Breaking Eden - (rough draft)

9 - Follow The Leader (3/14/2019 update)

Video: Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

Feel free to tell me what you honestly think and rip it apart, good or bad, I'm all ears. I'm in the middle of doing final self edits before I start looking for Beta readers. And don't forget to vote, comment, and share to help get Breaking Eden to #1! :0)

________________________________________________________________________________

9

Follow the Leader

Eden's POV

Couples exited a dim passage up ahead. Old men and women were locked arm in arm with dancers half their age who were eager to please. The air was thick with untapped sexual energy and music pulsed a warning. There wasn't room for indecisiveness past the yawning entrance.

Without pause, Eden pulled Declan forward. They fell into step with the surge of moving bodies. A large neon arch came into sight at the end of the hall. Cat's Alley was spelled out in delicate cursive tubes of blue. Beneath it, illuminated in vibrant red, glowed the face of a winking cat and beyond that cat stood a line three couples deep.

Declan was staring, this time a frown was nestled deep between his brows.

"Do I have lipstick on my teeth?" Eden asked, "You seem not to be able to take your eyes off of me."

"Hold still." His thumb traced the length of her jaw before caching her chin. He tilted her head in either direction, scrutinizing her features.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to imagine your face beneath all that makeup. Such a heavy-handed mask you've painted." The side of his mouth ticked up. "Tell me, Eden, do you fear what's underneath it?"

His words cut deep.

"What flaws are you hiding from the world?" He mused.

The line moved. One down, two couples to go.

She freed her face from his fingers. "I believe I'd look the same with a bit more freckles. Not that it's any concern of yours."

"Must have hit a nerve." His eyes didn't waver from hers. "It's a shame that women need to rely on makeup to appear attractive instead of embracing their natural beauty, if they're ascetically beautiful that is."

Eden guffawed.

"What's so funny?"

"Tell me, Declan, what's under your beard? After all beards are to men what make up is to women, right? We're all hiding something from the world." She reached for his chin with a harsh laugh. "So, what do you got under there that you don't want us ladies to see?"

His mouth pressed into a thin line of disdain.

She offered his own words. "Must have hit a nerve."

"Touché." He massaged the inside of his palm with such vigor it left Eden wondering what he was holding back.

"Look I'm-"

"That's quite all right, Ms. Burrows." He said with a curt laugh. "There's no need for apologies. Although I will admit, your lack of respect for your male counterpart is somewhat refreshing, if not outright maddening. I rarely get to experience this behavior from those closest to me. You see, people tend to-"