I smiled and shrugged. “I'm not sure what I'm looking for.”
The clerk returned the smile. “What type of project are you working on?”
“House stuff. To be honest, I don't even know where to start. The whole place is a disaster.”
“Want some advice?”
I nodded. I definitely needed some or else I'd be haunting the halls of this store forever.
The clerk took a step closer to me and I didn't move away. “Start small and go from there. Pick the room with the least amount of work.”
“I think they all need an equal amount of work,” I replied.
The cute guy laughed. “Okay then, start with a bedroom. You really only have to deal with the flooring, walls, and ceiling. No appliances, toilets, tubs or sinks.”
The thought of having to renovate the kitchen or bathroom made me shiver. “Yeah the guest room might be the easiest.”
The clerk led me to another aisle. “Then I recommend some paint. It's hard to mess up painting a wall.”
“Trust me, I can mess up anything.”
The guy took a second to write on a scrap of paper and handed it to me. “Call me if you have any questions or need help. My name's Henry.”
I took the piece of paper with his number on it. “I'm Kelly. Thanks again.” We shook hands and he left me to pick a color for the wall.
Twenty minutes later and I had narrowed down the color between three shades of white. I don't know why it mattered to me so much but I needed it to be perfect.
And eggshell was the perfect color.
I left the store with paint, some brushes and a mission to complete. It also helped that a cute guy gave me his number. I thought of calling him when I was all done and showing him the progress I made on the house.
But first things first.
–
I never could imagine that painting just one bedroom could take so long. I had started in the early morning and it was hours after the sun set when I finally finished. But without sunlight it was hard to tell if I had done a good enough job. Only tomorrow would tell.
I was all ready to just pass out when my phone rang. A name I hadn't heard from in an eternity flashed across my screen. I was so exhausted that I didn't even want to deal with it.
I hit the answer button. “Hi, Fiona!”
“It's been a long time, Kelly! Why didn't you tell me you were back home?” She sounded as bubbly as ever. Nothing had changed since we graduated from high school.
Fiona was one of the “popular” girls and that in turn made me semi-popular in high school. I had too many friends and so many commitments that I couldn't keep track of everything. It was a stark contrast to my college experience with almost zero friends unless you counted my roommate who barely spoke a word to me.
“Sorry but I only recently got back,” I replied. “How did you find out I was home?”
“Oh you know, someone saw you walking around and word got back to me.”
I rolled my eyes. Word always got back to Fiona. I shouldn't have been surprised. Fiona always had her finger on the pulse of this town.
An awkward moment of silence passed. I didn't know what to say to her. We hadn't really talked in four years.
Fiona finally spoke up, “What are you doing back home?”
I contemplated telling her the truth. But I didn't want any pity. Especially from Fiona. “I moved back after graduating.”
“That's terrific! What are you doing tonight? We should go dancing!”
The last thing I wanted to do after a long day of painting was standing on my feet all night. “I actually have plans tonight, Fiona. Maybe some other time?”
“Then tomorrow night,” she replied.
I shook my head through the phone but she didn't let me get a word in.
“I won't take no for an answer. We have to go out and celebrate.”
A sigh escaped my lips. “Fine. We can go out tomorrow.”
“Perfect! We'll go to Club Titan.”
I hung up the phone and wandered into my parent's bedroom. I collapsed onto a sleeping bag next to their king-sized bed. It didn't feel right sleeping in their bed. The ground wasn't the most comfy but my tired body didn't care.
I could fall asleep on a bed of spikes if I had to.
Chapter Four
Kelly
“Oh my God! Is that Kelly?” Fiona stood outside the club with her arms stretched wide open. She wore a red dress that barely covered her legs. Her short blonde hair showed off giant hoop earrings.
“Yes Fiona, it's me.” I could barely handle her bubbly attitude through the phone and now I had to deal with it in person.
She grabbed my hand and made me do a little twirl. “Let me get a good look at you. That black dress looks fantastic on you.”
I blushed. That black dress was about the only thing I owned that would be acceptable at a club. I hadn't worn in a couple years and it was too tight. But it was better than wearing jeans and a t-shirt.
Fiona didn't even bother introducing me to her friends. And I honestly didn't care. I was probably never going to see them ever again after this night. That's how Fiona was. She rarely held onto relationships. That included men.
But I was different for some reason. She never threw me away like the rest of them. And I have no idea why.
She pulled me into the club and I showed my I.D. to the bouncer with way too many muscles. I cut my way through the red drapes and set foot in Club Titan.
From the name, I expected a club like all the others I'd been to. And that's exactly what I got.
Club Titan had the typical dark lighting with strobe effects. The bar was a little bigger than what I used to. Different color lights stood behind the bottles of liquor to give off a cool effect. The dance music was so loud the ground rumbled beneath me.
I went straight to the bar ignoring whatever Fiona was trying to yell at me. A mass of people stood between me and the bartender. The girl seemed overwhelmed with the amount of orders.
I let out a loud sigh. There was no way I was going to get a drink any time soon.
Fiona and her friends were dancing on the floor and she motioned for me to come over. I didn't know if I could really let loose unless I had a bit of alcohol first. I put my finger up to Fiona to tell her I needed a minute first.
I waited by the bar, hoping that a guy would get the idea to buy me a drink. It had worked so many times before. But the club was too busy and there were too many good-looking women.
Or at least that's what I told myself to keep from crying.
A guy sitting at the bar left his seat, leaving behind a half-empty glass of whiskey. I looked around to see if anyone was watching me. This would be one of the most embarrassing moments if I was caught. I grabbed the small glass and knocked back the alcohol.
The whiskey I expected was actually Jager: my most hated drink. My face scrunched up and I did my best to keep from throwing up. I wiped my mouth and learned my lesson. Drinking from a stranger's glasses doesn't always pay off.
But at least I had some alcohol in me. Even if it tasted like black licorice.
I joined Fiona and her friends on the dance floor. Fiona was all over the place, knocking into people and flinging her arms in the air. I hadn't seen her drink anything since we entered the club. She must've taken some drugs before I arrived.
That was exactly how Fiona was back in high school. She would show up to class high and barely coherent. She knew I was never into that junk so she never offered it to me. If Fiona had offered me something that night, I might've actually taken it.
My favorite song by Bruno Mars came on and I couldn't help but dance. The Jager began to hit me a little and I lost myself in the music.
The room spun before my eyes and I realized that I was the one spinning. I had forgotten about the broken-down house and my parents' death. A smile appeared on my face and felt weird. I hadn't remembered the last time I let loose like that. It had to of been before that phone call that chan
ged everything.
I noticed Fiona and her friends stopped dancing around me. They were all looking in the same direction, with a dumb look on their faces. I turned around to see a tall man wade his way through the sea of people. He was nicely dressed in black pants and a black button-up shirt.
I was mesmerized by his face and dark short hair. He was so attractive. Almost too attractive. I tried to run through movies in my head to see if he maybe was a famous actor. I came up with nothing but still suspected that he must be from something.
When he asked me if I wanted a drink, I didn't know how to reply. My brain wanted to say yes but nothing came out of my mouth.
The man grabbed my hand and I felt a spark shoot through me. He pulled me through the pit of people and away from Fiona. I could see them whispering in each other's ears as I left them. I don't know why this guy singled me out but Fiona was definitely jealous.
We arrived at the bar and he had no difficulty getting the bartender's attention. He ordered us two drinks and I was excited to finally get some real alcohol. It also helped that I didn't have to pay for it.
I asked him what is name was but he just ignored me. I thought that maybe he didn't hear me and I went to ask him again but was interrupted by the bartender arriving with the drinks.
I hesitated before I took a sip and sniffed the glass. I didn't want anymore Jager. The drink smelled like whiskey and I tipped it back into my mouth.
The liquid warmed my throat. I could feel myself getting more relaxed which was hard to do in front of this perfect specimen of a man.
I asked him again what his name was and this time I knew he heard me. He ignored the question on purpose. That was a big red flag to me.
Any guy that wouldn't give his name out was likely to be a rapist or a serial killer.
It wasn't hard to say no when he asked me if I wanted to go somewhere quieter.
I could tell by his shock that he wasn't used to being rejected like that. But I didn't care. Being safe was more important than going home with a possibly famous model or actor.
I thanked him for the drink and downed the last of it.
I walked back to Fiona who had been watching from the edge of the dance floor the entire time. I giggled when I had to pick her jaw off the ground and put it back in place.
“Who was that guy?” she asked, looking over my shoulder at the mystery man.
“I have no idea, but he bought me a drink,” I replied.
“And what are you doing back here?”
“I think he's a serial killer or something.”
Fiona bit her bottom lip. “That's hot.”
I playfully shoved her and Fiona bumped into one of her bimbo friends. “I don't care how good looking he is. I'm not going to end up buried in the dirt tonight.”
“Might be worth it.”
I rolled my eyes and pulled Fiona back onto the dance floor. “There will be plenty more hot guys in my life. I don't need to take risks.”
Fiona shook her head. “Honey, you're not going to find a guy like that again. Trust me.”
Maybe she was right but I didn't care. My life was too messed up right now to introduce a fresh relationship.
Nikki Minaj came on and we danced hard. The whiskey had gone straight to my head. My limbs felt loose and my body numb.
I could definitely get used to doing this every night.
Chapter Five
Michael
There was definitely something different about this girl. She was the first to resist me.
I watched her dance with her friends and sipped my whiskey slowly. She never looked back over even though her friends kept checking me out again and again.
Did I do something wrong? I never had to analyze an encounter like that before.
But I wasn't going to let one little setback get in the way of hunting my prey.
I had to have and I was willing to do anything to get what I wanted.
I finished my whiskey and left a large tip for the bartender. I picked up my long black coat at the entrance and exited the club. The night air outside was cold but it didn't affect me. I flicked up the collar of the coat and buttoned it up anyways.
It was past midnight and Club Titan would be yelling out last call at any moment now. I stood across the street in the shadows of a gray building and waited.
Waited for what seemed like an eternity.
I kept doubting myself. Doubting that it was all worth it. There were plenty of women to choose from. In fact, all of her friends were interested in me. It wouldn't be too difficult getting two of them to go home with me.
But that's not what I wanted. This woman had a hold on me.
I watched as crowds of people left the club. My head kept telling to go after any of the other drunk women leaving but I couldn't.
Finally she came out of the club. I almost lost my breath at the sight of her. A giant smile was plastered on her face as she laughed with her friends.
It only took me a second to cross the street and approach them.
Her friends went silent when they saw me. I ignored them and stared deep into her eyes. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”
She looked around desperately for help. “I'm sorry but I have to leave with my friends.”
Her friend spoke up, “Don't worry about us, Kelly. We'll take another cab. Have a good night!” She winked at her and Kelly look visibly frustrated.
Her name was Kelly. It fit her so well. I couldn't have dreamed up a better name.
“I only want to talk for a few minutes, Kelly,” I said.
Kelly grinded her teeth at her friend and looked up to me. “Fine. We can go talk.”
I led her around to the alleyway next to Club Titan. It was lit well enough and I stayed closed to the sidewalk so she wouldn't feel threatened.
“I'm glad you agreed to talk.”
She leaned against the red brick wall and folded her arms. “Okay first of all, you need to tell me your name since you know mine.”
I knew she wouldn't let that go. She was hung up on the name thing and it wasn't going away no matter how much I deflected it.
“My name's Michael.” I put my hand out and she grasped it. I could feel her finally began to relax.
“So what do you want to talk about?” she asked.
Kelly caught me by surprise. I didn't know what to say. I had never had that problem before with women. I just always knew what to do or say.
I searched my mind for something to say. Anything that would break the awkward silence. “You caught my attention in the club.”
Kelly nodded with raised eyebrows. “Yeah I kind of got that already.”
Things were going downhill fast in a blaze of glory. And I had no idea how to save it.
Kelly tapped her foot. She was getting impatient. “So Michael, what do you do for a living?”
That was a question I couldn't answer either. If I did, it would make her run for the hills. The only thing I could do was lie and hope it worked. I quickly scrolled through my head for a suitable profession. One that would be believable.
“I work in the banking industry.” I never had to come up with things on the fly before. I never really got to the talking phase with the women I'd been with.
Kelly furrowed her brow. “Oh come on. Really?”
A bead of sweat appeared on my forehead. She wasn't buying it. “It's all very boring. I'm afraid you would fall asleep if I went on. What do you do?”
My question finally raised the light of suspicion off me for a second. Kelly let out a laugh. “I don't know if I want to get into that story with you right now.” She looked out at the alleyway and scratched her arm.
I was losing her attention. I needed to do something drastic. Something to make her mine.
I put my hand on her chin and forced her to look into my eyes. I glanced down at her lips and they were parted and ready for me. I leaned in and pressed my mouth against hers. She returned the kiss, melting in my embrace.
Adrena
line surged through me. My brain was on fire with pleasure. This wasn't something that I'd really felt before. I'd been with so many women and most of it was just going through the motions.
I pulled her closer and kissed her harder. My tongue sneaked into her mouth and Kelly let out a muffled moan.
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