"I can do five hundred," the pawn shop owner stated. 

"Done!" Cam said as she slammed her hand on the counter.

When I arrived outside of the bar known as Down the Rabbit Hole, she was waiting with a mischievous look on her face. I've known Cam all her life. When she had that look on her face, she was definitely up to something. If she was up to something, I was probably not going to like it. 

When I asked her what she was planning, she pointed to the pawn shop next door to the bar. With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I asked her, no demanded, that she explain. Apparently, she concocted a plan to pawn the watch that I just bought, since we couldn't return it, and go to the bar. She wanted us to have a girl's night, which included drinking and flirting with the male patrons.

At first, I refused to take one step towards the pawn shop or the bar. I had just gotten dumped by my fiancée, and I was not in the mood to socialize. Get drunk? Yes. Socialize? No. But then she pulled out the Best Friend Card. It was classic Cam. She used to abuse that right; which is why I now only allowed two Best Friend Cards per month. 

So, here I was, leaning against the glass case in the pawn shop that housed a little bit of everything. I watched as the owner counted out the money in front of us. Cam had a huge smile on her face as she picked it up and counted it to verify. I went ahead and signed the paperwork needed to complete the sale.

"Now what?" I asked her as we walked towards the exit. What I really wanted to do was go home, get in my sweats, and eat ice cream while I watched bad movies. Whatever she had planned for us tonight, was probably the complete opposite.

"We're going to Down the Rabbit Hole and having a good time. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Got it?" 

I groaned as she linked her arm in mine and led me to the bar next door. Down the Rabbit Hole was a hole-in-the-wall bar that was well known in an "underground" sort of way. We stumbled upon it a few months ago when Cam wanted to get over a promotion she didn't get. We found it completely by chance.

Ever since we became regulars, we noticed that it was rare to see new faces there. Whenever someone new discovered this place, something about it sucked them in. Given my current situation, I was probably going to start living here. 

"Fine, but no picking up guys. I just got dumped. Literally." The last thing I needed was to get mixed up with some random guy. 

Cam scoffed as she opened the door to the bar and we made our way inside. "Let's just get a drink and see how the night goes. Okay?" 

There were two empty bar stools open with our names on it. We snagged them before someone else did; and Cam tapped her hand on the counter before waving cash at the bartender. If there was one other thing Cam was good at, it was getting a guy's attention.

"How can I help you ladies?" The tall, dark, and handsome bartender asked. He was muscular with brown hair and piercing blue eyes. Just Cam's type. 

"Yes, you can!" She exclaimed before leaning her head on my shoulder pitifully. "My best friend, Ally, just got dumped by her fiancée." 

"Oh," the bartender said as he glanced to me, "I'm sorry to hear that."

I opened my mouth to speak, but Cam beat me to it. "Yes. Which is why we are here. We need to get my best friend sloppy drunk and on the rebound train." 

"What?" I shrieked. "No. No rebounding for me." I shook my head repeatedly. As if the act would make Cam listen to me. Not so much. 

Cam wrapped her arm around my neck and I didn't need to see her to know she was rolling her eyes. "Ignore her. Can we get started with some shots, please?"

The bartender smiled. "Absolutely. What's your poison?"  

"Surprise us!" Cam answered with a sultry smile. Knowing her, she was going to go home with this guy. She wasn't usually the sleeping around type. She tended to be more of a free spirit, I guess. She was picky about who she took home, but if she found someone who peaked her interest...

"Here you go, ladies." The bartender set the two shot glasses on the bar and gave me a sad smile. It was the kind of smile that said 'sorry your fiancée dumped you' have this pity shot. "This round is on me." He shot Cam a wink and she giggled in response. 

"Let's cheers?" I asked Cam as I held my glass in the air. 

"Absolutely." She raised her glass turned towards me. "This is to us not needing men in our lives to be happy. This is about being independent and strong. To single women!" 

Even though I thought my best friend was crazy, impulsive, and stubborn, I couldn't help but smile. "To single women!" We tapped our glasses together before throwing back the shots. 

Even though my emotions were everywhere, I started to relax a little. I was surprised that I actually wanted to have fun. "What's the plan tonight then? Are we doing what we did in college?" 

"Yep," Cam answered. "Who are you going to be tonight?" 

I tapped my chin. "I will be Jill Stevens. Medical intern at New York Gen. Studying Cardio." I laughed and asked Cam, "Who are you going to be?" 

She flipped her hair and posed. "I'm Holly Williams, of course," she said in a British accent. "I'm a model that will be featured on this next year's Victoria Secret Fashion show." 

I shook my head. This was going to be fun; and I needed fun. Especially since I was going to hit bottom. Not rock bottom, just...bottom. The bottom of a tequila bottle, the bottom of multiple tubs of Ben and Jerry's...bottom. Might be tomorrow, or the next day, but I knew it was going to happen. So, tonight was all about one thing: rebounding. 

Yes, I decided to jump on the Rebound Train that Cam was driving. To be honest, I just wanted to forget about everything. At least for tonight. It was Christmas Eve and I wanted to enjoy myself. So, that's what I was going to do. 

We both spun around on our barstools and eyed the crowd. There was a small dance floor where some of the patrons were dancing to the music of the jukebox. There were a few men having a dart tournament. We knew those were no goes. Tournament players were too focused on winning to pick up girls. We looked to the left and saw a few pool tables. All of them were full, all had money laid out on the side. Nope. 

Then we saw it. There were three tables in the back of the bar; not too far from the dance floor. A group of frat guys were drinking, laughing and eating. Most of them were pretty attractive. They looked to be in their early twenties. Sports players, most likely football. I didn't plan on actually going home with one of these guys; I just wanted fun. Simple as that. 

"Let's go get'em!" Camille exclaimed before grabbing my hand and pulling me onto the dance floor. 

We made sure to place ourselves in the vicinity of the frat table. Cam and I started dancing next to each other, swaying our hips to the music. Even if I didn't even talk to a guy tonight, this was perfect. I closed my eyes as I let the liquor I drank and the sound of the music course through me. The tempo of the music picked up and I held my hands above my head; getting lost in the moment. 

I've always loved dancing. Before I met Adam, Cam and I used to go all the time. It changed when I started dating 'the suit', as she liked to call him. I really couldn't believe that I haven't been dancing in two years. This was definitely going to be happening more and more.

When the next song started, I didn't even stop. I turned and continued to move to the beat. That's when I felt two arms slide around my waist. From the weight of them, and that fact that Cam never did this, I knew it was a guy. 

I leaned back against the stranger and let him dance against me. My mind seemed to be on a vacation somewhere and my body was in control. My head fell back on his shoulder and he ran his hands over my body. I felt lips press against my neck and chills shot through me. I tensed up for a second. No one had touched me like this except Adam. 

I turned in the strangers arms and wrapped mine around his neck. I wanted to get a look at him. Yep. He was definitely one of the frat guys. He had blonde hair and was built like a quarterback. He was definitely attractive and could get any girl he wanted.

He slid his hands over my waist and pulled my body flush against his before he put his lips to my ear. "You are looking extremely sexy tonight." 

How original. Unimpressed, I took pity on the poor frat guy. "You don't look so bad yourself." 

We continued to dance for awhile. As song after song played, I got more enthralled. Not by the guy so much as the night itself. This was all so different than what I was used to. It was new. Uncomfortable. But that was the trick wasn't it? To get outside your comfort zone? Well, if that was the case, I was right on track. 

Frat guy stepped back a little and cupped the side of my face. Two seconds later, he crushed my mouth to his. I opened my mouth to his kiss. I felt his tongue stroke mine and he tasted like vodka and something sweet I couldn't place. I found myself burying my hands in the hair at his nape of his neck; deepening the kiss as I did it.

God, it felt good to be kissed like this. Now that I thought about it, it had been an incredibly long time since Adam and I kissed this way. Lately, there had been peck kisses here and there. Nothing like what I was feeling now. 

Frat guy pulled back and took me by the hand. "Follow me." 

I let him lead me towards the back of the bar in the direction of the restrooms. He captured my mouth again as we pushed into the bathroom; making sure to lock the door behind us. Our lips never broke contact as he guided me backwards until by back pressed up against the sink.

The kiss got heated. He slid his hands under my thighs and lifted me up; sitting me on the cold porcelain. Since I was wearing a dress, he was able to step between my legs and pull my body against his. 

I gasped into his mouth as I felt the hard length of him through his jeans pressing up against me. He kissed a path from my mouth to my neck. A low moan escaped me as he continued to torture my sweet spot. I slid my hands to his waist and under his shirt. The heat from his skin was a brand and I welcomed it. 

He moved his hands down my arms, over my waist, then back down to my thighs. My heart was pounding in that moment. The music from the bar was booming as it filled the empty space of the bathroom. As soon as I felt this stranger's hand start to slid up my dress, reality hit me. It was like someone poured a bucket of cold water  on top of me. 

I pushed at his chest and he backed up immediately. "You okay?" he asked with surprisingly genuine concern. 

I hopped off the sink and straightened my dress. "I'm sorry. I can't-- I'm sorry." 

Just like that, I was off the Rebound Train and headed for Bottom Station. Without looking back, I left Frat Boy where he stood.

The only pleasure I wanted tonight was from my mattress and fluffy pillows.