I could hear Petra's laughter over the din of the bar, bright and musical. She was off in the corner with Gabby and Alicia, no doubt suckering some unsuspecting man into buying our entire party drinks. The sashes we wore that said "team bride" tended to do most of the work for her, though.

It was mere weeks before her marriage to Landon, and she'd wanted to celebrate her Bachelorette in the same manner her mother had, trolling the beach bars down by the coast and drinking free booze with her girlfriends, so we all bartered dances for tequila and then drifted to the next bar when someone got a little too handsy. Even without excessive spending money, we'd ended up having a good time.

We'd ended up at an open-air bar made of dark wood. Blue-tinged lights in the ceiling made it feel like it was underwater and the sea salt breeze blew through the large windows. The sound of the surf and music drowned out almost all conversation.

Charlotte sidled into the stool next to me, looking more than a little drunk, "I wish Natalie had decided to come tonight," she looked sullen as if she were nursing not only her rum and coke but also some personal offense as well.

"She had work tomorrow and you know she doesn't like..." I gestured vaguely to the atmosphere and the groups of people being loud and no doubt obnoxious.

"Yeah...maybe. I just wish she'd spend more time with us," she laid her head on my shoulder and sighed, "we grew up together, did I ever tell you that, Addy?"

"Yeah, Charlotte. You've both told me that before. You went to the same school."

"Yeah! We went to the same school and everything. We were super close. I don't see her enough anymore." Charlotte blew out a puff of frustrated air straight into my ear.

"You literally live in the same house, Charlotte."

"I. Know. I should be seeing her all the time, but I don't ever get to. I'm sad."

Truthfully, Charlotte and Nat worked completely opposite schedules. Nat was an elementary teacher, while Charlotte worked night shifts as a CNA. They both had full-time jobs, so it left little time for overlaps. "How much have you had to drink tonight?"

"Not nearly enough," Charlotte's laughter was dark and heady. The kind of laugh that had men looking our way with hungry looks. Charlotte was a bombshell, though in her work scrubs and ponytail she hid it well. When she went out, though, with her long dark hair hanging down to her hips in unruly waves she could knock the breath out of an entire room. She had on tight dark pants and an emerald top that made her light green eyes just pop, and right now those eyes were staring at me with a mischevious glint, "You know what would make me feel better?"

I squinted back at her, "what?"

"Looking at more of those hot aliens."

I rolled my eyes, "Oh my God, Charlotte!"

"What! A girl's gotta live. Just because you're our sweet bashful virgin doesn't mean I'm not interested in some late night fantasy material!"

"You're ridiculous," but I was pulling out my phone anyway. I couldn't shake the desire to lurk on more of the leaked images, and there had been more.

After France's video conference had been outed, more countries had found their top-secret communications hacked and displayed for the world to see. Twelve different Val'Dornn males had been identified and strangely every single one of them was as striking as the last. The silver eyed male with fangs seemed to be the leader of communications, but other males had been brought in mostly at the request of the government officials they were speaking to.

A male with sandy blonde hair and golden slit eyes was even called in. He was apparently some higher up devoted to the study of the Val'Dornn genetics. He had a lazy smile and held himself with an almost insolent air, but he seemed sincere enough in his drive to study alien genetics.

Of the twelve males seen in all of the released footage, only three's names had been released to the public; the silver-eyed communications lead, the golden scientist, and the Val'Dornn who was leading the ship's journey to Earth. Their names were Vailen, Kados, and Roan respectively.

"God they're such babes!" Charlotte leaned against me almost knocking me out of the stool I'd been sitting in. "I mean. They're all beautiful! How crazy is that! A race of beautiful men. Hell, I might just enter the lottery for the chance of the jackpot of getting to head up to that ship. Little old me a needy bitch surrounded by thousands of men who have probably never even seen a woman." The dreamy look disappeared for a second, "Damn, they're probably all virgins, though. No experience in the sack if you know what I mean." She elbowed me, "I mean but with looks like that I'd love to have the opportunity to teach them a thing or two."

"They are really striking." I could feel my cheeks blushing. It was only a matter of time until I was as red as Charlotte's lipstick, "but, for all we know they could take you up there and dissect you. There's still no news on what happens once you get up there. No one's been taken yet, and also if they were we're still not sure they could get news back to their friends." I took another sip of my mojito, the flavor was clear and refreshing.

Charlotte stared at me over the top of her drink. She was leaning against the open window, the sea breeze blew tendrils of her hair around her face. One corner of her lip pulled up into a smirk, "Join the lottery with me."

"Wh-- absolutely not Charlotte. I prefer to keep the very few rights I have left," surely it was the alcohol talking and not Charlotte. She was cynical and tended to think the worst of men, so the fact that she even mentioned the possibility was astounding. I stared at her dumbfounded.

She shrugged, "maybe I'm a thirsty bitch," she finished the rest of her rum and coke to prove her point. "Or, maybe with Petra getting married to the love of her life the concept of loving someone doesn't seem so farfetched," she leaned forward conspiratorily as if she were divulging some great secret, which maybe she was. "Join the lottery with me. It's been 457 days and no one has been called up. Get $2000 dollars with me and go to sleep with the fantasy of being the only eligible lady on a ship full of gods."

"Charlotte...you'll have to get me at least three more drinks before I even consider the idea." I wish that were the alcohol talking, but with less than $20 in my bank because of some fluctuating fertility dues, the idea of having $2000 dollars was almost too good to pass up.

She smiled a devil's smile, "no problem." She looked to the table of men nearby, "Excuse me, how would you boys like to come sit with us. My friend thinks we need a few more drinks to really start having fun."

Apparently, it only took two drinks to get me to consider the idea and five drinks to get Charlotte and me into an uber on the way to the Tampa Val'Dornn Genetics Lab. After all, what's a lonely drunk virgin to do when her friend's got a silver tongue and the wherewithal to tempt even the devil.