Heroine Addiction by Jennifer Matarese Read Free Book Online Page A

Vera.”
     
     
     
     
    I have never been what one would call a successful drinker. Hazel once referred to me as a dime-store lush, her teasing old-fashioned name for a girlfriend who could pick up a buzz just from sniffing the fumes from a freshly opened bottle of light beer. Arguing in my own defense would have been a moot point. I sampled my first alcoholic beverage when I was fifteen and ever since my body has stood firm on its decision to respond to the slightest taste of liquor by writhing suggestively on pool tables and then falling into a swoon that is quite frankly more of a belly flop onto the floor.
    However, I can maintain some modicum of dignity if I stick to a much less regulated drug – caffeine.
    My heel continues its frantic tapping against the floor, the repetitive sound muffled by the vigorous melody of the band. I lean back so my elbows rest on the bar, propping me up in a lewd recline that does fabulous things to my figure, if I do say so myself. The dewy glass I've been sipping soda from for the past half hour contains more water than cola by now, mere slivers of ice rattling at the bottom.
    I should order a refresher, but I'm a wee bit preoccupied.
    My mother's whispered declaration stunned me into silence, gifting my dad with a perfect opportunity to cajole her onto the dance floor once again. That left me gaping after them, afraid I resembled an oxygen-starved fish flopping on a boat dock, and unable to explain my thunderstruck response to Nate.
    This doesn't make a lick of sense.
    I drum my fingernails, neatly manicured and a vivid fire engine red, on the brass-plated edge of the bar as I fix my gaze on my parents over the lipstick-stained rim of my glass. They appear to be thrilled with one another, their blissful eyes only on themselves, their smiles dizzy with rapturous euphoria. The rest of us might as well not even be at Swing. We could simply be faceless cardboard cutouts existing as bothersome obstacles as far as the two of them are concerned. I'm supposed to believe, just like everyone else here, that they're wallowing in their own classic love story.
    But then again, I've met them. Worst of all, I've met Morris.
    Something here feels wrong .
    “Care to dance, little lady?”
    Nate's breathless voice lures me out of my troubled reverie. He signals to the bartender for a beer, pouring out charm like he's got an endless supply of it tucked away somewhere. I haven't paid attention to where he's been the past few minutes, presumably off romancing the loneliest of wallflowers. Nate likes his women shy and sad, needing a good pick-me-up. I like my men quiet and awkward and my women loud and opinionated. There's a good reason we've never dated and never will. We'll just never be each other's type.
    "I'll pass," I say, my lips twisting in a wry smile.
    His chilled beer arrives along with a saucy wink from the bartender. He's already wound up and spinning wild, I can already tell. As far as he knows, he's acquired beer, women, friends, a night off and a happy boss in the past half hour or so. It's no wonder he doesn't seem the least bit off-kilter.
    "You better loosen up, Vera, or there ain't no way in hell you're getting out of that tight dress of yours later." His grin is wicked as he waves the steaming-cool neck of the bottle towards me. "You want to join the party? I'll let you smell my beer."
    "Ha, ha, very funny."
    "I'm no comedian, ma'am, I'm just some lowly cowboy," he drawls.
    I can't help but laugh. "Speaking of, you haven't been kicked out yet? You're toeing the line on Swing's dress code a little more daringly than they'll usually allow for."
    “Aw, the bouncer's a friend of mine, that's all.” He pulls a face at the sour tone of my voice. "Hell, you'd think you'd be happier to see your mom and dad again. You haven't been back in the city in, what ..."
    "Five years," I say. My mom's furious shouts ring in my ears on occasion, and a tiny sickle-shaped scar still adorns my chin from a