| Wild Card

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The pound of the beat against Joan's ears was way better than the flashing blue and yellow club lights that were hitting her from every corner. But even as they were about to blind her, Joan didn't care. It was her birthday after all, so why not have some fun? 

     "I need to get laid!" she yelled and headed for two seats that just opened up at the bar. She didn't see the eye roll and exasperated look her friend, Bonnie, was sending her way as she tried to keep up despite the hindrance of the ridiculously high heels Joan had forced her to wear. Bonnie's eye-rolling only got worse when Joan stopped in the middle of the room and began dancing to the fresh beat blaring through the expensive sound system, her drunken arms flying up as her hips swayed. It was at this time Bonnie knew she had to intervene.

      Grabbing Joan's hands, Bonnie dragged her through the cramped dance floor and towards the bar. "Ouch! Slow down, Bon. I thought you said your heels were killing you?"

      "They were, until you. You are going to kill me faster, Joan." Joan's eyes lighted up in laughter, her light brown hair bouncing as she followed Bonnie.

      "So, what's making you so uptight tonight, Bon Bon?" Joan yelled, trying to speak over the music. "I thought we agreed that tonight was going to be fun?" Joan snickered, then added in a loud whisper, "I think you need a good hack in the hay to loosen you."

      Bonnie scoffed, she didn't miss the way Joan's voice was slurring, but she didn't say anything about it. If her friend wanted to get drunk off her ass on her birthday, then it was her responsibility to stay sober so she could take care of her drunken ass. "I know what I need, Joan. And a hack in the hay, as you put it, isn't one of them."

      With a dramatic swing of her pretty head, Joan looked around. "I can see more than a handful of men, and women who would greatly disagree with you, Bon-Bon. You need to let loose that tight bond on your head and live a little!"

      Bonnie smiled despite herself. "Aye, Aye, Captain," she said as she tried to maneuver through the horde of sweaty bodies swaying all around them.

      Bonnie loved Joan beyond words. The girl always had a way of making her forget about work, her lack of a partner, and her overbearing father. They had met when one of the companies Bonnie was working for with her PR firm broke off their contract without prior notice and didn't pay her.

      At that time, she had already handled their socials for more than half the contract time. Joan had come with high recommendations from Mathew, her father's PR Manager. According to Mathew, Joan was a viper in the courts. Bonnie had been skeptical at first but when they'd met for their first consultation, they had immediately hit it off as if they were sisters. Yes, Joan was way crazier than the entire human and currently extinct supernatural race was, but what relationship had it all smooth? They sometimes got on each other's nerves, but they had a way of settling it so quickly that you'd think they never even fought.

      As for the company, well, Joan took them for all they were worth. It had been exhilarating to watch and it had strengthened their bond in the end. They've been best friends ever since and that happened about three years ago. That win had given Bonnie enough money to never depend on her father again, and that was a luxury Bonnie would forever be grateful for.

      As they got closer to the bar, Joan reached behind Bonnie's head and unleashed the messy bun from its elastic band, tossing it in her face. "There! That's better, Bon Bon." 

      Dark chocolate-brown locks cascaded onto Bonnie's bare shoulders, the spaghetti straps on her shoulders disappearing entirely, making her little black dress even more appealing. 

      "No man will be able to resist you tonight, and I'm going to make sure they don't. You need to shine, Bonnie, and I'm not going to dull that brightness. Find me after you get laid." With that said, Joan peeled Bonnie's fingers off her arms and took off in the opposite direction.

      Bonnie stared after Joan and shook her head. She knew what Joan was doing. She was trying to make sure she had fun tonight by leaving her all to herself. She contemplated running after her but then remembered her high heel. 

      Damn!

      Glancing down, Bonnie took cognizance of her loose, long hair. It smelled like her cinnamon-scented shampoo, still slightly damp from the shower, and with the way her cleavage was hiked up – thanks to the most insane push-up bra ever invented, she knew she looked pretty enough to draw unwanted attention. And let me tell you, It was unwanted.

Bonnie sighed and continued towards the bar, her elbows sticking out as she fought to tie her hair back up, knocking into people along the way. This wasn't how she had envisioned her night to go. She had wanted to stay tucked in at home with some home-cooked meal, a bottle of wine, and N*****x, but Joan had all but screamed no. Of course, she played the birthday card to convince her but what could she do? It was her birthday after all.

      Bonnie looked towards the bar and saw that the booth was still empty. She sent a silent prayer to the heavens as she got closer. She was going to wait there till 10 pm and then she was going to drag Joan back home, whether she wanted to or not. It was her duty as a good friend.

      Bonnie climbed onto the stool and settled her purse on the smooth polished counter. There was no one behind the bar so Bonnie pressed the little bell she saw at the edge of the counter and then turned her gaze to the dance floor in search of Joan. She still had to keep an eye on that wild cat. 

      What Bonnie saw almost had her jumping off the stool. Joan was climbing onto a red leather cushion at the far end of the club, her destination was a huge dark guy sitting calmly at the other end of the couch. Bonnie sighed, shaking her head from side to side. They were going to have a very long talk come tomorrow because right now she couldn't understand why Joan was on all fours on the couch, her red dress hiked up so high up her thighs that her lacy panties were peeking out. 

      "What can I get for the lady?" It was as if the whole club was on fire as electricity zapped through Bonnie so hard that she lost her breath. Never has she ever been affected by a voice like that. Bonnie took in a sharp breath and whipped towards the bar, her hands clutching her bag in a tight grip as she did. She didn't know what she was expecting to see but the man she saw standing behind the bar was very far from it.