Blackout: A Romance Anthology

by Stephanie St. Klaire

“Yes,” Hallie finally speaks and I close my eyes thinking, yeah, this is definitely her. Hallie has that voice that sticks with you like honey, so warm and inviting. “He was …” she doesn’t finish the sentence, at least loud enough for me to hear it. Instead, she leans in closer to her friend and whispers something in her ear.

  When the brunette glances at me, doing this sweep of my body from head to toe, smiling bright, I wonder to myself what the fuck she just told her.

  “I’ve heard a few things about you over the years.”

  Her knowing smile suddenly makes me feel like I’m on display. “I’m Robyn,” she adds as she holds out her hand and I offer her a shake.

  “Hello, Robyn, I’m Kane,” offers my friend. This is one of the times I want to knock his ass out. Instead, I ignore the way he is moving in at my side, eyeing the brunette hungrily as he were a wolf about to devour her.

  “What have you heard about me?” I ask, redirecting the conversation once again.

  Robyn nods slow and seductively as she bites her lip and Hallie elbows her in the side. “Mind sharing the stories with me?”

  “Oh they weren’t stories,” she corrects and again gets a warning look from Hallie. “They were more like fantasies.”

  Fantasies? Holy hell! Was I the star in her dirty dreams?

  “Now I’m even more interested.” Stepping closer, I notice the way Hallie takes in a deep breath and holds it. “In these fantasies, what exactly am I doing?”

  As Robyn begins to back away, she points to Hallie and mouths one word that nearly makes me harden in my pants: “Her.”

  “Hallie, you should tell him who … I mean … what he is doing.”

  “Will you shut up?!” Hallie finally breaths to her friend, but it’s more like a frustrated growl. “Just ignore her, she’s drunk.”

  Actually, I think they’re both drunk.

  “The only thing she knows is that you were a guy I was paired up with in order to keep your grades up during football seasons in high school.”

  I stare at her, waiting for her to continue, but she doesn’t.

  “I think we could say that we were friends,” I reply. When she doesn’t agree, I push her a little more. “Don’t you think we were friends, Hallie?”

  “I wouldn’t exactly call us friends, Levi.”

  I may have been a dumb jock, or one that didn’t apply himself to the best of his abilities, but I picked up on the way Hallie was with me during that time. She liked me; I knew that. The many times I would notice her watching me when she didn’t think I was looking told me all I needed to know. Hallie was cute and the young cocky guy in me got some kind of thrill knowing she had a little crush on me.

  Not that I would act on it, because there was always Kami. Even thinking her name now only manages to piss me off. I wasted so much time on her.

  “What are you doing here?” I finally ask her, trying to break through this weird vibe we have going on between us.

  “Girls weekend getaway, and you?”

  “Bachelor party before the big wedding next weekend.” She goes from shy to instantly uncomfortable in seconds.

  “Well, congrats,” Hallie says in a rush as she releases her hold on the table she was leaning on and steps backwards in to her friend. “It was great seeing you again.” Then she spins around, practically dragging the brunette toward the bar, whispering something to her in the process.

  “That went well,” Kane says with a chuckle, only further annoying me. “She couldn’t get away from you fast enough, bro. What the fuck did you say to her?”

  Just then, Hallie looks back over her shoulder once again and I smile, only to have her look away quickly knowing she’s been caught watching me. Weird.

  “She asked what I was doing here and I said it was a bachelor party before the wedding next weekend.”

  Kane shakes his head at me, giving me a look that screams moron. “You do realize that she thinks it’s you getting married, genius? That’s why she bolted like a jilted bride.” Kane chuckles before sitting back down in the chair, shaking his head. “You should have included somewhere in that line that it was Lincoln’s wedding, dumb ass, and not your own.”

  Damn, I am a Grade A moron indeed.

  CHAPTER 5

  Hallie

  “I always knew they’d get married,” I tell Robyn as I grab the shot in front of me and down it quickly. “Levi and Kami were inseparable, and she was always so smug about it. You know, the kind of girl that looked down on everyone around her. Like she was the prom queen and I was the band geek. She knew she had something good when it came to Levi and flaunted it whenever someone was watching. But you wouldn’t believe the amount of time I’d heard their phones conversations whenever we were studying. She was so hateful to him.”

  “You didn’t play in the band,” Robyn states, wearing a confused look on her face. Out of all I just said, that is her focus?! Lord, help me get through this.

  “Focus,” I say before doing another shot. “It’s an example to emphasize how bitchy she was and how she looked down on everyone else.”

  “He was flirting with you,” Robyn adds.

  “No, he was talking to me, a friendly conversation between former classmates. Even if there was flirting, he is getting married. Married. My god, give me a little credit. I may have been hung up in high school, but I am not desperate enough to be his last booty call before he marries the drama queen.”

  “But he is so yummy,” Robyn persists, earning herself the bad influence award for not helping at all in this situation. “And he keeps looking over here. At you, Hallie.”

  At me? He’s looking at me?

  “Stop watching him,” I whisper-growl, nearly scolding her like a mother. Grabbing her shoulder, I turn her body and force her to look away. “But he’s—”

  “Enough.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing. Knock it off, It doesn’t matter if—for years—I thought he was the greatest guy that ever walked the planet. No amount of fantasies would ever convince me that it is okay to act on impulse. He is getting married and I’m not a home wrecker.”

  “Lincoln is the one getting married,” says a very male voice from behind me, one I now recognize well. I grip the glass in my hand tighter when Levi approaches me, apparently to set me straight.

  “I tried to tell you that he was on his way over here, but you wouldn’t let me,” Robyn says with a wide smile and starts shaking her hips like she’s celebrating something. Suddenly, she turns her back to me and starts talking to the guy next to her. She was eating this up.

  I have no choice but to turn and face Levi who is close behind me. So close that when I turn, my shoulder rubs against his chest, a very hard chest, and he doesn’t step back to create space.

  “My brother, Lincoln,” he continues once I am facing him with likely a look of pure panic on my face, “he’s the one getting married.”

  Oh my god, can I be any more embarrassing? I need another shot or three to forgot this moment of humiliation by assumption.

  I nod, unable to much else to dig myself out of the hole of shame I just created. He heard everything I said loud and clear, because I was yelling the words to Robyn to ensure she understood them.

  “I figured you and Kami were getting married,” I say, trying to sound calm, despite the nervous energy coursing through me that’s ready to explode.

  “Kami and I aren’t together,” he assures me, leaning in closer to utter the words over the loud music. Closer to where I smell his scent. One of woodsy spice and I just want to drink him in.

  Did he notice the way I took a slow, lingering breath when he came closer?

  “We’ve been broken up for close to a year now,” he utters, as if saying it out loud still stings.

  “That’s a lot to throw away; you were both together for so long.”

  He doesn’t pull back this time, staying as near me as possible without actually touching. My face is so close to his chest, and his lips hover nea
r my ear to the point that I feel each of his breaths against my neck. Not seeing his face makes it easier to confess the things lingering in my mind without having to look him in the eyes.

  “Had I known she was the kind of girl that would sleep with her boss over and over again, then I wouldn’t have wasted so many years on her.”

  “That’s crazy.” I always knew she was a whore.

  “Looking back now, I think if I’d stopped being a jackass who thought he was a god—and actually paid attention—then I would have seen the signs. Kami was always in need of everyone’s attention; she lived for it. But I didn’t come over here to talk about her.”

  “Then why did you come over here?” I ask, willing him to confess his reason for seeking me out. Chills cover my shoulder when the stubble of his cheek brushes against me. That mixed with his breath still tickling my skin, and the scent of his woodsy cologne makes me feel slightly unsteady. Unsteady from the abundance of alcohol and him.

  “I wanted to ensure that you knew I wasn’t attached to anyone,” he informs me with a deeper voice, one so sexy that my pulse quickens. “I’m free to hang out with a gorgeous woman.”

  “Then you should find yourself one. After all, you are in Vegas and they’re everywhere.”

  I didn’t think he could get any closer, but I’m wrong. When I feel his hand on my hip, I hold my breath for a few seconds. His stubble teases my cheek once again. I can feel his lips graze my ear lobe.

  “I already found one,” he utters in my ear, causing a heat to rush through my body.

  Don’t do it. I chant this in my head over and over. All I really want to do is turn my face toward his and feel his warm lips on mine where we will kiss until we are breathless, his hardened body touching mine until we are both desperate for each other. He towers over me, engulfing me in the Levi bubble, and every one of my senses feel scrambled. I am a mess of need, and I can try to blame the alcohol, but it’s him I suddenly need like air to breathe.

  “You’re not gonna force me to go back to that table by myself are you?”

  I’m too busy focusing on the way his fingertips dig into my hip, and gently massage it, to register his words until he speaks again.

  “It is really loud in here,” he says, his mouth remaining so close to my ear. “We could step outside and talk too.”

  “You move fast,” I say with a smile and he chuckles.

  “I said talk,” he clarifies, but I can still hear the humor in his voice. “You can trust me.”

  “Can I?”

  It’s then that he leans back and I once again get a clear view of his dark mahogany eyes. “Yes, you can.” The way he says this soothes the tension inside of me just enough that I agree by nodding my head. “It’s been years,” he continues. “You’ve changed, I’ve changed. I’d like to catch up and see who Hallie Randall really is.”

  ***

  We find a space just outside, near a small waterfall that cascades down a wall leading to a terrace below. It is much quieter, and we find a table that sits along the patio. A few waiters and waitresses walk throughout the area serving guests.

  Levi chooses the table that is tucked in a corner and pulls out the chair for me, before pushing it in once I take a seat. I’m surprised when takes the chair directly next to me to sit in versus the one across from me. The simple act makes me feel giddy like a school girl, reminding me of all the times I got that very same feeling in school whenever we would lean in close while looking at the same textbook. I know it’s crazy, but it’s like I’m there all over again, feeling that simple rush of excitement, that craving for him to just notice me, even if it is only for a few seconds.

  “Can I get the two of you something to drink?” A young waitress asks with a smile while holding a tray before her with a few empty glasses she’s retrieved from a few of the now vacant tables.

  “I’ll have a Crown Royal.” She nods at Levi’s request and turns to me.

  Already feeling hazy while sitting next to the guy I’ve crushed on for years, I need a clear head and a sound mind. “I’ll just have an ice water.”

  “Bottled?”

  “Yes, please.”

  The waitress walks away and I look back toward Levi to find him watching me closely. “What?”

  “Nothing.” He shrugs. “I just feel like maybe I should have ordered a water too.”

  “I’ve been here since a little after one this afternoon and we all hit the drinks fairly early. I think I’ve poisoned my liver enough for one day.”

  “We all?” Leaning in, he places one hand on the arm of my chair and I can’t help but notice how close it brings his body to mine. It’s not like he needs to be this close; the music isn’t nearly as loud as it was before. “Who all are you here with, Hallie?”

  “Robyn, who you met already,” I inform him and he nods, “then Zara.” Levi’s eyes widen and I laugh. “Yes, the Zara.” She was as wild back in high school as she is now and proud of it.

  “I didn’t see her in the club.” He glances over his shoulder. “She in there?”

  “Yep, she’s there with a guy she met earlier today.” When he looks back at me and nods again, I continue. “And then Zara’s sister, Lucy, is here too. She’s hard to miss; I think she’s the only one wearing dress pants and a cardigan.”

  “Wait,” Levi chuckles, “a blue sweater thing?” I nod and bite my lip to contain my laughter. “Sitting at a table with a guy that looks like a school teacher?”

  “Yep, that would be her.” Just then, the waitress places Levi’s whiskey on the table and a Voss water in front of me.

  “Will you please just put both on the tab for the Loft #813?” The woman nods her head, jotting down the room number and turns away to move on to the next table.

  “Wow, the Loft? Fancy.” I saw some of the images online of those rooms when I was making the reservations and they were amazing. Two levels of living space, some with three bedrooms, large living rooms and kitchens too like apartments or even better than what most small apartments are actually, at least those I’ve lived in over the years.

  “Leo’s dad is a big shot lawyer and one of his clients is the owner of this place,” he explains, only I’m still picturing the expanding space in my head. “Leo’s my brother’s best friend and the planner of this entire weekend. So when his father found out we were heading to Vegas, he called in one of his many favors from his big clients and now here we are. But yes, the place is insane.”

  “Bigger than my tiny apartment in the city for sure.”

  “Are you still in Chicago?”

  “Yeah,” I answer and then take a sip of my water before placing it back onto the table. “You?”

  I can’t help but imagine the possibility of both of us in Chicago, my high school crush suddenly becoming my reality.

  CHAPTER 6

  Levi

  I am awe struck by the gorgeous woman before me. The one I knew as an innocent girl in high school. The one who is even more beautiful now than she was then.

  “Still in the city.” I finally say the words to answer her question. “I decided to go in to business and bought a few places, did a flip and then reopened them under new names.”

  “Really?” She seems genuinely interested.

  “Risqué,” I reply. It takes a second but then its clicks and her eyes widen.

  “No way,” she says it in such disbelief and I laugh. “That is not your club,” she states, still not believing me for some reason. I nod a yes. “I’ve been there at least ten times over the last six months.”

  “It was failing, on the verge of being closed. I talked to the owner and he had a choice: sell it while he could or let the bank repossess it and have that follow him and his family around for years. The entire building was falling apart. Seven months later it was reopened under new management and a new name. Within weeks, it grew to be one of the hottest clubs in Chicago. I’ll admit it was a surprise to me but a pleasant one.”

  “I’ll say, it’s impress
ive. It truly it is.”

  We sat for a while talking about where life has led us, the struggles to get us there, how being an adult makes you realize the importance of certain things, and how others don’t truly amount to anything.

  Every time Hallie laughs, I feel an unfamiliar pull in my chest, tugging me closer to her.

  How did I not see this girl before? How did I not notice her beauty that radiates inside and out?

  All the times we spent together, sharing a small space, long hours I spent with her, but never truly saw the real her. She is beautiful; she has always been. I was just too stupid to see her. Really see her.

  The sound of a girl giggling grabs our attention, and I look up just in time to see a woman stumbling out of the club with a guy trying to hold her upright. “Hallie Shay Randall!” the girl hollers then breaks out once more in a fit of laughter.

  I can’t help but laugh myself when I hear Hallie groan at the mention of her full name as it echoes all around us. A few passing groups look in our direction. Some laugh at the expense of the drunk girl and others smile noticing how the scene seems to be embarrassing Hallie.

  “Have you met my friend,” the heavily drunk girl asks, placing her hand on the guy’s chest,” Jax?” She says this in a loud, strung out manner that I think she meant to sound like a moan.

  Note: it did not sound like a moan at all.

  The poor guy tries to hold her up and I stand, hurrying to push a chair in his direction so he can deposit her there. “Thanks,” he mumbles before securing her and letting out a relieved breath once he stands again.

  “Yes, Zara,” Hallie finally responds, “I met your friend earlier.”

  Zara? Damn, she looks different.

  She had always been wild, a little flaunting and flirtatious, but this girl was a hellcat. A tattoo on her wrist and across one shoulder going down her arm just a small fraction. Her once-dark hair now has purple streaks throughout and the dark makeup she wears only highlights her dark eyes making them stand out even more.

  “Who’s this?” We make eye contact and she reaches out to place her hand on the tabletop, holding herself steady.