Chapter Three
Foster arrived at The Den the following evening. He was dressed in a lavender dress shirt, his sleeves rolled up to the elbow. After a little bit of research on his phone, he had learned that girls were totally into sharply dressed men.
Feeling confident, he fixed his bowtie, making sure it was perfect before he immersed himself in the buzzing nightclub atmosphere. The dancefloor was even more crowded than the previous night. It was a Saturday after all. Men and women grinded against each other. The smell of sweat permeated the room, filling every corner. Around the perimeter of the room, whelps were hugging the walls, looking wary after yesterday’s incident.
Foster grinned, about to head toward the stairs when he noticed Lloyd already standing there, his hand on the railing, ready to ascend. Quickly, he rushed forward and grabbed Lloyd by the shirt, pulling him back. Lloyd stumbled, but landed on his feet, quickly pivoting on his heels to face his attacker. “What do you think you’re doing?” He growled at Foster when he laid eyes on his step-brother.
“No, what are you doing here?” Foster countered.
“I’m winning a bet.”
“Well, there are plenty of women over there.” Foster pointed his finger in the direction of the dancefloor.
“But the girl I want is up there.” Lloyd’s voice deepened as he squared off to Foster. “And I don’t appreciate you coming between us.”
“Me?” Foster scoffed. “You’re the one getting in the way. I obviously saw her first.”
Lloyd laughed, the sound emerging from deep within his stomach. “Please. You wish you saw her first. Now lay off. Emily is mine.”
“I already told you yesterday, she’s mine.” Foster pressed his chest against Lloyd’s. Even though he was much smaller than his step-brother, this didn’t seem to concern him. “And if you don’t get out of my way, I’ll have to force you.”
“Ha. You think you can beat me in a fight, do you?”
“I know I can. You don’t scare me.” Without another word, Foster swung his fist. It smashed into the side of Lloyd’s face. His head jerked to the side and he grinned. His crooked nose looked even worse as he tilted his head and laughed.
“You know, you really shouldn’t have done that.” Suddenly, Lloyd pounced on Foster. The two of them fell to the ground. Foster felt his body being crushed by Lloyd’s as he rammed his knee into Lloyd’s stomach. Lloyd cringed, losing his focus. Foster took his chance to squirm out of harm’s way before Lloyd’s hand wrapped around the collar of his shirt, yanking him back.
The younger dragon gasped for air as his step-brother kept a tight grip on his collar. He reached back, pulling on Lloyd’s dark hair with all his might before he swung his leg back, kicking him right in the crotch. “Son of a bitch.” Lloyd groaned, crumbling to the ground.
“Not so tough now, are you?” Foster swung around, looking at his step-brother with a deep grin etched on his face.
Lloyd’s eyes burned with contempt before he lunged forward, his arms wrapping around Foster’s waist, pushing him to the ground. They slammed into the staircase railing, which cracked under the pressure. Together, they tumbled off the stairs and onto the ground with a loud thud. They continued their fight, throwing punches back and forth.
People were swarming around them, trying to pull them apart, but the two men were too enraged. They lashed out at anyone that tried to get in their way. They crashed into chairs and tables, destroying them in the heat of their fight. “She’s mine!” Lloyd bellowed as he slammed Foster’s head into the corner of a table.
Foster’s forehead began to bleed, a line of blood running down his face before he turned and rammed his fist into Lloyd’s face. The coppery taste of blood overwhelmed him as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. It was quickly dyed crimson. “Then prove it. Come at me and prove it.” Foster challenged, even though he was breathing heavily, trying to compose himself.
“What’s going on here?” Emily’s sweet voice suddenly rang out, slicing through the tension that had built up between the two dragons. She looked back and forth between the two men, eyeing their minor injuries.
They just looked at her before staring at each other once more, ready to pounce at any moment. “Gentlemen. Gentlemen. There’s no need to fight.” Slowly, she stepped between them. She held out her arms, her fingertips resting on their chests. Almost instantly, they calmed down. Their bodies relaxed and their muscles loosened up. The urge to fight vanished from their bones as her electrifying touch coursed through their veins. It seemed like Emily’s presence alone was enough to calm them down. “Now, can either one of you tell me why you two just destroyed my nightclub?” Her voice was tense and irate as she turned on the dragons, her hostility bringing them back to reality.
Foster looked away, feeling embarrassed for his actions. He avoided her eye contact at any cost, his cheeks turning red. Lloyd picked at a thread in his pants, trying to occupy himself as the woman reprimanded him. He no longer had any desire to fight his brother.
“We… we can explain.”
“You better damn hope you can.” She pulled her hands away from their chest and folded her arms. “Upstairs. Now!” Her voice was authoritative as she ordered the two dragons into her apartment. Foster and Lloyd, despite being powerful beings had no choice but to obey.
***
The atmosphere in Emily’s apartment was thick and heavy. The dragons refused to look at Emily directly as she poured herself a drink. With her arms crossed, she stared at them, her foot tapping against the hardwood floor. “Well, are you two going to tell me what happened down there?”
Lloyd and Foster exchanged glances before the younger dragon cleared his throat, trying to find the right words to explain their situation. He wrung his fingers together before he finally looked up at Emily, feeling the heat of her gaze. “We’re really sorry about what happened. We got in a little argument –”
“You call that a little argument? If I hadn’t stopped you two, you would’ve wrecked the entire nightclub, probably kill each other too!” Emily’s words were harsh as she stepped forward. “What were you two arguing about anyway?”
“Look. We apologize for what we did, but we’d rather not get into that.” Lloyd’s deep voice came as a surprise. Emily looked up, her eyes narrowing in his direction. “But we’re willing to pay for all the damage.”
Emily didn’t move for a minute before she sighed and sat on the sofa’s armrest. Foster gulped, realizing that Emily’s ass was now close enough for him to touch. His fingers burned with a deep urge to touch her, but he managed to restrain himself, not wanting to upset her any further. “I appreciate the gesture.” She said, her voice softer now. She placed her glass on her knee and ran her finger over the rim in silent contemplation before looking at Lloyd, holding his gaze. “But I don’t know if it’s worth the trouble. The nightclub will be closing soon. As I said yesterday, I simply don’t have the money to keep this place running. If I don’t give up now, I’ll go bankrupt.”
The dragons frowned, noticing her melancholy. Foster gently rested a hand on her thigh, rubbing it in a soothing motion. “How about we help you in any way we can? We’re actually quite well off financially. We’d love to help.”
“Oh?” Emily turned, looking at him. As she leaned down, Foster found himself eyeing the low cut of her shirt. He bit his lip, itching to reach up and grab the large, beautiful breasts, but he held back, his heart hammering and the back of his neck itching with a layer of perspiration.
“What my brother means is that we’ll help you fund The Den. It is the least we can do after we destroyed most of it.” Lloyd added in, finding Foster stumbling for words in his arousal.
“Oh… I couldn’t ask you guys to do that… we barely know each other.” Emily gnawed at her bottom lip. It would be a risky business move to ask these men to be her partners, but at the same time, her credit had dipped so low that she would never be able to get the loan she needed to revamp the nightclub.
/> “Well, why don’t you think about it and give us an answer tomorrow? For now, let’s go downstairs and dance.”
“Dance?” Emily asked, cocking her head to the side.
“This is a nightclub, isn’t it?” Without hesitation, Lloyd got up and grabbed Emily’s hand, hoisting her to her feet. Her body fell into his and as he tilted his head down, their lips came dangerously close. “Come on.” He grinned, holding her hand and guiding her out the door. Foster was left on the sofa, in a state of shock.
Finally, he clambered out of the cushions and ran out the door before the couple could disappear. He spotted them on the edge of the dancefloor. Lloyd was making a complete fool of himself as he danced in an erratic fashion as if he was constantly doing the robot.
Emily laughed at his antics, thinking he was being silly just to cheer her up. As Foster approached them, he moved behind Emily, his hands on her hips. Unlike Lloyd, his movements were smooth and fluid. “Wow! You’re a really good dancer.” Emily giggled as Foster took her hand and twirled her around before he dipped her down until her hair touched the floor. As they came back up, their bodies locked together, their hips moving in a sensual dance.
“I used to take dance classes.” Foster lied effortlessly as he looked at Lloyd who seemed horribly out of place. His teeth were clenched as he watched the couple flirt and dance together like they had been doing this all their lives. “But the real question is where you learned to move your hips like that!”
Foster stepped back, grinning wildly as Emily shook her hips back and forth with the tempo of the music. “I’m part Spanish.” She answered, a smirk painted on her pink lips. “And I practiced salsa for almost ten years when I was younger.”
“Well damn girl, you still got it.” Taking her hands, he moved into step with her. Their movements in perfect sync, as they lost themselves in their own little world. “So tell me about yourself.” Foster leaned in, whispering in her ear.
“What do you want to know?” She asked, raising her eyebrow as their hips got even closer.
“Everything.” Foster breathed.
“That’s a rather long story.”
“I have the time.” He grinned. “But to start, why is a girl like you living in an apartment above a nightclub.”
“Couldn’t afford rent for both this place and an apartment so I decided to consolidate. I tried to rent out property with some of my girlfriends from college, but they’re all married now. Most of them have kids.” She rolled her eyes.
“Why don’t you? I mean, if you don’t mind me asking. You’re a beautiful woman, I’m surprised you haven’t been taken off the market by now.”
Emily sighed and shrugged. “No one’s really caught my eye until now. Sure, I had a few boyfriends in college, but when you study something like international politics, you only meet privileged men who think they can save the world.”
Foster cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“When guys study international politics, they think they can just barge into other countries, change their governments and make everything better with a snap of their fingers.” Emily shook her head in disgust.
“So why did you end up studying something like that?”
“I wanted to make a difference in the world… I wanted to help other people. I actually spent a year abroad in Argentina to help the impoverished communities there. To be honest, it was one of the best years of my life.”
“So, why’d you move back to New York?” Foster asked, his hands resting on her hips.
“My mom’s health declined, so I came back to take care of her… but enough about me. What about you? How’s your life been?”
Foster just grinned and spun her around, dazzling her with his dance moves so he wouldn’t have to answer right away. In his head, he was already coming up with the perfect cover story. On the sidelines, Lloyd was quickly forgotten.
A few women tried to flirt with him, but he shrugged them off. He didn’t want any of the gaudy females that offered themselves up to him. All he wanted was the blonde that now danced with his step-brother.
He was about to pry them apart when he heard her happy laugh. She tilted her head back, her whole face lighting up. After remembering the deep look of depression on her face, he knew he couldn’t take away this moment of cheerfulness. Biting back his jealousy, he walked over to the bar, granting Foster this tiny victory, knowing the war was still far from over.
Chapter Four
Foster and Emily danced the night away until the sun started to come up. Lloyd was one of the only people left at the bar as he watched the couple with burning eyes. With a shot of vodka in his hand, he felt his body starting to change. His temperature surged and his nostrils flared. Looking at his watch, he noticed the time.
Quickly, he walked up to Foster, tapping him on the shoulder. “We have to go.”
“Five more minutes.” Foster hissed back, his arms still around Emily’s waist.
“Now. The sun is rising.” The urgency in Lloyd’s voice finally broke Foster out of his lovesick stupor.
“Is something the matter?” Emily asked.
“We have to go.” Lloyd pressed.
“Oh…” Emily’s face fell at his words.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be back tonight,” Foster promised. Without another word, he followed his brother toward the exit. Emily was left hanging in the middle of the dancefloor, feeling like a part of her was missing now that the two men had gone.
Outside, the dragons climbed the fire escape as quickly as they could. As they stood on the roof, the sun rose past the horizon and their transformation was inevitable. Their bodies shook and their limbs elongated until they were once again full-fledged dragons. Suppressing the urge to roar, they beat their wings and shot into the air, swiftly making their way back to their homeland.
***
Later that night, Foster ascended to Emily’s apartment with his wallet full of human currency. He had exchanged some of his prized gems with a whelp. After the transaction, Foster had the lingering feeling that he had been ripped off by the lesser dragon, but he had been assured that a quarter million dollars was a lot of money. Foster had taken his word for it. In any case, it wasn’t as if those few gems made a huge dent in his hoard of treasure.
“Are you sure you brought enough?” Lloyd questioned, trailing behind him.
“The whelp told me it’d be more than enough.”
“You trusted a whelp?” Lloyd asked, disgust in his voice.
“It’s not like I had a choice. They’re a lot more familiar with the human ways than we are.”
“So much for you being an expert on the human world.” Lloyd scoffed. Their bickering was cut short as they arrived at Emily’s door. Foster knocked softly.
Seconds later, Emily answered, looking surprised to see the two men. “I thought you were kidding when you said you’d come back.” She admitted before stepping aside, allowing them into her home.
“We said we were going to help you and we meant it,” Lloyd stated.
Foster nodded in agreement. “Did you think it over?”
“Think what over?”
“Letting us help you.” Foster reminded her. “If you’re willing to allow us to become your business partners, we’ll take on any financial burden the nightclub might accrue in the foreseeable future. Once things have stabilized and profit comes in, then you can worry about repaying us.”
Emily stood there, her mind buzzing with the dragon’s words. “How do I know you’re not going to screw me over?”
“You’ll just have to trust us. Besides, the nightclub is going under anyway. That’s what you said, isn’t it?” She nodded. “If that’s the case, then you really have nothing to lose.”
Emily toyed with the hem of her dress as she contemplated her options. “I suppose you’re right… We better step into my office.” She turned around and walked through the kitchen, toward a small brown door at the end of the hallway.
The d
ragons followed her into the small, cluttered office. There were papers stacked on the desk. Boxes filled with folders lined the walls. Sticky notes covered every surface of the room. “What do you need?” She asked, eager to get things going.
Foster stepped forward and sat down on the rickety-looking office chair, shuffling through some of the expense reports on the table. “Just leave everything to me.” Emily watched him as he went through the papers, looking at the numbers. Feeling lost in the sea of clutter, she moved toward Lloyd, who wrapped an arm around her shoulder, much to Foster’s frustration. He, however, just continued to work. Emily was counting on him and he wasn’t about to let her down.
With the sound of the nightclub pumping through the room, Foster ticked a pencil against the desk. “Would you be against bringing in some foreign stock? We have some connections in Germany. Quality booze at an affordable price.”
“Honestly, I don’t mind what you do as long as it works, but do you really think that changing the alcohol selection will make that much of a difference?” Emily asked, sounding unsure.
“Well, you have to consider your clientele. From what I could tell, you had quite a few Germans in the crowd. At the bar, I noticed they weren’t very impressed with the potency of the alcohol.” Foster spoke carefully and clearly. He was cautiously weaving a net of lies to keep Emily blind to the fact that dragons existed. By addressing the whelps as Germans, he could easily bring in some Dragon’s Ale to satisfy all the whelp customers, without arousing suspicion from Emily.
“You think they’re such heavy drinkers? Isn’t that just stereotyping?” Emily questioned.
“Trust me. I spent quite some time in Germany. They’re very particular about their alcohol.”
Emily bit her lip, wondering how she should proceed. She was taking business advice from a man she barely knew, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but trust him. He seemed so confident. “Alright. Do whatever you have to do.” She nodded, giving him the okay to continue.
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