Copyright 2014 Wanda Lotus.
Part 7
What on earth possessed me to show up at the club Friday night? I may be able to discern other people’s intentions by reading their energy, but I swear, sometimes I confuse myself. I found myself pushing open the door and wondering what the hell I was doing there looking for her.
Looking for her. Damn it. I was supposed to be avoiding my attraction to her, not acting on it. Accepting her invitation to a nightclub was anything but that.
I gave my eyes a minute to adjust to the darker environment. The music was good, so the dance floor was packed. I spotted the bar on the other side of the room and wove through the crowd at the edge of the dance floor. Kacela had been right about the crowd; a wide range of ages and sexual orientations were represented.
A stool opened up just as I reached the corner of the bar. I parked myself on it and ordered a soda, no ice. There were a handful of others like us in the club, folks I didn’t know. We eyed one another and nodded in recognition, but kept to our own circles. Kacela wasn’t here, yet, so I relaxed and watched the dancing while I sipped my drink. I had to admit it felt good to be out of the house on a Friday night.
An hour later I’d decided I’d had enough. I lifted my hand to signal to the bartender I was ready to close my tab, when my scalp prickled in that familiar way. She was here. I put my hand down and decided to stay, after all.
I watched her make a beeline for me as quickly as the mass of gyrating bodies between us allowed. When she was a few feet from me and I could clearly see her, I sucked in my breath. Jesus god, she was stunning. Her hair was loose and hung below her shoulders. The little bit of light in the room caught the sparkles in her low-cut, green blouse, which flared slightly at the hem over skin-tight black jeans. She saw me admiring her and smiled. “So you decided to show up, after all.”
“Wow, you look amazing!”
“Thanks. I clean up pretty good when I want to.” She eyed my long legs under my royal blue, a-line dress. The hem stopped just above my knees, which is where her eyes started their journey to my ankles. “You don’t look bad yourself.” She took her time returning her gaze to my face.
I laughed. The atmosphere had loosened me up enough that I enjoyed the attention. I decided to worry later about what it shouldn’t turn into. “Let me buy you a drink.”
Before long we were on the dance floor. She wasn’t a good dancer, but she threw herself into the music without self-consciousness. Her excitement was infectious.
We danced for about an hour before we took a break for fresh air. The doorman stamped our hands for reentry, and we took a stroll around the block. It was after midnight, and most of that area was boutiques and cafes, so the street was deserted. We were both in high spirits.
As we passed an abandoned lot Kacela stiffened. I’d sensed someone out there, but his signature was unfamiliar to me. “What’s wrong? You know that guy?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” Her energy spiked along with her temper. “He’s one of the reasons I left NYC.”
“Just keep walking. Maybe he won’t start anything.”
No such luck. “What the hell are you doing in a fucking shithole like this, Kacela?” an amused voice drawled from the shadows. “And who is your sexy friend?” He moved into the circle of light from the streetlamp. He was a tall guy, a lot taller than me, and pale with blonde hair and piercing grey eyes. An EM like me, he sized me up and thought better of starting anything. He wanted to, though. There was a lot of bad blood between those two.
“What are you doing here, Prince?” Kacela was vibrating from barely suppressed rage.
“Looking for you.”
“What for? Y’all wanted me gone, so I left. Why come bother me now?”
“Can we talk somewhere private?”
I narrowed my eyes. Based on what I was reading from him, there was no way was I leaving her alone with him. “Anything you need to say, you can say in front of me.”
He turned his attention to me. “What’s your name, sexy?”
“My name is Mya, and I’d thank you to use it.”
“My apologies, Mya. I’m Prince. Kacela here is an old friend. I have some private business I need to discuss with her.”
“We are not friends,” Kacela growled.
I placed a hand on her shoulder. “You should know I can read you better than that, Prince.”
He studied me, then his eyes widened. “Oh, you’re that Mya. I see.” I nodded. “In that case, I’ll leave you two to enjoy your night out.” He began to walk away, speaking over his shoulder as he left. “Though I should warn you, your little friend has a particular liking for EM energy. You might want to watch your back around her.”
“Easy, Kacela. Put it out. Let him go.” The orb she’d been forming in the hand behind her back dissipated with a soft snap. I smiled at that show of self-control and thought maybe I was starting to get through to her. “It’s bad form to attack someone first, especially when their back is turned.”
“If you knew him the way I knew him, you wouldn’t be so keen on protocol.”
“Want to explain to me what that was about, then?”
“I killed his brother.”
“The EM you fed from?” She nodded. “And he came for revenge?”
“He doesn’t have the guts to attack me,” she spat. “I could be half asleep and still clean the street with him. No, he came to mock me and possibly to out me.”
“Attacking him in the street is a sure way to out yourself.”
“No lectures, thank you very much.” Her temper was still hot, but it was cooling down. “Hey, what did he mean when he said, ‘You’re that Mya’?”
“I have friends in NYC. He’s probably heard of me from them.”
“What would he have heard that would make him just walk away like that? I could tell he was itching to get into it with me, but he changed his mind when he realized who you are.”
I chose to gloss over things. “Who knows? People tell a lot of tall tales. Ready to go back to the club?”
“I don’t feel like it, now. I’m tired. I just want to go home.”
“How’d you get here?”
“Taxi.”
“Come on, I’ll drive you.”
She didn’t talk much on the way back to Liverpool. That encounter with Prince had really soured her mood. I didn’t like what I was feeling from her. I pulled up in front of her apartment building and turned to her. “Listen, stay away from Prince. I don’t like him.”
“Don’t worry. I can take care of myself.”
“I know. Just don’t go starting anything with him, all right?” Her silence made me feel sick. “Kacela?”
“I’m not going to tell you again not to lecture me.” Her voice was cold. She hopped out of the car. “Thanks for the ride. See you around.”
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Part 8 ->