The lights shoot around the room, hypnotizing me and I bite my lip. Why did I never notice how great they looked before? There is fresh plume of strawberry smoke blasted out over all of us and I welcome it, watching it roll towards me, over the heads of my friends before swallowing me. I dance through it, loving the smell and the way the strobe light flashes through it.
I dance like no one is watching, my teeth gritted and I really let myself go. The music and lights possess me and I thrash my head from side to side, fist pumping the air and whistling to the DJ who is playing one amazing track after the other. Corrine takes my hand and I throw my arms around her.
“Corrine! I thought we lost you in all that smoke.” I laugh, kissing her on the cheek before grabbing her hands and dancing with her.
“Lana.” I hear her shout my name but I can’t stop dancing to look at her. “Alannah, look at me.”
I whip my head to her, grinning. Sure she must be loving tonight as much as I am. “What?” I laugh before the music builds to another orchestral high, a huge wave of euphoria hits again and I have got to dance. Dayton whips past me and I make a grab for him.
“Dance with me,” I demand and I try to pull him to me but Macy and Ross pull him towards Corrine who is frowning at me. What’s her problem? Oh, sod her. I’m enjoying tonight no matter what. I deserve to. Dayton has his back to me, talking to the others, so I turn and find Dina who is enjoying the music and dancing. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her cheek. “You’re fucking ace, you know that, Dina?”
I see Brent grinning and I ruffle his hair. “You too, Brent. You should be mixing up here you know? Downstairs sucks ass.” I laugh and take Dina’s hands, making her dance with me. I close my eyes and let the music guide me, loving that I am right here, in the moment, getting the full experience of Lexis. I feel someone take my hand and I lower my head to see Dayton, he grabs my face gently and pulls me close to him, looking deep into my eyes. I grab his face back and kiss him, laughing against his mouth. He doesn’t return my kiss but he does pull me to him and speaks into my ear.
“Alannah, what have you had?”
Had? What’s he on about? What have I had?
“I’ve, had, the time of liiiife.” I start to sing him the Dirty Dancing song but break off because I find it hysterical. I burst into uncontrollable giggles, leaning against him as tears of mirth fill my eyes. He looks behind him to where Gemma and Corrine look at us.
“You’re making your lip bleed, baby. Stop chewing it. Luke, I need some chewing gum.”
“Your breath smells great to me, gorgeous.” This makes him smirk momentarily and as much as I’m trying to pay attention to him the music is relentless and I have to move, if I don’t dance I feel like I want to spin on the spot, jump around. Anything to move and release this fuel of blazing energy that is running through me. Luke appears from nowhere and I playfully punch him on the shoulder and wink at him. “Great night, hey, Lukey boy? You know, my friend, Gemma, thinks you’re hot. You should talk to her.”
At least he finds me amusing and I start dancing again, fist pumping and moving to the melody of another amazing tune.
“Oh, yeah, she’s fucked, mate. You want me to get you some bud for her to come down? At least then it’s fun for the both of you.” Luke laughs but Dayton looks pissed off. Then he seems to realise something and he looks torn.
“How the fuck did I let this happen?” He looks thoroughly disappointed and he looks forlornly at Luke. “Okay, man, get me a smoke.”
“If you stand here, babe, you get loads of smoke when they blast it out of that machine,” I point out but again he doesn’t smile. I pout and he presses a cube of chewing gum into my mouth.
“Chew that, not your lip. Do you need a drink, sweetheart?”
I realise my mouth is drier than Gandy’s flip flop and I chew the gum hard, nodding my head. Without a word he guides me towards the VIP lounge and he sits me in the booth where Macy, Ross, Corrine and Greg are all sat looking very serious and subdued. “S’up with your lots faces? You look like a bunch of kids that Santa forgot at Christmas.” I laugh, flicking a rolled up piece of tissue that’s on the table towards Corrine, it goes straight down her bra. “What a shot! Did you see that? How ace am I?” I laugh and Dayton puts a bottle of water in front of me. I snatch it up, desperate for a drink to rinse out my mouth.
“You were right, Corrine. It was definitely spiked,” I vaguely hear Dayton say but it’s kind of drowned out by the sound of the water sloshing down my throat. “Not too much, baby. That’s enough, you can have some more in a little bit. How do you feel?”
I look around the table and all eyes are on me, what is this, an interrogation? I shrug. “I feel amazing; the tunes tonight are off the hook.” Luke approaches the table with Regina who gives me a welcome smile. Finally! Someone who is happy.
“Hey, Regina. Can I have a drink? VK Blue?” I grin and she gives me a huge smile, nodding before producing a bottle of the tasty blue vodka mix and offering it to me.
“Just for you, sweets.” She offers me the drink which Dayton intercepts and slams down on the table.
“Regina, I just told you she has been spiked. What the hell are you playing at? Don’t you think you should be questioning your bar staff?” He looks livid and Regina looks hurt.
“How can I prove it was one of them, babe? I’ll check the video footage from the bar but it could have happened at any time she has been here. I’m sorry. You know she wouldn’t be the first person to get high and blame a spike.”
“Fuck you, Regina. You know for a damn fact she never consciously took a damn thing except for the pink shit you and your staff served her.” Corrine grins out through teeth that are clenched tighter than mine.
I look around me in amazement as all hell seems to break loose. Corrine jumps up and Greg tries to make her sit back down. Dayton stands and places his hand on Regina’s shoulder as she shouts back at Corrine. Macy shouts something and Ross snaps at her to stay out of it. Corrine screeches and I duck my head, sneaking the bottle of water off the table and downing the whole thing. It does nothing to quench my thirst and I tug at Regina’s arm from my seat but she pulls away, too busy shouting at Dayton who is shaking his head and pointing a finger accusingly in her face. I frown. Why won’t they listen? I tug her hand again and this time she looks down at me.
“Can I get a bottle of water, please, babe?” I ask and offer her my empty bottle, this makes her smirk at me. I smile back, glad someone else is happy, she does have an incredibly pretty smile. The smile slides from her face and she morphs before my eyes, her lip curling and she seems to snarl as a security guard comes to stand beside her.
“This tramp is off her face and he,” she points to Luke, “Is in possession of drugs, get them out.”
She spits on the floor at my feet and I frown. What the hell did I do? I didn’t even shout. I feel someone take me by the arm and start to pull me towards the dance floor but we don’t stop and dance, we head outside.
When we get to Dayton’s place, Luke, Gemma, Greg and Corrine come in with Dayton and me. I instantly flip the radio on but the tunes aren’t as hard as they were in Lexis. Deadmau 5 – I Remember seeps out into the room, making a subdued, chilled atmosphere. “Why did we come home so early?” I ask and they all stare at me blankly.
“Alannah, it was just before closing. It’s almost 4am,” Dayton tells me and I feel the buzz and tingling start to ebb away and fade into a lull. I’m given a glass of water and everyone else gets bottles of Budweiser. “How do you feel now, babe?” he asks and I shrug.
I’m fine, gutted we aren’t having the fun I was having in Lexis. “I’m bored.”
“I can help with that,” Luke pipes up as he passes me a rolled smoke.
“I don’t smoke.” I wrinkle my nose at the smell. My eyes widen when I see Dayton take the joint and have a drag. “I didn’t know you smoked?”
He exhales the smoke and passes the joint to Corrine who has a puff. “I don�
��t smoke, baby, but if it encourages you to take some then I’ll do it.”
“You want me to smoke that?” I watch Greg drag on the joint, the end burning bright before he pulls it from his lips and passes the joint to Gemma.
“It will help, Lana. You might even sleep,” Luke explains and a second joint is thrust into my hand. I wrinkle my nose at the smell again but this time I take a puff, inhaling the smoke. It’s smoother than I thought and the taste is better than the smell. I pass it to Dayton who has a drag then passes it back to me.
For the next hour we sit around, going up in smoke and listening to a chill out album that Dayton puts on. “I gotta admit, when I came out tonight I never for one minute thought I would end up sitting around getting stoned with you guys.” Gemma giggles and it makes me laugh. Gemma’s eyes are heavy and Luke has his arm draped around her, he is almost asleep on her shoulder but he is laughing, too.
“I haven’t done this in years. I don’t know why, because I love the taste of it,” Greg says sleepily and just looking at everyone’s eyes half closed and their words so slow make me feel tired, too. I don’t think I’ve ever been this relaxed. I’m totally chilled and struggling to keep my own eyes open.
“Can we crash on your sofa tonight, Dayton?” Corrine asks, her head leant back against the back of the sofa, her eyes closed and Greg has his head in her lap.
“Did you really think I was going to turf you all out?” Dayton smirks and I giggle, looking at his hooded eyes and lazy, sweet smile.
“You’re so bloody gorgeous. I love you, Dayton.” I yawn before I kiss him softly on the lips. He kisses me back, tasting me and running his fingers through my hair.
“I love you, too, baby girl.”
I rest my forehead against his and give in to my eyes, letting them fall closed and a peaceful contentment swamps me, delving me into sleep. I vaguely feel Dayton lift me and tell me he loves me again.
Chapter 12
When I rouse from an incredibly deep slumber the next morning I’m alone in Dayton’s bed. I feel like I’ve slept for twelve solid hours and feel surprisingly refreshed. The whereabouts of Dayton pull me from the bed and I go off in search of him. The living room is empty but in the kitchen I spy a bin bag full of empty bottles and the contents of an ashtray that has been cleared away to go in the outside bin.
A vague memory of sitting around and smoking weed surfaces from the back of my mind and I remember giggling, giggling a lot. Dayton kept giving me sips of water and force feeding me chewing gum. I remember an argument between Corrine and Regina. Luke being turfed out of Lexis for having the bag of weed on him.
The pieces of the puzzle are starting to slot together and I recall being absolutely hyped on the dance floor and everyone looking at me in judgement. Did I get spiked? I’m sure I can recall Regina accusing me of getting high. I didn’t take anything though, well, apart from smoking a couple of blunts for the first time once we came home. I’m trying to recall as much as I can about the night when Dayton walks into the kitchen with just a towel around his waist. I can smell the soapy scent of him and for a few seconds I say nothing. I simply admire the way water drips from his hair to his chest before running in rivulets down over his bare upper body.
“Afternoon, sleepy head. How do you feel?” Dayton looks a little unsure of his question and I shrug.
“I feel great. I don’t even have a hangover. I didn’t drink much, did I?” He shakes his head but looks saddened. My phone ringing interrupts us and I swipe it up from the kitchen island, noting it’s a withheld number – again. I roll my eyes and swipe to answer.
“Hello.” I’m greeted with silence and I press the phone harder to my ear, desperate to hear something. “What the hell is your problem, dumbass?”
To this I swear I hear a smile and a very quiet sigh before the line goes dead. “I swear, these crank calls are really starting to piss me off now. I think I’m going to have to change my number.”
“It’s probably for the best. Are you hungry?” I nod and without a word he starts toasting bread and putting the kettle on.
“So, am I right in thinking I was spiked last night?” I enquire whilst taking a seat at the kitchen island. Anger starts to pool low in my stomach and burns. Dayton turns slowly and looks defeated.
“The answer to that would be yes, Alannah. I’m sorry. Corrine is adamant it was Regina, but Regina is certain she wasn’t the one that served you.”
“She did. Well, she refused to serve me VK Blue, but then I gave Corrine the money to get my drink, I said any fruit alcopop.” I remember this as clear as day. It was definitely Regina who took my order.
“You’re positive?” I nod that I am. “Because Corrine said it was the new young brunette that works there that brought the drinks to the bar. Regina left through the staff door.”
“Really? All I know is that I came from the ladies’ and there was that foul pink thing on the table. I was so stupid, I should have seen this coming.”
“How could you have predicted this, sugar? None of us knew the new waitress would enjoy drugging up the clubbers. Don’t worry, I’ve already been on the phone to Barros and Regina agreed with me, the girl had to go. She was handed her P45 this morning with a stern warning that you could press charges.”
“What?! You really believe Regina? She was the one who laced that drink, I’m certain.”
“How can you be when you weren’t even at the bar? Alannah, I know you and Regina don’t get along but she would never do something like that. I know you don’t know her, but I do, it’s more than her life is worth if her dad thought she was pumping drugs around his club.”
My mouth falls open and I don’t know if he is totally blinded by her bullshit or if he is really just thick. I know he’s a very smart guy who is more than capable of putting two and two together, but this time he’s equated that to five.
“Are you for real? Dayton, you only think you know her. You see what she wants you to see. She straight out told me to my face that she isn’t done fighting for you and isn’t willing to let you go. She is banking on you running to her when this kind of shit comes between us.” I push away the breakfast he has laid on the table.
“Letting me go? Alannah, only this morning she has called me and told me that after how I accused her last night she never wants to see me outside of work again. If she was fighting to keep me as a friend then I think we can pretty much be assured she has given up the fight.” He pushes the plate back towards me.
“She did? It’s just her way of trying to play the wounded party to make you feel guilty for accusing her of lacing my drink. Oh, she’s a cunning bitch.”
“Look, without any proof it was Regina I can do nothing. As far as Barros is concerned the culprit has been dealt with. What more can I do?”
“Believe me!”
“I do. I just can’t do any more.”
Our voices are getting louder and my words are getting whiney and I feel this is the start of our first argument, or at least it would be, but the phone rings again and I stab the screen to reject the call before turning it off.
“I want you to take me home, please,” I state quietly into the room and I see disappointment in his eyes. He starts to speak before thinking better of it and I go through to the bedroom to dress. When I come out into the hallway he goes in and I sit in the silence of the living room. He quickly dresses and I stand to follow him but he stops me before I open the front door.
His hand on my shoulder makes me look up into his eyes and they’re full of apology. “Alannah, I hate this. I am really sorry about last night. Seeing you like that, your eyes weren’t your own and... well, drugs can be dangerous. Not the weed but the MDMA, it can be lethal. I didn’t have a clue what you’d taken or how you would handle it and I was powerless. I couldn’t stop it or take it away. I just desperately wanted to get it out of your system and I couldn’t. I’ve never felt so helpless.”
I see the honesty in his milky blue eyes and I feel my irrita
tion ebb away. Why am I taking this out on him? It wasn’t his fault. He did what he could to look after me and I stand here unharmed or injured for what Regina did. I just wish he would see that he doesn’t know her at all. She is a bunny boiler in the making if I ever met one. I put my palm to his unshaven face before going up on tiptoes and softly kissing his beautiful mouth.
“Dayton, I don’t blame you for last night but so much has happened since I met her that I can’t help but think Regina’s hate campaign knows no limits.”
“Like what? I want to hear it all. I can’t understand if you aren’t honest with me and tell me everything.” I pull him back towards the sofa and we sit. I take his hand into my lap and recall everything: the rumours, the threats, the tyre slash, complaints at work, crank calls.
“And I think this is just the beginning, babe. I swear, the woman is a fantasist and she has got some psychotic kind of obsession with you. I think if she doesn’t get her own way, we are both going to be in the firing line.” Dayton looks astounded and not all together convinced. “Dayton, I’m worried she is going to hit you where it hurts, your career.”
He shakes his head. “Baby girl, all I’m worried about is you. If you’re so convinced it is her doing this crazy stuff then we have to prove it. But how?”
“I don’t know. Corrine and I have been trying to set her up but she covers all her tracks, she isn’t a bimbo even if she is blond.” The look on his face tells me he has an idea. “What? What are you thinking?”
He shakes his head but I urge him to tell me. “Well, last night Barros called me to his office and he told me there’s been an opportunity for me to try out at another club. A big club. In London.”
I squeeze his hand, Regina forgotten before I pull him to me and hug him tightly. “My gosh, Dayton, why didn’t you say?”
The Final Note (DJ Series Book 1) Page 12