One hour and two shots later, the situation had not improved much.
At least not for Cress.
Everyone else was having a splendid time. Scarlet was dancing with the muscleman, Ze'ev, and based on the way they were looking at each other, Cress was fairly certain she knew who Scarlet would spend the rest of her night with.
Cinder had kept her vow of not dancing and had been engaged in a heated discussion with the guy named Kai since she had first taken a seat next to him. Though there were several topics that seemed to rile Cinder up, her shoulders remained relaxed and her legs were crossed towards him. He seemed thrilled that Cinder was spending so much time with him and often broke out into a brilliant smile — one that made Cinder smile shyly into her champagne glass.
Iko had given up trying to butt in and was now dancing with a cute blond girl not far from Scarlet and Ze'ev. Cress had danced with them for a little while but it had become clear that Iko wanted some quality alone time with the girl. Winter and Jacin were at least trying to include Cress in their conversation with Kinney, but Cress found their friend's snide comments so intolerable that she was only feigning interest.
Cress looked around and sighed. It really wasn't a terrible set up for New Year's Eve. She just couldn't seem to get into it. Maybe it was her own fault for not being open to a fling. Still, there was a slight sting of jealousy when she thought of her friends having fun hooking up tonight. If she had already met her dream man, she would be spending her evening having deep soul connections with him instead of trying to make shallow conversation with strangers.
Or she could be hanging out with her girls, which was supposed to be the plan for tonight.
Cress grabbed another shot and told Winter, "I need a breath of fresh air. I'll be right back."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Winter asked.
"Yeah, you shouldn't go anywhere alone," Cinder said, suddenly paying attention.
Cress regarded her friends, thinking that this was the perfect time to implement her number one New Year's resolution: Be more assertive.
But Winter was snuggled on Jacin's lap with his arms around her. He had flown all the way out here just so he could see his girlfriend for New Year's Eve. Who was she to ruin that? And Cinder's leg was now pressed against Kai's. Or was Kai's leg pressed against hers? It didn't matter. Cinder was never interested in anyone. If Cress made her get up now, maybe she would be ruining her chances.
"That's okay," she said. "I'll be fine. It's just a few minutes."
"No way," Cinder said, getting to her feet.
"I can go with her."
Cress startled at the male voice behind her and turned to find none other than Dreamy-Eyed Trouble standing right behind her. He had left their group quite quickly after introducing Cinder to Kai, and she had caught glimpses of him dancing with different women from time to time.
He stuck out his hand. "I don't think we've been officially introduced. I'm Carswell Thorne, but most people just call me Thorne."
"Cress Darnel. Hi." She shook his hand quickly but turned back to her friends. "And thanks, but I don't need a babysitter."
"Oh yeah, Thorne, don't worry about it," Cinder said, putting down her champagne glass and smoothing out her dress. "I'm going with her."
Cress did not miss the way Kai looked at Cinder and then sent a pleading look to Thorne.
Thorne's hand came to rest lightly on the small of her back. She jumped as he whispered, "So, this is awkward, but Kai is trying to tell me that he wants some alone time with your friend. He thought she was cute from the first second we saw you five strut in here. It looks like he's made a little progress. So if you think she's at all into him, can you tell her that you're fine going with me? I'd love to do my buddy this solid."
"What are you whispering to her, Thorne?" Cinder said. She pulled Cress away from him and now she was the one whispering in her ear. "Remember what I said about him? Trouble with a capital T. Don't let him smooth talk his way into your pants."
"Cinder!" she hissed.
Cinder downed her champagne. "I'm serious."
"Are you having a good time with Kai?" Cress asked Cinder, making sure that no one could hear them.
Cinder looked at him very obviously but turned her head when she caught Kai looking right back at her.
"You like him," Cress said. "And he clearly likes you. I think you should stay here and keep talking to him. Meanwhile, those of us who aren't interested in anyone are going outside to get some fresh air."
Cinder smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Cress. I kind of do like him…yeah."
She turned to go sit back on the couch but Cress grabbed her by the elbow. "Wait. Thorne's not a creep, right? That's not what you mean by trouble, is it?"
"Oh, no. No, no. He's just a total womanizer."
"Did something happen between the two of you?"
She snorted. "He wishes."
"Okay, then it's settled." She remembered her New Year's resolution. "But when I get back, I want for all of us to dance. Together. Like we said we would."
"Of course," Cinder said, but she was already moving towards Kai.
Dreamy-Eyed Trouble gave her a dimpled grin when she joined him. "Shall we?" he asked, holding out an elbow.
She didn't take it.
"Kind of a drag in there, huh?" Thorne leaned against the outside wall of the club, watching partygoers pass in and out of The Lunar Palace. He had his hands in his pockets and one ankle crossed over the other. He nodded his head at the club. "The VIP lounge, I mean."
Cress stood next to him, trying not to make eye contact for too long with Dreamy-Eyed Trouble's dreamy eyes. Ugh. This guy was totally her type physically. Why did the hot ones always have to be bad?
She smiled politely. "Not the night you were hoping for?"
"Your buddy invites you to Vegas for New Year's, you don't imagine spending it in a lounge with everyone's girlfriends. No offense. I was expecting a bit more action tonight."
"I bet you were."
He was silent for a moment. "No problem, though. The night's still young."
"We should probably get back," she said.
He gave her a once-over. "You don't look like you want to get back."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing."
"No, tell me."
"Alright." He waved at her body. "Your shoulders are scrunched, your muscles are taut, and your face is all pinched together. An amateur could think you're just annoyed to be standing out here with me. But me? I'm a connoisseur. You've been displaying that annoyed body language since the moment you waltzed into the VIP lounge." He put his hand back in his pocket. "Won't hurt you to relax a little, darling."
Cress narrowed her eyes. "And I suppose you'll offer to help me relax?"
He just laughed.
Cress hated that she loved his dimples when he did. Dreamy-Eyed Trouble, indeed.
"How do you know Jacin?" she finally said, trying to let her shoulders droop a little.
He shrugged. "Our fathers are both high-ranking military officials."
"Are you in the military?"
He laughed again. "That I am not."
"What if we staged an intervention?" Cress said, suddenly applauding her own brilliance. "You want to hang out with your bros—"
"Bros?" His eyes twinkled. "You're a trip."
"You clearly want to hang out with your bros," she continued, as if he'd never interrupted her, "and I want to hang out with my girls. Let's figure out a way to get the group to separate."
Thorne wagged a finger. "I'm not getting in the way of my buddies having a good time."
"But you admitted it was a drag too."
"Sometimes you take one for the team." This comment seemed to amuse him immensely.
"You mean for Kai?" Cress said.
Thorne just smiled mischievously at her. Cress smiled back, but only because she knew that both Thorne and Kai were delusional if either of them thought Cinder would be up for a one-night stand. And if Kai was only looking for that, he would find out soon enough.
"Hey."
A woman who was in line for The Lunar Palace gave Thorne a sultry gaze. He gave her the nod.
She left the line and snaked an arm around him. "Meet me on the dance floor?"
"Sure thing," Thorne said as Cress rolled her eyes.
The woman giggled and rejoined her friends, waving for Thorne to join as she stepped into the club.
Cress gestured at the entrance. "Go on, then."
He raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"I'm fine by myself, really. Go after the girl."
"I don't want to go after her."
"You just agreed to dance with her."
He waved away her comment.
She scoffed. "You lied?"
"Should I have told her that I find her thoroughly unattractive and ruin her night instead?"
Cress furrowed her brow. Thorne returned his gaze to the passersby, every now and then craning his neck to look at one particular woman or another.
"What about those women?" she said.
"What about them?"
"You said you were hoping for action. Don't let me stop you."
He gave her an amused look. "I wasn't talking about that kind of action."
"No?"
"I don't have a problem picking up women. No need to come to Vegas just for that."
She studied his body again. Of course she knew he didn't need to come to Vegas to pick up women with a body like that. But it seemed off with what Cinder had said about him. Womanizers were usually found around women.
"Of course, if the opportunity presents itself…" He grinned a little roguishly. "It is called Sin City for a reason."
Cress swallowed thickly and tried not to focus on the way that particular grin made her legs feel like noodles. "Then what did you mean? Surely you weren't referring to the Celine Dion concert when you said action."
She peered up at him, almost daring to believe he might say that yes, he too was an aficionado for concerts and performances and magic shows.
"Gambling, Cress."
Right. Gambling. Of course.
"A night out gambling with your boys. I see. They, um, sure deviated from that plan, huh?"
"The night's still young," he repeated.
"So, what is it you do exactly?" Cress asked. She wished she had another shot, though she'd probably already had too many. She really needed to get something to eat or she'd pass out before the clock even struck midnight. "For a living?"
"I'm in finance. You?"
"I'm a sixth-grade teacher."
"You're a teacher? No way."
"No way?"
"You're way too cute to be a teacher. I mean…" He nodded appreciatively at her dress. A small thrill went through her as he did. "All of my teachers were frumpy and grumpy."
Cress had to giggle. "I'm sure they already say that about me. At least the frumpy part." She couldn't imagine being grumpy around her students, even if they often acted like little brats.
"Nah. I bet all the boys have crushes on you." He winked. "Miss Darnel."
"That's so inappropriate."
He grinned. "As thirteen-year-old boys tend to be."
"Most of them are eleven."
"Even worse. Eleven-year-old boys worship sexy teachers."
He winked again and Cress had to look away. She stared at her strappy heels. Why did he have to be so damn hot?
"Cinder warned you about me, didn't she?"
Her eyes stayed down. "Um, I'm not sure what you mean."
"No?"
Cress mumbled something, sure her cheeks were turning red.
"Hey, don't worry about it. I wasn't hitting on you or anything. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."
Her eyes snapped up. He was still smiling, but through closed lips.
"Sorry. I guess I'm not really good at reading people. You said I was cute, and then the sexy teacher thing turned me around."
"Don't get me wrong, the dress you're wearing is definitely sexy. Good choice with that one. But Cinder would have my balls if I ever tried anything with one of her friends."
Cress stifled a laugh, but despite her best judgements, her mind was kind of whirring at the fact that Dreamy-Eyed Trouble found her sexy.
"There are few people I don't dare cross," he continued, "and Cinder is one of them."
Cress wondered what kind of hold Cinder could have on him, especially when Cinder hadn't made their relationship sound amicable in the least. "I've honestly never heard of you. And I've known Cinder six years."
"I'm not surprised. We go way back, but it's been a while since we've seen each other."
Her phone vibrated and Cress checked her messages. It was Scarlet.
Where are you? Don't think I didn't see you leaving with Cinder's bad boy. Do you need an intervention? Should we ditch these little boys and find some real men?
She grinned, a heavy weight lifting off her chest.
"I'm going to head back to the lounge," she told Thorne. "But I'm still curious about Cinder. How do you two know each other?"
He waved her forward conspiratorially. Cress stepped closer.
"We were in prison together," he whispered.
Cress started laughing, almost hysterically, and had to fan herself to calm down. She grabbed his arm. "Oh my stars, you're killing me."
Thorne only smiled, highly amused at her response to his joke.
"Okay, okay," she said, still trying to catch her breath, "You'll have to tell me the real story some other time but right now I just want to get back inside. I'm starving, though. Can we grab something to eat that we can bring back?"
He chuckled. "Those little hors-d'oeuvres on a stick not quite cutting it?"
"They look like they cost thirty dollars to make but taste like they're worth fifty cents."
He shook his head as he showed the back of his hand to the bouncer. Cress did the same.
"There's supposed to be a larger selection of food on the 8th floor where the slot machines are," Thorne said.
"Ooh, I love slots," Cress breathed.
He quirked an eyebrow. "It seems we have something in common."
"I'm actually really good at gambling, card games, and the like," she said proudly.
"Do you tend to be lucky?"
"No, I'm good at them because I'm a genius."
This seemed to catch his attention. "A genius?"
She nodded, feeling no need to be modest. "Highest IQ of my graduating class. Super good at math and probability and computers."
"Oh?"
They stepped back into The Lunar Palace and the bass music tore through her eardrums. She wobbled on her heels when someone passed her but Thorne steadied her. Dreamy-Eyed Trouble was nice, in the end. And now that he'd established his intentions as purely platonic, she could relax around him. It had been sweet of him to accompany her outside, even if his intentions had been to help Kai get with Cinder.
The strobe lights made everything a little chaotic but the music gave Cress the energy she had been lacking outside the club and in the VIP lounge. She bounced a little on her feet and sang along to the music. Thorne stayed at her side and together they wove through dancers towards the center of the crowded dance floor, where there was more space to move by the ice sculptures.
"This is the biggest dance floor I've ever seen," Cress said, gazing around in wonder. It really was beautiful in there. She needed to get her friends out of the boring VIP lounge. "It's so crazy in here."
She absentmindedly ran her hand through her hair and connected with plastic instead. She had forgotten she was still wearing the dumb moon antennae headband. Sighing, she reached up to take it off.
A pair of smooth, warm hands encased hers from behind. "Leave it. It adds a little something extra."
Cress stared up at him.
"New Year's Lunar Ball and everything," he said, pointing at the sign by the entrance, which displayed those exact words.
"Okay," she said, adjusting the headband and smoothing down her hair. "All set."
"Do you want to dance?" Thorne said. But he didn't look like he was asking for her to dance with him, just if that was her mood in general.
She shook her head, feeling her antennae moons bounce. "Food."
"Then it's back into the wild," he said, pointing towards the elevator at the far end of the club.
"After you," she said.
She followed him through the dance floor, glad that he was at least a foot taller than her and sturdy enough not to get knocked over. She didn't mind checking out the way his back looked either.
When they made it to the elevator, Cress's ears were ringing from the music.
Thorne pushed the button for the 8th floor. "Say, if you're not in a terrible hurry, could I get your insight on a game?"
"What game?"
"Poker, blackjack, slots…whatever."
She peered up at him. He was trying to smile innocently.
"You mean, because I'm a genius?"
His lips quirked into a barely restrained smirk. "Couldn't hurt."
The doors opened to the 8th floor. The Lunar Palace's casino floor unfolded in front of them. Slot machine after slot machine greeted them, preceding the various interactive gambling that one could partake in.
"I can't guarantee you'll win anything," she said.
"I'm already quite lucky on my own. With your wits and my luck, I think I could start the night off right."
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"In exchange for your time," Thorne said, keeping the elevator door from shutting and gesturing for her to exit, "I'd love to offer you a drink and whatever food your heart desires, of course."
Cress stepped out of the elevator. She needed food anyway. And if he paid for it, that was all the better. She could munch on something while she gave him a few tips.
"Ten minutes, that's all I ask."
She regarded Dreamy-Eyed Trouble. "Ten minutes it is."
Hope you enjoyed Chapter 2! Excited for Cresswell to tie the knot? Lol. Please review :)
PS: Code Name Lunar Gift update is up next!