Ahead of the Darkness Page 13

  "Ye trying to kill yerself?"

  I tried to step off, but my legs gave out and Drew had to catch me.

  "Mia? What're ye doing?"

  "I'm fine, just jelly legs, no big deal."

  "Nae, why are ye here, by yerself, running like the devil is after ye? How long have ye been at it?"

  "Not that long ..."

  His hand came went to tilt my chin up to look at him, but the contact instantly reminded me of the dream and I needed his hands off me, jerking my face out of his grasp.

  "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I might as well come in. I'm done now, so I'll see you at work later."

  "Ye cannae be working like dis. Ye’re barely standing, and shaking all over the place. What's up with ye? Ye’re not acting like yerself, ye’re being ... barmy.”

  “Jesus, Drew, I'm fine but if you don't want me at work then I won't be there. I'll see you tomorrow night.” He looked like he had more to say, but closed his mouth without comment.

  I wanted to hit him. I also wanted to grab him and kiss him furiously. Instead, I walked off, not as fast as I would have liked. I could barely move my legs, and I felt Drew watching me until I was out of view.

  I didn't even bother to shower, just struggled into my sweats so I could leave. I saw Drew as soon as I opened the change room door, my eyes trained to find him. He paused his warm up and stared at me with a frown on his face. I kept mine as blank as I could, but I struggled to look at him. My chest was too tight as I tried to breathe in. I turned and left, without looking back.

  The return trip to Anne's took me almost thirty minutes. I all but crawled my way back. It was a struggle to even open the door and I slid down it as soon as I closed it behind me with a thud.

  “Oh, I thought I heard the ...” Anne poked her head in from the sitting room, the worry evident around her eyes. “Are you alright, dear?”

  “I'm sorry, Anne, I pushed a little too hard at the gym. It was a long walk home.” I smiled weakly.

  “Here, let me help you into the parlour and we’ll get you some tea.”

  With some effort on both our parts, and some moaning and groaning on my part, we had me in the living room. A few minutes later, Anne was back with tea and biscuits, the English's cure for everything.

  “Now, dear, how about you tell me all about it?”

  “What do you mean?” She smiled an all-knowing smile, and I frowned.

  “Well, dear. The few times I have seen you recently, you seem to be smiling to yourself or frowning in contemplation. Today, you seem ... spent, and not just physically. Was there a reason you pushed yourself so hard today?” Wow ...

  “I ...” Didn't know what to say, so I shrugged. I wasn't used to being around people so observant.

  We sipped our tea in a strange silence until I broke.

  “There's a guy.” I shook my head.

  “Ah, I thought as much. Go on.”

  “And I, I like him.” I didn't want to tell Anne it was just sexual ... mostly. Somehow, I didn't think she would appreciate that.

  “But?”

  “It’s Drew, my boss.”

  “Of course it is, dear. That is a but, if ever there was one. Does he fancy you, too?” There was a sparkle in her eyes. I smiled at Anne's enjoyment.

  “I really don't know.” OK, maybe I do. “I've never been in a situation like this before. There are moments when I think maybe, but we are sort of friends, I think, so I might be wrong. I’m not really sure of anything.” It was the longest and most honest sentence I'd ever spoken to Anne. I actually felt bad about that.

  Her lips curled up at the sides. “Well, dear, there's only one thing to do about that.”

  “Move ... on?” I added the latter quickly.

  “Oh no, don't give up yet. Where would the fun in that be?” Fun? None of this was fun, I frowned in thought and Anne laughed.

  “Then what are you thinking?”

  “You need to make him jealous.”

  “Jealous?”

  “Oh, yes. A man’s true feelings always come out when they are jealous.” He did get a little stroppy with Jules from time to time and there was that time with Jimmy.

  “How?”

  “Oh, it's easy, but this requires more tea.” She hurried off with a big smile on her face while I thought about the few times Drew had gotten snappy at Jules. So maybe he’d gotten a little jealous, but nothing had ever come of it.

  "Now, how to go about this? Men are easy creatures. I would almost guarantee that if you were to be ‘friendly’ with someone else, his true feelings would come out."

  "He is always at work, and I don't have anyone else to be ‘friendly’ with." I didn’t want to backtrack with Jules.

  "Well, you will just have to make a new friend. One night when you are not working, get all dressed up and flirt with all the other men right underneath his nose. He will go crazy." I wasn't sure how I would pull that off, but the thought was highly entertaining.

  "I'm not working tonight, but I don't think I have anything ... sexy to wear." I didn’t even know what Drew liked.

  Anne's whole face lit up. "There is only one solution. We’re taking you shopping. I will drive us to the next town. There is a nice little shopping strip where I am sure we will find just the right thing."

  "Really?"

  "Most definitely!"

  "I don't ... know what to say."

  "Nonsense, there’s nothing to say. This will be fun."

  “Okay.”

  “Now, dear, how are you feeling?”

  “Better. Just a little stiff.” And nervous.

  “Shall we go now or later?”

  “Now is fine. I mean, if you have the time. I might have a nap later.”

  “Okay, dear. Get your things, and we can be off.”

  I fidgeted the whole twenty minutes in the car as we drove to the next town over, which was ridiculous. I’d been in this car more times than I could count, but always with Drew ...

  “Don’t fret, dear. I used to be young once, and had quite the way with the boys.”

  I laughed despite myself. “I’m glad one of us does.”

  It wasn’t long until we had arrived at a little boutique outside of Seaford, and Anne rushed off on her mission. It was almost impossible to keep up with her.

  “What size are you, dear?”

  “I’m an eight or a ten, I think. It’s been a while since I bought any new clothes.”

  “We definitely need to change that. I think a shopping date on a regular basis is in order.”

  It wasn’t really my thing, but I found myself smiling in agreement. For some reason, I found I didn’t want to say no.

  Anne looked like she was having too much fun as she went through rack after rack, pulling out different items of clothing. After about ten minutes, Anne had more clothes than she could carry.

  “Here, dear, try these on first, and I will look for more.”

  “More?” I couldn’t imagine how there could be more. I was likely to be trying these on for hours, but she laughed and shooed me off to the change rooms.

  I tried outfit after outfit on, for what felt like eternity. Anne made me show her every one and umed and ahed over each, sending me back to change this or that. After the umpteenth change, we seemed to have gotten it right.

  “Oh, yes! That’s it. It’s not too revealing, but hugs your stunning figure perfectly. He won’t be able to take his eyes off you.” I blushed at the thought.

  “Okay.”

  “Here, give me them while you change.”

  I changed back into my regular clothes and handed Anne the outfit while I bundled up all the other clothes. I emerged a few minutes later to find Anne paying for my new outfit.

  “Now don’t even bother kicking up a fuss, it’s already done, and there’s nothing to say about it.”

  “Thank you.”

  “It’s been my pleasure.” I handed the checkout girl the unwanted pile of clothes with an apologetic smile. “Now, dear, what
makeup do you own?”

  “Umm ...” She laughed, and shook her head at me.

  “Let’s do something about that too.” She linked arms with me and we headed off to do “something about that”.

  ~~~~~~

  Three hours later I collapsed on my bed, completely spent. Anne had taken me to get some makeup to go with my new outfit and to three different shoe shops, to find just the right ones. She insisted on paying for all of it, no matter how much I protested. I was exhausted, but I was surprised to find I’d actually had fun.

  There was a rap at my door and I lifted my head up as Anne poked her head in.

  “I can wake you up in an hour or two if you fancy a nap, dear?”

  “Okay.”

  “I can help you with the makeup, too, if you like?”

  “That would be great, if you don’t mind?” She smiled a sad sort of smile and nodded, closing the door behind her. I didn’t really have time to ponder what that was about as I was out like a light not long after. Thankfully, it was a dreamless nap. It could have gone either way.

  Chapter Twelve

  I walked in the club like I owned the place, and that night, I did. The ridiculously tight, low-hung black jeans, black sequined racer-back top and killer silver heels Anne had bought me looked fantastic. She’d loosely curled my hair and pinned it on top so a few stray wisps flitted here and there. Anne had also fixed my lashes to look thick long and very black, with smoky grey shadow to make mine eye sparkle, and finished it all off with a deep-red lipstick, and a little rouge.

  Ego aside, I looked jaw-droppingly good. If all the stares weren’t proof enough, I felt Drew’s eyes instantly lock on my body the moment I walked in. I looked through the crowd and over to the bar confirm as much. His hand had frozen on the tap as the beer continued to flow over the glass, his lips slightly parted in stunned shock. He looked dazed as his eyes made a slow carnal caress up my body. I fought to bite my lip as it felt like an eternity passed, but it was only mere seconds before he locked eyes with me. He looked hungry, ravenous even, I had no doubt that if things between us had been different, he would have jumped that bar and taken me right there in front of everyone.

  I couldn’t help the slight smirk that crossed my lips at the thought. He caught it, his jaw shutting locked tight as he angrily removed his eyes from me, shut off the tap and cleaned up the drink, moving onto the next customer.

  I had picked a good night. It wasn’t even eleven and the club was slamming. Even with the thick crowd I could feel every time Drew’s eyes came back to me, watching my progress to the bar. As cocky as I felt in that moment, I knew it wouldn’t last. The liquid courage I'd need to keep this game up called to me.

  My heart thumped loudly in my chest as I finally made my way through to the bar where Jules was serving. Luckily for me, Mac wasn’t on, but some random guy I’d not seen before. Jules’s jaw dropped open when he saw me.

  "Mi? Well, I’ll be a monkey’s arse. Damn, you scrub up fine. What'll it be, then?"

  "Tequila." I meant business.

  His eyebrows arched ever so slightly as he shot a quick sideways glance to Drew, who looked like at any minute he was going to have an aneurysm. Ah, Jules. Ever the quick one, nothing got past him, but he tried hard to hide that he was onto me as he smiled, setting up my shot. I slowly licked my hand suggestively and covered it with salt. I reached for a lime wedge from Jules as he cocked an eyebrow at me, and it took everything in me not to laugh out loud. Oh! He seemed to want in on whatever game I was playing.

  To answer his unspoken question I grabbed the tequila and shot him a wicked grin. I downed the shot as the adrenaline surged through my veins, and noticed from the corner of my eye Drew’s knuckles turn white on the bottle he threatened to crush as he passed it to a customer. His eyes narrowed as he watched Jules place the lime wedge between his teeth. I slammed the glass down, and in the next instant, I was leaning across the bar, my bum barely contained in the low hung jeans as I reached my hands behind Jules’s neck, bringing his lime-filled mouth to mine.

  Jules chuckled lightly against my lips and I pulled back slowly, the lime transferring to my mouth in the process. We shot each other devilish grins as I removed the wedge and threw it in the sink. Jules leaded forward to whisper in my ear.

  “What are you up to, Mi?” I giggled, pretending Jules said something naughty and winked at him. The giggle died when I caught sight of the furious look on Drew’s face as he headed our way.

  “Chaser?”

  “Uh-oh, busted. Make it a double.” Jules stifled his laugh before Drew appeared beside him.

  “Get back to work. Mia. I thought you weren’t feeling well?” You? Oh wow, he was mad. “What are ye doing here? Looking like ye’re on the prowl, mind. What’s gotten into ye the day?” He whisper-shouted the latter, slipping in and out of the brogue. I started to lose my nerve, thinking this was a terrible idea when Jules slipped me my double rum and coke with a get-it-together look on his face. I nodded to him, and downed the drink. Drew’s eyes darkened even more.

  “Nothing. Not yet.” Oh God, I didn’t. Drew’s eyes widened. “Besides, I’m feeling much better.” I placed the empty glass down in front of him, and walked off into the crowd before he could speak.

  I took a deep breath and tried to slow my racing heart, the alcohol already hitting me. Stage one: make an entrance was complete, but stage two would be a little harder. I needed to flirt shamelessly with other men and ignore Drew completely. Sure, no problem. The latter would be the greatest of the challenges as Anne had been right: Drew couldn’t keep his eyes off me for long.

  I felt the familiar skin prickle as I tried to immerse myself in the throng of dancing bodies. I pulled my big girl pants up, letting my body move and, for the first time, showcasing exactly what I could do with it. I didn’t hold back or try to blend in like I usually would, and it didn’t take long for some guy to move in. I tried to fight the uneasy feeling as the wrong hands went to my swaying hips and caught a glimpse of Drew’s seething expression. I had to remind myself, the whole point of this silly concocted plan was to make Drew jealous, and I needed to keep his eyes on me. The show hadn’t even begun.

  For hours, Jules kept me liquored up. He would see me heading towards the bar and my drink would be ready to go when I got there, making it easier to avoid Drew. I made sure I stayed in sight as I danced with every good looking guy I could find, a different one after each drink. Funnily enough, I found it easier to keep track of how much I had to drink. Well, until I reached drink/new guy number six, and then it was anyone’s guess.

  I’d been dancing with some guy named Something-Or-Other for a little too long, almost forgetting why I was dancing with him in the first place, but Drew’s ever-present eyes kept reminding me. I could always feel them, and it kept me on a perpetual high, right up until the douche’s hand slipped down the back of my jeans. Ooookay, high gone.

  “Hey!” I slapped his hand away, and tsked at him.

  “Aw, baby, I just wanted a little feelski.” He laughed, and moved back in.

  “’S’not for you.” Yeah, I was that drunk.

  “Yeah, you know you want it.” His hands were back on me, and trying to slide up my top. I wasn’t that drunk, not anymore.

  “Okay. You can take your slimy hands and paw someone else, Mister. I just want to dance.” For ... oh no, I’ve lost my Drew.

  I couldn’t feel him looking at me, and I tried to search through the crowd but I couldn’t see the bar. Handsie had somehow danced us further away. I turned to see we were nearly up against the bathroom doors. Oooooh shit. I was quickly sobering up as I realised the potentially sticky situation I seemed to have gotten myself in.

  “Yeah, I’m going over here now.”

  I started to walk back into the crowd, the bar just coming into view, and finally locked eyes with Drew. He looked furious, more so than I’d ever seen him. Uh-oh. I watched his eyes darken further as meaty hands wrapped around my arm, halting my movemen
t. I was roughly tugged backwards, losing sight of Drew, into a hard chest. I tried to pull free, but he had an iron grip. He spun me around, and I instinctively kneed him square in the junk before he could react, dropping my arms instantly. I almost fell on my arse when familiar warm hands caught me around the middle. I smiled. He was always there to catch me, but my grin died when Drew’s hands dropped me like a hot potato. He moved in front of me, and BAM! Handsie was out for the count, and my jaw dropped to the floor. In one swift punch, Drew had knocked the guy out cold. Daaaamn.

  Drew spun around and glared at me. I was still too drunk to deal with that. I snapped my mouth closed and turned on my heels, walking off into the dwindling crowd. What was the expression about leaving pissed Scots alone? I didn’t have time to remember if there was one as once again, I was tugged back, spinning around when Drew pulled my hand.

  “Oh, no ye don’t.”

  “I ...” The words died as Drew bent forward, and swung me up onto his shoulder. “Oh God, Drew! I’m sorry. Don’t drop me!” He stalked off, with me dangling over his shoulder and headed for the front door. “Where ...?”

  “Enough!”

  Well, fuck. He’s going to kill me.

  I lifted my head up to see a laughing Jules wave me out the door, and I shot him a worried look, making him laugh even harder.

  I was expecting Drew to drop me on my arse outside, but to my shock, and the security guard’s amusement, he kept walking. He couldn’t be seriously considering walking the two blocks to his house with me on his shoulder. Could he?

  Apparently, he could. Not a word was spoken the whole way there. I didn’t dare say a thing. The heat radiating off a furious Drew was enough to keep my mouth securely closed. I even fought the giggle threating to break free as I watched his arse wiggle all the way up the two flights of stairs to his apartment door. He wasn’t even puffed as he fished his keys roughly out of his pocket. He slid the door open, almost breaking it off the tracking and stormed through the doorway, unceremoniously dumping me on the bench.

  I’d never been so terrified in my life, and that was saying something, but I wasn’t afraid of Drew. I knew he’d never hurt me, not physically at least. I was terrified that I’d pushed him right over the edge and lost him.