Kevin led the way to the bar. The nightclub looked like any other club with a few dark spaces, spotlights in the ceiling, booths in the corners, and a huge dance floor. It wasn't anything impressive, just fun.

There were too many men by the bar for me to identify them. I didn't even know what they looked like, so that wasn't helping either.

I trailed behind Kevin as he made a beeline towards a blond hair guy and one who had black hair. They were both attractive, but they couldn't measure with my guys– wait...my dominants, that was what I meant. They weren't mine in any other way. Nope, we had a strictly Dom slash Sub relationship, nothing more.

The guy with the black hair smiled warmly at Kevin when he saw him, and one look at my friend told me he smiled just as brightly back.

"I've missed you," the guy said when they met. He had a soothing kind of voice, like the ones I'd envisioned physiatrists had. The only reason I heard him at all over the loud music was that I was standing awkwardly close by, fidgeting with my purse.

What I guessed was Thomas–the dark haired guy–looked like the sweet boy next door. He wasn't overly big or small, with a cute face and Harry Potter glasses–round with a thin frame. He wasn't my type though, it seemed I leaned more towards sweetness with spice, dangerous but chivalrous, and dark and mysterious. But even if I didn't find him attractive for me specifically, I could see the appeal.

"You saw me yesterday!" Kevin laughed, he sounded so happy that a smile of my own lit up, but I looked away as they kissed; it felt too private to watch. My eyes met a pair of blue ones, they weren't the clear blue like Mateo's, but it made me think of him all the same. God, I needed to stop obsessing over him; I'd done it all day long. If I weren't thinking about Mateo, I was thinking about the other two.

"You're Emma, I take it?" The blond guy asked. He was handsome, in the general sense of the word. Though, his looks didn't get a single reaction from me– not like when I'd seen Mateo, Callan, or Gideon for the first time, and second, and third... They'd stolen my breath away.

"Yes, hi." I accepted the hand he offered. There wasn't any electricity when I shook his hand and it didn't make my heart pound with some strange feeling, like when I touched any one of my dominants.

Shit, those three men had ruined me. If I'd met this man before them, I'd have probably blushed and tried to flirt a little. I would've thought he was more handsome than I did now. My doms made me compare every other man I saw with them, and no-one measured up.

Yup, irreparably ruined.

"I'm David. It's nice to meet you." He smiled, showing off too white teeth–they practically glowed neon in the club lights. Either he was damn good at taking care of them, or he'd bleached them; my bet was at the latter.

David was dressed in tight grey jeans and a black jumper, illustrating the hours he spent in the gym. His hair was slicked back with what looked like lots of gel–too much, in my opinion. If I combed my fingers through it, they would either get stuck, or I'd end up with a sticky hand. So, he was clearly a man who cared much about his looks. Nothing wrong with that, though.

"You too," I answered. "So, do you think Kevin will introduce me to Thomas anytime soon, or will they be sucking face all night?" I purposely said the last bit loudly. I couldn't help but tease my friend, knowing he could hear me. It was kind of sweet how into each other they were that they forgot the people around them.

"Sorry, girly," Kevin said soon after. "We'll continue this when we get home," he directed at Thomas, giving him a little wink for extra measure.

Thomas looked my way and gave me an embarrassed smile. Shit, I hadn't meant to embarrass him with my teasing, and now I felt terrible.

"Emma, this is Thomas," Kevin pronounced his name all French like; Tom-aa-s. It sounded so elegant. "Thomas, this is the one and only Emma."

"Kevin has told me so much about you," Thomas said as we shook hands. "I'm so sorry about the misunderstanding with the whole double date thing. I really didn't mean anything by it other than I thought it might be fun," he explained.

"Don't worry, I know Kevin was right there with you on that one," I laughed because it truly had been a misunderstanding, and it was all water under the bridge. He'd thought I was single because a certain friend–ahem, Kevin– told him so. Kevin hadn't said I was unavailable, which was practically the same thing as telling him I was single. I could also understand that they thought it would be fun for their friends to date; wasn't that what best friends wanted? To date another pair of best friends and move to the same neighborhood? I could remember some girls in high school talking about wanting to do just that.

"Oh good, and I've told David the same, so you wouldn't be put in an uncomfortable position," he assured me.

While we talked, I saw that Kevin had gone right ahead and introduced himself to David. Kevin was totally different from me; he had no problem stepping out of his comfort zone and talk with strangers. The only reason I spoke with David at first was that he was the first who initiated it. It wasn't because I was mean, just very shy and anxious in a social setting.

"Did you guys get any drinks?" Kevin asked, looking at Thomas, his gaze so soft and lovingly it made my heart warm. I'd never seen him like that before, so wholly interested in another person and having eyes just for him. It looked like Thomas was just as smitten.

I was getting a toothache just watching their interaction.

"Not yet. Go grab a booth, and we'll get the drinks. What do you guys want?" David asked. He had a menu of the drinks in his hand.

"Sex on the beach for me, and scotch on the rocks for my girl. What are you getting? No, wait, let Emma guess. She's a psychic. I'm not kidding. She gets it right every time," Kevin said.

Shaking my head, I objected, "I'm definitely not a psychic." Though I'd already guessed their drinks. I'd done it automatically; it was like a game I played with myself. Though, I didn't want to tell it to them. It was too embarrassing to say out loud to strangers if I got it wrong, especially with how confident Kevin was in my "abilities."

"Come on, tell us what drinks you think they prefer!" My friend pleaded and fuck if his puppy eyes didn't do the trick.

"I can be wrong, obviously, but I think...a Smirnoff peach for Thomas?" I posed it as a question because that was precisely what it was. I wasn't the "all-seeing" that Kevin had made me out to be.

Thomas's eyes widened, and he sputtered out a laugh. "How did you know?"

"I didn't. It's just a lucky guess," I chuckled.

"Lucky guess, my ass," Kevin muttered.

"What about me?" David asked, his brow raised in a dare.

"Strawberry daiquiri, frozen," I answered without hesitation. I got a strong strawberry daiquiri vibe from him.

His face turned red, and he harked out a laugh. "No, I'm more of a Jack and Coke kind of man," he said rather firmly.

Shrugging, I chuckled, "Well, I did say I could be wrong. I guess I was off the map on that one."

Later, when we got the drinks, I saw him make a face at the first sip–and the second, third, fourth–­like he couldn't stand the taste.

Toxic masculinity was men thinking feminine drinks made a man less masculine. I'd met a lot of them working at a nightclub, and I was not impressed. On the other hand, he was best friend with a gay man, so maybe he wasn't that bad after all. I guess I would see.