by Alexa Davis
“You up for the diner tonight?” Nickie forced her arm through mine. “My treat.”
I really didn’t want to, I needed to get away to be by myself, but again I was starving. I did need to eat, and I was too weary to cook. “Sure, why not.”
We walked to the exit, and as soon as the cool air hit my face, I felt my worries from the week fade away. I loved having weekends off; it made it a lot easier to shake it off and go back to being myself. Sometimes I did lose me in there.
“So, Michelle said that Annie and Seb are coming to the club, too. That’ll be good, won’t it? They’re always so much fun.” Nickie rambled on like I hadn’t expressed dislike for the whole plan. “Annie always has the latest gossip.”
“Are they really fun?” I replied glumly. “They always talk about babies, endlessly, and I find that exhausting. I don’t feel the need to discuss blood pressure all night long. Sure, Annie might have the gossip, but to be honest, I don’t really care what my co-workers get up to when they aren’t in the hospital.”
Nickie didn’t answer me – she didn’t need to because she knew that I was right, but to be fair to her, she’d always been much more sociable than me. I was happy to live my life in the shadows, whereas she’d always desired to be in a group. Even if they were boring as hell. Graphic birth stories or not, it was more people to have fun with.
There was a time in medical school when she insisted on going to all the parties held by the trainee surgeons, despite the fact that they always ended with someone puking over someone else. Just not my idea of fun – and it never would be.
“Look, if you don’t want to come to Lights Out tomorrow, I’ll just come and kidnap you. You understand that, right? You know how relentless I can be.”
“Maybe I’ll just come for a little bit, will that be okay?” Anything to get her off my back. “Then when the birth stories start, I can get the hell out of there.”
“Sure, sure whatever.” At least Nickie was smiling now. “Just make sure you dress nice, alright? It really does have nice people in there; you want to look good.”
“Why, what are you going to wear?” My tone was confused, terrified, and also a little mad. How had I agreed to this? What a freaking mess.
“My little black dress, of course. That outfit shows just enough boobs and legs to be sexy, but trashy, too. Perfect. I want people to know that I’m classy, but available.”
Oh God, I was not prepared for this. “Well maybe I’ll get something new then. We’ll see.” I couldn’t really afford it, but I didn’t want to look dowdy, either. “I’ll see what I have in my wardrobe.” Nothing, I didn’t need to look to know that!
As we stepped into the diner, Nickie instantly raced to the bathroom, leaving me alone with my menu. I flicked my eyes over the room, just to see who was there, when I spotted a face I vaguely recognized, but not from the hospital. I couldn’t really remember her name, but she had been in my class in high school. That wasn’t why I couldn’t drag my eyes away, though – it was the adorable moment I could see her sharing with her young boy.
He must have been about five or six years old, and he was telling her a story very intently. He was giving her a look of intense love, and she was giving him the same back. There was such adoration there, it made me womb ache. I wanted that, I really did, even if it wasn’t ideal. Not now necessarily, but it would’ve been nice to know I was on the way.
“Who’s that?” I only dragged my eyes away when Nickie’s voice burst through my shock barrier. She was looking at me like I’d gone a bit insane, which maybe I had.
“Oh, erm, someone I went to school with. No one, really.” I felt my face heat up as I’d been caught. I wasn’t sure what I’d done so wrong,
“So why don’t you say hello?”
“I didn’t know her that well. Shall we get something to eat?”
Nickie gave me a confused look, like she knew that there was much more going on underneath the surface, but thankfully, she didn’t push it. She simply nodded and looked down at her menu inquisitively, like it was something she hadn’t looked at a million times.
This was crazy. I was getting child envy, and I didn’t even have a boyfriend. I hadn’t even bothered speaking to my mom and she was in my head, making me come around to her way of thinking. What was I so worried for just because I didn’t have someone? Plenty of people were single, and they were totally okay with that. I didn’t need anyone to make myself happy... That was all stuff I could have way into the future.
“So did you speak to your mom in the end?” Nickie asked, sensing my thoughts. “It’s just that you seem a little distracted.” God damn, she knew exactly what was going on with me. How embarrassing!
“No, not yet. I will eventually, when I have the strength for it.” I nodded and smiled a little too brightly. “Maybe I’ll tell her that I’m pregnant, just to mess with her mind for a moment. Give her a little thrill.”
“Oh my God, tell her that you don’t know who the dad is – that will be incredible. She will lose her freaking mind. She might even have a heart attack!”
We laughed loudly, and it felt good to be making a joke out of the situation. It was preferable to wallowing, at any rate. My life was great just the way it was.
Chapter Five
Terrance
Saturday
I pulled the charcoal suit jacket up over my shoulders, grinning at my appearance. I did look good if I said so myself. My endless stream of cash helped me to scrub up well. I had a smooth jazz CD playing in the background as I sipped on my drink. I needed some noise in my apartment as I got ready to distract my brain from the doubtful thoughts Braxton had racing through my mind. It wasn’t like me to get so worked up about things like that, but the fact that I’d been thinking a lot about my brother didn’t help.
“It’s going to be fine, you idiot.” I chuckled as I murmured to myself. “Don’t be such a freak.”
Maybe Lights Out wasn’t in the best end of the city, but it truly was frequented by a lot of people like me. There was certainly no real basis to be worried.
Plus, there was no chance I’d sit around at home on my own like a loser on a Saturday night. I needed to be surrounded by women. I had to find that special someone to entertain me for a few hours. I couldn’t wait to run fingers through some soft hair, to touch some silky skin... I was looking forward to the ecstasy that could only come from burying myself into the hottest woman in the place.
It was going to be awesome.
I stepped outside my apartment and hopped right in my car. I wasn’t interested in getting wasted tonight, so driving wouldn’t be an issue. And even if I did end up overdoing it, I’d call a cab and pick my car up when I felt sober enough to tomorrow. That was what I always did. My Jag was always a hit with the ladies anyway, so it could only serve to help me.
I revved the engine and cruised down the road, loving the way the vehicle felt beneath me. I wasn’t much for cars, really. I didn’t live and breathe them like some did, but I was a huge fan of my own. I only had the one and she was a dream: bright red, wonderful alloys, a great speaker system...just incredible. A real head turner, which of course, I loved.
As eyes of the revellers also headed for a night out turned my way, I waved at the hotter women and even blew a kiss at one. By the time I arrived outside and parked as near to the place as I could, my insides were buzzing with anticipation. This was going to be a night to remember – I felt certain of it.
“Hello there, Mr. Canton,” the bouncer greeted me, filled with seriousness. “Welcome, please come in the VIP entrance.”
Maybe I should’ve felt bad for walking past all those people shivering from the cold, who had probably been there for hours, but I didn’t. This was just my life. “Awesome, thank you.”
I was taken to a booth, which allowed me to look down over the dance floor of the normal people, and a selection of drinks were brought to my table. I knew for a fact that I would have every single one of my needs serviced t
onight, as I always did.
“Please, send up the brunette in the orangey dress.” I grinned up at the serving girl. “Tell her that I’d love to spend some time with her.”
“Of course, Mr. Canton. Whatever you need.”
I smirked to myself as I sat back and waited. Honestly, Braxton had no idea what he was talking about. Why the hell would I want to be anywhere else in the world? He was so judgemental. I even pulled my cell phone out of my pocket to text him that, but before I got the chance, the girl was brought to my side.
“Hi, are you Terrance?” she shifted shyly from foot to foot. “The waitress girl told me that you wanted to talk to me?” She looked coy and cute, not my usual type. I wasn’t sure what had attracted me to her in the first place.
“Yeah, please take a seat and help yourself to a drink.” I grabbed a non-alcoholic one and watched as she picked up a cocktail. “So, what’s your name?” The only thing I ever wanted to know, and that was only because it made conversation a lot easier.
“I’m Jaz.” She wrapped her hair tightly around her finger. “It’s nice to meet you, Terrance. Thanks for inviting me. I haven’t ever been to the VIP section of a club before.”
I had a feeling that this was going to be a very interesting night, so much so that the next drink I grabbed was a strong one. I would get a cab. My car was parked in a reasonably safe place. I didn’t think I had anything to be worried about. “Well, I’m very glad you decided to join me.”
We went on to have a suitably superficial conversation, never really discussing anything serious, all the while I traced my fingers along her jawline and neck. I kept my attention solely on her for a lot of the time, just so she felt special, but I flirted with the server just enough that she knew I couldn’t be a long-term thing. I’d managed to get this far in life without acquiring a stalker, I didn’t intend to start now.
Eventually the moment came upon us, the time I would seal the deal by kissing her. She had her head edged towards me; I was cocking mine and slowly leaning forwards. She wanted it, I could tell from her pursed lips, and I did, too. Probably not to same degree, but that didn’t matter too much. I smiled at her, making my way closer and closer, anticipation growing...
“Mr. Canton, can I speak to you please?” a gruff voice interrupted us at the worst possible moment. It was a good thing this wasn’t true love, or I would’ve been really pissed off. I could easily recreate that magic, it was just very annoying.
“Yes, what?” I snapped a little too harshly as I pulled back.
“I have a message for you.” There was something about his smile that I didn’t like, but I chose to keep that emotion inside. It probably wouldn’t be helpful in the long run. “Your car is being towed.”
“Oh, fuck!” I jumped up, knocking one of the drinks over. The girl sitting with me squealed, but she was long forgotten in my mind now. She’d probably run off, but that wasn’t my issue. I had my car to worry about – it was the only one I had. If I didn’t get this sorted now I wouldn’t have any way of getting around, and I’d lose the vehicle I adored. “Are you sure it’s mine?”
“Red Jaguar? Yes, I think it’s yours. The guy said something about unpaid tickets. The valet tried to intervene, but he couldn’t do anything about it if it’s a legal thing.” He looked like he felt guilty, which was one of the main things I liked about Lights Out. They were always so damn caring.
“Fuck, okay. Thank you for letting me know.
I knew that wasn’t true about the tickets... At least, I didn’t think it was, but I ran out to rescue the situation regardless. It could’ve been a case of mistaken identity or a jobsworth that just didn’t like the look of my car, someone who had nothing better to do at whatever God forsaken time it was.
Well, whatever the case they were about to get a mouthful from me!
I pushed my way to the street where my car was, hot temper boiling right through me. I was ready for a battle. I was up for some serious screaming, but what I saw was surprising. There wasn’t a single person anywhere near my car. I glanced everywhere but nothing changed. The street was undeniably empty.
“What the...” I muttered, wondering who else had a red Jag around here. How the hell could that guy have gotten it so damn wrong?
“Looking for someone?”
I spun around as a voice echoed from a nearby alleyway. It wasn’t someone I immediately recognized, but that didn’t mean they didn’t know who I was. I’d met a lot of people in my time, and they usually recalled me better than I did them.
“Who’s there?” I snapped back, just as coldly. “What do you want?”
“Oh, I just want a chat.”
I fixed my eyes on the shadowy figure that slowly revealed himself to me. He stepped out from where he was hiding and into the yellowish light of the street lamp, but it didn’t matter how much I narrowed my eyes and racked my brain, the figure wasn’t someone I knew. And, he had a distinctive look, so I certainly would’ve recognized him.
His bald head had a long deep scar running down it, his eyes were so dark and sunken in they looked black, he had bulging muscles, much bigger than I ever could’ve hoped to gain in my entire lifetime, and he had a tattoo of a lion over his neck. No, if I’d met this person before I would’ve remembered, which left me with only one question... What the hell did he want with me?
“Okay, sure,” I replied nervously. “What do you want to talk about?”
He stepped closer to me, squaring out his chest in my direction. He had a problem with me, and I didn’t know why. Was there a chance I’d screwed his girl at some point? My life time had to come back to haunt me eventually. “I think we just need to sort some things out.”
Despite myself, I gulped back a big ball of fear that had lodged itself into my throat. I wasn’t against defending myself or anything – I wasn’t weak – but I’d just never found myself in this situation before. Plus, I usually had Braxton by my side to defend me. This was just...a little much.
“Right, okay,” I inadvertently stepped backwards. “I don’t want any trouble, so why don’t you tell me what’s going on here and we can come to some agreement.”
I reached for the money in my pocket, ready to pay him off, but that only caused him to laugh loudly and nastily at me. “You can’t pay yourself out of this situation, Mr. Canton.”
Fuck... This guy knew me, really knew me, and something about that pissed him right off. My heart hammered in my chest, my mouth ran dry with fear, and I tried to look for an escape, but my fuzzy eyes couldn’t pick anything up.
He was getting closer to me, and every step I took back did nothing to widen the gap, and that only got worse when my back crashed into a cold, hard wall.
“Now,” my new enemy smiled smugly at me. “Let’s get down to business, shall we?”
“I don’t want any trouble,” I tried once more. “Please, just leave me alone.”
But he ignored me. He pulled his fist back and aimed it at me. He looked so pleased with himself to have me in such a mess, as if this was exactly what he wanted. Maybe that was all he wanted... Maybe he didn’t want to take this any further than fear...
But then he flung his hand at me and a blinding, blackout pain burst out from the side of my face. It was hot, intense, dizzying...almost paralysing so. I could feel my legs giving out from beneath me and my body crumpling to the ground.
Then, I heard more voices. This guy was not alone.
This was bad – really bad – and there wasn’t a damn thing that I could do about it.
Chapter Six
Morgan
Saturday
Oh God, this was not a good idea. I twirled around giving myself a view of my entire outfit, and it did not make me feel great. I had a red swing dress on, which showed just a hint of cleavage. Admittedly it did cling to my curves well, and with the black sheer stockings covering my legs I had a bit of a glamorous vibe going on, but I was not looking forward to the night that lay ahead.
I picked u
p my cell phone, considering calling Nickie to cancel the whole thing, but I rapidly decided against it. She would cause much less of a fuss if I just turned up for a little bit. That way I’d completed my obligation, and I could still get back in time to read a couple more chapters before I went to sleep. Perfect.
I dropped my phone and grabbed my hairbrush instead. With just a few more strokes, it would get that shiny look that almost could pass for a professional blow dry.
“Okay, let’s just go.” I glanced at the clock, noticing that it was a little past the time Nickie said her and the others were going to arrive. They would be well on the way to tipsy if I walked there, which I intended to. I would much rather spend money on the night bus home, rather than on the way there. “If I go now, it won’t be too sketchy out on the streets.”
It was with a deep sigh that I finally managed to get myself out the door and onto the streets of the big wide world. There was that “Saturday Night” atmosphere clinging to the air, the one where everyone was excited. It was just a shame that I was on the outside looking in. It would be much better for me to get wrapped up in it, to just enjoy myself, but I couldn’t.
“Alright, sexy!” some random skanky guy called out to me, causing me to fold my jacket tighter around me. I hated being catcalled; it made me feel naked even when I was fully dressed. “Hey, come here, come and have a drink with us.”
Urgh, gross. It would be better when I was with the others.
The roads got a little shadier as I drew nearer to Lights Out, only confirming what I already told Nickie. This wasn’t the best place in the city – there was no way rich guys hung out there. She clearly only said that in a piss poor attempt to drag me along, which was pathetic. If that was what she really wanted, then she needed to start hanging out more central.
My heart beat faster as I crossed my arms even tighter around me, keeping my gaze focused on the ground beneath me. If I just concentrated on my steps, on the fact that I was moving forwards, then it left me much less time to freak out.