Intermission by Ashley Pullo Read Free Book Online

horrible kisser!”
    “Natalie!” I shriek.
    “It’s true, Piper. We’ve all kissed him and it’s uncomfortably messy,” adds CeCi.
    “We’re women now. We need real men and I’m about to deliver. Everyone got their IDs?” Natalie questions.
    “Real men?” I ask as I fumble through my wallet checking for my fake license.
    “Yes! Real men with big cocks and fancy jobs!” Natalie declares.
    CeCi leans forward and perches her manicured nails on my seat. “Real men with great personalities and dimples!” CeCi is adorable – everyone thinks so. She even beat out Natalie for Prom Queen, but she can be a little naïve.
    “Let’s not get too picky, CeCi. Dimples don’t usually hang out in the bar we’re going to,” Natalie replies.
    My favorite Cranberries song rumbles through the speakers, so I raise the volume and roll down the windows. We all sing in unison at the top of our lungs, even at a stoplight with a station wagon full of kids sticking their tongues out at us. I feel a rush of excitement as Natalie pulls into a swanky bar on the corner of Bay Street with an actual valet!
    The four of us exit the car as Nat takes a ticket from the attendant and pulls me to the side. “Listen Chloe, you need a good buzz. We’re getting tattoos after this!” Natalie winks at me but I gasp. “Hey, it will be fun . . . and we decided to do this a long time ago!” she whines.
    The way I remember it, Natalie wanted a tattoo of a skeleton with roses and I said I would go with her and maybe get my tongue pierced . . . but that conversation was years ago when I was confused and we both wore blood-red lipstick and flannel.
    Nat and I join the girls at a small table near a karaoke stage. It’s odd, actually. The bar is full of businessmen in suits drinking whisky and brandy and I can’t imagine they will start a drunken rendition of Billy Joel anytime soon.
    “Remember, always order casually. Red flags go up when you ask for a Slippery Nipple or some silly drink.” CeCi smoothes out her glossy hair and waves a waiter over to our table.
    “How about tequila, can we just order a round of shots?” Natalie shoots me an evil smile and I shake my head in disgust, remembering our graduation party – I’m not a classy drunk.
    The waiter arrives at our table with four beers sloshing on a small tray. Damn he’s hot! Tatted up the wazoo with an incredible smile and nice, broad shoulders.
    “Well, hel-lo! Thank you for the beers,” Natalie says seductively. The waiter wipes his hands on his jeans and reaches for Piper’s hand (because she’s closest, damn it.)
    He laughs quietly, and I notice a small chip on his front tooth. Puck to the face probably, but extremely sexy.
    “You ladies realize you’re the only women in here, right? You don’t need to order drinks.” He motions to all the men around the bar gaping in our direction.
    “We know. But maybe we don’t want beers.” Piper explains with a sweet smile.
    The waiter takes out a small pad and shakes his head. “Okay, what’ll it be? I need to relay the order to your admirers.” He glares at me and there’s something about his sexy roughness contrasted against the room of dark suits that makes me want to lick his tattoos, one by one.
    “I would like a Seven and 7, heavy on the ice,” Ceci says confidently. I know for a fact that CeCi is hardcore, like the best in her weight-class for a keg stand. She would never order a drink so boring unless she firmly believed she had to.
    Piper waves to a guy across the bar while deciding on her order. “Tell that gentleman, the one with the goatee, I will have a vodka tonic.” Again, boring. Piper invents drinks, like her famous Mountain Rita (Mountain Dew and tequila.)
    “And what about you, gorgeous?” The waiter is waiting for Natalie’s drink of choice, but he glances over at me.
    “Tell me, what time can I start doing shots with you – what’s your name?” The waiter snaps his head back in laughter as