by S. E. Akers
We worked our way over to where Mike and Kara were sitting. No sooner than we’d sat down to join them, a guy came around to take our order for some drinks.
The waiter looked at Mike. “What’ll it be,” the man with oil-slick bluish-black hair asked gruffly. Noting the indecision on his face, the waiter interjected, “Let me save you the brain cells, pretty boy. You’re choices are Jack or Miller on tap.”
Mike shot his eyes around the table. “Four whis—”
“Don’t be crazy, dude,” the waiter interrupted. “Two whiskeys… Tini’s for the ladies,” he insisted, throwing each of us gals an obliging wink. Mike pulled a fifty out of his wallet and held it between his fingers. The waiter swiftly snatched the bill out of his hand, practically taking Mike’s fingers with him.
“Easy!” Mike barked and shot him a glare. The waiter threw Mike a foul smirk before he headed off to the bar.
“You are so asking for him to piss in your drink, dude,” Ty assured Mike with a laugh. I smiled and let out a few giggles of my own. I was thinking the same thing.
“Kara, where did you hear about this place?” Mike inquired, not pleased by her selection.
“A cute guy I met tonight. His name is Marco. He invited me, personally,” Kara bragged as she adjusted her top.
Hmmm… I wonder which one she’s trying to make jealous? Ty or Mike?
“So where is this ‘cute’ guy?” Mike mocked, taking the bait.
Kara scanned the club. “There he is,” she said and threw her hand up in a wave. The guy I remembered seeing her with earlier headed towards us, but stopped at the bar for a second. With a drink in his hand, Marco made his way over to our table.
“I’m so glad you came,” Marco said to Kara. “This is for you, beautiful.” He reached around her and placed a pink martini on the table, but I saw the intent behind his generosity. The sneaky bastard copped a little feel.
Classy guy, I scoffed quietly with a roll of my eyes. He panned around the table, scowling at our male counterparts. His eyes lit up when they stopped on me.
“And you brought a friend. Allow me to get you one too,” Marco said. At that moment, the waiter arrived with our drinks.
“No thanks. I already have one,” I replied.
“But I insist.” As I reached for my drink, Marco slid it away from me. I grabbed the glass stem and pulled it back my way.
“But I don’t know you,” I fired back directly and threw Kara a look to let her know that we all saw the guy’s hand rubbing her ass.
“We can fix that,” Marco announced with a sordid look in his eye. Kara brushed his hand away immediately and stormed off. For once, Kara and I had the same thought. This playboy was pretty daggone brazen. Before I could say another word, Ty came to my defense.
“She’s not interested.” To make his point, he scooted closer and wrapped his arm around me. “I think you should go find someone else to bother,” Ty urged.
The ballsy stranger in our midst glowered at Ty for a moment and then shifted his gaze back to me. “My apologies,” Marco insisted. “I couldn’t help myself. There’s just something irresistible about you.” A peculiar gleam glazed over his eyes as he rose from his seat. “Even your smell is so fragrant…and deliciously sweet,” he whispered and then walked away. His pick-up line downright irked me. If that guy had told me that I smelled like “freesias”, I swear I would have popped him square in the face, no holding back either. Ty snapped his fingers playfully to pull me out of my daze.
“Are you okay?” Ty asked.
“Yeah,” I mumbled as I thought about another time he showed this kind of concern. Before too many missed opportunities flooded my mind, I gave myself a quick reality check. This was supposed to be a “vacation”. An absolutely no-dwelling-on-the-past, stress-free getaway, as Katie would say.
What will be, will be…
“Yes, I am,” I replied confidently. I threw back my martini and with one quick gulp, it was dry. “Come on,” I ordered Ty as I rose from my chair. “Bea told me that you can dance.” It was hardly a slow song, but he didn’t put up a fight.
Eight songs later, we were both thirsty and spent. We refilled at the bar and headed back to our table. Mike was sitting alone with his shot glasses stacked in a pathetic-looking pyramid.
“Where’s Kara?” I asked, somewhat concerned.
Mike pointed to the dance floor. “With that guy,” Mike sulked. Kara must have forgiven Marco for hitting on me. I could tell that by the way they were dancing — if you could call it that. “Dry-humping” seemed a better fit.
“You know how she is,” Ty stated as he jabbed Mike’s shoulder. “Am I right?” he posed with a grin.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Mike agreed with a laugh.
“Psycho-Tease,” they replied in unison as they knocked their drinks together with a “clank” and then threw them back straightaway. It was nice to see that my two amnesia victims had resolved their “Kara” issues and rekindled their friendship.
Bros before Hoes, I laughed silently as I sipped on my drink.
“Look around. There are plenty of girls here tonight,” Ty commented to Mike. “You need to step out of your comfort-zone.” After giving the club a thorough scan, I realized he was right. There were tons of young females here, and they definitely outnumbered the males. Other than Mike and Ty, most of the fellas were tough looking, leather-clad dudes who appeared to be “regulars”. Then there were a handful of fraternity guys wearing vivid sweatshirts colored in purple and gold, all stamped with the letters, “LSU”. Now they stuck out.
Kara sashayed back to our table a few minutes later, after she’d spotted some girls talking to Mike. She knocked a drink over on one of them and had the nerve to whisper to the other that he was gay. Mike did get the drink-victim’s number on a napkin despite Kara’s scheming. Regardless of whose chain she was pulling on the dance floor, she still longed to be the object of Mr. Riverside’s affections — all fifty-three million of them.
“Hey… Get a look at her,” Mike urged to Ty. Curious myself, I followed Mike’s lead. I caught the backside of redhead who was gliding towards the bar. A tall, thin man wearing dark, narrow sunglasses accompanied her through the crowd. He pulled out a barstool and then helped remove her cape. The woman’s backless dress dipped so low that you got a good shot of her tramp-stamp, as well as the top crack of her ass. I glanced over at the two drooling schoolboys and noted, Yeah, something’s definitely piqued.
“Da-hamn,” rolled off Mike’s tongue.
“She’s not that hot,” Kara griped, clearly offended that his eyes weren’t undressing her that way. The woman spoke to the bartender briefly and then hopped up on the stool. When she swiveled around and crossed her legs, her dress hiked up over her hip.
No underwear there, I noted with a laugh, knowing the guys had assessed the same. Her other assets may have been what Mike and Ty were surprised to see, but I was intrigued for another reason.
The woman from the voodoo shop.
“She’s kind of plain — I think,” Kara cracked.
Kara’s green-eyed monster act was grating on my last nerve. I mocked her silently, Guys! Why aren’t you looking at me? I even pictured her jumping up on the table and throwing the mother of all hissy-fits.
“I bet those aren’t even real,” Kara remarked snidely. “And her lips are too—”
“Kara! Who are you kidding? Seriously?” I blasted. Mike and Ty exchanged a few chuckles. I turned to them. “You know, I met her in a store earlier today.”
“You did? What’s her name?” Mike panted.
“I never got her name,” I replied.
“What’s she like?” Mike asked, not able to take his eyes off her. I ran through a list of descriptive words in my head. I couldn’t say “supernaturally intriguing”, but “mystically bitchy” seemed like a good fit.
“Mike, she might be a little out-of-your-league,” I phrased delicately, knowing that any interaction with a possible Talisman wou
ld not be a good thing.
“You’re crazy. My game is tight,” Mike professed vainly. “I’m good-looking and rich. How much more in-her-league can I be?” he charged.
“That’s not what I mean. She’s umm, not what I’d call ‘nice’. She’ll probably shoot you down.” Or slam your head into the bar.
“I’m getting out of my comfort-zone and buying her a drink,” Mike announced, offended, as he rose from his seat. I jumped up and pulled him aside.
“Mike, trust me. She’s not into making new friends. She may kick your ass,” I warned.
“Well, you’d know all about that,” my amnesia victim cracked with a guided raise of his brow. He turned to Ty. “Wish me luck. I’m going in,” Mike stated as he ran his fingers through his sandy-blonde hair and checked his breath.
“Don’t let me stop you, Romeo,” I said as I threw my hands in the air and shook my head. I didn’t want to watch so I grabbed my purse. “I’m going to find the bathroom.”
“Don’t you want to stay and watch him crash ’n burn?” Ty laughed.
“It’s like watching a dummy going in without a helmet and no pad. I’ll pass,” I huffed.
After a couple of minutes of searching the dark corners of the club, I finally found the line for the ladies’ room — the incredibly long line. That wasn’t surprising, what with the crowd’s gender skewed in that direction. There had to be fifteen girls waiting and not a single one over on the guys’ side.
Hmmmm…
Since I was bringing up the rear and no one was paying any attention, I cunningly cloaked myself with an invisibility spell and slipped into the men’s room. To my delight, it was empty.
Now all I need is a toilet, I pondered as I eyed a row of nasty-looking urinals. Thankfully there was one lonely bowl located towards the back of the room, hidden in an alcove. There wasn’t a door, just a wall. I knew I was invisible, but I hurried anyway. I’d just zipped and buttoned back up when I heard someone enter the bathroom. I stayed quietly where I was, just me and a yet-to-be flushed toilet filled with pee.
“So, what’s the count for mass tonight?” a guy asked.
What is this “mass” they keep talking about?
“I figure five of them for each of us,” a familiar voice posed.
Five of what? I peeked around the corner. As I’d suspected, there was the bouncer from out front, standing by a sink and whipping out his comb.
“What about the guys? Any opposition?” the other man inquired.
Opposition? My brain was scrambling to figure out exactly what they meant.
“Naw… Just some frat pukes and two high school punks,” the bouncer remarked with a devious grin.
“Did you see who’s sitting at the bar?”
“Oh yeah. She’s here to see Damiec,” the bouncer replied.
“Tell me that he’s not thinking about trusting that bitch again.”
“No. But he’s curious why she’s here. He’ll see her before mass starts, but he wants to let her sweat it out at the bar for a while,” the bulky bouncer added with a laugh. “Hey, I’ve got my eye on a dark-blonde out there. I couldn’t get my mark to take, so don’t touch her!” he warned.
“Which one?” the other man asked.
“The one wearing the most clothes. Innocent-looking, high-school girl.”
Me?
“Oh, yeah. I saw her,” the man confirmed. “I was picking up a virgin-vibe.”
WHAT!?!
“Me too,” the bouncer purred. “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had one of those.”
My eyes flared as I clenched my fists.
“It’ll cost you,” the man announced. “Her, for THREE of yours.”
“Deal!” the bouncer replied straightaway and licked his lips.
Son-of-a-BITCH! Kara brought us to some kind of freaky sex-club! I slammed my hands on the toilet’s lever and marched towards the door. I needed to round up our unaware troop so we could skedaddle way before this X-rated jamboree kicked-off. The two men cocked their heads curiously towards the bowl that was now swirling with water, all on its own. I probably shouldn’t have flushed. Habit? But it wasn’t like they could see me anyway.
I checked the huge clock hanging above the bar. It was almost a quarter to twelve. I assumed like any “traditional” mass that it would probably commence at midnight. I weaved through the crowd, still invisible and at a snail’s pace. I spotted Ty and Mike at our table from across the room. Kara was there too, sitting on Marco’s lap.
That girl REALLY needs to get some self-esteem!
The crowd began pushing me in the opposite direction, rerouting me towards the bar. There was the woman from the voodoo store. The bartender placed a martini in front of her. As soon as he had turned away, she pulled something familiar out of her bag and dumped it into her drink. It was the onyx powder she’d traded for earlier. She stirred it with her finger and in one throw, downed the entire drink.
Why would SHE drink it?
Something else familiar captured my attention when she slammed her empty glass on the counter — the bracelet she was wearing. My eyes started flashing descriptive signals to my brain. Same gold chain… There’s an amethyst… A golden topaz… Several serpentines… And a FIRE OPAL…
I let out a shrill gasp. THAT’S GALLIA’S BRACELETTE!
“Hey, Lorelei,” the bartender shouted over the noisy crowd. “Damiec will see you now. Go on up.”
LORELEI, I seethed while my brain flashed back to the last time I’d heard that name, down in Jolo, when the little Serpentine Talisman had let it slip. She was the Talisman that Gallia had to hide from every full moon. I KNEW IT! IT WASN’T THE ONYX! SHE KILLED HER!
While I stood there, my blood boiling with rage, a strange look began to creep across Lorelei’s face. Her eyes widened at an alarming rate as she scanned the room. She was mystified by something. Since Lorelei knew Gallia, I had to assume she was an old Talisman too, most likely an original who was the first to claim their stone. So if she was picking up on a supernatural vibe, it regrettably was coming from me.
DAMN!
For my own sake, I muzzled my anger and hurried over to our table. Even though I was still invisible, Lorelei’s predatory senses followed my energy and tracked it to where I was now, standing behind Ty. She hopped off her barstool and started heading this way. Without making the slightest sound or movement, I watched her prowl closer with a frenzied hunger blazing in her eyes.
“Change your mind about that drink?” Mike asked Lorelei.
“Not hardly,” Lorelei replied with a frosty bite, ignoring the cocky jock and instead, oddly fixated on Ty. “But I’ll take one from you, handsome.”
Hell no!
“Oh,” Ty mumbled as he twisted uncomfortably in his seat. He looked around the club and insisted, “I’m here with someone.”
How sweet…
Lorelei heightened her lusty stare. “Are you sure about that?” she coaxed. With her closer proximity, I started picking up on her magical vibe. The more I focused on the reddish-orange hue swirling in her eyes, which only I could see, the more certain I was about what she was really doing — trying to compel Ty. I noticed him tugging at the collar on his shirt as he shifted in his seat. Undoubtedly, Ty could feel it too.
“I’m positive,” Ty fired back adamantly. I breathed a sigh of relief too soon, too rashly. I looked down to see that he’d popped an extra button open on his shirt, revealing the thing that was protecting him. My diamond. Lorelei saw it too. The bitch was practically foaming at the mouth now. Swiftly, she reached across the table. My reflexes kicked into overdrive. I grabbed Ty’s chair and scooted him back several feet.
“You asshole!” a guy yelled. “You spilled my drink!” Inadvertently, I had rammed him into a couple of drunken frat guys sitting at the next table.
My bad…
Mike jumped in. “It was an accident, dude. Don’t be a dick!” That crack drove the rest of the fraternity brothers out of their chairs.<
br />
“Let’s step outside,” a strapping brown-haired guy taunted and grabbed Mike by his shirt. Ty broke between them and pushed Mike back.
The bouncer stormed over. “You fellows need to leave NOW, before I throw you out!” he growled and gave his knuckles a sharp crack.
A couple of F-You’s from some of the LSU boys threw the bouncer into a rage. Several of the biker-looking regulars swarmed around the rowdy group, and before I knew it, a small bar-fight had broken out. Fists started flying instantly. That wasn’t my intention, but it did get Lorelei out of the way. She got shoved towards the bar, away from Ty, but her fiery stare never left him for a second.
Lorelei whispered something to the tall man in the sunglasses who was with her. He nodded obediently and trailed the pack of brawlers out the door. Curiously, I followed behind him to see where he was going. The crowd of guys in the hallway thickened and ended up impeding my view. I searched all around, but I lost track of him.
Kara rushed down the hall with Marco right on her heels. The creep wouldn’t let her leave. He locked her in a tight grasp, right in front of me.
“You’ll be okay with me,” Marco remarked as he glanced at his watch. “Don’t leave.”
“I’d better go,” Kara said uneasily as she tried to free herself. “My friends are outside waiting for me.”
“No,” Marco whispered as he stared into her eyes. He took a hold of her wrist and started rubbing the red mark the bouncer had stamped on her hand. “You came here for me.”
“Yes,” Kara replied in a trance-like daze. Somehow this guy had hypnotized her and she was now his, helplessly. Kara may hold one of the top five spots on my shit-list, but I couldn’t let someone take advantage of her, let alone gang-rape. So, I did what I had to and drove my right fist into his face. He hit the floor not a second later, out cold and thankfully now out of our hair. I pulled Kara over to the side and snapped my fingers several times, but it was no use. She still looked dazed or drugged.
I slammed my foot on the floor. Crap!
It was about five minutes till midnight — five minutes to whatever this “Black Mass” actually turned out to be. I had to make sure she was out of here — that they all were. But I was staying. I wasn’t about to let Lorelei get away with what she had done to Gallia or let the fire opal Katie needed out of my sight!