by Lauren Hunt
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 changed 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 ho
ld 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.
Adrenaline 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.
Then she pulled away. Her blue eyes stared into mine, searching for something. She wiped her red lips with the back of her hand.
“I'm sorry I have to go.”
I reached out my hand to stop her but it was too late. She was gone.
The night was a mess of confusion. I'd never experienced any of this with a woman before. Kelly was unique.
All I knew was that I would go hungry tonight.
Chapter Six
Kelly
I woke up the next morning on the floor in my freshly painted bedroom. I still wore the same dress from the night before. I winced and rubbed the bridge of my nose. A tiny hangover was banging inside my head. During college I never really went crazy at parties. I knew I was a lightweight and one drink was usually my maximum. I didn't have that much more at the club but it was enough to feel sick.
The one bathroom in the house was barely serviceable. About the only thing my parents had done to it was a new mirror. Which didn't help because all it did was show me how messed up I was. My hair was all over the place and my makeup smeared. There wasn't a shower but a bathtub. I couldn't remember the last time I ever took a bath. Must've been when I was a kid.
I turned the knob for the warm water and the tub faucet choked out some brown water. I let it run for awhile until it finally came out clear. The bathroom slowly filled with steam and fogged up the mirror.
My dress dropped to the ground and I slipped into the tub. The warm water instantly relaxed me. The small hammer in my ears began to quiet down. I rested my head on the edge of the tub and closed my eyes.
The kiss from Michael popped into my head.
My eyes shot open and I leaned forward in the tub. I ran two fingers along my lips. What the hell happened last night?
There was something about Michael that was so different from the men I'd been with before. A secret he couldn't tell me.
That kiss was magical. I'd had never felt like that before.
And it scared me.
Michael had cast a spell on me and I was all to ready to go home with him. But there were too many red flags and somewhere deep in my brain told me to run away.
I was surprised I was able to walk away like that. But now I was afraid that I might not see him again. I didn't get his phone number and I only had his first name to go off of. I'd have to figure out a way to find him again.
Michael was too mysterious and I wasn't ready to leave that thread open.
But first I had a lot of work to do around the house. The second bedroom was painted and I have no idea why I thought that must've been the priority. I took the advice from the cute guy from the hardware store but he didn't understand how bad of shape this home was.
The place was a complete disaster zone. It needed to be cleaned from top to bottom. I couldn't believe that my parents had lived here for a few months in such terrible conditions.
I took out a pad of paper and began a things-to-do list. At the very top: sweeping the wood floors.
I went to the garage and turned on the light. My mom's white VW bug was still parked on the right side. The left side of the garage was empty. My father's black Ford F-150 would be there if they hadn't been in that accident.
I quickly grabbed the broom next to the door and got out of there. I didn't want to think about things too much. Now I knew why I went to the hardware store without checking out what tools my dad had. The garage was too much of a reminder that they were gone.
The downstairs floor was the dirtiest and that's where I needed to start. My mom had a record player in the hallway with her collection of vinyls and I picked out a George Harrison album. He was always my favorite Beatle.
I opened up the front door and began sweeping the dust out, moving my body to that sweet voice. I couldn't believe the amount of dirt that had been caked onto the wood floors. Clouds of dust followed me where ever I went. I got lost in the music and before I knew it, I had finished the downstairs and the upstairs.
My cellphone ringing broke me out of my daze. The name on the screen: Fiona. I didn't hesitate to answer this time.
“Hi Fiona,” I said, setting the broom against the kitchen counter.
“So how was he?” Her voice was soft and slow.
“What are you talking about?” I knew exactly what she was talking about but I didn't want to give it away that I'd been thinking about him a
ll day.
“That guy from last night,” Fiona said. “The one who couldn't keep his eyes off you.”
“Oh, that guy? He was nice but nothing happened.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? You didn't go home with him?” Fiona was dead serious.
“I don't usually make it a point of going home with random guys I meet at a club.”
“Don't bullshit me, Kelly. We both know this wasn't just some random guy at a club.”