The Beast of Stornoway

Chapter 51: Amani

Amani smiled as she watched the moonlit fields passing by. She brought a bottle to her lips and let the fruity liquid warm her body.

"Amani! Where the hell did you get that?" Marie gasped next to her.

She grinned and slid her eyes to her. "I stole it from the bar when we left." She giggled. "No one was looking."

"You're just as bad as Van."

She glared at Marie and took another drink from the bottle. "No, I'm not. He drinks whiskey. This is just coconut rum and ...and I'm not an asshole like him."

After Amani calmed her horny self down from that sensual dancing, she remembered the only reason he rudely dragged her to dance. Lord Blarcum just wanted to know if she was a fucking slut. As if she'd come to the party to seduce one of the Mionlach!

I'm not a fucking gold digger and I can't believe he had the audacity to think that about me.

"He was drunk, Amani. I'm sure he didn't mean to insinuate that you're a whore." Marie chuckled.

Amani rolled her eyes. "He shouldn't have asked me that. I don't care if he was drunk. That was so insulting." She scoffed and drained more of the sweet rum down her throat.

"Mm, yeah, I definitely agree with you. Why don't you tell him how you feel?" She grinned as the car came to a stop in front of the manor.

Amani looked towards the steps and gripped her bottle tight. Lord Blarcum was sitting on a bench, whiskey in hand, looking directly at her. "That's exactly what I'm going to do." She opened the door and stumbled out of the car. She laughed at herself as she held on to her rum bottle and the door.

For fuck's sake, get it together, Amani. I'm not that drunk.

"You're a mess, girl." Marie laughed as she slipped her arm through hers to steady her.

"I'm fine. I didn't drop the rum!" She grinned proudly and held up the bottle.

"Good priorities." Lord Blarcum chuckled from his seat on the porch.

Amani's previous anger washed over her as she whipped her head toward his grinning face. "You," she seethed. "I've got a bone to pick with you, Lord Blarcum." She slipped her arm from Marie and marched up the steps to him.

He gasped, but his eyes were shining with drunken amusement. "What have I done to anger you, little witch?"

Little witch. 

That was the second time he'd called her that. She felt her lip twitch into a smile as she stood in front of him. It was kind of cute.

No, Amani you're *angry*. He insulted your dignity.

She glared at him and slid a hand to her hip. She took a drink from the bottle and licked her lips. "You had the nerve to ask me if I was easy! You didn't even say hello! Just dragged me to the dance floor like a damn rag doll. You're fucking lucky I didn't slap your stupid ass."

Lord Blarcum's eyes grew wide and Marie stifled a laugh from behind her. "And that's my cue to go inside," she snorted and tossed Amani's clutch on the bench. "Good night, you two," she said and disappeared into the house leaving Lord Blarcum and Amani staring at each other.

"So, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Lord Blarcum slowly took a sip from his glass. "I'm sorry. It was rude of me to ask you that and force you to dance with me."

A smile tugged at her lips. "I accept your apology, but I didn't mind the dancing." She laughed and held the bottle to her lips. "Where did that question come from anyway?"

He chuckled and slid a hand through his hair. Amani gasped at the dried blood on his knuckles. "What happened to your hand?" She snatched it from his hair and plopped in his lap to study the gashes over his knuckles.

He smirked. "I punched someone for saying some perverted shite. It's why I wanted to know what you were like."

She rolled her eyes. "So, you thought if I was easy I'd want that kind of attention? And if I wasn't, you thought I'd fall for some shit like that?" She laughed as she pulled her gloves off and reached for her clutch behind her. "I'm not innocent and I'm not naïve. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," she murmured as she opened a mini first aid kit and began to clean the dried blood on his hand.

"Why do you have a first aid kit in your handbag?"

Amani shrugged. "I got into the habit of always having it with me for situations just like this."

Being the girlfriend of a guy involved in a gang meant someone was always getting hurt and refusing to go to the hospital to get treated. So, she learned to always carry medical supplies with her.

"Mm, I think it's time you tell me about yourself, Amani. Where do you come from?"

Her heart clenched as she looked up at him. He really did want to get to know her? It was normal for friends to get to know each other, but why did it feel like it was more than that with him?

You're just friends. Have another drink, bitch. There's no harm in letting him get to know you.

"Unless you don't want to tell me. You don't have to." He blushed and looked away from her.

Amani reached for the bottle of rum on the floor and took a drink. "No, it's fine. You should probably get to know me as your friend."