"Chug! Chug! Chug!"
The roar surrounding Riley was deafening, but he only smirked as he downed another shot, then another, until the fifth glass slammed onto the table. His friends howled, pounding their fists against the counter like they were summoning the god of fury.
"Five in a row!" one of them, Tony, shouted.
"Still standing, bastard!" another one, James, jeered, throwing an arm around him.
Riley dragged the back of his hand across his mouth, licking off the burn of undiluted vodka. "What can I say?" he said in a husky voice from the alcohol. "I've got better stamina than any of you."
That got whistles, laughter, and a few obscene jokes thrown his way from the other ten-plus guys, whose names Riley didn't care to know.
He grinned wider, letting the chaos of the club pulse through him. It wasn't every night they got to enter such an elite club. Tonight was an exception–he had just won a race and received a good amount of money to treat his boys.
Someone shoved another shot into his hand. Without hesitation, he gulped it down, then slammed the glass on the table. He spread his arms and let out a loud roar.
"Keep 'em coming, boys! You know I last longer than all of you combined."
A chorus of whistles and laughter followed, now catching the attention of others in the club.
Tony leaned toward Riley and waited for the others to quiet down before smirking. "Yeah? Bet you talk like that in bed too."
Riley chuckled and turned to him. "Why bet when you can ask your sister?"
The table erupted. Half the guys nearly fell off their seats, the rest choking on their drinks. Even a group at the next table burst out laughing, catching the tail end of his words.
"You're insane, Chen!" Tony wheezed, though he took no offense.
"That's what makes me pretty," Riley shot back, tipping his head like he had just posed for a magazine cover.
A couple of ladies giggled, clearly about to pounce on Riley and eat him alive.
When the noise finally dipped, Riley leaned back, stretched, and announced to no one in particular: "Alright, gentlemen. As much as I enjoy proving I can outlast all of you, nature calls."
He stood, rolling his shoulders, a smirk firmly on his lips. Just as he turned away, he dropped his parting shot: "If I don't come back in ten minutes, assume I found someone prettier than you to keep me entertained."
"Fuck you, Chen!" Tony cursed loudly.
The whole corner of the club roared with laughter. Even strangers who had no idea what the joke was still laughed, just because Riley made it sound obscene. He walked away like a man who owned the floor, waving at the ladies, leaving a trail of laughter, wolf-whistles, and giggles in his wake as he disappeared toward the hallway leading to the restrooms.
That was the charm of Riley Chen. Everywhere he stepped, his wild nature, flirty side, and dangerous charm left their imprint. He was the perfect definition of drop-dead gorgeous, handsome with brains, if such a thing even existed.
Riley took a right turn toward the men's restroom. He barely slowed when his eyes landed on a couple pressed against the wall. A guy was devouring a woman's lips, his hands already tracing up her thighs.
Nothing new to Riley, so he gave no fuck. He'd done worse himself.
He was about to walk past when the man's eyes snapped open. Not from fear of being caught, more like curiosity. Riley's gaze locked on his, and for a second, the world hushed. The stranger didn't look away, and neither did Riley, until he passed without turning back.
A knowing smirk tugged at Riley's mouth. He bit his lip and kept walking.
Behind him, the stranger's lips curved into the same dangerous smirk, his eyes shamelessly trailing lower, locked on Riley's ass in those black jeans as he disappeared into the restroom.
Inside, Riley whistled a tune while relieving himself, unbothered, cocky even here. When he was done, he strolled to the sink. Just as he began washing his hands, he instinctively glanced up at the mirror. His eyes lingered on his reflection only briefly before sliding to another's. The same man from the hallway.
Riley paused for a beat, then continued washing, his eyes still on the man's reflection.
They stared at each other through the mirror with identical smirks tugging at their lips, as if they could speak telepathically of what they wanted from each other.
When Riley was done, he turned and walked toward the door until he stood face-to-face with the man. Up close, he was nearly the same height, and damn, he was gorgeous. The kind of tempting gorgeous that spelled danger. The very kind Riley craved.
He stepped closer, enough to feel the heat between them. Their eyes clashed daringly, and Riley's lips curved into a suggestive grin.
"Mind letting me through?" he asked, voice low and flirty.
The stranger's smirk widened. His gaze dragged over Riley's face, especially his lips, before he stepped closer. As if there were any space left at all.
"Would you mind letting me in?"
If Riley had thought the man looked perfect, his voice was something else entirely. Hell-deep, intoxicating, and Riley couldn't help but wonder how it would sound when he made the man moan his name.
Damn. The thought alone made his cock twitch under his jeans. For a split second, Riley wanted to pin him against the door and do everything his mind screamed at him to, but that would be too easy snd less fun. He loved the thrill of this moment. It had been a long time since flirting felt this good.
"Of course," Riley whispered, but didn't move.
The man didn't move either.
They were still locked in that silent stand-off when the door suddenly swung open from the outside.
"Ethan!" someone blurted, eyes wide as they spotted the man standing so close to Riley, then they fell on Riley. "WTF! You!"
Riley turned his head toward the newcomer, his eyes gleaming with amusement when he kind of recognised him. With a chuckle that never stopped, Riley stepped away from his target and sauntered over to the intruder, sizing him up and down with interest.
"We meet again… what was your name again? Leo?"