Henry strode to the bar, stepped behind it and pulled out glasses. He held one up to her and she nodded as she sat down on the plush couch. Jamie moaned in pleasure. It was the softest couch she’d ever sat on. Henry walked back with two dark drinks. “Cherry coke?” he asked as he handed it to her and watched as she took a sip. “You can’t stop wondering if we are from the same class, can you?”
She smiled in answer to his question.
“I brought you in here so we could talk to each other, not yell over the music. So ask me anything, except what color I am.” His grin lit his whole face, and she was memorized.
“How old are you?” she asked taking another sip from her drink.
“Twenty-one. My turn. What’s your favorite color?” He winked at her, and his being flirty made her giggle.
“Umm…I would say red,” she replied biting her bottom lip.
Henry touched her hair, twirling a red lock in his fingers. “I think red’s now my favorite color,” he murmured and she felt her cheeks heat up. “Your turn,” he said, and she mentally shook herself.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” she asked, thinking it was an importangig an impt question. She didn’t want to be the girl he cheated with, she wouldn’t cause someone that pain.
“I don’t. I haven’t found a girl I thought was worth fighting for yet,” he answered, and removed his hand from her hair. He grabbed his drink from the small red table in front of them and gulped it. Jamie watched him, fascinated, as he swallowed and replaced the glass on the table. “What about you? Is there some jealous boyfriend I should worry about?”
Jamie thought about it. Her last relationship had ended badly, and she still hadn’t gotten over it one-hundred percent. “You don’t have to worry about a jealous boyfriend, I’m single.”
Henry grinned at her again and she felt her heart speed up. She knew she was in trouble with this boy. “Good,” he murmured.
Chapter Two
Revolution
Jamie and Henry talked for a long time before she finally looked at the time on her phone. It was after midnight and she felt the blood drain from her body. Her father was going to be so furious. “Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed jumping up from the couch.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he slowly stood up with her. He put his warm hands on her shoulders.
Jamie bit her bottom lip. “I’m supposed to be home in twenty minutes,” she said, recalling that she’d told her father that she and Emily were going to dinner and to a movie. Instead they’d gone to dinner, and then to the No B Club.
“Well then, we’d better get you and Emily out of here. I don’t want you to get in trouble.” Henry took Jamie’s hand in his, and pulled her out of the VIP room.
The club was more packed than it had been when she’d walked into that red VIP room, and many of the people were still grinding on one another to the loud pounding music. She followed Henry out toward the bar area where they scanned the room.
Henry pulled out his cell phone, and punched in a number. “Where are you guys?” he asked and then paused as he listened to, she guessed, Michael. “Okay meet us in the parking lot.” He shoved his phone back in his back pocket, took her hand and started walking toward the front doors.
Jamie tried to look around as they moved, to see if she recognized anyone, but they were walking too fast for her to notice faces. She wished Henry would slow down because she knew that their time together was almost over and she wanted more. She wanted to see him again, and at that point, she didn’t care what color he wore around his left wrist. He slowed as they reached the front of the building and they leisurely walked out of the double black doors. The cold night air hit her and she gasped. She wasn’t dressed for the cold. The jacket that she’d brought to hide her skimpy top was in the to backseat of Emily’s car.
“Come here,” Henry said as he put an arm around her shoulders. Almost instantly she felt her body heat up, and her stomach fluttered. He looked down at her, and there was something in his light blue eyes.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked, and his eyes soften.
“I’m wondering if I will ever see you again. I’ve never wanted to get to know anyone before. I’ve never cared what anyone wanted until…you.” Henry smiled at her and she just stared back at him, shocked.
“You want to see me again?” She asked, and he laughed. Henry was a very handsome guy, his face was perfect and reminded her of a model. His baby blue eyes reminded her of a clear summer sky.
“Of course I want to see you again. You are the only girl in a long time that has caught my eye. Will you come back…to me?” he asked, and her heart sped up.
She looked at him curious, and he shrugged, a smile tugging on his lips. “Tomorrow night,” she whispered, and felt the heat of a blush spread all over her body.
Henry reached behind him, to his back pocket. He handed her the same red card that opened the RED VIP room. “Meet me tomorrow night.”
She closed her hand around the key card. “I’ll be there.”
He grinned at her, and lowered his face to hers. Everything happened in slow motion for Jamie. Henry’s lips lightly brushed hers and sent tingles down her body. She needed more. Jamie wrapped her arms around his neck and slowly shut her eyes. Before their lips could really meet she heard someone giggle.
“Oh my, what are you two doing?” Emily asked, and Jamie had a strong desired to kick her best friend for ruining her first kiss with Henry.
Jamie looked away from Henry and to Emily. “Let’s go,” she said, moving away from him to join her best friend, but she knew she wore her heart on her sleeve.
* * *
Henry watched the girls walk away, and he questioned what the hell had come over him. He’d never acted like that before. The red room was his private room, his personal space, but when he’d met her grayish-green eyes, he was a goner. He’d seen her fiery hair and he’d known he needed to be with her.
“You got it bad for her, don’t you?” Mike asked.
Henry didn’t say anything, he just watched Jamie walk away toward the parking ljushe parkot. When he and Mike had thought up the No B, they’d never imagined it would be this popular. Yes, they got raided a lot, but people kept coming back. They’d also made an astonishing amount of money, but no one other than Jamie and Mike knew he was part owner of the club. He was pretty sure he would be sentenced to death by the ‘Wicked’ Moore if it was ever found out. ‘Wicked’ Moore was what William Moore was called around the streets. Both classes thought he was ruthless, and everyone knew that William knew it and wasn’t ashamed of it.
“I do,” he finally answered his oldest friend. Their friendship would have been looked down on, but neither of them cared what color they wore.
“Just be careful, I’ve seen her before. I don’t know where, but I have,” Mike said, nodding toward the girls.
“I’m not stupid,” Henry said, but knew he was lying. There was something with Jamie, and he wanted to find out what it was. When his lips brushed hers, he’d thought he felt heaven and it tasted of raspberry.
Mike shrugged. “You’ve never talked to anyone here before, well…besides me. You know we’re about to start a revolution. This isn’t the time to fall for some eighteen year old girl. We’re the leaders of this movement. We need to be on top of our game.”
The revolution was something they’d planned for years and the club was the start of it. Henry knew he shouldn’t be thinking about Jamie, that she might be his weakness, but he couldn’t stop himself. It was as if she was burned into his brain.
“Let’s go and talk about what’s going to happen in the next few days,” Mike said as he shook his head, but kept his smile on his face.
Henry walked back into his private room with Mike. He poured two drinks and handed one to his best friend. Mike was more of a brother to him, and would do anything for him. When he’d first thought up the revolution, he’d thought Mike would have told him it was a suicide mission, but he didn’t
. He’d said he was with him and that he too thought Blues should have their freedom.
“Okay we have a special delivery being sent to Wicked Moore’s house tomorrow morning,” Mike said with a laugh, drawing Henry from his thoughts.
The special delivery was a cow’s head and heart. Mike thought it would be funny to send that to all of the lead members. “What have you found out about Moore’s secret child?” Henry asked. He’d been the one to discover that William Moore had a child, one that was about seventeen or eighteen years old.
“Not much, all I know is Moore sent him or her to a private school. No one that I can find has ever seen the Moore offspring…ever. Becca Moore died giving birth to their first and only child, or very close to it, anyway.” It wasn’t new information. They had known that since they started planning the revolution.
“Did you set it up? A>
“Yes, guess I should have told you sooner. You start in the morning. You need to get home and sleep.” Mike punched his shoulder and laughed. He strode to the door and opened it. “Be careful tomorrow,” he said over his shoulder as he closed the door behind him.
Henry sat alone in his private room knowing that he should be thinking about their plans because they had a lot of people counting on them, but when he closed his eyes he saw perfect red hair and beautiful gray-green eyes and he heard a laugh that made you want to join in.
* * *
Jamie walked into a dark house. She hoped her father was asleep, but her luck was up. Her heart stopped when a bright light turned on, and her father’s face became clear.
“You promised to be home before twelve thirty. It is now one fifteen. Where were you?” he demanded.
She’d never liked lying to her father, usually he could tell that she was, so she tried to stick as close to the truth as possible. “I wanted to have some girl time with Emily, so we went to dinner and talked. Sorry I’m late, it won’t happen again,” she said with a smile. Jamie watched her father’s face soften at her apology.
“You know I worry about you. This is your first time being home in a long time. I’ve kept your identity a secret from everyone for a reason, Jamie. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you.”
Her mother had died the day after she was born. And since it was after midnight, Jamie knew it was the anniversary of her death. It was always a hard day for both of them. Her father had lost the only woman he had ever loved, and she’d lost a mother she would never get to know. Her mother’s picture was hanging above the fireplace, but he never talked about her. She thought about his words, that he’d kept her identity a secret for a reason. She knew he was convinced that someone would kill her to get to him. She’d always told him he was way too paranoid for his own good.
“I know dad,” she said as she wrapped her arms around her father for a hug. Jamie pulled away, and grinned at him. “I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.” She yawned covering her mouth with her hand. She started toward her room.
“It is the morning already.”
Jamie laughed at her father’s wry tone, and then continued down the hall toward her bedroom.
When Jamie woke up, she glanced at the time, it was afternoon. Crap! She thought. Now I’ll never hear the end of the late nights and what not from Father. After she and Emily had left the club, they’d put on their Black leather bracelets. She’d told Emily about meeting He het meetinry again and Emily told her she would come with her.
Jamie looked out her bedroom window from her position in her bed. A black building was all she could see. She’d grown up looking at that all black building with silver lined windows and doors. She’d only seen pictures of the Blue housing, but she knew they were a rich blue with white lined windows and doors. Her intercom buzzed, pulling her way from her thoughts. She got out of bed and crossed the room to answer it. She pushed the answer button. “Yes?”
“The new butler has arrived. Your father wanted me to remind you to stay in your room until he notifies you.”
Jamie groaned and pushed another button to find out where her father was in the house. The sensor found him in his study. She sighed. She couldn’t believe he’d ordered her to stay in her room. She wasn’t a little kid, but he still treated her like she was.
Jamie threw herself back on her soft, pink, fluffy bed, her every thought was on the man who made her feel things she’d never felt before. His crystal-blue eyes appeared when she closed her eyes. Henry Roarke’s face was sketched in her mind. She still had a long time before she would see him again, but her heart raced at that thought. She was still a little mad at her best friend for interrupting her first kiss. The whole night she’d imagined how it would be to really kiss Henry, and she wondered how he would taste. Jamie closed her eyes again, knowing her dreams would consist of a certain blue eye man.
* * *
Henry couldn’t believe he was employed by the Wicked Moore, but he’d needed an inside man and he’d been the most logical choice. He glanced down at his wrist where the bright Blue bracelet lay, reminding him that he was a slave.
When Blues and Blacks were born, the bracelets were automatically placed on them. As you grew you received a new one to accommodate your size. By about eighteen you would most likely keep the same bracelet until you died. It was the same for both the Blues and Blacks.
Blacks, of course, held the best jobs and weren’t allowed to marry beneath them. Blues usually worked for the Blacks and weren’t allowed to marry above them. Whatever category your family was put in fifty years ago, was what you were now.
Henry's mother worked for the Rich family. That was how he and Mike had become best friends. The Rich family wasn’t like other Blacks. They didn’t care what color was around your wrist. They treated everyone the same, and that was why Henry thought of them like family.
He glanced at the clock in the kitchen, and groaned. He still had two hours left until he could leave and get ready to meet Jamie. Henry’d had a few girlfriends before, but never one who made him feel how Jamie made him feel in just those few short hours. He could still feel her soft lips as he brushed his lips against hers.
His heart fluttered as he thought of her, the sounded of her laughter rang in his head. He didn’t believe in love at first si fa at firght, but there was something there that made him want her. A knock sounded at the front door, right on time he thought.
He walked to the front door and a delivery man wearing all brown held a package in his hands. Henry smirked, he knew what it was.
“For Mr. Moore,” the delivery man said as he handed Henry the package.
“Thank you,” he said shutting the door after accepting the package. Henry hoped it would work, it was supposed to scare William. When he’d arrived at the Moore house, he was told not to go upstairs, that it was off limits. Henry’d found out that the mysterious Moore offspring was a female. One of the maids had told him that she’d arrived from boarding school yesterday.
That was information he and the rebels would use. He walked over to the intercom, the informative maid had shown him how to use it. He hit the sensor button to find William. He was in his study. Henry, thinking about the mystery daughter, wondered where she was. He pressed the sensor again, looking for her location. She was in her bedroom.
He pushed the call button for the study. “Mr. Moore, you have a package.” Bile rose in the back of his throat. He hated that he had to work for and be nice to the monster.
Henry sat the package on the table by the stairs, and then glanced at the intercom again. If he could get one look at her, he would know what would hurt William the most. He quickly moved to the intercom and pressed the call button.
“More orders?” a sweet female voice said.
“There is a package for you and your father,” he said and moved away from the intercom. He walked toward the small table by the stairs and waited. He would find out who the Moore girl was. He heard loud footsteps coming down the stairs and glanced up, it was William.
&nb
sp; “Where is-” a sweet voice asked from behind the large man.
Slowly, William turned around. “I thought I told you to stay in your room,” he said in a demanding voice.
Small bare feet were all he could see along with a silver anklet covered with little small charms. They were too far way, so Henry couldn’t make out what they were.
“You know...I am not a child anymore, and I don’t like that you order me around like one,” her familiar voice said and he wanted so bad to see her face.
“Jamie, I know you aren't a child, but you are still my daughter.”
Henry's heart dropped to his feet, Jamie. He knew he’d known the voice, and now he knew she was William's daughter. William turned toward Henry and glanced at the waiting package. It was too late now to back out of his plan, and he wouldn’t for some girl. Even if that girl made him think of his ever after, and made his heart race when the thought of her.
William Mooru kWilliame picked up the package, took a silver pocket knife out of his back pocket and started to open it. Henry glanced up the stairs to see that Jamie had descended a couple of stairs. She was even more beautiful in the daylight, and her long red hair seemed brighter. Henry moved back a little so he was more in the shadows, he didn’t want Jamie to see him. He glanced at William as he heard the knife cut through the tape.
“What...the hell?” William whispered, and then a scream filled the air. Jamie. “Get to your room now!”
Henry turned his attention back to Jamie.
She had gone pale, and she stepped closer to her father. “What is that?” She stood just behind her father “Oh my gosh! Is that...blood?” Jamie's voice trembled.
William looked at Henry. “Who the hell brought this?” he asked, anger dripping from his voice.
Jamie noticed him for the first time. Her mouth slowly dropped opened, and her sweet gaze was drawn to his Blue bracelet.
“A delivery man, sir,” Henry responded, forcing his eyes away from Jamie and her shocked dark green eyes.
Black and Blue (Black and Blue Series) Page 2