by Smoke, Lucy
Once in the girl’s restroom, I closed and locked a stall door behind me before pulling out the phone.
Bellamy:Time to go
Harlow:Still in school
Bellamy:Not anymore. Where are you right now?
Harlow:2nd floor. Girls bathroom.
I sighed, thankful that I had at least packed everything away before leaving the classroom. I unlocked the stall and went to the sink to wash my hands. I always felt dirty in public bathrooms. The door to the bathroom opened and I moved to the paper towel dispenser as I assumed another girl had entered for her own afternoon bathroom break away from class.
“Almost ready to go?”
I whirled around, hands reaching out to grip the sink, so I wouldn’t fall. Bellamy’s coffee-brown eyes watched me from a much sterner face than I had seen on him before.
“What happened?” I asked, concerned.
He simply shook his head. “If you’re done, we need to go. We have things to prepare for tonight.”
“Why do you look like that? And what are you doing in here? This is the girl’s bathroom, what if someone walked in?” Bellamy stepped forward and yanked my bag up and slung it over one of his broad shoulders before tugging me along behind him. “Bellamy?”
He grunted as he towed me out into the parking lot towards the familiar BMW. I looked for Marv, maybe in the passenger side, but he wasn’t there.
“Where are the others? Where are we going?” He opened the car door for me and pushed me in, shutting it without a single word. He got in and started the engine, and backed up. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eyes. “Why are you acting like this?” Why was he so mad?
He lifted the console of the BMW and pulled out a cell phone carrier box. “This is for you.” He tossed the box in my lap. “New number. Don’t use the old phone anymore.”
“I would hardly call it old,” I said, opening the box and peeking inside. “In fact, I think this is the same phone. New number?”
“Yes.”
I threw the box on the floor of the car and turned to him. “What is your problem?”
He flicked a hard look at me before slowing to a stop along a back road before the interstate and pulled over on the shoulder. He turned the ignition off and jerked the emergency break up.
“Why did that boy pick you up this morning? Did you ask him to? You could have asked any one of us to come get you. You could have asked me!” he roared.
I huffed. “I missed the bus. I didn’t know he would be there!” I yelled back. “He was already there, and I figured you guys would be asleep. I texted you!”
“After you were already in his car!”
“I knew you would be upset if I didn’t tell you, though,” I snapped. “Give me some credit.”
He stared at me, his eyes sliding all over my face, his cheeks flushed. I’m sure mine were too. I didn’t break his gaze. Then something happened. His eyes narrowed on mine before dropping to my lips. I bit them nervously, especially when he leaned a bit closer.
“You shouldn’t have gone with him.” His voice lowered, growing dark and gruff.
“He just gave me a ride to school,” I argued.
“You won’t need to go anymore,” he said.
“I don’t have a car. I might need a ride somewhere, but I promise not to call him to ask for a ride.” If he called me to talk…well…I might not hang up on him. Not now that he had me a little curious about him. If he even could, with this new number I knew they would insist on.
“Goddammit!” He slammed both palms down on the steering wheel.
I jumped. “Why are you yelling?”
“I’m just irritated,” he growled, twisting back. His eyes zeroed in on my lips again, his lids lowering. “You drive me insane.”
“How do I–”
My words were cut off when his hands grabbed my arms, jerked me forward, and he kissed me. I was so stunned at first that I just let it happen. Then his lips moved over mine, soft and sweet. He traced my lower lip with his tongue, and I jerked away when I felt something hard touch me. He had a bar through his tongue that I had never noticed before. He pulled me back in and this time I let myself kiss him back.
His hand grazed my side, sliding to my back as I pressed into him, opening my mouth. When did my seatbelt come undone? Had it been him or me? It didn’t matter because I followed his lead, shivering as my shirt slid up slightly and his warm palm touched my bare skin. Everywhere he touched, goosebumps jumped to meet him.
I had never been kissed before. Had never even been on a real date. He was my first in this way. I closed my eyes and reached up, my fingers tugging on the loose ponytail of his hair, pulling out the band that held it all back. I grabbed hold and held on as he crushed his lips harder against mine, like he couldn’t get enough, like he wanted to breathe me in, consume me. I trembled under his heat.
Bellamy’s hands squeezed me harder, hauling me closer, until I was almost straddling the console. It should have been uncomfortable with my head tilted to meet his, but I hardly noticed as I ran my hands through his hair and licked at his lips too. He groaned before he pulled away and rested his forehead against mine. We were both breathing hard. I couldn’t believe he had kissed me. I couldn’t believe I had kissed him back. It was startling and my mind reeled, my eyes glued to the lips that had – moments before – been attached to mine. He had kissed me like he needed to breathe. It felt like he had stolen the oxygen straight from my lungs.
“If you need a ride, you call me,” he rasped. “If you can’t reach me, you call one of the guys.” I shook, trying to hold myself over him. “Promise me.”
I swallowed and nodded. “I promise.”
“Okay.” He blinked and kissed me once more, hard, and close-mouthed, before urging me back into my seat. “Now, put your seatbelt on.” I did as he said, my hands shaking as I pulled the seatbelt over my chest and buckled in. Bellamy lowered the emergency brake and turned the ignition, pulling back onto the road.
Touching my lips with the tips of my fingers, I stared out the windshield and asked myself, ‘what just happened?’
Chapter 14
I stood in the guys’ bathroom dressed in the gown Marv had bought and put the finishing touches on my makeup with light brush strokes. Texas sat on the closed toilet fiddling with his phone, trying to catch some sort of purple blob that kept escaping. He told me the name of the app, but I had already forgotten. Tucking my hair behind my ears, I leaned further over the sink counter, dabbing a shiny nude powder over my eyelids before adding eyeliner and mascara. I wasn’t used to using so much makeup, especially the high-quality brand Marv had shown up with. As I glanced in the mirror, closing the palettes and makeup cases, I thought I looked pretty freaking good.
“Damn it,” Texas cursed, tapping at his phone.
“What do you think?” I asked.
I needed a second opinion. Just because I thought I didn’t look too bad, didn’t mean that everyone else would think the same. The makeup felt heavy on my face and I wasn’t sure if I hadn’t used too much. I needed to look like I knew what I was doing.
Texas’ dark eyes slid up from his phone and he paused. “You look…” He stared hard, his eyes analyzing the dress, the makeup, my bare shoulders. “You look amazing.”
I blushed, and turned away. “Th-thanks.”
He followed as I headed into the living room where Knix was quietly giving both Bellamy and Marv directions. Marv was dressed in a charcoal suit, tailored to his tall body. It tapered down over his chest to his waist. Bellamy wore a simpler uniform of a black t-shirt and jeans. He glanced at me as I entered, his eyes gliding over my skin, the dress, and my bare legs before trailing back up. My blush deepened.
“Wow.” Marv’s gasp drew my attention to him. He wore a thin tie that matched my dress and the charcoal of the suit accentuated his eyes. He also looked me up and down. “Now, that is a dress.” He stopped at my eyes, smiling. “Ready to head out, Sunshine?”
I
nodded the same time that Knix shook his head. “Not just yet. Texas needs to go over a few things with you before you go.” He glanced at me, a quirk at the corner of his mouth the only approval I would receive from him. It was approval enough, and made me feel like a real princess with four attractive men admiring me.
Texas jumped to the center of the room. “Okay, yeah.” He pulled two small, curved, nude lumps from his pocket. They looked like hearing aids. He handed one to me and one to Marv. “Each of these will put you in contact with either Bellamy or Knix. I’m going to be in the security room with Knix. Bellamy will be serving at the function which is hosted at the DeLuca Charleston Hotel downtown.”
I watched as Marv wiggled the little device into his ear and I mimicked him. It felt foreign in my ear, like a strange headphone. “Here, push this button,” he ordered.
Marv grabbed my chin and tilted my head to the side as he fidgeted with the device. A quiet shrieking noise startled me, and he began tapping something else until the volume rose slightly before cutting off completely.
Texas continued, “The party starts at 10 pm. Your objective for tonight is to be seen and identify possible targets.”
“The potential victims or the bad guys?” I clarified, pushing Marv’s hand away to adjust the ear device myself.
“As of right now, you’re just looking for the possible thieves,” Knix replied. “Under no circumstances are you or Marv to approach them. This party is all about information gathering.”
“I thought this entire job was information gathering,” I questioned.
“It is,” he confirmed, nodding.
Texas showed us the devices that he and Knix would be using, basically headphones with mouth pieces. They would be in security, so they wouldn’t look out of place sitting in front of cameras all night. I wondered how they were able to get such a convenient position. Bellamy’s piece resembled Marv’s and mine, I noticed as I watched him adjust it in his ear.
Knix, Bellamy, and Texas left first in the SUV; Bellamy had to help set up, and Knix and Texas needed to be in the security room before people started arriving. Marv and I were left standing in the patio on the bottom floor of the complex they lived in. As I shifted in the heels I wore, my stomach rumbled and Marv looked down.
“Hungry?” He smirked. I rubbed both hands over my stomach, and shrugged. “They should have food there, but come on.” Marv reached for my hand, tugging me to the BMW on the other side of the lot. “We can at least grab a cup of coffee and a snack before we do some spying.”
“I thought spies were supposed to be quiet about being spies?”
“We’re not spies,” he corrected. “We’re just acting like them for the night.”
“For the entire job,” I reminded him. He harrumphed and opened the car door for me. southern gentlemen were something else.
Marv drove us towards downtown, but detoured to a small café several blocks away from our intended destination. He parallel parked between a flashy convertible and a light-blue truck before striding around the front of the car to help me out. I held his hand as we walked down the cobblestone street towards Kat’s Café. My heels were tall enough and the road uneven enough that I almost tripped more than a few times. He grinned the entire time, wrapping one arm around my waist to help steady me while I held onto the other.
“I promise, I’ll be more coordinated than this when we get to the hotel,” I said when we finally made it to the Café’s front door. He chuckled, opened the door, and ushered me in.
The café smelled like coffee: hazelnut and vanilla bean. At the diner, Joanna burned the coffee more than she didn’t and the smell never really went away. The barista at the counter was a young girl with pink streaks through her hair. She smiled brightly as we entered and welcomed us. I stood behind Marv while he ordered a dark roast coffee for himself and some sort of frappé for me. I looked up at him as the barista told him the price and then asked for our names to put on the cups. Once she stepped away to make them, he ushered me towards a nearby table.
“I figured you might like frappés. They’re usually sweeter than what I like though.” Marv slid a seat out for me.
“I’m not much of a coffee drinker. I’ve only ever had it at Alex’s Diner,” I admitted.
His eyes widened in horror. “Don’t get me wrong,” he began. “Alex is an awesome guy, but the coffee at the diner is only decent with pie or something sweet.”
“But you just got a dark roast. Aren’t those bitter? How can you like bitter and sweet together?”
He shook his head. “The dark roasts are dry and lighter roasts have more caffeine. If I drink that right now, I’ll be up all night.” He grinned. “As for bitterness and sweetness, well, I say they are the perfect combination. They complement each other, balance each other out.”
His mention of staying up late reminded me of my mom. I usually had to leave her home alone when I was working and going to school, but now that I was out with Marv and, for the most part, just hanging out with the guys, I felt guilty. My eyes slid to the tabletop and I fidgeted with the edge.
“What’s wrong?”
I shook my head, and pressed my hands together, clasping and unclasping them on the wood. “Nothing, just nervous about tonight, I guess.”
“There’s nothing to be worried about.” Marv reached across the table to still my hands. “We’re just two people going to a party. Sure, it’s a fancy-shmancy party and those aren’t nearly as fun as regular parties, but this one is special.”
“Because we’re trying to find out who’s stealing people’s stuff?” I asked.
“Nope.” Marv grinned down at me. “Because it’s a date with you.”
My mouth dropped open. Did he think this was a real date? Before I could ask, the barista called our names, and presented our drinks at the counter. Marv stood to retrieve them. No, he couldn’t mean that this was a date-date. He was a nice guy, he was sweet to me. Protective. From what I knew of him so far though, that was just his personality. The guys had said something about him having a little sister. A lot of big brothers were very protective. Not Michael, a piece of me jabbed. I dug my nails into my palm and smiled brightly when Marv returned, taking my cup and chugging half its contents before I felt comfortable enough to look at him again.
Marv took his time drinking his coffee, and I plucked at the small cookie he bought me, trying to buy time until we had to be at the hotel. When it was five minutes after ten – Marv assured me that arriving early to such a function wasn’t the norm – we picked up our mess and deposited it in the trash on our way out.
The BMW sped through the streets of downtown until we arrived at the front doors of the DeLuca Charleston Hotel. A valet, dressed in a red vest with a gold embellished “DeLuca” on the left side of his chest, hurried up to the meet us. He opened my door first and reached in to help me out as Marv came around the front of the car straightening his suit jacket.
He tossed the keys at the valet, who fumbled before catching them. “Don’t have too much fun.” He laughed, taking my hand.
Inside the double entry paneled doorway that led into the lobby, bright glittering chandeliers hung from the arched ceiling. Red chairs were aesthetic accents to the hotel’s color scheme and intentionally placed for guests to rest at will. Columns sprouted from the glassy floor to the ceiling, making me feel like we were entering a throne room. A smiling, elderly woman dressed in a deep burgundy pant suit, matching the chairs and the valet’s vest, greeted us and gave us directions to the ballroom. I practically leeched myself to Marv’s arm as he smiled at the woman and thanked her before leading me down the long hallway. At least it was much easier to walk indoors.
“You okay?” Marv’s quiet question was accompanied by a squeeze of my hand. I nodded.
Another set of double doors opened into a grand ballroom alive with people in similar dress: men in suits, and women in cocktail dresses of various colors. I relaxed a bit when I spotted kids here and there, running across th
e room from one parent to another, or towards a long, elegantly draped table stacked with snacks and a tower of champagne beverages. Waiters milled around with round trays in their hands, offering more drinks or caviar, watching and waiting to be needed.
“Marvin!” A booming voice startled me. An oversized man in a straining black suit, with an equally straining plaid bowtie, waddled across the ballroom floor past several couples dancing to a quartet in the corner. “Good to see you, my boy!”
“Good evening, Mr. Daschund,” Marv said. I couldn’t restrain my reaction, and my eyes bulged from their sockets. Daschund? I thought. Like the dog?
“Will you be going to our retreat with your lady friend here?” Mr. Daschund smiled brightly up at me. I wasn’t tall, but he was much shorter than the average man. Marv’s hand came around my waist, pulling me into his side. My hand fell across his chest to stay upright.
“This is my girlfriend, Harley.” Marv’s eyes flashed as he turned his head towards me. The lie slipped from his lips easily, and I understood. If anyone knew who I really was, they might assume I was one of those women that hung on the arm of the rich for handouts. I gave him a slight nod before turning to Mr. Daschund.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Daschund.” I held out my hand and the man took it, kissing the back in a surprisingly grand gesture. I didn’t know men did that anymore. I had just expected him to shake it.
“Lovely to make your acquaintance, and please, call me Stephen.” He turned back to Marv. “Will you be stepping in for your parents then?”
“Yes.” Marv’s jaw tightened as he glanced over Mr. Daschund’s head, but as I peered over in the same direction, his hip butted me, and he frowned before continuing to speak. “They send their regards. Unfortunately, they are both quite busy this time of year.”