CHAPTER EIGHT #2
The bouncer cleared his throat and lifted the velvet rope, waving for them to go in.
Cadi ascended the black wooden steps toward the flashing lights, the booming bass reverberating deeper in her chest the closer she got to the main level.
As she emerged from the narrow staircase, her jaw dropped at the scene of lush revelry playing out in front of her.
In the center of the sprawling two-story ballroom stretched a sunken dance floor, each end of its glowing surface bordered by a single row of half-moon booths.
Ionic-inspired columns rose to the ceiling, carving out uniform alcoves along the second-floor balcony, where onlookers leaned over the railings to take in the merriment below.
To the right ran the main bar, made entirely of opaque plexiglass lit from beneath by neon blue, the same inlaid lights casting their glow across the mirrored wall packed with liquor bottles.
The electric hue contrasted sharply with the deep violet of the smaller bar tucked into the far corner, and the playful pink of the one perched at the top of the stairs to the left.
Zoe appeared at Cadi’s side, her body practically vibrating with excitement as she grabbed her hand and tugged her to the middle of the glowing dance floor. Cadi giggled as Zoe spun lightly on her toes, the layers of her dress billowing around her like the petals of a flower.
Maybe it was the bass saturating her bones, the surging bodies around her, or the look of uninhibited joy on her friend’s face, but something about the atmosphere surrounding them pulled Cadi into motion, overriding the anxieties that so often held her back from fully letting go.
Before she knew it she was dancing freely, a weightlessness washing over her that she hadn’t known she was missing. She smiled to herself, when she realized just how right Zoe had been—she had been stressed.
Her movements synced effortlessly to the music, each motion bleeding smoothly into the next until a flash of color made her stop.
A soft gasp fell from her lips as her eyes became transfixed on the floor below.
Not a floor. Glass. And beneath it, clusters of orange and white fish swam through a glistening pool.
She spun in a slow circle, a laugh bubbling from her chest as she traced their path through the water, their scales catching the colorful lights to cast iridescent ripples at her feet.
When she looked up, she found Zoe equally mesmerized, following her own school that was currently swimming in a figure-eight pattern around her feet.
Their eyes met, locked in quiet wonder as Zoe silently mouthed an exaggerated “wow” that sent Cadi into another fit of giddy laughter.
She slipped easily back into the rhythm of the club, letting her eyes drift closed and giving herself over completely to the music and revelry of the night.
With her thoughts drifting pleasantly through the haze of sound and color, she barely noticed the pressure at her waist, and the two hands that gripped her tightly to pull her back as she danced.
Her eyes flew open, darting to Zoe for any clue about the identity of whoever had taken hold of her.
Her friend’s gaze was focused just above Cadi’s head, and a sly smirk played at her lips.
Cadi’s throat went tight when she realized that she still hadn’t told Zoe about the night she covered her shift.
There was no way for her friend to know about how viscerally uncomfortable she felt each time he got too close, a feeling that was identical to the one she was experiencing at that exact moment.
Cadi twisted around, hoping her momentum would be enough to free her from Damon’s hold, but his fingers only tightened as he pulled her closer, pressing her body against his and leaning in. Hot breath that carried the sour smell of beer washed over her ear when he spoke, making her shudder.
“Been looking for you,” he crooned.
Cadi leaned back, though she wasn’t sure if it was by choice or by instinct. Her eyes darted around, looking for anything, or anyone, to shift his attention.
“Where’s Celine?” she asked, pushing calm into her voice and trying to take a single step backward. Damon shrugged and pulled her back against him, halting her escape and sending a fresh wave of adrenaline into her veins.
“Around.”
Cadi placed her palm against his chest, gently pushing against him to keep as much distance between them as possible without causing a scene. “Maybe you should go find her.”
A fiendish grin spread across his lips, his eyes darkening in a way that made her mouth go dry. He leaned in again, his hands drifting lower on her hips. “Celine is boring. I’m much more interested in finding out whether or not those dance moves you have translate.”
Revulsion crawled through her at the suggestion that dripped from his words. If he wasn’t going to even try to be subtle, why should she? With a newfound boldness, she pushed him again, this time with enough force to successfully break free of his hold.
“I’m getting a drink,” she announced, not waiting for a response before slipping into the crowd toward the bar.
She didn’t even want anything, as she fully planned to stay sober to avoid leaving her car in the city.
What she did want, though, was to put several layers of bodies between herself and Damon.
She shouldered her way to the glowing blue bar, leaning her elbows against the smooth plexiglass where she waited patiently to be noticed by one of the scantily clad goblins mixing drinks.
Normally she would flag someone down, but tonight she was in absolutely no rush to get back.
The bartenders, however, had a vested interest in keeping the crowd at the bar rotating, so Cadi was forced to place an order when a goblin with a bright green mohawk jabbed a spindly finger in her direction.
“Cider!” Cadi shouted, over-enunciating the word to be understood above the deafening music.
The goblin nodded and turned away to rifle through the small fridge.
Cadi drummed her fingers against the bar, lazily scanning the crowd.
Clubs weren’t her usual vibe, but judging by the colorful turnout, she was sure she’d see something interesting if she watched long enough.
Midway through her second sweep, the silver door leading to the back swung open, catching the overhead lights and nearly blinding her in the process.
Once the dots had finally cleared from her vision, Cadi studied the two men who had appeared at the end of the bar, their heads bent low in what appeared to be a serious business conversation, judging by the tablet clutched tightly between them.
She immediately clocked the man farthest from her as an employee of Club Ambrosia.
His perfectly shaped pompadour was dyed to match the same bright pink hue as the club’s lights and blended effortlessly with the fabric of his tailored waistcoat.
Cadi angled for a better view of the other man, nearly tipping into the patron next to her. Even with his back to her she could tell he was fit, his plain gray t-shirt somehow managing to compliment his lean muscles.
Curiosity swirled inside her, and she found herself unable to let this go, to the point where she barely registered when the green-haired goblin set a bottle of cider in front of her.
A sharp tap on her wrist pulled her back to the present, where she found a very annoyed bartender glaring at her from across the blue plexiglass.
Cadi quickly paid for her drink, keeping her eyes glued to the man’s back as she stepped away to make room for the next customer.
Edging her way through the crowd, she searched for a better vantage point that wouldn’t completely give her away.
She finally leaned back against one of the pillars framing the dance floor, only for the two men to turn away from her to study the wall of liquor towering above the bar.
Letting out a groan, she started to turn back into the crowd and accept that this particular itch of curiosity was destined to remain unscratched, when the pink-haired man pointed in the direction of the dance floor just past Cadi’s shoulder.
Her excitement soared, only to disintegrate into cold panic at the sight of a pair of all-too-familiar brown eyes. His eyes.
And they were looking right at her.
Cadi spun around, tearing her gaze from Elias’s with a quick movement that nearly threw her off-balance, and brought her face-to-face with the textured surface of the pillar she’d been leaning against. If she was going for casual, this definitely wasn’t helping.
Maybe he hadn’t seen her; there was always the chance that he had been looking at something else and it had just felt like he was looking at her. Right?
Turning back toward the bar, her stomach dropped when her eyes locked with Elias’s again, a look of quiet amusement settling over his features as he lifted his hand in a small wave. He was definitely looking at her.
Cadi mimicked his movement, lifting her hand quickly in response before slipping back into the crowd and weaving her way to the other side of the dance floor.
She didn’t know why, but her gut felt like it was doing a poorly choreographed gymnastics routine at the idea of facing him after their last interaction.
He probably thought she was batshit crazy with the way she’d been crawling around the transit station, snapping at him to leave her alone when all he was trying to do was help her.
Plus, she didn’t even know what she would say to him
Hey, sorry for biting your head off and pushing you away, but thanks for seeing through me and somehow tracking down this tiny necklace that I’d thought was lost forever along with my pride?
Sure.