Chapter 15
Joseline
The only noise in the Uber as we ride the few miles to the club is the faint sound of the radio, too low for me to actually make out any of the words. I can almost feel the heat radiating off Tobias from the anger and rage boiling under his skin.
Why the hell he’s so annoyed? I have no idea. He’s the one that invited himself on this trip and hijacked my ride, who made it his business to tag along.
I would have been perfectly content if he’d fucked off, but here we are.
I guess it could be worse…
Not really sure how, but I’m sure it could be.
“You’re ridiculous,” I mutter when we’re a block from the venue. I can tell because there are several lights flashing outside the building and a crowd of people convened on the sidewalk.
“And you’re a brat.”
The car pulls up next to the sidewalk, and I hope that Tobias will tell the driver to take him back to the event center. He got what he wanted and made sure I got to the nightclub. Now, surely, he can leave me the hell alone and disappear.
He doesn’t, instead crawling out of the car right behind me.
I grumble. His presence has already put a damper on my mood, but I refuse to let him ruin my night.
“Well, I’d say it’s been great… but it hasn’t.” I flash him a sickly sweet smile. “I hope you can find your way back to the tour bus alone.”
I turn to walk away, but Tobias catches my wrist in his gloved hand. Even through the material, I can feel the warmth of his fingers slowly creeping up my arm and making it tingle.
With a grimace, I jerk away.
“You can go now,” I assure him. “I can take it from here.”
He shakes his head. “I’m going to hang around until you make it inside.”
“Seriously, what the hell is your problem?” I whisper harshly, taking a step away from him. “You’re a rockstar, not a bodyguard.”
“Exactly.” He levels me with a glare. “You should appreciate that I’m willing to waste my valuable time to make sure you stay safe.”
“And I didn’t ask you to do that,” I point out, stomping toward the end of the queue with him right behind me.
I can’t believe the nerve of this fucking demon.
Como chinga este cabrón.
“I’m not here for you,” he growls, keeping his voice low. “I’m here because Sebastian asked me to keep you safe. How many times do I have to tell you that?”
“None.” I shoot him a look over my shoulder as the chatter of the nearby crowd hits my ears. “You could do us both a favor and not talk to me at all. How about that?”
He grabs my wrist and whirls me around to face him. My stomach cartwheels. He’s massive, looming over me as he stares me down, and I feel tiny, even with my heels on. Again, I try to jerk my hand out of his grip, but he doesn’t let go this time.
“Gladly.” His voice is sharp, piercing straight through me. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop watching out for you. I made a promise, and I won’t break it just because you think you’re invincible.”
We stare one another down for a long moment, the tension between us threatening to choke me. Finally, he lets my wrist go and I whip around, turning my back on him. My cheeks burn, and the cold air feels good against my scorching skin.
How dare he say I think I’m invincible.
I’m not invincible, nor am I ignorant enough to think otherwise.
I am, however, capable of handling myself, and I don’t need a fucking babysitter.
Taking a deep breath, I huff it out, keenly aware of Tobias behind me, even though I can’t see him. It’s like my body is ultra-sensitive to his presence; no matter how badly I try to tune him out, his aura reaches out to remind me that he’s still there.
My hands clench into fists, and I cross my arms over my chest.
I don’t care what kind of self-righteous mission he thinks he’s on, I hate Tobias. He claims he’s trying to protect me, to fulfill some promise to Sebastian, but all I feel is trapped. Beneath his thumb, under his watchful eye.
If I wanted a man to keep track of my every move, I’d have a boyfriend.
Tobias couldn’t be farther from that.
As the line moves and we drift closer to the entrance, Tobias shifts to stand beside me silently, his thumbs hooked into his pockets. He doesn’t even look out of place—there are several other people with masks around us.
Just a few more minutes, I tell myself over and over.
A few more minutes and I’ll be rid of him for the night. I can’t wait.
But what if he shows up after the concert to make sure I get back to my hotel? What if he shows up at my hotel to check on me?
Shit.
I’ve never been lightcore stalked before, and I’m not sure I like it very much. Maybe if it was someone who wasn’t a giant pain in my clit it would be more enjoyable.
I frown, mulling over ideas of how I could possibly get him to leave me alone, but none of them are very convincing. I could call Niki and ask Sebastian to tell him to back off. I could call the cops. I could tell him to join me inside and embarrass him so badly that he gives up and leaves.
Hmm. That last one is promising.
I tap my foot, my mind churning with ideas as the line slowly moves forward.
Would it really be such a bad idea to have him join me? Especially if he watches from a dark corner and leaves me alone all night? I could still have a blast and, at worst, he could watch my drink when I go pee. I could even get sloppy drunk without worrying about my safety.
I purse my lips, debating. The idea has merit, even though I don’t want him anywhere near me. But, again, it could be worse.
“Are you going to wait around outside until I leave?” I ask without looking in his direction. I stare up the line toward the pair of burly bouncers guarding the door.
He doesn’t reply, so I cut my eyes in his direction.
“Gonna stalk me back to my hotel?”
Again, no reply.
I grit my teeth so hard they ache.
“You’re a fucking child,” I murmur under my breath, my irritation soaring to new heights. I’ve never met anyone who pushes my buttons so expertly, but Tobias does it like he’s getting fucking paid for it.
“Are all human women like this?” he asks, finally looking in my direction. “First, you want me to listen to you. Now, you don’t. Which is it?”
“I want you to go to Hell,” I grumble.
He laughs once. “Been there, sweetheart. Not a fan, if I’m honest.”
I huff a deep breath and look up at the sky. I’ve almost lost my desire to go to the club at all; I’d much rather head back to my hotel and crawl up in bed with a good movie, but I still don’t trust that he wouldn’t follow me there and camp outside my room.
“I guess if you stay you can keep handsy men away from my drinks,” I grumble, already regretting the words as they leave my mouth. “Make yourself useful or something.”
It’s not like he’ll be any fun, anyway. He’s a stick in the mud, the ultimate grump.
This man wouldn’t know fun if it bit him in the dick.
He wheels around to face me, hands shoved into the pockets of his trousers. In the streetlight, with the neons playing off his mask, he really does look quite striking. Intimidating.
I doubt anyone would fuck with me when he’s around.
“Now you want me to stay?” He cocks his head to the side.
I roll my eyes with a groan. “You really are a pain in the ass, you know that?” He scoffs. “If you stay, you can babysit me like you wanted, and I don’t have to worry about creeps hitting on me.”
His gaze bounces between me and the building. “What’s the catch? You’ve been trying to run me off all evening. Why’d you change your mind?”
I shrug. “No catch.”
Okay, maybe a teeny catch. One that involves him holding drinks all night.
“I’ve just fucking given up.” I throw my hands up, exasperated. “There’s no point arguing with you; you’re stubborn as a mule.”
His eyes narrow. “You give me whiplash.”
“And you give me a fucking migraine.” I gesture toward the gap in front of us; the line is moving quicker now. “Are you coming or not?”
After another beat of indecision, he sighs. “Fine. But only because I’m already here.”
“Wonderful,” I say, trying half-heartedly to convince myself that I won’t regret this in a little bit.
We’re getting close to the door now, only a few people left ahead of us. When we get to the door, the person working the ticket booth looks between us. “That’ll be forty dollars.”
I turn to look at Tobias, waiting expectantly. “Well?”
He stares at me. “You expect me to pay?”
“If you’re going to be a pain in my ass, you can be a useful one.”
He glares as he drags his wallet out and hands over his card. It’s returned with two wristbands, then he tucks his wallet back into his pocket.
“Thank you.” I flash him a grin then walk straight past the bouncers. He follows, getting patted down before being let inside, but I’m barely paying attention to him. The bass is thrumming so loudly in here it makes my bones rattle.
The show hasn’t technically started yet, but the place is packed.
I should have expected that from the line outside.
Bodies are crammed against one another all around the massive space and wrapped around the second story banister overlooking the illuminated dance floor.
A DJ booth is situated on a stage at the head of the dance floor, but it’s currently unoccupied.
My eyes zero in on the bar, and I make a beeline for the only empty stool. If I’m going to enjoy myself at all with Tobias’ protective bodyguard-wanna-be ass following me around tonight, I’m going to need liquor. Plenty of it.
I should have fucking pregamed.
“What’ll it be, hon?” the beautiful blonde behind the bar asks, flashing me a brilliant smile. She’s thin and willowy, with tattoos decorating most of her exposed skin.
“A Tequila Sunrise,” I say, not sure why it’s the first thing that comes to mind. Maybe because the last time I got trashed I was drinking Cosmopolitans, and I’m subconsciously avoiding vodka.
“Should I start a tab?” she asks as she reaches for a glass.
I nod enthusiastically. She and I are going to become well acquainted tonight.
When she plops the drink down in front of me, I reach for my bag to take out my card for the tab, but something shifts uncomfortably close to my face. I look up to see Tobias handing over his card once again.
I narrow my eyes on him. “What the hell are you doing?”
“What?” He shakes his head. “Can’t hear you over the music.”
“Absolutely not. I said you could watch my drinks, not pay for them.” There’s no way I’m going to be in debt to this fucking prick. He’ll probably lord it over me later.
“Too late, sweetheart.” He leans closer, his mask brushing the shell of my ear. “Just like you, I do whatever the fuck I want.”
I want to slap him for being so goddamn obnoxious. Instead, I turn back to the bartender. “Can you make it two?”
The faster I’m tipsy, the faster he’ll be tolerable. Hopefully.
“Coming right up.” She grabs another glass and shoves another brightly colored drink at me a few seconds later.
Grabbing both of them, I turn and march past Tobias, heading for the dance floor.
I don’t plan to double fist and dance at the same time, but I’m not ruling it out.
I take a big gulp of my drink, my eye twitching when the alcohol hits my tongue.
That little bartender was heavy-handed with her pours.
Thank god.
I’ve downed half my first drink by the time the DJ takes the stage.
“Welcome to Rave Night at Pandora. I’m DJ LostBoii. Are you ready to party?”
The crowd screams in reply.
“I can’t hear you,” he says, clicking buttons and tweaking knobs I can’t see from where I’m standing. “I said ARE YOU READY TO PARTY?”
Everyone screams louder this time, and the music shifts abruptly to something worthy of ass shaking. People flood the dance floor, bouncing and wiggling to the beat, and I find myself swaying in place.
“Are you going to dance?” Tobias’ voice is at my back, and I sigh. I hoped he’d gotten lost.
“Yep.” I turn my first glass up and drain it, grimacing at the liquor that’s settled at the bottom. Gross. I set the glass on a nearby table. “Don’t feel like you have to come.”
I barely hear his chuckle over the music. “Wasn’t planning on it.”
Boring ass.
Not that I actually want to dance with him.
Maybe he can find some pretty girl to flirt with that isn’t put off by his mask. As long as he doesn’t start talking, he should be fine.
With one drink in hand, I head for the dance floor, squeezing my way through the mass of bodies, doing my best to get lost among them. I might not have ever heard of this DJ before, but he isn’t half bad. That, or the alcohol is hitting me faster than I thought.
I probably should have eaten a snack after the concert. Dinner seems so long ago, but it’s too late to worry about it now. With a shrug, I take another swig of my drink and stop in the middle of the floor.
Alone, drowning in the techno beats and deep bass rattling the building, I dance like no one is watching.
I shake my ass and sway my hips to my heart's content, closing my eyes and losing myself to the music.
Doing my best to forget that somewhere, in the shadowed fringes of the nightclub, Tobias could be watching my every move.