The crystal blue hues of his eyes seemed to transfix, darken, smolder. Breath caught in her throat as he neared, prey awaiting the hunter. Hummingbird wings fluttered in her chest and the music playing around them seemed to quiet, even though it cou...
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Chapter One: Dreams.
Prologue
The crystal blue hues of his eyes seemed to transfix, darken, smolder. Breath caught in her throat as he neared, prey awaiting the hunter. Hummingbird wings fluttered in her chest and the music playing around them seemed to quiet, even though it could be heard from beyond the building.
"Perfect."
***
Ivy let out a deep sigh as she closed her European history book, hand reaching up to brush fingers through her hair. It had been a long day of studying for her upcoming history exam and she was exhausted. The piercing emerald of her eyes swept to the clock on her laptop, seeing that she should soon be getting ready for work. A yawn escaped her lips and she groaned, standing up from the desk in the corner of her bedroom. A tiny noise escaped her as she stretched before letting the mermaid waves of her fiery red hair down from the ponytail that restricted the tendrils.
Fifteen minutes later, she emerged from the shower and dried herself off, wrapping the towel around her slender frame and looked herself in the mirror. Her lips formed a small frown as she noticed the dark circles beneath her eyes. She was sleeping less and less lately, what with her job and her college courses. She rarely had any time for it lately, barely saw her best friend who was her roommate. She hated how things were going but she needed this job. It paid better than she'd had before...mostly the tips. She wasn't the first person to jump at a job like this but it wasn't all bad. She got to express herself through movement.
As thoughts of work and school and free time flooded her mind, she went to work on drying her hair, which was a task in itself. The curse of having long and thick hair, she inherited it from her mother. The red was always a mystery since everyone else in the family was blonde. When she was finally finished, she ran her fingers through her long waves and smiled to herself. She loved having hair like her mother. It reminded her of her mother before she passed. Ivy sighed and finished her tasks in the bathroom before exiting. The towel dropped and she began getting dressed, sliding a pair of shorts up her legs onto her hips after her underwear was on. Next was her bra and hoodie. She liked the fact that she could enter the workplace incognito and leave incognito. She LOVED the fact that someone else always did her makeup.
Soon, she grabbed her bag nearby that contained another set of clothes and put in her contacts before sliding on her boots and exiting her bedroom.
"Work?"
She glanced up and spotted Teagan, her best friend. "Yeah." She blew out a breath before giving a smile. "Hopefully it's a dead shift tonight. Had some creeps in last week and the cops came." Teagan's eyes widened. "Holy shit, Ivy. Do you need a ride or me to pick you up?" Ivy shook her head. "Nah, I'm all good, I was getting ready when it happened so I wasn't involved.
A look of relief washed over her friend but still she looked concerned. "Well, just call me if anything happens. I can be there in a flash."
Ivy gave her a warm smile and nodded. "Thanks, I appreciate it." She glanced over at the clock on the nearby wall and sighed, shifting her weight. "I gotta go give the people a show. See you later!" She heard Teagan's chuckle as she exited the apartment.
It was chillier than she thought as she stood at the bus stop. The bus slowed to a stop and she hurried onto it, taking a seat at the front by the window. The bus ride seemed faster than she liked because before she knew it, she was at her stop. The club she worked at was a couple of blocks away so she wasn't too worried about people getting off with her.
She rounded the corner, entering the alleyway where the back door was. She opened it, the smell of alcohol and tobacco, along with a hint of perfume mixed with manly musk invaded her nostrils. The scent and sounds of the building made her come alive on the inside and a smile crossed her lips as she entered the dressing room where her coworkers were.
"Ivy! At long last my rose red love has come!" Ivy laughed at the voice of Annika, one of the girls she had grown close to in the few months that she worked here. "Nika, how are the boys tonight?" She smiled wider as she was bombarded with a hug and an affectionate bottom slap.
"Hungry and horny as always." A wink was thrown her way. "One tried to grab Stacia but her boyfriend snatched the bastard up quick."
"Holy shit." Ivy looked over at Stacia, who nodded with a grin. "My baby knows how to cuff em!"
Ivy smiled and slid into the nearby chair, listening to whatever Annika was gossiping about as her makeup was worked on.
Half an hour later, she was finally ready, taking in her appearance in the mirror. "You look irresistible. They're going to love it." Annika smiled, sliding the mask over her eyes. Ivy peered at herself through the velvet black mask, emerald eyes glowing, loving how seductive she seemed, how mysterious she looked. "Beautiful." Annika nodded before giving her a cheek kiss. "Get em girl." She whispered.
