The bar was busy tonight, the slightly smoky air filled with the sounds of braying laughter and a bad karaoke rendition of a song I didn't know. Apparently, everyone else in the bar knew the song because drunken voices rose to almost ear-bleeding levels as they all joined in on the chorus. Thank God my shift was over soon.
I served another beer, pocketing my tip in my bra for safe keeping as the customer sent a wink my way. I gave him what I hoped was a grateful smile but probably fell short to what he wanted. I just didn't have the energy to fake it. I was exhausted and tightly wound from two straight weeks of long shifts and no indulgence. I could use a break and some fun.
I scouted out the full bar, searching through the sea of faces for someone who may fit my criteria. There didn't seem to be many option and I sighed in resignation. Too bad, maybe tomorrow.
"Slim pickings?" A warm baritone sounded to my right and I jumped slightly at the sound. Turning towards the voice, I was surprised to see a rather captivating man sitting at the bar nursing an Old Fashioned. I didn't remember serving him so it must have been Alec, the other bartender, who had the pleasure.
He was dressed nicer then most of the men in the bar and looked rather sophisticated in his crisp white dress shirt and black slacks. His brown hair was styled neat though the natural waves added a bit of chaos to keep him from looking too polished and refined. I could see his shirt stretching slightly over his toned arms though he wasn't overly muscled. He had the body of a swimmer, firm but lithe.
"Don't know what you mean." I said, playing off his observation though the lie fell flat as he lifted his eyes to meet mine. A raging inferno flickered and sparked behind his brown irises, the intensity so hot I felt my breath catch. The moment stretched between us until I turned away, feigning shyness.
"Don't you?" He replied, tilting his glass back as the hint of a challenge glinted in his eyes. For a split second I felt a strange sense of nostalgia roll over me, like smelling the familiar aroma of your mother's cooking or the odd comforting feeling of coming home. It was gone before I could examine it and, to be honest, the emotion frightened me so I dismissed it promptly.
I nodded towards his half full drink as I pulled a bottle of bourbon from the shelf behind me. "You want another?"
The stranger shook his head, the waves in his hair dancing along the nape of his neck. "I'm good with this one for now."
I shrugged, "Let me know if you need anything else." I said, setting the bottle on the bar in front of me with an audible clunk. Fire Eyes glanced down to my hand wrapped around the neck of the bottle and I saw the flames flare with intensity once more.
I turned to leave but I was brought up short by a firm grip cinched around my wrist. I knew immediately who it was, but I still had to stop myself from using the heavy bourbon bottle to bash the stranger's beautiful face in. Refocusing my attention on Fire Eyes, I found him studying my hand quite intensively. The feel of his fingers against my skin was different but not entirely unenjoyable. Oddly, it piqued my interest.
He brought my hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against my knuckles the way gentlemen used to do. "You have exceptional hands." The compliment, if I could call it one, was so peculiar I felt a bemused smile spread across my face. He didn't seem to notice as he ran the tips of his fingers along the lengths of mine which caused a shiver to snake down my spine much to my utter shock and confusion. "Perfectly proportional." He mused, speaking more to himself than to me.
He glanced back up at me, a slight blush covering his cheeks and I let my earlier smile tip up coyly. "Hate to break it to you, Handsome, but that may be the strangest pick up line I've heard all night."
He released my hand quickly and took another sip from his drink, his burning gaze never leaving mine. "Which is exactly why you'll be coming home with me instead of one of those other fools."
My eyebrows disappeared into my hairline at his confident prognosis and for a moment I contemplated doing just that. I imagined going back to his place and letting myself indulge a bit. It had been a while and I'd been a good girl. I deserved a little fun and relaxation, and Fire Eyes could be perfect for that. I wondered what he would sound like as I sank my straight razor into his neck. Would he be surprised? Would he be afraid?
I shook the thoughts away, my body reacting to the images that now plagued my mind making my heart race. "Well, that's a rather cocky prediction." I said, forcing a teasing laugh to filter through my lips, though it came out breathier than I intended.
Hearing the weakness in my voice, he smiled, the grin making him look even more beautiful and yet slightly dangerous at the same time. "It's not conjecture, Princess, it's a promise." His smirk, combined with the burning embers in his eyes, did extremely naughty things to my heart rate and I knew immediately that I would give in. Oh, yes, tonight was going to be fun indeed.
I narrowed my eyes at him, not wanting to give in too quickly lest I make him suspicious. "I'm not sure if I should be impressed by your confidence or offended by your assumption that I'm a sure thing."
He shrugged, downing the contents of his glass in one large swallow. "Aren't you?" He challenged, no hesitation. Damn, he was good.
I smiled again as I leaned across the bar, my cheek sliding against his as my lips traced the shell of his ear. "My shift is over in ten minutes." I breathed the words, letting my voice drop down an octave. I felt him stiffen at my proximity and I smiled in victory as I pulled away enough for him to see it. Two can play at this game, Fire Eyes.
He inclined his head, satisfcation flooding his face. "I'll meet you at the door."
Needless to say, the next ten minutes lasted an eternity. I tried to ignore the heated gaze of tonight's indulgence, but it was next to impossible. He couldn't seem to take his eyes of me and I felt my esteem kick up a notch at the attention. I waved to Alec as I headed to the back room to collect my purse and tuck my straight razor into my boot. I'd learned early on to keep it within reach but out of my pockets. People were too unpredictable and pockets were vulnerable, especially in the presence of hormonal males.
I headed towards the exit searching for the familiar stranger, wondering for a moment if he'd gotten cold feet and left, but my worry was for naught. Fire Eyes stood by the door fingering a silver medallion that hung around his neck by a chain. He watched me approach and I let a sexy smile curve my lips. He really was breath taking. Maybe I'd actually let him bed me before I took his life; he seemed like he'd be good for it. And if he wasn't...well, there were other ways to indulge.
"Princess." His smooth baritone melted over my skin like butter and I sidled up next to him with a flirty wink as he opened the door for me and motioned me through first, ever the gentleman. I felt a small twinge of hesitation at the thought of killing him but my anticipation was too great to turn back now. I wanted this, I needed this.
"So, Stranger," I mused, "What shall I call you?"
I expected him to give me a fake name so I was surprised to hear sincerity in his voice as he answered. "My name is Victor."
"Victor," I rolled his name over my tongue finding that I quite enjoyed the feel of it, "It's good to meet you." He smiled at me then and I bit my lip to keep from purring. The evil little beast that lived inside me was waking up and ready to play.
I followed Victor towards the darkest corner of the lot as he pulled out a key fob and pushed a button. A fancy looking BMW beeped in response and I felt a strange foreboding crawl over my skin. What was a good looking and obviously rich guy like him doing at a second-rate bar on the wrong side of Charleston? He could go to a high end club in the city and probably find some super model to take home and yet here he was with me. He'd never even asked for my name.
For the first time since meeting him, I felt doubt creep in. "Fancy ride." I quipped as Victor stopped by the sleek silver vehicle. He shrugged and held out a hand to me but I hesitated. My instincts were suddenly on edge, though I had no idea why, and after the life I'd had, I'd learned quickly to rely on them. They'd kept me alive more times than I could count.
I pretended to fumble with my purse, "accidentally" dropping it with an exaggerated eye roll and acting at soft embarrassment over my clumsiness. I crouched down to pick up my purse and quickly slipped my razor out of my boot, hiding it in my fist. Straightening up, I jerked in surprise at having Victor suddenly close to me, less than a foot from my body. I hadn't even heard him move.
His eyes glimmered darkly like coals as another dangerous smile curved his lips. "Sorry, Princess." He cooed and the air behind me shifted as I simultaneously felt a painful sting prick the side of my neck.
I gasped and moved on instinct, throwing my hand out behind me as I spun around opening my razor to swipe at whoever stood there. As if my reaction was expected, the tall figure behind me caught my swinging arm, twisting my wrist painfully causing my hand to twitch dropping my razor to the pavement.
My neck burned from whatever I'd been injected with and almost immediately, my vision blurred. The quiet attacker stepped forward, the shadows receding from his face and I was shocked to see an almost nerd like guy standing before me. His black rimmed glasses sat high on his nose, the moonlight glaring off the lenses in such a way that I couldn't make out his eyes.
"Straight razor." The nerd spoke, sounding almost impressed as he leaned down to pick up my wickedly sharp weapon. "Interesting."
I staggered away from them the best I could as the world started to spin around me but neither seemed too perturbed by my departure. Victor leaned back against his disgustingly fancy car and folded his arms across his chest as I attempted to stay on my feet. If I lost my footing now I wouldn't be getting back up again.
"You sure know how to pick them, Kota." Victor spoke, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket along with a lighter before promptly placing the cancer stick between his lips and setting it alight.
The nerd, Kota, just shrugged as he watched me with curious calculation. "She's exactly what he asked for, you know that." He spared Victor a glance and grimaced at the smoking cigarette. "Smoking kills, you know?" Victor cocked an eyebrow and Kota grinned before they both chuckled dryly like they were sharing a private joke.
I felt myself listing to the side and I stumbled trying to stay standing which brought their focus back on me. Whatever Kota had injected me with was working quickly through my system and I knew I didn't have time to stand here watching them. I struggled to move back towards the bar or at least to get back to the lighted part of the parking lot. This may not be the best part of town, but I was sure no one would intentionally let two men cart off an unconscious woman.
I barely made it a step before my knees gave out beneath me and I hit the pavement hard. I felt warm hands grip my upper arms and haul me to my feet. The beast inside me surged forward and I let her loose with a fierce snarl. I used whatever strength was left in my body to shove back against whichever male had me but just like with my earlier attack, it was as if he anticipated my actions. Instead of upsetting his balance, he simply grunted and held firm as I writhed and thrashed like a mad woman.
"Shh." Kota trapped my arms against my chest with his much stronger ones as he whispered, almost lovingly, in my ear. His spicy scent enveloped me as my vision started to swim and I felt my adrenaline slowly succumb to the drugs pulsing through my veins. "You'll feel better in a bit, Sweetie. Just breathe."
I felt my lungs burning as I started to hyperventilate. I hadn't felt this kind of panic, this complete and utter fear since the day my step mother tried to force bleach down my throat. Unlucky for her, I fought back and fought back hard. It was the first time I'd killed someone, though it wouldn't be the last. These boys had no idea who they were dealing with and when these drugs wore off, I was going to kill them both...slowly.
Kota's chest rumbled behind me as my head lolled to the side against his shoulder. He was chuckling. Had I spoken aloud? My limbs were made from jelly and I felt my panic fade as darkness crept over my mind. No, no! Don't pass out, Sang! Fight!
"There you go." Kota lifted me easily into his arms, cradling me like a child as my body betrayed me and went limp. I grasped onto consciousness with a vengeance though I knew it wouldn't last long. Kota looked down at me and his eyes were a beautiful shade of emerald green, though they viewed me with a detached intelligence that both scared and thrilled me. What was up with attractive crazy guys tonight?
I was dimly aware of Victor opening the door to the back seat of his silver BMW as I glared daggers at Kota, willing my body to move, to fight...to do something! I was set down gently across the back seat with Kota hovering over me for a moment. He gave me an intrigued smile and moved his hand to touch a strand of my hair, though he hesitated at the last moment. He seemed confused by his action as he stared at his hand like it had a mind of its own.
"Kota," Victor's smooth voice sounded from the front seat of the car. "Come on. We don't want to push our luck."
Kota nodded, giving me another curious look. The edges of my fuzzy vision were quickly darkening but I narrowed my eyes up at him the best I could. "I'm going to kill you." I whispered, though it came out garbled.
Another amused smirk graced his lips as he wrapped a section of my dirty blond hair around his finger. "I'd love to see you try." He said, though it wasn't mocking. He was utterly serious, fascinated by the prospect of me hurting him and it infuriated me more. "But for now, it's time to go to sleep. Plenty of time for killing later."
"Fuck you." I growled out, frustration choking me as I couldn't even curse him without it sounding like I was drunk.
Another smirk and a soft tug on my hair was his response. I heard Victor speaking again, but I couldn't focus on his words. I was feeling light and sleepy, and I wished that I was home in bed curled up in my favorite fleece blanket. Kota said something back to Victor and I tried to keep my eyes open, but it was just too hard.
"It's okay," I heard Kota say against my ear, "Count to ten with me. One, two, three, four..." His voice was fading but I felt his lips trace my lobe as he counted into my ear. "...five, six, seven..." I tried to blink but I realized my eyes were already closed and I was floating, floating, floating. "...eight, nine..." For the life of me I couldn't figure out why I was fighting the darkness that was taking me away. It was familiar and comforting, like my apartment and my favorite fleece blanket and my straight razor.
My last thought before I was swallowed whole by the inky blackness of unconsciousness was whether or not anyone would even notice that I was gone.
"Ten."