Destined for Love by Diane Thorne

back.”
    Her spirit warmed from his compliment, or maybe it was her body. “Thank you, Jeff.”
    He backed away from her and strolled towards another couple who’d stepped into the club.
    “Did he say there’s another area of the club?” Terri asked.
    “Yeah, past the red curtains.” Val pointed.
    “Oh, cool.”
    “Did he mention anything about a basement?” Sam asked.
    Terri gripped his arm. “Sam!”
    “Well, I’m curious about those rumours. I paid big money, and—”
    “Stop it.” Terri stamped her foot and held a wide grin on her face. “We didn’t come here for that.”
    Val chuckled at her friend. Like Sam, Val, too, wanted to know if the rumours had any truth to them, but she wasn’t about to walk up to a stranger and ask. But, if she’d been thinking about the subject a few minutes earlier, she would’ve asked Jeff.
    Pushing the thought aside, she scanned the large club again. The fast-beating music energised her, and she felt the urge to dance. But first she wanted a drink. Peering at the bar on the left, she spotted three vacant stools.
    She tapped Terri’s arm. “Can we get a drink? I found a place for the three of us.” She aimed her arm in the direction of the open spot.
    “Yeah, let’s go.” She turned to Sam and jerked her head. “Come on.”
    Val led the way through the crowd to the stools she’d found.
    A brown-haired bartender with sparkling earrings showed up promptly and placed three square napkins on the counter. Four others dressed in black like him, were working behind the bar. “Hi. What can I get for you?”
    Val looked at Terri and Sam, unsure what to order since it was their treat. She didn’t want to take advantage of their generosity.
    “It’s up to you,” Terri said.
    “You know my tastes. Whatever you’re having, I’ll take one too.”
    Terri turned to the waiter and ordered mixed drinks for each of them. The bartender worked fast and pushed the glasses towards them within two minutes. Without waiting, Val lifted her drink and took a big sip.
    “Wow,” Val said after she swallowed. “This is strong.” And it tasted of coconut and peach, reminding her of the fruit she’d eaten with Mark and James that morning. She couldn’t shake the two of them out of her head.
    Terri lowered her glass. “It is, but I like it. We won’t need many of these.”
    Holding her drink, Val twisted to face the dance floor. She leaned her rear on the stool so she wasn’t putting all her weight on her feet. As she imbibed the liquor, she examined the men in the club. Many had dressed in suits, some with ties and some without. Several men looked like fathers who should’ve been at home with their wives. For the most part, couples danced and gyrated together.
    “Hi, gorgeous. What’s your name?”
    Val turned to find an older man with white hair standing at her side. He was several inches shorter than her and a small gut hung over the waistband of his trousers. Although he’d dressed professionally and his white beard appeared neat and trimmed, she picked up a creepy vibe from him.
    “Hi.”
    “What’s your name, doll?”
    Something about an older, overweight man calling her ‘gorgeous’ and ‘doll’ made her want to run.
    “No offence, but I’m not interested.”
    “If you change your mind…”
    “Thanks.” She gave him a smile then took a big swig of her drink. Thankfully, he walked away.
    Terri nudged her arm. “Hey, we’re going to look around.”
    “All right. I’m going to stay here for a little while.”
    “Good luck.” Terri held up crossed fingers as she walked off with Sam at her side.
    “Thanks.” Val smiled and held her glass up as if she was giving a toast to her. “For everything.”
    After they’d disappeared from her sight, she twisted around to the counter and sat on the stool. She sipped more of her drink while staring in the mirrors behind the bar.
    Several feet away, the bartender served a customer. He glanced at Val as he