Chapter 12 #2
“Evening, ladies.” The rope is lifted for us to enter, and we step into the pulsing heat of the club.
It is buzzing in here. The music silences my thoughts, the lights and the crowd washing away my worries.
We head straight to the bar and grab our drinks.
Kitty, very much the party girl, orders six shots of tequila. She hands two to me.
“Drink this and lighten up.” She winks, and we shoot them back before the bartender can even put the limes down on the bar. We dance, we drink and dance some more.
A couple of hours into the night, I feel a tap on my shoulder.
I turn to see a tall, broad man in front of me.
Crisp white shirt and tailored black pants.
He is dapper and handsome in a rugged, slightly intimidating way.
He leans forward to speak, but I can’t hear him.
The music swallows his words. He raises his voice, leaning closer so I can hear him.
I instinctively place my hand on his muscly arm, smelling the sharp scent of his cologne and concentrate on what he’s saying.
“My boss would like to buy you and your friends a drink!” I take a step back and drop my hand from his arm, shock jolting through my system.
I study him, looking him up and down, trying to place where I recognise him.
Then I see it. An earpiece. A radio clipped to his belt and the hint of a mic on his sleeve.
I motion him to come closer to me and I shout into his ear.
“Who is your boss?” I ask, already knowing the answer to my question.
He points to the VIP section of the club, up a set of stairs.
I spin and glance up. I see him immediately.
Standing on the platform above me is Theo, his hands gripping the glass balcony, his eyes focused on me.
He raises his glass and winks. I quickly shake my head at the security guard.
My heart is beating from my chest, and I am beginning to wish I wasn’t wearing long sleeves.
I’m sweating. I turn my back to him and search the floor for the girls.
I notice Kitty first, so stride over to her, keeping my eyes to the floor.
Kitty grabs me close, laughing with ease, but I catch Fiona staring at me through the crowd as Kitty grinds her bum against me.
A look of concern overtakes Fiona’s features, her eyes smaller.
She pushes through the dancers, coming towards me with furious determination on her face.
She pulls me away from Kitty. She loops her arms around my neck and leans in close to me so I can hear her.
“Are you okay?” I nod to her. She grabs either side of my cheeks with her fingers, gently but firm, forcing me to look at her.
“I don’t believe you,” she says, steady.
“I saw what just happened. If you want to go to him, Elle… go.” I pull away from her in shock, and we stare at each other for a moment, my heart racing.
She knows?
She knows!
She leads me away from the dance floor, through the noise and to the toilets.
As the music gets further away, I hear Fiona mumbling something to herself as she weaves through the crowd.
We reach the ladies’ washroom, and I can finally hear myself think.
Fiona comes to an immediate stop, and I smack into her back.
She turns to face me with a look in her eyes that I recognise.
It’s the same sympathetic look James gave me earlier in the day.
“Do you remember when I once told you that I know when you’re lying to me?
” she asks. I nod my head, and she continues.
“That’s never changed, Elle. The other day, when I asked you whether or not you had seen Theodore Masters again, you said no, and I knew, without a doubt, that you were lying to me.
” I pull her over into a quiet corner of the washroom, out of earshot of the other women chatting around us.
“Fiona, not so loud,” I scold in a whisper. She only shakes her head at me.
“Listen, I don’t know what’s going on here, but I do know you!
I saw the look on your face when you saw him.
I also saw the way he looked at you.” I lower my head, but she places her hands on either side of my face again, forcing my eyes back up to hers.
“You deserve to be happy, Elle. Go up those stairs and have a drink with him if that’s what you want.
Even if it’s just one and then you come back to us.
Kitty’s too drunk to see past the guy she just found. ”
“What if someone sees us, Fiona?” I whisper. “He’s married.”
“I know. But I’ve also seen what the papers say about that relationship.
And if I know you as well as I think I do, you’ve already had that conversation with him.
Haven’t you?” I don’t reply but gently nod my head.
“It’s up to you. Just don’t have regrets, please.
” She plants a gentle kiss to my cheek and squeezes my hand.
“Come on.” We hold hands and head back to the dance floor, my mind questioning every single step I take.
I look up at the balcony and search for him.
He’s gone, but I see his security still stationed at the bottom of the stairs, which means he’s still there, somewhere.
I slip my hand out of Fiona’s and make my way over to the stairs.
As I come closer, the security guard opens the rope and nods for me to pass.
I make my way up the steps, my heart racing as I climb.
It’s beating out of my chest, and my ears are ringing with the bass below.
I’ve had too much to drink, and the alcohol has made me brave.
At the top of the stairs, I stop. Panic floods me.
Suddenly I feel the need to go back to Fiona.
I shouldn’t have come up here. I spin around and take a step down when someone takes hold of my arm.
“Don’t change your mind, Sunshine.” His voice is low and firm. The nickname he calls me sends a shiver down my spine. I slowly turn to him. His blue eyes filled with longing, begging me to stay. Just one drink, I think. That’s all this needs to be.
I follow his steps to a private area, his touch like fire in my hand.
He slides into a booth, and I sit down next to him.
On the table in front of us sits a bottle of champagne resting in an ice bucket and two flutes waiting.
He leans forward, wrapping his hands around the neck of the bottle.
The cork loosens, popping from its seal, sharp and quick.
He pours the bubbles into the glasses and hands me one.
His fingers rest on my thigh, and he slowly traces lines along my skin.
“Cheers, baby.” He knocks the glass back and his Adam’s apple bobs as the cold liquid slides down his throat. God, I want this man so much. But he’s playing with my emotions. My anxiety suddenly spikes. The club blurs around me.
This isn’t right.
I shouldn’t be up here.
He leans into me, sensing my unease.
“Elizabeth, what’s wrong?” he asks, his fingers squeezing my thigh gently, trying to steady me. I shake my head. For so many reasons.
I need to leave.
I need space from him.
I need him to stop confusing me.
I stand to leave, and he stands with me, gripping my wrist in an effort to stop me leaving.
“Please don’t, Theo. Let me go back to the girls.” His hands slide to my waist, holding me close to him.
“You can go, of course you can.” His breath is warm against my cheek, with a slight smell of the sweetness from the champagne.
My stomach twists with butterflies. I want to kiss him so badly it hurts.
“Can I come and see you tonight? Please, Elizabeth. I need to see you.” Against my better judgement, I nod my head and press a soft kiss to his cheek.
He lowers his hands away from me, and I begin my descent down the stairs and back to the girls.
Back towards the noise, the world that feels safe.