"That was so amazing, thank you so much for bringing me along." I tell Christian as we step into the elevator.

"It was my pleasure really, you're one of my best employees. Intern or not, you're very bright." He compliments and I smile.

"This was beyond incredible. I really believe that digital publishing is the biggest thing in publishing and it will continue to grow, its so much convenient and easy for readers to access. This is huge, and it keeps expanding." I ramble.

"Yea, I agree. We can use a lot of the information we got tonight to help Vance grow even further, imagine how many new customers will come of this." Mr. Vance agrees.

"Okay are you two done?" Kimberly teases and wraps her arm through Christian's.

"Let's get changed and hit the town! This is the first weekend in months that we have had a sitter."  She pouts playfully.

"Yes ma'am." He smiles down at her. I am glad he found her after his wife passed away, he got a second chance at happiness. I look over at Trevor and he gives me a small smile.

"I need a drink." Kimberly says.

"Me too." Christian says.

"Okay so everyone meet in the lobby in thirty minutes and the driver will pick us up out front." Christian says and I nod.

When I get back to my room I turn my curling iron on to touch up my hair and add more makeup to my face. I brush the dark shadow over my eyelids and look into the mirror. It looks heavy for me but not too heavy. I line my eyes with black liner and add some blush to my cheeks before fixing my hair. I check the time and I have to be down in the lobby in ten minutes. The navy dress I wore this morning looks even better now with my darker makeup and fuller hair. I wish Hardin.. no I don't. I don't. I repeat to myself and slip my black heels on. I grab my cell phone and purse before leaving the room to meet my friends, are they my friends? I don't know but I feel like Kimberly is and Trevor is very kind, I just don't know about Christian. He is my boss after all. Vance is Ken's friend so he is much older than me, I know he is younger than Ken but I am not sure how much younger. I am not sure Kimberly's age either but I know that Trevor is twenty four. I have always been mature for my age, a trait that always made it hard for me to make friends my own age. On the elevator ride down to the lobby, I text Landon to tell him that I am having a great time in Seattle. I miss Landon and I hope we can still remain close since Hardin and I aren't together anymore. I am not even sure if you could count our relationship as an actual relationship since it was all based on a lie.

When I step off of the elevator, I spot Trevor's black hair near the door. He is wearing black dress pants and a cream sweater. It reminds me of something Noah would wear. I take a second to admire how handsome he looks before I make my presence known. When his eyes find me they go wide and he makes a noise between a cough and a squeak. I can't help but laugh a little as his cheeks flush.

"You look.. you look very beautiful." He says and I smile.

"Thank you, you don't look so bad yourself." I compliment him and the redness on his cheeks deepens.

"Thanks." He murmurs nervously. It's an odd thing to see him so put-off. He is usually so collected and in order.

"There they are!" I hear Kimberly call.

"Wow Kim!" I say and wave my hand over my face. She looks stunning in a red halter dress that only reaches half way down her thighs. Her short blonde hair is pin straight and she looks classy yet sexy. 

"I have a feeling we will be fighting men off all night." Christian says to Trevor and they both laugh.

When we get to the nightclub I am blown away by the three story building full of flashing lights and swaying bodies. It is much like what I envisioned it to be but much larger and a lot more people.

"We will go to a much more laid back place tomorrow, some of the guys from the conference wanted to come here so here we are!" She laughs.

The very large man guarding the door and allowing access to the club holds a clipboard in his hands. A line of expectant party goers fills the entire walk way and reaches around the corner of the street.

"Will we wait long?" I ask Trevor.

"Oh no, Mr. Vance doesn't wait." He laughs.

I soon find what he means when Christian tells the bouncer his name and the man  removes the rope to let us through immediately. The music pounds through the large club and the lights dance across the smoke filled club. I don't think I will ever understand why people like to pay to get a headache and inhale synthetic smoke while they grind on strangers. A woman in a short dress leads us to a small room with thin curtains for walls. There are two couches and a table in the middle of the area.

"This is a VIP section Tessa." Kimberly tells me as I look around with curious eyes.

"Oh." I simply answer and follow their lead by sitting on one of the couches.

"What do you usually drink?" Trevor asks me.

"Oh, I don't usually." I answer.

"Me either, well I like wine but I am not much of a drinker." He tells me.

"You are drinking tonight Tessa. You need it." Kimberly says loudly.

"I.." I start to say.

"She will have a sex on the beach, so will I." She tells the woman who escorted us.

She nods and Christian orders a drink that I have never heard of while Trevor orders a glass of red wine. No one seems to question whether I am of legal drinking age or not, maybe I look older than I am, or maybe Christian is known well enough here not to think twice about his company.  I have no idea what a "sex on the beach" is but I prefer to keep it that way. When the woman returns she hands me a tall glass with a piece of pineapple and a small pink umbrella sticking out of the top. I thank her and take a sip. It tastes very good, sweet but a little kick of bitterness appears as I swallow.

"Good?" Kim asks and I nod, taking another sip.

....

Hardin's POV.

"Aww come on Hardin, one more." Molly says in my ear.

I have already had three shots and I know if I take another, I will be drunk. I haven't decided yet if I want to get drunk or not. On one hand I want to get as plastered as I can to forget about everything going on but on the other hand, I need to be able to think clearly.

"Do you want to get out of here?" She slurs. She smells like pot and whiskey.

Part of me wants to take her in the bathroom and fuck her just because I can. Just because Tessa is in Seattle with fucking Trevor and I am three hours away sitting on a couch half drunk.

"Come on Hardin, you know I can make you forget all about her." She says and scoots onto my lap.

"What?" I ask her as she wraps her arms around my neck.

"Tessa. Let me make you forget her, I will let you fuck me until you can't even remember her name." Her hot breath touches my neck and I pull away from her.

"Get off me." I tell her but lift her off before she can move herself.

"What the fuck Hardin?" She snaps. Her ego obviously wounded.

"I don't want you." I tell her, equally as harsh.

"Since when? You didn't have a problem fucking me any other time."

"Not since.." I start to say.

"Not since what? Since you met that stuck up bitch?" She says.

I have to remind myself that she is a female before I do something stupid.

"Don't talk about her like that." I stand up.

"It's true, and now look at you. You're like a fucking lost puppy over some virgin mary turned skank who doesn't even want you obviously!" She yells.

I clench my fists as Jace and Zed appear next to her.

"Tell him guys, tell him that he's a fucking snore ever since we outed him to her." She looks at them.

"Not we, you." Zed corrects her and she glares at him.

"Same thing." She says and he rolls his eyes.

"What's the problem?" Jace asks her.

"Nothing, she is just pissed because I don't want her." I answer for her.

"No, I am pissed because your an asshole. No one wants you around anyway, that's why Jace told me to tell her in the first place." She says and all I see is red.

"He what?" I say through my teeth, my vision slowly returning to normal. I knew Jace was a dick but I thought for sure it was Molly's jealousy that drove her to make me tell Tessa the way she did.

"Yea, he told me to tell her. He had it all planned, I was going to tell her right in front of you after she had a couple drinks then he was going to chase after her and comfort her while you were too busy crying like a fucking baby." She laughs.

"What was it that you said Jace? You were going to "fuck her brains out'? " Molly says using air quotes.

"It was a joke man." He says when I take a step towards him. If I am not mistaken I see a smirk playing on Zed's lips as my fist connects with Jace's jaw.

I feel nothing from the repeated blows to his face on my knuckles , my anger overpowers everything as I climb on top of him to continue my assault. Imagies of him touching her, kissing her, undressing her, flash through my mind making me hit him harder. The blood on his face only pushes me further, wanting to hurt him as much as I can.

His black framed glasses are broken and shattered next to is bloody face as Zed and Logan pull me off of him.

"You're going to kill him if you don't stop!" Logan yells in my face, snapping me out of my aggressive state.

"If any of you have anything to fucking say to me you need to say it now!" I yell to the group I had once considered the closest things to friends I had.

Everyone stays silent, even Molly.

"I mean it! If anyone says another fucking word about her I won't hesitate to repeat what just happened!" I take one last look at Jace who is trying to get up off the floor and walk out of Zed's apartment.

....

Tessa's POV.

"These taste so good!" I tell Kimberly as I suck down the remainder of my fruity drink. I greedily move the straw around the ice to try to get as much as I can out of it.

"Want another?" She beams. Her eyes are a little red but she is still composed. I feel funny and light. Drunk is the word I am looking for. I nod eagerly and find myself tapping my fingertips on my knees to the beat of the music.

"Are you feeling okay?" Trevor laughs when he notices.

"Yea, I feel really good actually!" I yell over the music.

"We should dance!" Kimberly says.

"I don't dance! Well by don't I mean can't, not to this type of music anyway!" I have never danced the way the people inside the club are dancing and usually I would be terrified but the alcohol buzzing in my veins gives me courage like never before.

"Yea.. Let's dance!" I tell her and she smiles. She gives Christian a kiss on the lips, lingering longer than normal, before standing up and pulling me off of the couch.

Kimberly pulls me onto the crowded dance floor and I look down at the two stories below us filled with people dancing. Of course Kimberly moves expertly so I close my eyes and let the music take control of my body. After dancing through an unknown number of songs and two more drinks, Kimberly is ready for a break. I excuse myself to go to the bathroom after grabbing my purse and push through the sweaty bodies to find my way. I pass a couple making out in a booth and I wink and laugh at them. Did I just wink? I am really drunk. My phone vibrates in my bag so I dig it out. It's my mother, I am not answering I am too drunk to talk to her right now. She shouldn't be calling this late anyway. Something makes me scroll through my inbox and I frown at the thought that Hardin hasn't text me today. Maybe I should see what he is up to? I know it's the alcohol making me do it but I dial his number anyway.