20. Chase
20
CHASE
M y eyes lock in on her body immediately finding her in a sea of swaying sweaty bodies. Her face is tilted to the ceiling, arms in the air as she dances to the music. Her body is swathed in purple and blue lights, looking fucking beautiful. But it isn’t what she’s doing that has me seeing red. It’s the asshole who’s grinding on her like he’s about to fuck her right out in the open. As if he has the right to.
Lights flicker and the ceiling flashes imitating a storm streaking across the sky. It illuminates the space just enough for me to push my way through the crowd to her.
“What are you doing here?” I’m seething and being irrational, but I don’t fucking care.
Her eyes snap open, leveling me with a look that cuts me to my soul.
“The hell do you care for,” her words sound heavy and garbled. She’s definitely drunk.
“Get lost buddy. Stop bothering the lady.” The greaseball she’s with interjects. His blond hair is gelled back, accentuating his receding hairline. His fivehead is dotted with sweat and his nearly nonexistent chin juts back into his neck as he looks me up and down.
I snarl, gripping the guy by his shirt and bringing his face centimeters away from my own. I can smell the stale beer on his hot breath. “Leave, or I’ll make you regret the day you were born.” I have no problem laying him flat on his ass.
Melody scoffs, but the loser she’s with practically pees his pants, eyes wide with fear as he puts up his hands in surrender. “Whatever man, she’s yours.”
She turns on her heel, searching for what I assume is the exit, but it’s clear she’s downed a few drinks and is unsteady on her feet, not knowing which way to go.
“Mel, stop,” I call out, trying to follow her through the mass of swaying bodies. She ignores me, and my temper flares. It’s hot in here with all these people and I just want to get her the hell out of here and back home with me where she belongs.
I finally catch her by the wrist and spin her around. She crashes into my chest, fury coating her gaze as she looks up to find who’s stopped her.
“Get off me, Chase,” she slurs, trying to wrench away her wrist, but I only hold on tighter.
“You’re in no condition to be alone right now. Anyone could take advantage.”
“Like you? How did you even find me?” Her chin juts up as she fixes me with a challenge.
My jaw ticks, she doesn’t need to know I put a location tracker on her phone while she slept. “That doesn’t matter. Now let’s get you home.”
“I don’t want to. I’m not done dancing with—” she looks around, I assume for the greaseball that had his hands all over her.
“He’s gone.”
“F-ffineee.” She yanks her arm back. “I’ll dance by myself.”
She moves her hips and raises her hands above her head in perfect timing to the beat that’s pulsating throughout this seedy club.
Fuck, she’s a determined little thing. I should pick her up and haul her ass out of here, even if she kicks and screams. But instead, I wrap her in my arms. I lean down till my mouth is close to the shell of her ear that’s sticking out between the wild pink curls. “Or you can dance with me.”
I yank her back until her ass is aligned with my front, and she doesn’t fight me. Instead, she leans against me, pressing into my hardening cock.
“Fuck. You’re playing a dangerous game, princess.”
The short red dress she’s wearing rides up her thighs with each swivel of her hips. I’m at war with whether I want it to keep going so I can see it for myself and wanting to cover her up.
Sober Melody wouldn’t be caught dead flashing an entire room her panties. I ache to feel it against me, my cock throbbing against her supple round ass. But the gentleman in me wins out, tugging the fabric down to keep her from embarrassing herself.
The song fades and a new slower one begins to play through the speakers. Her body stills as recognition slowly creeps over her. She whirls on me, mouth open. Her small hand smacks my chest and I grip it in my hands, placing it over my heart.
“This is our song!” she shrieks, all anger at me completely forgotten in her inebriated state.
“It is.” The lyrics start up and she starts jumping.
“And that’s, that’s my voice!”
A full-blown smile breaks out over my face at seeing her in this moment. “It is.”
She shakes the person next to us, an unsuspecting girl dancing with her boyfriend. “This is our song!” She yells at the poor girl whose eyes have gone wide with fear.
“Sorry do I —” The girl tries to extract herself for Melody’s grip, but Melody has already moved on jumping up and down with excitement, hands gripping my forearms. Her smile is wide and those blue shimmering eyes are alight with pure joy. She’s looking straight at me with no hint of anger or suspicion. It hits me square in the chest seeing her like this. So free and happy.
“How did they?—”
“I slipped the DJ a tape. He’s an old friend.” I nod my head at him, and he raises his hand in a wave. She tracks the movement then turns her bright smile back on me. I could bask in the warmth of her glow and never get tired of it, and I realize that I want to do anything I can to make her like this. It’s a side of her I haven’t seen, but knowing I had a part in making her react like this has me wanting more. More of those smiles. More of the way she’s touching me with no hesitation or hatred.
She fumbles in her purse, gripping her phone in her hands and whips out her camera, panning the room as she records the way the crowd is reacting to the song we made together.
Unshed tears shimmer in those baby blues of hers as she watches. I’ve never felt more proud of a piece of work until this moment. She turns the camera on me.
“Smile Chase.” She’s in my arms, pressing her face next to mine. I can see the reflection of us in her camera screen. We look good together. Her pink wavy hair a mess of curls, plump lips glossed and so close to my cheek. If I were to turn my head, her lips would meet mine. God, I want to kiss her again. Consequences be damned.
And for a moment, I let myself forget that our whole school has been dragging our relationship and it’s only a matter of time before it leaks to the press. The inevitable fallout we’ll get from our parents. Fuck, how did this all go so bad so quickly. I barely got a chance to enjoy her as mine.
“Rhonda! Where the hell have you been! Listen, listen! It’s our song.” Melody squeals.
“Shut up! That’s you?” Rhonda matches her level of screeching and the two of them grab onto each other and bounce up and down.
Once the song ends, I pull Rhonda aside. “I’m taking her home.”
“Fine. But Chase, you need to do some serious damage control. That school can be vicious. I love Melody, but seeing her today, I don’t know if she’s built to handle that kind of cruelty.”
“I know. I already got the paper to print an apology and Jenna’s been taken off the paper indefinitely.”
“Good. But people are still going to talk.”
I nod. “I just need her to give me a chance. Are you good enough to get back alright?”
“Oh, I’m fine. I’ve got my eye on something pretty over there.” She waves at a girl dressed in hot pink and the girl waves back suggestively.
“Have fun,” I say, looking for where Melody has run off to. I find her downing another drink, and sigh.
“You ready to go?”
“Go? What? Now?”
“Yeah, princess. Let’s grab your stuff and go.”
She fights me, but eventually, I get her in the car with me. Our driver headed for the Ritz. It’s started to snow in the last hour and driving back this late in a blizzard wouldn’t be the best choice. So, I opt for a hotel and hope to hell Melody will hear me out once she’s sobered up.
“This place is nice. I keep forgetting I can have experiences like this now.” Her fingers glide against the back of the couch once we’re in the hotel room. “I always wondered what the inside of this place looked like. I used to pass it on my way to work. Did you know I worked at a bar before I moved to Langford? It’s only a couple of blocks down, and the owner is a dick. He only let me sing if I wore a low-cut shirt. Why are guys such dicks? They get in a position of power and think they can make you do whatever they want.” She’s rambling, but I just watch her, soaking up the information. If I ever get the name of that bar, I think I’ll pay the owner a nice little visit.
She takes her shoes off and walks over to the window. “You know, when we first met, I didn’t think I’d like you at all. I mean, I thought you were cute, but your personality! Whew.” She gestures a dead sign across her neck and I laugh.
“Yeah, well. I wasn’t too wild about you either.”
“I thought you hated me.” Her face is reflected back in the window, and I come up behind her.
“Honestly, I think you scared me.” She turns to look at me. “You came barging into my life out of nowhere, and I was angry about it. My mom, well, she wasn’t around a lot when I was growing up. She built her own company and made all the money we have now. It felt like you and your mom were stealing from her, if that makes sense. I’m still processing her death, and I’m not totally convinced it was an accident like they claim.”
“You think your dad killed her, right? You were telling me about it the other night.”
I shake my head. “We can talk about it another time when you’re more sober.”
“I’m fine, I swear. Tell me.”
I sigh, seeing there’s no dissuading her from it now. “Fine. My dad had a history of cheating on my mom, and when she turned up dead, I couldn’t help but think he had something to do with it. With her gone, he was free to take over her company and her fortune. And free to be with whoever he wanted.”
“My mom,” she breaths out. “I suspected she was having an affair with someone at the club she worked with and then all of a sudden she’s married to a guy with money and sending me off to the school of my dreams.”
“Wait, your mom worked at what club?”
“Clearview Country Club.”
It feels like ice pulsates in my veins as she says those three words.
Melody doesn’t realize the bomb she’s just dropped on me though, because she yawns and pads over to the bed, plopping down and laying on top of the duvet. She’s out like a light, while my insides churn with this new information.
That server a few years ago, the way I heard my dad and her plotting together as they had sex at my mom’s charity gala. It all comes rushing back. I text the private investigator I’ve been working with for the last year, and hope that maybe this time the information will make a difference.