Dice

"I hate him." I grumbled, slurring the words a little. I was too drunk to care about what I was saying by this point. Too drunk and too angry. And not to mention horny as hell.

"Ari, we should go. I don't like this place." My little sister, Janessa, tugged the sleeve of my uniform, the tone of her voice almost sounded like a child despite her being only a year younger than me. Her eyes were looking from side to side, the thick rimmed glasses she was wearing didn't hide the fact that she was scared shitless about being in Dice.

Understandable. After all, Dice was a new blooming establishment in New York City. Aside from the food and the drinks they had to offer, their main attraction were the "hosts". Yep, you heard that right. Dice was a host club. As in good-looking-guys-drink-and-flirt-with-you-and-maybe-even-do-some-hanky-panky-if-you-pay-an-extra-price kind of club. The place had high class customers. It was sophisticated. Classy. And underground. Rumor was it was ran by the mob.

I first heard about Dice from one of the top clients of the bank that hired me. She was a Beverly Hills housewife who had an excessively rich but absentee husband. I made good friends with her and she gave me a card that served as my access to the hard to get into location of Dice. Told me to visit the place if I ever had an itch I wanted to be scratched.

My boyfriend Jonah would never dream of finding me here. Not even in a million years. Well, ex-boyfriend Jonah anyway. I dumped his lying, deceitful ass a few hours ago. The nerve of him. I caught him in our bed with another girl. Shameless bastard. Damn him.

I grind my teeth together, trying to calm my nerves.

"Hey, do your job and fill my glass." I said to my current host. He was a newcomer in Hollywood. I wasn't in the loop with the latest buzz since I rarely watch TV (except to check on stock exchange) but Janessa recognized him from a TV series she watched every Friday. He was pretty charming in his tuxedo. Those blue eyes though, were an automatic turn off. Blue eyes reminded me of Jonah. What was I thinking when I picked this guy from the "menu"? Oh right, I wasn't.

"My pleasure, Miss Ariana." He said, courteously. Which did nothing for me. I knew he had practiced his lines, had it memorized to a T. I found his responses boring. Too bland. I wasn't in the mood for politeness right now. I came here to be wild. And my current host just wasn't doing it for me.

"Nessa, tell the manager we're changing host. This one's ugly." Complete lie, of course. I just wanted a new host to entertain me. The host looked pretty hurt by my words, but his face quickly returned to politeness and charm. Guess alcohol made me a little bitchy.

"I understand I'm not to your liking, Miss Ariana. I will call the manager for you." He said, standing up and heading for the counter.

When he was out of sight, Janessa whispered into my ear. "Ari, y-you were p-pretty harsh." After all her therapy sessions, she still occasionally stuttered, especially under stress.

"I'm drunk and I got cheated on today. I have an excuse to be grumpy." Taking another swig of my tequila, I told my sister.

"But still—."

"Who's that guy?" Before Janessa could go on with her lecture, I cut her off. A few tables across ours sat a devilishly handsome guy fit to be an Armani model. He should be wearing his tuxedo properly like all the other hosts in Dice but instead, he had it hanging on the arm seat of his chair. The sleeves of his evening shirt were pulled back, though his waistcoat was still on, his bowtie seemed to be missing which gave him sort of a rebellious vibe. He had his legs crossed, a glass of champagne on his one hand, a look of boredom on his face. There was a girl sitting beside him, but he didn't seem to be giving any real effort in paying attention to her needs unlike the host I had who was attentive to my every bidding.

I decided right there that I wanted him.

If I was going to be having a wild night, then I'd spend it with Mr. Armani.

"Him. He's the one I want." I said to no one in particular. My eyes were zooming in at the delectable piece of meat. I stood up, eager to claim my chosen host. I was informed that Dice had a first come, first served policy. But I didn't care that he was already with another customer. By the look of it, I'd be saving him from boredom.

"Where are y-you going?" The squeaky voice of Janessa called after me.

Sorry, sis. Not listening to you tonight.

My legs were a little wobbly because of alcohol but my determination to get to Mr. Armani was steady as a train on track. I was wearing a light make-up to emphasize my brown eyes and full lips. I was a bit on the chubby side, the right word to describe my body shape would be voluptuous. I was only five four but the heels gave me extra height. Even with my six inches heels, and an intoxicated body, I could still walk like it was nobody's business. Perks of working in a bank. Having to walk around in the building with high heels all day sure came in handy. At least I wasn't making a fool of myself as I approached my new host.

When I got to their table, he seemed to be leaving. He rose from his seat, picked up his jacket and whispered something to the lady beside him. I figured now was my chance to steal him and invite him over to our table.

Like a lioness stalking her prey, I strolled towards him before he could begin walking away.

He had his back on me, so I tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Hey, you." I waited for him to turn around. When he did turn, I blurted, "How much?"

Mr. Armani raised his brow from my question. Grey. His eyes were sexy grey orbs.

Up close, he was even more handsome than what I expected him to be. Taller too. He had jet black hair, with a little Padawan braid going at the side of his ear. My fingers were itching to pull the braid and check if it was authentic.

"What are you doing?" The tone of his voice was sharp, his eyes narrowed down at me as his one hand stopped my own from touching him.

Oh shit.

It seemed I didn't have control of my hands when I was drunk. I was completely sure I was only thinking of touching his hair, and not actually touching it. At the corner of my eyes, I saw other guys stand up. Mr. Armani shook his head and everyone sat back down.

Well, that was weird...

Anyway, time to get down to business.

Right on cue, the manager of Dice came waltzing in to join our little business negotiation. Perfect. Just the person I needed.

"The host you provided me earlier didn't meet my expectations. I want him instead." I said, tapping Mr. Armani's chest.

Judging by the way the manager's eyes almost fell out of its sockets, I could tell what I did wasn't exactly welcomed. I guess they took their policies to heart, but the alcohol in my system made me more daring.

"How much is she paying you? I'll pay higher. Come on, let's go to our table and do whatever it is hosts like you do best." I said, dragging him by the sleeve. I might as well be dragging a truck with me. The boy didn't move an inch. He was sturdy as hell.

"Miss, he's not—." The manager must have wanted to say something but was shortly interrupted by Mr. Armani.

"You'll pay me, huh? I'm quite expensive." The sharpness of his voice was gone, replaced by, I dare say, amusement. Playfulness. It was low and totally seductive.

I cleared my throat. "I don't care about the price. I may not look like much but I've been saving money for my marriage and since that bastard Jonah had the nerve to fuck that slut in our bed, the marriage ain't gonna happen. Now I have money at my disposal. Here's my credit card." I handed my card to the manager. She accepted it, though she seemed a little unsure.

"Oh, you got cheated on? So you're here to take revenge?" He clicked his tongue. "How petty."

It was my turn to feel defensive. "Revenge? What are you talking about?"

Crossing his arms, he said. "Let me guess. Your plan was to fuck another man and tell your boyfriend about it, hoping to get even?"

I stood there not saying anything for a few seconds. He caught me. Right on point. That was exactly what was going inside my head. Jonah and I had been together for three years and I never once cheated on him. I'd been a loyal girlfriend! He was my sun and moon, my earth and heaven. He was my everything. How could he do such a thing? It hurts. Hurt so bad, I wanted to hurt him as much.

Working in a bank didn't only teach me how to walk like a pro in heels, it also trained me how to hide my emotions. Just like how I always practiced, I smiled brightly at Mr. Armani and said, "You're wrong. I'm just here for some wild night. Nothing to do with my ex." Not sure if he believed me, but it was the most I could do at that moment. The cut was still fresh and it wasn't going away any time soon.

"Wild night, huh?" He repeated. I felt his grey eyes check me from head to toe. For a host, he was one rude motherfucker.

"Are you just going to repeat everything I say, or am I going to get my money's worth?" I was getting irritated and his arrogant attitude wasn't helping at all.

"Calm down, kitten.Alright, I'll show you a night you'll never forget." To the manager, Mr. Armanisaid, "I'll be her host."