Blast From The Past 1 Read Online Free PDF Page A

bothered you then,” the man said. “And I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.” I peeked up from staring at my shot glass to look at him just in time to catch his smile before he turned and walked away.
    “Meee-oww,” Beth said, taking the new drink that the bartender brought over. “You sure let that guy have it.”
    “I know,” Julie answered. “But, I’m tired of guys like him… They come to the bar and try to get the young college girls all fucked up so that they can take them home and fuck them. Then what happens the next morning? Either they sneak out before you wake up, or they leave you with some fake phone number. Been there, done that too many times, and I’m not gonna let myself or my friends fall victim to a predator like that… I mean, really, he bought all of us a shot—what was he thinking?”
    I wanted to say something—or ask something—but was too intimidated to do so. I wasn’t used to the bar scene, especially as compared to someone like Julie, and, even though I thought the guy seemed nice enough, I figured she knew more about this kind of stuff than I did.
    We went on to enjoy a few more drinks, and a few more random discussions with strangers, for another hour or so before we decided to hit another bar, just for the sake of variety. Ironically enough, when we left, it was just me, Beth, and Melanie. Julie had decided to leave on her own, with a guy that she’d taken to. “It’s okay if I’m the player,” she said with a wink before walking off with him.
    The next bar was even more crowded than the last, and the three of us were a little lost in the mix without our alpha female. Nonetheless, we managed to get some more booze in us, and managed to talk to a variety of guys. I was drunker than I’d ever been in my whole life, and I was having a great time. My inhibitions were lowered, and I was actually talking freely, even flirting, with the people around me.
    We’d landed a table in the back of the bar, but had to go to the counter to order our drinks. It really was a madhouse in there, and there were no waitresses to tend to the masses. But that was fine by me because, when it was my turn to walk to the counter, it gave me the chance to be the me I usually wasn’t and enjoy everything my rare night out had to offer. Little did I know, however, that, when I went to the counter for the second time, I’d never make it back to the table with my friends, and I’d wake up the next morning with much more than a hangover.

~ Chapter 7 ~
     
    “Hey, girl!” a man’s voice shouted, catching me off guard again. For the second time on my first day, I had to have someone call to me to call me out of my thoughts. I looked up and saw Edgar standing at my door.
    “Hey, Edgar,” I replied with a smile.
    “You settling in okay?” he asked.
    “Yeah,” I answered. “Just a little distracted.”
    “You’re not still hung up on that shit with Stephanie this morning, are you?” he inquired, with concern.
    “No, no, not at all,” I told him. I had actually moved past that and had bigger fish to fry at the moment. “I just saw someone I knew earlier—a blast from the past—and it threw me for a loop.”
    “Ooooh,” Edgar sand back at me. “Now, that sounds interesting! I’m here to explain your first assignment, but we can take a little time for some girl talk if you want. I love me some gossip!”
    Edgar was so animated and interesting, I couldn’t help but feel comfortable around him, and I wanted to tell him everything. But, still, I understood workplace dynamics and knew that spilling the beans could mean getting myself a reputation. I could just imagine Edgar standing at the watercooler—if rEcore even had a watercooler—telling our secretaries about how I’d hooked up with one of our coworkers years earlier.
    “It’s nothing major, Edgar,” I said, lying. “I just saw a guy I recognized from my party days back in college.” Maybe saying something like “party