Read Online Mr Right for the Night by Marisa Mackle - Free Book Online

she could spot that man with the dusky looks again. But to no avail. The place was jammers. Claire and the American were blocking her view. She began to feel hot. On a scale from one to ten, the stuffiness in this place rated eleven. She took a quick note of the exits. Only three were visible. Hopefully the place wouldn’t catch fire or anything. Her high heels wouldn’t stand a chance. She knocked back her glass of beer and bought the next round. She hadn’t eaten she remembered. No wonder the walls felt like they were closing in on her.
    The music revved up. The American wanted to boogie. Claire wanted to boogie. Anna didn’t.
    ‘I’ll be back,’ she told them and vanished to the Ladies.
    A good twenty-five minutes stood between her and the first toilet. Feck it, she muttered, crossing her legs tightly. Her bladder was about to explode. That was the problem with beer. It ran right through you.
    She gave her hair a few half-hearted brushes and injured herself slightly with eyeliner. Tears filled the affected eye.
    To say she didn’t look her best was an understatement. Maybe you’re drunk, she told her reflection. Her next drink would be a coke, she decided. A nice, cool, civilized coke on the rocks.
    Claire seemed to be having a whale of a time back at the bar. Lucky divil! Somebody was chatting her up. He looked coincidentally like Simon from the back. Good Jaysus, it was Simon. What on earth was he doing here?
    ‘Hello, Anna.’ Simon gave her a friendly punch. ‘What’s the story?’
    Anna didn’t know. What was the story? Claire gave her a guilty I can’t stop him coming along can I? look. Anna resigned herself to spending the rest of the evening with a married couple. Great. The American had disappeared. She almost wished he hadn’t.
    ‘I’m exhausted,’ Claire whispered to Anna eventually, after the three of them (Claire and Simon holding hands) had stood around awkwardly for a while. ‘I’m worried about leaving the babysitter, you know . . . it’s late.’
    ‘Can you not send Simon home?’ Anna was annoyed.
    ‘Ooo-kay . . . I’ll say it to him, but . . .’
    ‘No go,’ Anna snapped, ‘I’ll be all right here by myself.’
    ‘Are you sure?’ Claire didn’t seem to think it was the best idea she’d ever heard. ‘I’m not sure I like the idea of you going home on your own.’
    ‘Hopefully I won’t be going home on my own.’
    ‘Well, if you’re positive.’ Claire squeezed her hand.
    Anna was very sorry her friend was disappearing so early. She could have begged her to stay but was determined not to grovel. So, with a nonchalant shrug, she shed her security blanket. And insisted Claire left without her. Simon gave her a brotherly hug. Claire kissed both her cheeks. They were gone. It all happened so fast.
    Right, thought Anna, I think I’ll have a bit of a walk around. Simon had bought her another beer (although she’d asked for a coke) before they’d left. She set off in the direction of the dance floor, pint glass in hand.
    Hopefully someone would stop to chat her up. Guys always did that when you walked around on your own, didn’t they? Not this time. Anna got around the nightclub’s perimeter fairly fast. Well, that walk had proved fairly fruitless. What now? She couldn’t do a second lap for at least ten minutes. She lit a fag. And smoked it.
    ‘Have you got a light?’ Crikey, it was the dish from the dance floor.
    Anna blinked, not quite believing her luck. ‘Sure,’ she said coolly. Hopefully he wouldn’t just light up and leave. She wasn’t going to let him just use her like that. She held out the flickering flame and watched him lean forward, catching it in a split second. He inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly.
    ‘So where’s your boyfriend?’ He raised an eyebrow. He was quietly confident. Mysterious. Well, compared to the usual louts she met in clubs. Very intelligent. Anna guessed he was trying to work her out. She intrigued him somehow. Good. That’s what