored and she gives me a face I can only compare to the doll Chucky on a murder spree. As they talk to Ana, I ditch my drink and stand up.

“I’m gonna dance a little,” I tell her.

“I’m coming!” she squeals, leaving her drink behind as well. Brett is by her side, and one of the guys at the table stands up too and follows behind us. I’m vaguely aware of his presence as I make it under the lights.

Ana barely pays Brett attention. She wraps her arms around me, shouting at me over the music that she’s not leaving my side. I’m only a little buzzed, not enough to go crazy, I realize, but her presence eases me. It’s so crowded, people are bumping into us. Brett’s trying hard to come up from behind her, but she scoots away and I laugh at his efforts.

“These guys think we’re here for them,” she says to me, rolling her eyes. Then she yells, “Sisters don’t need misters! We’re good on our own, thanks!”

Damn straight.

In all honesty, the guys are chill. They’re actually fun to talk to. They’re just here to have a good time. We frequent the bar and get some more drinks, chatting about random shit. The guys are loaded. Brett works for his dad, the other, Dave, is a successful entrepreneur that owns a business with a trendy name I recognize. They’re more down to earth than I gave them credit for.

“What salon do you work at?” Dave asks. He’s been giving me more attention than the other guy.

“Bella’s Salon,” I tell him. “Near Little Italy.”

“You good with hair?”

“She’s amazing,” Ana cuts in. “She recently cut Aidan West’s hair.”

I give her a smack on the shoulder and Dave flashes me a smile. “No fucking way. I’m sold then.”

“You guys know him?” Brett then asks. “He used to come here a lot.”

Ana nods, playing it cool. “A little. Do you?”

“Not personally. We used to crash his parties though. He would turn this place upside down.”

“It was Affinity he used to crash?” Ana is surprised. “I thought it was that club in Montreal.”

“That one too, but he came here a lot when he first moved to the city. Stopped going a long time ago. But sick parties, man! He’d rent out this entire floor. It was Invite only.”

“How’d you guys get in?”

“We were in the same circles.”

“He was insane,” Dave agrees. “This place would be thumping until five in the morning sometimes. It would get pretty wild.”

“He had that girl on his arm, too, remember, Dave?” Brett asks. “I always forget her fucking name.”

“Nina Hamilton,” Dave says. “I remember that girl.”

“Vicious chick.”

“She was something else.”

The guys exchange looks. Even Ana nods with understanding.

“Does she still come around?” I find myself asking.

“Nah, I don’t know where she is,” Brett answers.

“She’s probably on a beach somewhere, fucking up another guy’s life,” Dave adds on a laugh. “She got him wrapped around her little finger, though. I’m surprised they went their own ways.”

“Yeah, he would have done everything for that bloodsucker.”

That doesn’t make me feel very good. Ana catches my expression. “He’s well and truly over her from what I hear.”

“She hinted on Insta she visited him at his