Chapter Four #2
Draco looked to two-o’clock and a moment later spotted her and, now that he’d seen her, couldn’t understand how he’d missed her, considering she was the only person there wearing a short sleeveless canary-yellow jumpsuit and thigh-high pink stiletto boots.
Her dance moves had what could only be described as a frantic quality, her long blonde hair flying in all directions, arms waving, slender body slinking, twisting and shaking, oblivious to the other dancers surrounding her.
He’d seen her dance before, but it hadn’t been like this, and he had to swallow a ragged breath into his lungs.
If his mother’s tale wasn’t so fresh in his mind, he would be thinking Athena’s moves her usual attention-seeking abandon but with added zest. He wouldn’t be seeing the desperate unhappiness behind it.
But he could see it, and seeing it meant it was all he could see.
The track she was dancing to changed. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and wound through the other dancing bodies to head towards the bar…
which was when Draco realised he wasn’t the only man to have noticed her.
Falling in step behind her, two men whose body language set Draco’s antennae to immediate alert.
From Draco’s vantage point, he saw them join her at the bar, flanking her, and start talking to her.
A moment later, one of them shouted their order to the bartender.
Three bottles were placed before them. The man who’d bought the drinks said something that made her turn and lean into him as if to hear more clearly.
Whatever he said made her laugh, even as she shook her head and took an unsteady step back, and while all this was happening, the other man dropped something into one of the bottles, swirled it quickly, and then, when she turned back to him, handed it to her.
Draco’s blood turned to ice, his body recognising what he’d just witnessed a split second before his brain did.
The three of them clinked their bottles together. Athena brought her bottle to her lips and drank deeply.
Fuck…
This was the best night ever! Athena’s new friends were amazing.
She was having the best time. Who cared that her family had all forgotten her birthday?
Not her! Who cared that Lucie still hated her?
Not her! Who cared that the only birthday messages she’d received were from online retailers she’d given her birthdate to?
Not her! She’d received loads of discount codes from them, so that was something to celebrate and made up for not having a birthday cake, plus she’d managed to wangle her way into The Playroom for free on the back of it being her birthday and got her first drink free too!
Oh, and she’d just been bought a drink by her new friends!
She took another sip of her beer. Her brain was starting to feel fuzzy.
She must have drunk more than she’d realised.
Time to stop. After all, she didn’t have her driver to get her home.
She didn’t have a driver any more! Or bodyguards!
Alexis had taken them away from her as part of his drive to turn her into a responsible, self-sufficient adult, and being a responsible, self-sufficient adult meant she had to get herself home. She would take the Metro…
What time was it? Not wanting to miss the last train back, she looked at her watch, accidentally elbowing one of her lovely new friends. He put his arm around her waist to keep her steady.
She really must have drunk more than she’d thought because she couldn’t read the hands on her watch.
Twisting round to shout, ‘What’s the time?
’ in her new friend’s ear, she didn’t like it when he tightened his hold around her.
Didn’t like it at all. Didn’t like the feel of his body pressed to hers or the smell of beer on his breath or the smell of his aftershave.
In fact, she found it repulsive. The only man’s smell she liked was Draco’s.
She liked that very much. She liked him, even though he was a bastard and made her do stuff like work.
But he made her coffee. Every morning. She didn’t even think he spat in it!
And he made sure she ate lunch, going so far as to have Grace, his senior PA whose nose had been so pushed out of joint by Athena sharing his office, deliver fresh food to her desk.
He made sure, too, that she was safe in her apartment after work each day before telling his driver to leave.
She would close her front door and he’d still be there, and then when she looked out of the window he’d be gone.
Her new friend still had hold of her. ‘Let me go,’ she said…slurred. He couldn’t have heard her. She tried to repeat herself, but the connection between her brain and mouth had become alarmingly disjointed.
Her other new friend took her hand. She tried to pull it out of his hold but his grip was too tight, and she became aware that her feet were moving, that she was being dragged away…
Panic and confusion gripping her, she looked around wildly…tried to look around… The world was starting to blur and spin around her.
She needed help, but the disjoint between her brain and mouth prevented her from calling out. The panic accelerated and she blinked hard to clear her vision, to keep hold of herself.
The panic faded when his face swam before her. Rugged. Gorgeous. Furious.
Safe.
She reached out her arms to him.
For the second time that evening, Draco’s driver delivered him to his front door. For the second time that evening, Draco’s butler opened the door to welcome him. This time, two female members of staff stood with him, ready to take care of the woman asleep in Draco’s arms.
He rubbed her shoulder and pitched his voice to wake her without frightening her. ‘Athena, we’re here. You need to wake up.’
‘I don’t feel very well,’ she whispered into his chest, her mouth the only part of her body that moved. At least she was talking now. She’d been mute for hours. He’d never have believed a mute Athena wouldn’t be a cause for celebration.
‘I know you don’t, but we need to get you inside so we can get you to bed. You’ll feel better after a good sleep. Come on, work with me. I’ll help you in.’
Her, ‘Okay,’ was a barely audible mumble.
Keeping his hold around her, Draco swung his legs out then gently coaxed Athena into following suit. When he finally had her standing on her bare feet, she slumped like a deadweight into him, would have fallen to the ground if he didn’t have such a firm hold of her.
‘Listen to me,’ he said quietly. ‘I’m going to carry you inside, okay?’
Her cheek moved against his chest in assent.
Using the car to prop himself steady, he slid a hand beneath her bottom and scooped her into his arms. She nestled into him, cheek to chest, like a trusting child.
He carried her carefully into his home and up the stairs, carefully because he was afraid too much clunky motion would agitate the sickness that had already led to her vomiting twice, and laid her gently on the turned-down bed of the guest room his staff had uncomplainingly got themselves out of their own beds to prepare for her.
The duvet covering her, she curled onto her side and reached a hand to him.
He took it between both of his and rubbed it soothingly. ‘Zoey and Rhea are going to take care of you now.’
She gave the tiniest shake of her head, the pads of her fingers making a weak compression of protest in his palm.
‘I gave my word you wouldn’t be left alone tonight.’ A promise he’d made to the medical team he’d called out to the club when he’d needed to satisfy himself that The Playroom’s medical staff and the police were right, that any danger had passed and that sleep was the best thing for her.
‘You stay,’ she mumbled.
‘They’ll take good care of you, I promise.’
Her eyes opened and searched for his. They filled with tears. ‘Don’t leave me.’
His heart thumped, whether at the sheen of tears or her plea he didn’t know, knew only that this was a request he could not deny. Gently squeezing her hand, he nodded.
There was the tiniest twitch of thanks at the corners of her mouth before her eyes closed again and her hand went limp.
Draco turned the bedside light out. He’d left the light in the en suite bathroom on so Athena would know where to go if she woke. The angle its golden light cast gave her blonde hair a halo effect.
Removing only his blazer, shoes and socks, he settled himself on top of the duvet at the edge of the bed and hooked his arms above his head.
Gaze fixed on the ceiling, he took deep breaths, not wishing to relive the experiences of the last few hours but unable to stop them replaying.
He’d never experienced a shot of adrenaline like the moment comprehension had hit him that Athena’s drink had been spiked.
He’d raced down the curved stairs in seconds.
As hard as he stretched his memory bank, he had no recollection of what he’d done with his beer, but his hands had been empty by the time he’d fought his way through the packed dancefloor to her.
Which had been just as well as the punch he’d landed on the predator who’d dropped the pill into Athena’s drink might not have landed so well.
He would never forget her expression when she’d recognised him. The wild fear that had been etched on her face…it had vanished in a blink. She’d fallen into his arms and then refused to let go, clinging on even when he’d got her to the medical room and the police had arrived.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. He must not let his imagination take him to what would have happened to her if he hadn’t acted so quickly. If he hadn’t been there. If he hadn’t learned it was her birthday.
‘Draco?’ His whispered name cut through the night’s silence.
He swallowed. ‘I’m right here.’
Slowly, she turned over and shuffled over to him. When she reached him, she nuzzled her nose into his side before lifting her head to lay her cheek on his chest and curl into him.
He closed his eyes and took another deep breath before wrapping his arm around her. Her slenderness felt very fragile.
It was a long time before he was able to fall asleep.