Chapter Three
Fuck My Life
Adreana
Don’t you dare fucking judge me!
Yes, I am outside Harken, dressed more like my sister than myself. Even though I want to protest and lie, saying I don’t know how I ended up here, I can’t. As per her usual methods, my sister has manipulated me into doing something and being somewhere I never would have chosen on my own.
I can honestly say this is the last straw. She has dragged me from my home out to an abandoned asylum on the wrong side of the tracks, literally.
Standing outside the imposing building, I stare up at the disheveled red brick facade.
Harken.
To Listen.
What kind of name is that? Why the hell would I want to go inside? The Gothic building looks like it may crumble at the slightest gust of wind. I can’t think that I want to hear anything a single soul there has to say.
Emma grabs my hand and tugs me past the ridiculously long line of people waiting to gain entrance. “We don’t wait in line!”
She is giddy at the idea of getting in before everyone else with her A-list card. It makes her feel special, the preferential treatment. I would rather wait outside in the cold night air freezing my underdressed ass off, hoping to never gain entrance.
“Emma,” the burly bouncer greets with a toothy smile. “Who’s your little friend?”
I have never seen the same staff twice. They could be rotating their places and I just miss it every time but my guess would be that the staff turnover here is high. I know I wouldn’t be able to work here for any extended amount of time.
My sister giggles in a pitch so high it makes me want to rip my ears from my head. When did she become this irritating creature beside me? When did I start to dislike her this much? I miss the days when we were joined at the hip, doing everything together and sharing all our secrets. Now, I spend as little time with her as possible.
“She’s my sister.” Her eyelashes flutter as she gazes up at the bouncer. “How does it look inside?”
“Same old, same old,” he says and chuckles. “Dancing, drinking, all the fun things we know we shouldn’t be doing but can’t live without.”
Emma bounces up and down in her sparkly, powder pink minidress, her boobs nearly popping out the top. The bouncer has his leery gaze glued to her cleavage, and I want to gag.
“Why don’t you ladies head inside?” he mumbles, pushing the door open. “Have fun.”
The moment my heels hit the tiles I know this is a bad idea. I swear the walls whisper secrets at me. My skin is crawling at the thought of staying here a moment longer. A deep base reverberates through me, seducing me. There are people everywhere, bumping and grinding on the dance floor beneath strobe lights. I watch as men and women shimmy up against one another, hands touching, lips tasting. It’s beautiful chaos.
Some are dressed casually, while others are dressed for Halloween. Cats, vampires, and what looks lie a mummy mingle with the other patrons.
“What are you staring at?” Emma shouts in my ear.
I shake my head before focusing my attention back on her. “I need a drink.”
“That bar,” she yells with a broad smile, pointing in the direction she means before stepping away from me.
“Emma,” I say harshly, pulling her back by her wrist. “Don’t disappear on me tonight.”
“Don’t be a baby,” she jests and I want to slap some sense into her. “You’re a big girl. Now, let’s party!”
With her hands thrown above her head, I watch her shimmy between the writhing mass of bodies on the dance floor as she makes her way to the bar.
Skirting around the dancers, I make my way to one of the two bars situated in each of the back corners of the room. It is a lot more opulent inside and I keep finding new details to marvel at.
Mana keeps the inside of the place immaculate, unlike the outside, and every time I step foot in here it seems he has updated or changed something. The bar itself is sturdy, made of dark cherry wood, and polished to gleam and reflect the strobe lights. The barstools are covered in black leather with high backs and I am more thankful than words can express to find one available.
I rarely wear heels or dresses, both of which my sister has coerced me into tonight. She tried to get me into a canary yellow minidress but I was able to work my way into something more my style. Black. I tug the dress down my thighs as I take the last available seat and wait to be served.
The man behind the bar is tall and muscular, though not bulky, with wavy blonde hair. Dressed in black pants with a deep purple button-up shirt and black tie, he seems a little out of place. His sleeves are rolled up to exposed muscular forearms covered in colorful ink.
I definitely haven’t seen him before.
The man gives me a sexy grin as he approaches and my heart does a little flip before I realize Emma is right beside me. Of course he wasn’t admiring me the way I was him. How stupid can I be? A man like that is much better suited to someone like my sister. The pretty one. The one all the men look at while they overlook me.
“Kaleb,” she purrs seductively but he doesn’t even spare her a glance as he stops in front of me.
“I haven’t seen you here before.” His voice is deep and smooth. “What can I get you to drink, gorgeous?”
“Just a beer. In the bottle,” I say, shoving my shock aside.
He nods before turning to my sister. “Your usual?”
She nods before turning to glare at me as he moves away to get our order. “What the hell, Addi? I’ve been trying to get into Kaleb’s pants for months!”
I return her glare as my beer is placed on the counter. I don’t respond to her asinine accusations. It’s not like I was trying to get his attention. Besides, he is a bartender. It’s his job to flirt.
A man whistles from the other end of the bar and Kaleb waves him off as he leans across the bar top, slate gray eyes focused fully on me.
“Tell me your name.”
Emma huffs loudly before grabbing her fruity blue-and-green cocktail and leaving me alone at the bar. So much for spending time together. The moment she didn’t get her way she deserted me. I knew she would disappear on me. Same shit, different day.
“Addi,” I say, not giving any forethought to telling this stranger anything about myself.
Another whistle sounds from down the bar and Kaleb glares in that direction. I watch a man twice his size pale underneath his gaze before holding his hands up. Interesting.
“You should see to your customers.”
“I am seeing to the most important one right now.” He winks. “The rest of these chuckleheads can wait.” He smirks and I wonder if this line of flirting gets him laid often.
“Won’t your boss be mad?” I ask, sipping my beer from the bottle.
A thought crosses my mind. What will it take to ruffle Mana’s perfect facade? To make him crack and lose that perfect control he is so famous for? Will his staff being less than considerate of all the patrons be enough? Not that it matters.
“My boss is very … open-minded.” He seems to be laughing at an inside joke. “But enough talk about things that aren’t you. What brings you to Harken tonight? I’ve never seen you here before.”
“How can you be sure? There are probably thousands of people that make their way here every week.”
“I can assure you I would remember.”
He continues to flirt. It’s a great feeling, to be desired. Occasionally his gaze dips to my cleavage before returning to my face and I know this is more than simple, friendly banter. He really is interested.
“My sister has a thing for you,” I mention with a smile. “So you can stop flirting with me.”
“Sister?”
“Emma.”
Throwing his head back he laughs freely. “Sorry to be the one to break the news to you, but your sister has a reputation.” At my confused frown, he continues. “She’s a slut. And I would rather chop my dick off than stick it in what is probably the most worn-out pussy in Oregon.”
Beer goes flying from my lips, and uncontrollable laughter bursts from me. My sister has always been promiscuous but I never expected to hear it put that way.
“Sorry,” I mumble, cleaning my chin with the napkin he offers me. “I’ve never heard it stated quite like that. But I can assure you it isn’t news.”
Looking up at Kaleb, I find him staring at my tits before licking his lips. Beer has dribbled down into the valley between my breasts, clearly drawing his attention.
“I need to clean up,” I say standing from my seat. “Which way is the bathroom?”
“The red door over there.” Kaleb points.
I glance in that direction, two doors clear to see. Red and blue, side by side. Making my way around the writhing mass of bodies on the dance floor once more, the usual awareness works its way down my spine and I know my watcher is near. Did he follow me? What does he think of how I am dressed? Will he finally come to me tonight?
I quickly head inside the bathroom, wanting to hurry. If I’m lucky, tonight could be the night I finally come face to face with my watcher. Protector? Excitement sweeps through me at the mere thought. Grabbing a few sheets of tissue paper from the dispenser, I lower the straps on my dress and start cleaning myself up.
“Such a pretty little treat.” The words are breathed into my ear before I find myself shoved against the wall, face-first.