by Sarra Cannon
I slid the black leotard on over my underwear, but quickly realized there was no way I could wear my bra with this thing. I unhooked it and slipped it off, feeling incredibly naked in this stupid outfit. I had never been more grateful to have freshly shaved legs.
Lyla whistled as I laced up the boots. “Wow, you look amazing,” she said. She walked over and lowered her voice. “Are you using?”
I gave her a sideways look. “What do you mean? Like drugs?”
She looked at me like I was crazy. “No, silly. Magic. Glamours?”
“What’s a glamour?”
All five of them turned to look at me.
“You’re kidding, right?” the girl with the green shirt said. Misty, I think, was her name. Her skin was dark and smooth and flawless, and her eyes were a deep lavender.
“No, I’m uh, totally new to this whole thing.”
“A glamour is just a spell a lot of witches use to alter their appearance,” Misty said. “Like plastic surgery or something, without the surgery.”
My eyes widened. “You can do that?”
“Wow, Rend wasn’t kidding when he said you would have a lot to learn,” she said. “You never played around with stuff like that when you were a kid? Your mom never taught you about glamours?”
I shook my head, making an effort not to flinch at the mention of Mom.
“Watch,” Misty said. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again. The deep lavender color of her eyes had been replaced by a bright green that matched her shirt.
“Holy shit,” I whispered.
“We don’t really have time to show you how to do it now, but if you get a chance later, we’ll have some fun with it,” Cherish said. “Shay here doesn’t even really have red hair. She’s really a brunette, but she keeps it red now all the time. I think it suits her.”
“Thank you,” Shay said with a little curtsy. “Me too.”
“We’ll help you with your makeup real quick and then we need to head out front,” Lyla said. “Rend hates it if we’re late for staff meetings, and I’m sure everyone will be dying to meet you.”
My stomach flipped at the thought of the whole staff meeting me when I looked like this, but I had to find a way to embrace it. Fast.
“I just want to do some dark eyeliner, nothing too dramatic,” I said. “I’m not really much of a heavy makeup person.”
A few of the girls laughed, but I stood my ground when they tried to smear my cheeks with pink. I managed to get out of there with a light foundation, very dark eyeliner, mascara and a little bit of pink lipgloss.
“You really have some of the most gorgeous blue eyes I’ve ever seen,” Shay said.
“Before you know it, she’ll be copying them,” Lyla said with a laugh.
“You’re welcome to them,” I said. “They kind of run in my family.”
Not that I knew much about my family. My mother had refused to ever talk about them and she never, and I mean never, talked about my father. But I knew I’d gotten my eye color from her. She’d once slipped up in a moment of melancholy and told me that most of her sisters had the same bright blue eyes. It was the only time she’d even told me she had sisters and when I’d asked her about it, she got angry and told me to mind my own business.
“You ready?” Lyla asked. “It’s time to go.”
“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
I was grateful not to be walking out there alone. I positioned myself right in the middle of the group, trying to blend in and match their level of confidence. I had no idea how long they’d all been doing this, but they seemed to have no problem with what they were wearing. And to be honest, they all looked incredible. I hoped I looked like I belonged with them.
We walked together through the black curtain and out into the main part of the club. I sighed with relief when I saw that the harsh lights had been turned off and the place was back to the black and neon glow of the first night I’d been in here. The darkness made me feel a little bit more comfortable.
Azure was leaning against the bar, no doubt just waiting to see if I’d come out with the others like a good little girl. Every fiber of my being wanted to avoid her eyes, but instead, I met her gaze head-on, challenging her with a confident smile.
The anger that flashed through her eyes was all the reassurance I needed that I was doing the right thing by owning this instead of curling up in the corner like an abused kitten.
Her mouth dropped open a little as I passed, and my smile grew larger.
One of the guys standing in a group near the dance-floor whistled. “Looking gorgeous, as always, ladies.”
Lyla walked up to him and held out her hand for him to kiss. They shared a look that made me wonder if there was a little something going on between the two of them.
I scanned the gathered crowd. It was about eighty percent women and every single person here was unreasonably good looking. A requirement of working here? Or were they all capable of using these glamours Misty was talking about? Did I measure up?
I had a feeling this job was going to be a constant test of my confidence.
“Let’s get started,” a familiar bass called out.
My heart jumped into my throat at the sound of Rend’s voice. I hadn’t been willing to admit to myself just how much I was looking forward to seeing him again. So much it was scary.
He didn’t seem to notice me at first. The staff gathered in a half-circle around the edge of the dance-floor as Rend went through some basic instructions about how the night would go.
“I want everyone on their very best behavior tonight,” he said, glancing down at a clipboard in his hand. “And I want security at every exit and every single post around the club at all times. I don’t want you ladies to much as think about going to the bathroom or getting a drink of water without making sure someone’s got your post, understand.”
A group of women off to his right nodded and I stared in awe. This was his security team? I had originally thought it was kind of odd to see a pretty woman working as the bouncer out front taking ID’s, but for his entire security team to be women? That was unexpected. Especially in a place this dangerous.
At least they get to wear club staff t-shirts.
I adjusted my weight from one foot to the other and just that slight movement seemed to draw Rend’s attention. He glanced up from his papers while he was talking about assignments, then looked back down.
But then, he stopped mid-sentence, and slowly looked back up, his eyes traveling very deliberately up my body from boot to boobs.
I expected him to say something. Introduce me. Cuss me out. Something. But he just stood there staring, his eyes finally reaching my own. I couldn’t read his expression. Was he angry?
I lifted my chin, not letting myself so much as blink. I wanted him to see that I was still here, doing what needed to be done.
Tension gathered in the room as people looked from Rend to me, whispering. Behind me, Azure cleared her throat a little too loud to sound natural.
I wondered if they could all hear my heart beating. I wondered if they could all see just how much I wanted Rend to cross over to me and take me in his arms.
I forced my eyes down, but that only made it worse. Instead of the jeans and black t-shirt he had on the other night, he wore a pair of perfectly tailored dark grey pants, a pristine white button-up shirt with the top button undone and a matching grey blazer. No tie. My body reacted in ways I hoped to God none of the others could sense.
Finally, Rend shook his head and tore his eyes away from me, looking back down at his clipboard. He flipped through his papers a few times, then found his voice again.
“I want someone stationed by that back door tonight, too. No one goes in or out that way tonight,” he said. “No one in Paris tonight, either. If you need a smoke break or something, just go out to Hubbard and try to keep it to a minimum until we close.”
A few people exchanged looks, as if this was definitely not normal. Was he
saying this for my sake? I could have told him I wouldn’t be stupid enough to go out that back door again for the rest of my life if I could help it. And what did he mean by Paris? Was that a special section of the club?
There was a part of me that was touched he seemed to care about keeping me safe. I had no idea what I’d done to deserve that. He could have easily just let me get eaten instead of offering me a job and personal protection.
“I’d also like to introduce everyone to our newest employee.” Before he even said my name, everyone turned to look at me. “This is Franki. I’d like you guys to really welcome her to the club and take some time to introduce yourselves when you get a chance. Look out for her, too. She’s new to all this.”
A few people mumbled casual hello’s, but Rend didn’t give them time to come over and talk.
He went through the last of the instructions for the night and about ten minutes later called an end to the meeting.
Several people made a beeline straight to me to say hi and welcome me to the group. I knew I’d never remember everyone’s names but it was nice to meet some people who were nicer than Azure.
“Franki,” Rend called out. When I turned to him, he cleared his throat. “Can I see you for a moment?”
“Sure,” I said with a smile, doing my best to hide my nerves. I apologized and left the group that had surrounded me, then followed him into the same dark corner he’d brought me to that first night.
Standing this close to him again made my palms sweat.
His eyes drifted down to my cleavage and he ran a hand through his hair. “What are you wearing?”
Okay. Not what I expected him to say.
“I’m wearing what I was told to wear.”
“Unless I’m going insane, I very clearly remember giving you a staff t-shirt to wear,” he said. His voice was gruff. “That is most definitely not a staff t-shirt.”
The girly, highly aroused part of me was loving the fact that he seemed so affected by my new clothing.
The confused, did-not-fucking-want-to-wear-this-outfit-in-the-first-place part of me was angry as hell.
“How observant of you,” I said, standing as tall as I could next to him.
He reached out like he was going to grab my arm, but then spread his fingers wide and pulled back instead.
“Why are you wearing that, then?”
“I don’t know why you’re getting upset with me,” I said. “I wake up Thursday night in my own bed with no memory of how I got there and no idea how you or anyone else here might have known where I lived. I show up to work not knowing if I’m expected to even be here, just because I don’t want to upset you in case you were wanting me to work tonight. Then I get here and am told that Azure is in charge. Well, this is what she told me to wear, so I’m here, doing exactly everything I’ve been asked to do. If you don’t think I look good enough to be one of the dancers on a night when you have friends coming—”
His eyes snapped up to mine. “Is that why you think I’m upset?”
“How am I supposed to know why you’re upset?”
He took a deep breath in through his nose, his chest rising and falling. “Azure told you to wear this.”
I wanted to tell him she threatened my life if I didn’t, but held my tongue. I didn’t want to make her more of an enemy than she already was at this point.
“She said you were short a dancer tonight.”
He glanced over toward the bar, his eyes narrowed.
When he turned his attention back to me, he softened just a little. “I brought you home Thursday,” he said. “I thought you would be able to rest better at your own house. As to how I knew where you lived, well, let’s just say I’m very good at finding people whether they want to be found or not.”
I could hardly breathe as he spoke. He had this way of being hard edges and soft tones all at the same time. I had never met anyone sexier in my entire life.
“As for what you’re wearing? Believe me, it has nothing to do with you not looking good enough.” He cleared his throat again, and I could swear his bottom lip trembled ever so slightly. “I just would have rather had you working behind the scenes tonight instead of on display for everyone to see.”
I moved one step closer to him and his eyes searched my face. “Why are you protecting me? You don’t even know me. Why not just let those guys tear me apart the other night?”
He lifted a hand to my cheek and brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes. His fingers lingered for a moment on my skin and my insides went up in flames.
“There’s something about you,” he said, his walls down for the briefest of moments. “I can’t explain it more than that. I just knew you were worth saving.”
My breath was shallow and my body yearned to move closer. I wanted to feel his hands on me again. My eyes were drawn to his lips, overcome by the desire to know what it would be like to kiss a man like Rend.
“You don’t have to dance if you don’t want to,” he said. “I can find another job for you if you want to go back and get changed.”
It was a tempting thought, but I refused to let Azure think I had complained to the boss and gotten my way like some child. I wanted her to know I was stronger than that.
“I’m good,” I said, letting a smile tease my lips. “It might even be fun.”
He groaned and clenched his jaw. “I’m going to keep my eye on you tonight,” he said. “If you need anything or anyone so much as offers to buy you a drink, you come find me. I’ll be in the bar or back in the private room behind the curtain most of the night.”
I hoped he couldn’t see me blush in the half-darkness. “I can take care of myself,” I said. “Most of the time.”
He paused, then put a finger under my chin, lifting my face to his. My lips parted and I forced myself to keep breathing. Our eyes locked for a few intense seconds, then he dropped his hand and turned away.
“Azure. My office. Now.”
I looked over just in time to see a look of terror cross her eyes.
Chapter 11
What Other Truths
I rejoined the other dancers in a cluster near the black curtain.
Lyla grabbed my hand and pulled me to her side. “Oh, my God, what is going on with you and Rend?”
“You have to tell us everything,” Shay said.
“I have never seen him look so—”
“So shaken.” Lyla’s eyes were huge and glimmering.
At this point, my face was probably beet red, and I was sure they could all see it, even in the sparse lighting.
“There’s nothing going on,” I said.
“Liar,” Cherish said.
“Big, fat liar,” Lyla said. “Listen, Rend is untouchable. Unshakable. He never lets himself get rattled. Not even when he’s about to tear someone to pieces.”
“Literally,” Shay mumbled.
I snapped to look at her. “What do you mean, literally?”
“Why do you think everyone calls him Rend?” Cherish asked.
“Let’s just say he’s known around our kind of people as someone you don’t cross,” Lyla said.
My hand went to my forehead. The spot where his fingers had brushed my skin was still tingling. Surely they didn’t mean that he had killed people before? Is that what they were saying?
It seemed unbelievable, but I had seen the fear in the eyes of those vampires the other night. They had been terrified of him and he hadn’t even lifted a finger toward them.
“I think you definitely picked the right outfit,” Lyla said, giggling. “He could hardly take his eyes off you.”
“I’m so jealous I could kill you,” Peri said. “Seriously, I’ve never seen Rend with a woman and I’ve been working here for almost fifteen years.”
I laughed out loud. “Yeah, right.”
She eyed me. “What?”
“You can’t be much older than I am. How have you been working here fifteen years? You would have been, what? Ten years old when you started?”
My jaw dropped open and I shook my head. “There’s no way.”
“I would show you, but no one sees the real, unmagicked me. No one.”
“I think we’re all going to have to take a night off coming up and have a girl’s night in where we teach Frankie here some of our tricks,” Shay said.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Peri. Almost forty years old? It was incredible how young she looked. And I couldn’t help but wonder what other truths were being hidden behind some curtain of magic in this place.
Nothing was as it seemed, and if I could no longer even trust my eyes, what could I trust?
“If you say nothing is happening between the two of you, I’ll believe you,” Lyla said. “But I saw the way you were looking at him, too.”
“All I’m going to say is be careful,” Misty said. “Prettier, more powerful women than you have fallen for him and ended up with nothing more than a broken heart. He’s completely immune to love.”
It occurred to me that I should probably be offended by the fact that she’d offhandedly insulted my looks, but the truth was that I didn’t doubt it. Rend was gorgeous beyond words and it wouldn’t surprise me if the hottest model in the world was in love with him.
“Don’t worry about me,” I said. “I have no delusions about his feelings for me. Besides, I’m just here because I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Rend saved me. End of story.”
I didn’t have a chance to say more, because the lights dimmed further and the music turned up to near-deafening levels.
“Ooh, party time,” Lyla said, raising her voice above the music. “Come with me, Franki. I’ll show you to your spot.”
I followed Lyla through the dark club, my knees weak at the thought of dancing in front of a crowd full of strangers.
She led me to an actual cage with strong black bars. “This is usually my spot, but I thought you might want to be back here where you had a good view of the bar,” she said with a wink.