Tina emerged from the bathroom with a fresh determination to enjoy herself. She stopped practically in the middle of the gathering and began scanning the room for the best-looking man. She ruefully checked her expectations. The best-looking ones, or at least the ones she always found herself most attracted to, always seemed to be taken, or gay, or, embarrassingly, both. She would look for the best-looking, attainable man.

Tina sighed, wondering if she was really up for the search after all. Her heart wasn’t in it. Then again, she pondered, her heart should never be involved in a one-night stand. Hm. Maybe she should just go home… No, she couldn’t do that. She briefly considered her options: head over to the bar, down a couple more cocktails and turn away a few more undesirables before Alice had time for her again. She could get a mild, if somewhat unsatisfactory, buzz from the alcohol and her limited prowess and at least have something to dish to Alice about. The night wouldn’t be a total loss, Tina supposed.

“See anything you like?”

The question, interrupting her thoughts, came from a low voice close to her ear. Tina turned toward the face, her snarky reply dying on her lips. The owner of the voice was a very striking woman, tall, more flamboyantly dressed than anyone else in the room, except for perhaps Tina herself. She was smiling, wearing a flowing purple dress and dangling gold earrings, with dark brown, curly hair – just this side of wild – hanging below her shoulders. Her eyes were dark, almost black, and her skin was a creamy, pale caramel color that hinted at a more exotic background than Tina’s own boring, mid-western upbringing. She was beautiful in a sophisticated way that made Tina feel plain and somehow unfeminine, despite her own attire.

Tina smiled hesitantly in return, then broke eye contact. She looked down for a moment, suddenly realizing what the woman was referring to. "Maybe," she answered, feeling a bit flustered at being caught on the prowl.

“I know it’s not him,” the brunette nodded in the direction of a male-model type nearby. “Attractive, definitely, but doesn’t he look like the kind of guy who starches his boxers?”