Test Drive (The Bachelor #1)

by Avonlea Cole

  It’s Raining Men came on briefly to introduce the guys, but then it faded into a faster beat. I wasn’t ready for the ribbons to drop down from the ceiling and a bunch of men wearing some underwear meant for ladies, in my opinion, came sliding down the ribbon. The women in the audience went crazy and money was flying everywhere. The guys twirled and descended the ribbons repeatedly until the song was over. Then they climbed back up to the rafters and disappeared into the darkness. I was impressed; it was creepy but definitely impressive.

  I CHECKED MY WATCH at ten o’clock exactly and downed the rest of my drink. I made my way to the DJ booth, which created its own set of problems. I could feel people grabbing and grinding against me. I was pretty sure I got licked along the way somewhere.

  I approached a very large man who automatically put his hand up to stop me. "Hey, I am here to see Lola."

  "And who are you?" he barked. I wasn’t nearly drunk enough to take on this tank of a person. I opened my mouth to speak, but then a bleach blonde head popped around the corner.

  "It’s okay, Jax. I told him he could come up."

  She disappeared around the corner, and I pointed in her direction. "Yeah, what she said." He only grunted in response and opened the chain gate to let me by. I climbed the narrow set of stairs into the DJ booth. The alcohol from the drink had me feeling buzzed, and when I combined that with the rush of meeting Lola and the pumped up music, I was ready to dance.

  "Hey there, I’m Drew." I reached my hand out and she held up a finger in my face. She put her headphones on and pressed a red button on her board.

  "All right guys, it’s your turn to scream. Ladies . . . show them how it’s done!" Screams erupted from everywhere and swings came down from the ceiling at warp speed. Girls in lingerie riding swings, dangled from the rafters. They leaned all the way back with only their feet hanging on to the ropes. They stood on the swings and danced to the beat of Talk Dirty to Me.

  It was sultry and seductive, and I was really warming up to the idea of hanging out at this club. I turned my attention back to Miss Lola. She was wearing a black mini skirt with mismatched zippers strategically spaced out. Her shirt was a white and black plaid corset. Her bleach blonde hair was twirled in black tinged pigtails. Her black boots laced all the way up to her thighs. She was freaking hot. She was different, but incredibly sexy in her own way.

  Lola removed her headphones and her bubbly excitement spilled over. "Hi there, cutie! I wasn’t sure if you were going to make it." She wrapped her arms around me in a quick hug. She smelled like cotton candy that I assumed was the flavor of her bright blue lip-gloss smeared across her lips. The chill from the metal chain hanging around her neck seared into my arm.

  "Yeah, this place is awesome!" I took a step back and gave her a once over look. "And you look amazing!" She winked and did like a half curtsy. "Can I get you a drink?"

  "I have a break in a few, and we can go down together. I am anxious to see how you look on the dance floor." She was cool and confident; traits I was very much interested in meeting. Jax reached around the corner and shouted out a song request. She held one long polished finger up and I nodded, giving her space. She played the shout out and, then a man with a giant nose ring and a scull tattooed on his actual skull came to relieve her. I couldn’t help but lift my eyebrows at the replacement.

  Whoa!

  I followed her like a lovesick puppy to the bar. Her cute frilly skirt swayed with each step as she sauntered to the bar and ordered herself a vampire cocktail. I asked for the same, although I had my doubts about what the cocktail might taste like.

  When they slid the yellow drink across the table with a syringe full of some sort of red goo, I reminded myself that I was going to have a good time tonight despite my father’s warning.

  "To a good night with hot people!" she screamed above the music. We held our glasses up and clinked them together. I could barely hear her words above the music so I still had no idea how to drink this. I watched as she removed her syringe from her glass and motioned for me to do the same. Together, we downed the orange flavored drink shot, and I let the vodka burn its way down my throat, further igniting the fire in my chest. I was well on my way to being wasted. Then she took my syringe and asked me to open my mouth. I was hesitant to say the least. I twisted my lips sideways showing my hesitation.

  "Come on, it’s good!" She laughed. She threw back her head, and then held her syringe up in the air and let the gooey liquid seep down her throat. I couldn't imagine anything looking sexier than she did right there swallowing down the red concoction. She swished the sauce in her mouth and gulped it down. She held my syringe back up, and I opened my mouth. It tasted like a sludgy raspberry Jell-O shot and it was a perfect end to the tangy orange flavored cocktail.

  "That's good, right?" She nodded her head obviously able to tell that I was enjoying the drink.

  "Actually yeah, that is really good!"

  She slid our glasses across the bar and dragged me to the dance floor. "I love this song!" she said dancing and spinning around. I tried to keep up, but it really wasn't my style. I tried mimicking the guys near me, but they were out there. They reminded me of the break-dancers on TV, and I wasn't anywhere near that flexible or coordinated.

  Lola was dancing circles around me. I pulled her close where she continued dancing and spinning. She put her hands on my shoulders and pulled my face closer, and I rested my forehead on hers. I enjoyed the way she rubbed up against me and kept a constant connection with my eyes. I hadn't noticed until now how incredibly dark gray her eyes were. You could almost see the stars in them the way they danced in the spotlight. I wondered briefly if they were contacts.

  I could feel the sweat beading up on my forehead. It was so hot in the warehouse, and all the bodies crowded against me were suffocating. Although the music was growing on me, the electric beats and the rhythmic lights made me feel more buzzed than I should be after two drinks. I made another trip to the bar for Lola. She had insisted I get us the "Black Widow." When the bar tended gave me the drink, I could tell that it was another vodka-based cocktail. The mostly clear drink had a mystifying dark purple smear spreading through it. I waited until I got back to Lola to drink mine, and once again we toasted, this time to "meeting new people."

  I liked her . . . a lot. She was so relaxed in our conversation. I couldn't imagine her meeting my parents, but they would have to get used to whomever I picked. After we downed the grape infused cocktail, she dragged me to a corner of the room. This section was gated with a line extended half way around the room, but Lola strode right past the line and simply patted the bouncer on the shoulder who immediately let us through.

  We ended up in a quiet, secluded room. I could barely hear the pounding music in the pumping through the warehouse, but what I could hear was the sound her voice when she was whispering in my ear. It was hot! She was hot. She had a hint of sassiness in her voice, which grew a bit demanding as she ordered me to shut the curtains behind me.

  I briefly wondered how many people she might have met in this room before now or what would happen if some brave soul brought a black light in there. I couldn’t figure out whether she had any intention of starting a relationship with me or if she was only looking for a good time. Briefly I wondered and then I realized that I didn't give a damn what she had planned. I was borderline drunk and on my way to what was about to be the best make-out session I had ever had.

  Lola smashed her lips against mine for one earth shattering second. When she pulled back, I questioned whether she even meant to do it. The stunned look on her face and the way she brought her fingers to her lips made me question if that giant spark was going to be lighting any fires.

  "Wow!" I said. She smiled from behind her hand.

  "So how do you like your first rave?" She recovered quickly. Her pale cheeks were flushed, and she was chewing on the end of her long spider web patterned nails.

  "It's awesome! This place is great, and I'm getting used to the noise l
evel. It makes you feel like you are on fire." I leaned back on the painted black doorframe staring at the glow in the dark star stickers stuck to the roof and let the buzzing sensations in my head build up. Lola looked as if she was torn and then all of a sudden she was on me, well, I was on her. She pulled me down by my shoulders onto the red leather sofa/bench thing. I had one hand on the back of the bench and one on the metal table bolted to the floor.

  She tasted like the sweet drinks we had been downing, and I finally got a taste of those plump cotton candy lips. Her lips twisted around mine. She wrapped her nails around my shoulders and squeezed down. I had never been a fan of torture, but with her, the pain felt like an accelerator to the fire ripping through me. Pulling me closer by my hair, she positioned my head next to her neck. I smelled her first; I inhaled her sweet scent and then reached in to nibble on the silky white flesh.

  She smashed my face into her neck, pulling me tighter and directing me to the spots she wanted me to kiss. I ran my hand up her thigh and around the hem of her skirt. Her skin felt so smooth underneath the rough fabric. I tried out the whole biting craze, sinking my teeth in little by little. I had to pull away because it felt so good I worried it might hurt her. When I pulled back, she looked directly in my eyes and screeched, "Don’t stop!"

  Diving back in, I made a trail of kisses from her collarbone down to her breasts, which were spilling out of the corset top. Holy shit, she was hot. She wrapped one leg around my hip and lifted herself to me. I slid my arm underneath her back and closed the gap between us.

  In the state I was in, I was completely ready to untie the constricting clothing she was wearing and let her take me to a place I hadn’t gone before.

  "Lola! You in here?" A deep voice shouted through the hallways. I could hear footsteps walking back to where we were. I pulled her up to a sitting position as the footsteps got closer. I could hear squeals from the adjacent rooms as the bouncer checked room to room for the missing DJ. We both looked dazed and confused when the bouncer rounded the corner.

  The giant bouncer, Jax, was barreling towards the room saying, "Hey Lola, you're up." She nodded and he left as quickly as he entered, and I let out the breath I had been holding.

  Lola burst out laughing, and I joined her. She grabbed my hand, and I pulled her to me. She landed one more mind-blowing kiss on me before she walked away. I sat there on the sofa for a moment trying to push back the overwhelming need that threatened to escape.

  I walked back out to the dance floor and over to the DJ booth. Jax let me up with a smile this time, and I worried about whether I had lipstick somewhere. My hair was all over the place, and I shuttered thinking about how she pushed her fingers in my hair scratching her way through.

  When I got up the narrow stairs, I saw Lola waiting at the top. She was sitting with her legs spread on the stool and, she was staring straight into my eyes with a sexy come-hither look. I walked briskly to her and slid in between those milky white thighs. People were still going bananas on the dance floor below, but I only had eyes for her.

  "Damn, Lola! You are making me crazy." I was trying to catch my breath, but she just kept pulling me in deeper.

  The song ended and she threw her hand back to start another. "Drew, right?" The fact that she wasn't sure what my name was, definitely set off red flags, but I nodded anyway. Maybe it was the kiss that wiped her memory. "You are an amazing kisser, Drew. I'd love to do this all night, but I have to get back to it."

  Stunned. Confused. What was the word I was looking for? Hmmm. Ah, yes! Blue balls. Isn’t that what you get when a woman drops you cold turkey after getting you all worked up. Thanks a lot.

  "Yeah, me too. Work, I mean. I have an early flight to catch, but I'd like to see you again." Yeah, I’d like to see you back in that room in about five minutes. I tried to act cool like what she was doing wasn’t completely blowing my mind. Was she trying to play hard to get?

  "Oh cool, well enjoy your trip." She turned back to her table, dismissing my question to meet again. I walked up behind her and rubbed my hands down her arms. She had to be as torn up as I was. "Drew, I'll text you or something, okay?"

  Just like that, the trance was broken. I stood there like a chump.

  I thought about confronting her and pleading my case. I wanted to tell her how much I liked her poems and how much fun I was having, but pride and confusion held me in my place. I turned around on my heel, possibly a bit too fast as the thoughts in my head were spinning at warp speed. Heading out of the booth, I paid my tab at the counter and made my way to the door. What was her deal? I mean, she kissed me and I knew she liked it, so why the ice cold act?

  I checked my watch on my way out, and it was one-thirty; not too bad. I hopped in my car and drove straight to the airport. Any remnants of a buzz had been stripped away by Lola in there so I felt comfortable driving. Hell, the confusion was more of a distraction as I replayed the events over and over again. I couldn't find one single thing I didn't like about the night, and I hadn't pushed it farther than she wanted me to go. I decided it was best to put it behind me. I had found with other break-ups that the best way to do that is to convince myself it would have never worked. Her lifestyle choices in no way mirrored my own, and I wanted to believe that one day I would be running a company, and I doubted she would fit in well at company parties. It wouldn't have worked. I was still disappointed, but then I thought about Victoria. She was still a very promising candidate; one that I had very much enjoyed getting to know. Life was not over, but the rejection was a bitch.

  "I CAN'T BELIEVE HE IS doing this!" I woke up in a haze on the airplane. I had gotten in about two fifteen and laid there with my mind reeling until around three. Now I could barely see the light streaming through the windows, but I could hear someone, who was very angry, yelling in the other room.

  "No, sir. I told him to meet me here at eight a.m. sharp, and he didn't show . . . What? He didn't come home last night? Uh! This is just like him!"

  I was starting to take offense at her tone and frustration. I rolled out of bed in my boxers, and I didn't take the time to put pants on. I strode into the other room, my bare feet stomping against the hollow floor, to where I could see Beth pacing on the phone, and I could hear my father yelling out of the speaker.

  "Who are we waiting for?" I said, resting my forearm on the wall. I squinted through the headache forming at my temples. Beth spun around gaping at my, err . . . wardrobe.

  "You’re here!" she squeaked. She gave me one long look up and down before her cheeks flushed a deep crimson red. I realized that my appearance could be a little startling, but the way she was berating me on the phone had pushed me past the thought of decency.

  I could hear the voice on the phone asking, "What’s going on, Beth?"

  "Umm, I am sorry, sir. Drew is already here. I will let you know when we land. Okay. Yes, sir." She hung the phone up and pushed her long hair out of her face. "I didn’t see you board the plane. Did you stay here last night?"

  I nodded my head. She looked so embarrassed and I thought about trying to make it better, but then I remembered what she had so vehemently said, "This is just like him!" So I let her stutter and stammer trying to collect her words. I bit the inside of my cheek and said, "I guess I will head back to the bedroom and get dressed. Don’t worry, I can find my way. I will just follow the stickers." I hoped she could hear the frustration in my voice. How dare she assume that she knew anything about me? I went back to the room and searched through my suitcase for the clothes I had packed for today. I went to slide one leg into my pants, and she appeared at the doorway. Hiding behind the doorframe, she didn’t say anything at first. She stood watching me put each leg into my pants, looking away only when I stood to button them.

  "What is it, Beth?" I gruffly said.

  "I’m sorry, Drew. I am just really stressed out about this trip. Usually your father is here, and he handles it. His standards are so high that I am just . . . stressed."

  I put on my shirt and
was rearranging my tie for the third time when she walked over to me. "Here, let me." I let her. I had tied a tie a few million times, but my pride was wounded, and I could no longer focus on the mindless task.

  Afterwards, she placed her hand on my face and rubbed my cheek. My first thought was that some of the cotton candy lip-gloss lingered on my cheek. My second thought was how soft her thumb felt caressing my rough cheek. "I promise not to underestimate you again . . . today." She winked. I smirked hoping that this wouldn’t be an issue going forward. I had enough women putting me in my place here recently.

  Beth left the room, and I went into the bathroom to comb my hair and brush my teeth. Beth hollered that we would be taking off soon, as if my hangover wasn’t enough to deal with. I could still taste the fruity drinks from the night before, which at this moment were enough to make me sick. Putting on the darkest pair of sunglasses I owned, I sat down in the comfortable reclining chairs in the plane’s living area. Beth plopped down in the chair next to me with a whole to do list for when we landed.

  "Do you want to go over these now or?" she said. I held my hand up to stop her. I could already feel the plane easing into motion on the runway. I hated this part. The plane was turning around to line up on the runway. The stewardess passed by us after making the bed and readying the plane for takeoff. She buckled up in another room, and the plane sped down the runway before lifting off in the air. Beth could see the pure terror written across my face, and she reached her hand over and took mine.

  She raked her thumb gently across the top of my knuckles, which actually seemed to help take my mind off it. I kept my hold on the armrest until the plane leveled out at probably a billion feet over the clouds. Beth was looking out the window, but I didn’t dare to see what she was staring at.

  "Okay, we can get started now." I had my hand covering my eyes so I didn’t chance seeing the clouds rushing by the window.

  She picked up on that and offered to close the shade which I happily agreed to. She stacked the papers in her lap, and we went over the itinerary for the weekend. The hours were long during the day, and there was one dinner on Saturday night we had to attend, but two of the days let out at six, which left us the evening to ourselves.