I looked out the window of Parker’s car as he pulled into the parking lot. “Blaine’s Rain? I thought this was important. I’m really not a fan of clubs.”
“We have someone to meet.” He cut the engine and grinned over at me…again. Seriously, what was his deal? He’d done that at least a dozen times since I’d walked out of my bedroom in a short black skirt and electric green halter-top that didn’t quite hit my waist.
He could grin all he wanted, but I was cold. Apparently, my trench coat would’ve made me look too much like a prostitute, so I was huddled in his black leather jacket that did exactly zero for my frozen legs. At least he had heated seats.
Actually, if I knew anything about cars, I’m sure I’d be impressed because the word ‘car’ didn’t do justice to this sleek yellow machine. At all.
Before I could let myself dwell on whether I was sitting in a stolen car with an idiot who couldn’t stop grinning, I got back on point. “Who?”
Parker’s grin widened. “Come on.”
With reluctance, I followed Parker into the crowded nightclub. Since he wasn’t set to surface for almost a week, I could only assume I was meeting one of his underground connections. I hoped he knew what he was doing.
Because I sure didn’t.
“Here. Sit down, Skylar. Do you want something to drink?”
I shot him a look and shrugged out of his jacket, hanging it on the back of the chair before sitting. “Are we really meeting someone or is this a ruse to get me drunk?”
He knelt beside my chair until he was only inches from my face and dropped the volume of his voice to little more than a whisper no one else would be able to hear over the hum of people and music. “Sorry to shatter that high opinion you have of me, but if I was really into taking advantage of women while they’re not thinking clearly, I could’ve done so on Friday.” His eyes locked on mine. “And I believe we’re both aware of that.”
Yeah, I knew it, but I didn’t realize he did as well.
He held me prisoner with that intense gaze for the most excruciating moments of my life before rising and giving me an expectant look. When I didn’t respond, he said, “To be clear, we really are meeting someone here. The drink offer is just a drink offer.”
“No. I’m good. Thanks.”
“Suit yourself. I’ll be back in a second,” he replied, leaving in the general direction of the bar. It wasn’t lost on me how many interested looks he drew from women as he moved effortlessly through the throng of people in his way.
Would I attract the same amount of attention from men if I were dressed as simply as he was? I doubted it. I didn’t own a pair of jeans that fit me the way those dark blue jeans fit him: not tight, but well-fitting; perfectly tailored to him. And Parker could pull off the long-sleeve black button down, untucked and also perfectly tailored to his torso, but I’d just blend into the crowd wearing it.
I glanced around the club while I waited for Parker to return, toying with one of the auburn strands that was in my peripheral vision. He’d made me take my hair out of the usual ponytail, not that I knew why. I didn’t have hair that cascaded around my face in alluring waves. It just hung there like curtains, shiny and straight. When was the last time I’d even worn it loose like this?
Probably not since ending things with Eric. He’d loved me enough to think everything about me was beautiful, even my hair…
To derail that painful train of thought, I let myself really see the club around me. This was just the sort of place I would love to hang out in when I was in college, but now it was annoying to me how loud the techno music was. Back then, I would think the purple haze cast by the black lights gave the club pizzazz; now I thought there was something sinister about the shadows. I had to be the oldest 24-year old on the planet.
Then again, how many other people my age knew monsters really existed in the world?
I felt a hand slide onto my shoulder, slipping under the strap of my top near my neck before squeezing slightly.
“I thought I told you not to get any ideas,” I snapped as I turned around, freezing when I met a pair of gleaming red eyes.
“I know you keep saying that, Songbird, but I also know you are bound to come to your senses sooner or later.”
He sat down across the table from me and flashed a wicked smile my way. Parker walked up and set down three drinks on the table. I watched in silence as the two men shook hands and embraced before Parker took the remaining chair to my right.
Even pissed off, the brush of his jean-clad leg against my bare calf was a momentary blip on my attention radar.
“It’s good to see you again, old friend,” Parker said to the man. “How long has it been this time?”
“At least three years, but you were dead for two, so who can truly count?”
“That is the rumor.” To me, he said, “I know you said you didn’t want anything to drink, but I figured you’d change your mind.” Parker gestured to the drinks. “You can pick your poison, but I know you’ll go for the rum and diet coke.”
“Don’t play games with me, Ramsey,” I snapped at him. “I want to know what in God’s name is going on here and I want to know right now.”
“Oh, you will know everything, babe, but trust me when I tell you God has nothing to do with this little gathering,” Chill replied in his usual icy demeanor.
© 2010, Sydney Katt. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use of content will result in dragon attacks.
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Well, considering the fact that Chill made it seem as though he only knew of Parker during their phone calls, I can see why she wouldn’t have connected all the dots on that one.
She certainly doesn’t seem to be, does she?
J. Nicole Whitten´s last blog ..Spiritual Healer or Lightworker?
Mmmmm…..I got the feeling that Skylar knew Chill, and Parker knew Chill, but that Skylar didn’t know that they knew each other…….and now she does!!!
I don’t think she is really over Eric either….it seems as though she just put that part of her life on hold after what happened to her father…..
Hope you have a good weekend hun….Looking forwrd to next week….xxx