Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
Danika
Lydia parks her two thousand eighteen Cadillac in the side parking lot of the club.
Snow still blankets the pavement and sidewalks left over from the storm as we walk up to the front entrance, red velvet ropes standing on either side of us.
With the music beating loudly, you can hear it thumping from the walls where we stand.
Inside, the same huge walls scale the crowds who dance and drink with sloppy joy on their faces. Some look to be enjoying themselves a little too well with possible drugs affecting their systems, I’m sure.
Tonight, I want to be numb, not to feel, and when following Lydia to the bar to order a drink, my body hums with excitement. A thrill I haven’t felt in a long while. The memory of what exactly a thrill feels like differs from the present. But this will do.
Lydia moves her hips waiting for the bartender as the thump of heavy techno music beats through the speakers and vibrates the walls.
My short green dress wasn’t what I planned on wearing tonight, but Lydia talked me into it.
Besides, it’s part of my plan on not giving a fuck.
This is who I am after all so I might as well flaunt it.
Apparently, my only appealing quality is people thinking of me as a sex object.
I remember earlier and how Eric’s hand felt on me. The feeling of shrieking back inside myself, floating outside my body.
Lydia hands me my drink, and I take it back a little too fast because the burning in my throat creates a coughing spell.
“Damn. Slow down, girl.”
I wipe the access liquor from my lips. “I’m doing it up tonight. Go big or go home.” But at my words, my stomach twists.
Lydia’s brows furrow, concern written over her face. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”
She knows this isn’t me. Well, the new me, she never got to meet the old Danika because the old Danika would have been pounding shots and telling men to fuck off. Her worry for me is insignificant right now. “I’m Fine! I just want to have fun. That’s all.”
With a smile she says, “Good. But I really have to pee. When I come back, we’re dancing!”
I nod and take her drink, placing it down in front of me while I subtly move my hips in place. A warm feeling soaks its way through my veins, and I close my eyes, moving a bit more to the music. It’s like I’m being transported somewhere else, like floating on air.
I pop my eyes open to the bartender nodding at someone over my shoulder. I jerk in reaction when a heavy hand lands on the lower part of my exposed back where the material is cut out. A reaction I swear will haunt me forever. Luckily, my scar is covered.
“I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you enjoying yourself?” A tall, dark-haired man in a grey suit eyes me from where he now stands at my side. His hand still lingers on my skin. He’s handsome and confident as he eyes me from top to bottom.
It’s a tad unsettling but…
My body isn’t screaming alarm bells.
“I am.” I take a sip from my drink, eyeing him over the rim of my glass. “I’m just waiting for my friend.” Good to tell him I’m not alone.
He nods with a grin, moving in before he says, “You are stunning. Is your friend perhaps your partner?”
Speaking of Lydia, she seems distracted flirting with a man right outside the restroom. She gives me a thumbs up encouraging my conversation with the stranger. But when my head grows cloudy, my stomach flips with uncertainty.
“To answer your question, she’s only a friend.
But I do have someone on standby if I need him,” I threaten with a half smirk.
Obviously, there’s no man on standby but if I did need somebody, I know who I’d call.
But fuck, I don’t even have his number. Why haven’t I asked for his number?
Probably because Hush would rather not entertain the insane possibility.
The stranger shows off an amused look. “Well. I can assure you; I’m not that type of man.” He holds up his hand waving it causally in the air. “I own this club.”
I put in a strong effort to hide my surprise because I was not expecting that. “Am I supposed to be impressed?” We lock eyes as I stare over the rim of my glass. Wait. I’m flirting, but instead of excitement, a knot forms in my chest.
Am I giving him too much? Is it permission to fuck around?
He lets out a laugh. One that could be heard throughout the room if it wasn’t for the loud music drowning out its surroundings. “I didn’t catch your name.”
“That’s because I didn’t give it.”
A flash of heat ignites in his eyes. “I see. You are trouble,” he purrs confidently.
It’s been a while since I’ve flirted with a guy, currently not in the market of trusting one.
A man in a sharp black suit appears beside the stranger who has yet to take his eyes off me. The new guy whispers into the club owner’s ear and his confident grin turns into a grimace.
With a sigh, and an annoyed tone the owner turns back to me. “As much as I’m enjoying your company, I must attend to a matter. Maybe we’ll meet again.”
I shrug like meeting him was no big deal. “Maybe.”
He eyes me up and down before planting a kiss on my cheek then disappearing into the crowd. Only when he’s gone does the air find its way back into my lungs.
Polishing off my drink, I stagger toward Lydia who’s still flirting with the same guy. I let her know I’m using the bathroom, having to cling onto the wall for support. My balance is suddenly shaky and I’m thinking anxiety has the upper hand.
Just as I’m about to enter, a hand clamps around my arm and pulls me lightly around the corner and out of sight. I let out a scream, but with the music drowning everything out, it’s impossible to hear.
I thrash, kick, punch, whatever I need to do, but the person has already backed away, giving me space. And a pair of familiar dark eyes stare back at me. My entire body relaxes. Though some may consider him alarming, I consider his presence a tranquility of existence.
Hush’s arms stay steady at his side, and I let my head rest on the wall behind me, not having the strength seemingly to hold myself up.
“What are you doing here?” His body strains with agitation, but his voice is still placid.
“Trying to have a good time. And you? You don’t strike me as a club goer.”
“You and your friend need to leave. Now.”
Someone rounds the corner, and Hush surrounds me with his largeness, blocking anything and anyone from me.
I soak in the feeling of him caring so much and when he tilts his head down a mere inch from my lips, I suck in a thick breath.
“And why would I do that?” I painfully whisper, tilting my head up and toying with idea of his mouth on mine.
There’s a genuine sound to my voice. No sassy comeback tone, just pure curiosity.
He swallows. “Because it’s not safe here.” His eyes dart to my lips then quickly up again.
“Is anywhere safe?” A bitter chuckle slips from my throat. “This place is no different.” I’m desperate to get away, to splash icy water on my burning face because my entire body is on fire, and my breaths are short and troubled.
I straighten, and our bodies touch, my hand landing on his chest. It was meant to push him away, but I keep it there feeling the hardness underneath my palm.
The muscles in his jaw are hard pressed and jerky.
But I drop my hand and move past him, then enter the restroom thankful for the breathing room. Thank God it smells like an air freshener in here.
Though I’m in a heated frenzy, there’s no forgetting about his coldness this morning and I’m still a little angry about it.
I took his cold shoulder personally.
I take the refreshing water in my cupped hands and drench my blazing cheeks. But I’m not ready to leave. I’ll be ready to leave when I forget.
The tight hallway is empty when I exit the restroom. Good. He doesn’t need to watch over me if that’s the reason for him being here.
I find Lydia and drag her away from the guy she’s been chatting with and haul her to the dance floor. She doesn’t seem to mind though as we funnel through the crowd. She laughs and we dance. With my hands in the air, I close my eyes, even though the room spins in circles.
I twirl landing into the chest of a man, my hands resting there for support. He’s nice to look at, cute with a good sense of style from what I can tell behind my cloudy vision. But his eyes hold an illness about them.
My head continues to spiral as I realize I’m still in the arms of the stranger.
He doesn’t say anything as he runs his hands down my body. In my mind I’m smiling up at him, but there’s no way to be sure, because my face seems to tingle.
My gaze lazily falls on Lydia who’s dancing with some man, too. There’s a firm squeeze to my ass which sets me off. The filthy, unwanted, unpermitted kind of touching is loathing. But isn’t this what I was looking for tonight? To let loose. Let myself be free.
The man tilts his head, gesturing for me to follow. Without giving me a chance to respond, or to create a conscious decision for myself, he tugs me forward keeping an aggressive arm around my waist.
Stairs come into view and I’m fairly certain if he wasn’t holding onto me, I’d trip. My legs are like Jello at this point, and my head is so foggy I almost forget where I am.
At the top, he whispers, “This way.” His hot, slimy breath falls against my neck.
He leads me to a private room with a bed and red velvet walls. There is zero boldness left inside of me as every alarm bell blares. But I feel like a ragdoll being controlled, paralyzed within my own body. At my first chance, I wobble for the door and tug it open as best I could, but it’s locked.
Dammit. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
A voice echoes inside my mind. “Little Rabbit.”
I clamp my eyes shut, erasing him from my thoughts. “Open the door,” I demand, hardly able to string a proper sentence together. Hell, it’s a struggle to get out a small word. “I want to leave,” I slur.