Chapter 1 #2
But I’m not. As we step through the doorway, a gust of cool air swirls around my ankles. Smoke trickles down from the darkness above. Rap music blares around me, vibrating the worn leather of my purse.
Ahead of me, I see a doorway open, showering us in pale pink light.
"What the heck is this place?" I mutter to myself.
It only takes a few moments for me to find out. I move forward through the doorway and into the Raven’s Head.
With Olivia practically yanking me along, I stumble forward as I look around the room.
It's luxurious to the point of being ostentatious.
Black booths line the whole room, with matching brown wooden tables clustered against the walls.
There are ostrich feather displays on each table, the feathers gold and black.
In the middle of the room, a low-lit black bar dominates the space. But that's not the part that intimidates me.
No, that would be the people. The bar patrons look exactly like the girls that we came into the room with.
Young, white, wealthy, and having a good time.
Almost everybody clutches a tumbler or wineglass.
At the table to my left, champagne is being poured, and the young man in charge of the bottle is grinning as he fills the glasses of several giggling girls.
There are people openly making out in every corner of the room.
In the far back, I see a blonde standing on a table, her black dress unzipped in the middle to show her bare chest, her breasts perky and looking quite rosy.
A circle of admirers surround her and she laughs, sounding more than a little tipsy.
A dark haired girl in a tight red dress sprays whipped cream on her tits.
The blonde gasps as the woman moves to lick the whipped cream from the tip of her breast. When a dark haired young man vaults himself onto the table and quickly licks the other nipple clean, the blonde leans down and French kisses him with a lot of deep tongue.
I guess I’m not in Kansas anymore.
"Whoa," I breathe out, my eyes widening. I turn to point the girl out to Olivia but Olivia is already five steps ahead of me.
All around me is complete chaos. The barely controlled party is mayhem.
This is the complete opposite of my usual Friday nights at Hope House, the local emergency shelter for children.
I can’t even imagine what the kids would think of me in a bar like the Raven’s Head Club. They would probably ask me why.
It’s a fair question. Why am I here, exactly?
I hurry along beside Olivia, my eyes taking in every raucous laugh and good natured scream. I have a suspicion that most of the entertainment here is powered by champagne.
My stomach churns at this. Is this what my town's wealthy elite have been doing all this time? I have been so busy with work and volunteering at Hope House that I have barely had time to sleep. But these people seem comfortable in this space, as if it's a regular haunt for them.
My mouth twists with a sour expression.
Olivia drags me forward a few steps to a large group of people.
I can see the young woman with the red heels greeting a suited young man.
He offers her a glass of wine, a knowing smirk on his face.
I am rather tempted to step forward and smack the wineglass out of her hands.
But in the next second, Olivia pulls me forward again and we become officially part of the group.
Several men are seated on the bench seats against the wall.
All around them are groups of smiling, giggling girls.
Every one of them is dressed to kill, pulling off dark coats to reveal short dresses in dark hues.
I feel severely underdressed and am loath to take my coat off when Olivia does.
But she gives me a look, arching an eyebrow.
So I slide my coat off, exposing my body. I'm wearing one of Olivia's dresses that she got from a thrift store. It is pink and sparkly, and at least it covers my arms and chest. But it is very short, with the hem hitting mid-thigh. Olivia approaches me, gently squeezing my arm.
"Just relax. I promise you a good time. You promised me that you would let me plan a night out. Give it a chance."
My cheeks flushed a little. "I will. I swear."
"Seriously, it's just one night. After this, you can go back to your regularly scheduled volunteering at Hope House.
No one is trying to tear you away from it.
I'm just showing you how the other half lives.
" She gestures around us, her hands sweeping wide.
My gaze follows her hand, taking in the bar. I swallow.
I can't believe that this place is real. It seems so over-the-top.
In the next moment, my thoughts are interrupted by a waiter who comes around with a tray full of drinks.
He hands out the glasses of wine without asking if I want any or not.
I accept it because that's what everybody else seems to be doing.
I look at the purplish liquid in my wine glass, flushing it around a little.
A note of coconut rises to my nose, and I sniff the wine.
"What is this?" I ask. I'm guessing this is wine.
A tall, good-looking man turns around and looks at me and Olivia. There is a little smirk on his face.
"I'm Burn", he says. "Are you here with Hannah?"
Olivia smiles at him and nods emphatically. "We are. It's our first time here. We were talking about the drinks we've been handed."
I examine Burn silently as they talk. Aside from his height, his slicked back dark hair and blue green eyes sparkle like a lake on a sunny day.
His eyes are only bolstered by his gorgeous smile.
I'm not sure why he's even talking to the two of us, although I suspect that Olivia is more of a draw than I am.
She tosses her hair and gives him a flirty look.
Burn purses his lips.
"It's called elixir. Try it; you'll see why."
Olivia flashes a smile at him and does as he suggests. She smacks her lips and looks at the glass in her hand, surprised. "Oh! It's good." She elbows me. "Try it, Talia."
I flush under his inspection and take the tiniest sip possible. Although the drink is as dark as wine, it is light and fruity in flavor. I look at my cup with some surprise. “Is there even alcohol in this?" I ask.
The man chuckles. "There is, so be careful." But… His eyebrows lift a little. "Not too careful, if you know what I mean."
I take another sip and try to suss out the alcohol flavor. Usually, alcohol tastes very strong to me. But my second sip confirms that there is absolutely no alcoholic undertone.
I don't know if I should be more or less worried about that.
"So what are you doing here?" Burn asks. "Are you from out of town or something?"
I take another sip of the elixir while Olivia answers for us both. She shakes her head. "Nope. We are from Harwicke, born and raised. We're just not usually out socializing with this set of people." She looks around her, taking it all in. "I guess we’re normal."
I snort, and she looks at me, elbowing my ribs. I hide my reaction to it by taking another long drink of elixir. When I look up, I find Burn staring at me with a mischievous smile.
His piercing blue eyes skewer me, seeming to be able to see to the bottom of who I am and how much I am worth. I glance away, but the feeling that I am being judged doesn't fade.
I hate to think what I am worth in Burn's estimation. If I had to guess, I would say not much at all. But in the next second, he surprises me.
"Has anyone ever told you that you have very pretty eyes?"
"My eyes?" I croak, suspicious. “What do you mean?”
"Yeah. They are sort of a deep blue that you don't see every day. They’re sexy."
He thinks I am sexy? The idea is unfathomable.
My cheeks turn the color of a beet. I open my mouth to respond. But Burn just shakes his head and laughs.
"Don't argue with me. I can tell that you want to. You just need to relax and enjoy yourself at this party. You're so freaking uptight."
I glance at Olivia, my brow furrowing. But Olivia is talking to another young man, her body turned a quarter of a turn away from mine. She is entirely absorbed by the conversation and seems to be having a good time.
I swallow. Is Burn right? Do I just need to stop imagining that everyone at this party is out to get me?
Burn's big hand comes down on the back of my shoulder like a burning brand. I tried to brush it off and wiggle out from under his grasp, but he just grips me harder. "I know what we need."
The words are spoken in a loud whisper, and his face is suddenly very close to mine. Close enough that I can smell his aftershave, the delicious bergamot scent winding around me. I close my eyes for just a moment, inhaling the scent, and a shudder runs through me.
Is this normal? Do other girls go to parties just like this one to have handsome men like Burn complement their eyes and touch their shoulders? Because if so, I can suddenly see why these parties keep happening.
It feels deliciously good to have someone as gorgeous as Burn paying attention to me.
"You know what you need?" he asks.
My eyes flicker open and my lips part. I look up into his aquiline gaze and think about how it would feel for him to kiss me. Would it feel nice? When I find being kissed by this handsome rich boy very thrilling?
I lick my lips, feeling a vague want.
I am very aware of Burn's sudden movements, of where his hands are, of every expression that crosses his face. I think… I think I might be tipsy. I've only had a little bit of the elixir, which I am still clutching, but I am having an out-of-body experience somehow.
Burn tilts his head towards the back of the room. "Have you ever been to the VIP area?"
I frown, shaking my head. "This is our first time here,” I say by way of explanation. As if that were the only reason that I hadn't been invited before.
"You should come to the back area with me. Your friend as well. We should all do a shot. And then we can play a game."