Duly Noted

by H. M. Shander

  Aurora, never one to judge, always agreed to play along. Besides it was fun, and it made her feel good. She missed the connection dancing close to another person brought; feeling her heat, smelling the sweet intoxication of her perfume, hands of another wavering up and down her body. The notion of getting lost, and not having a care in the world.

  Kaitlyn shimmed up behind and her spindly arms embraced her. Kaitlyn’s fingers danced upon her bare arms, and it electrified Aurora, freeing her from her hang-ups. Tonight she was the Dancing Queen. The sensations of touch beat through her like the bass of the music, rhythmic and slow, inviting and begging for more. She threw her head back against Kaitlyn’s shoulder, and closed her eyes to the stares of the strangers. She didn’t care. She wasn’t the girl from the accident, she was free. Nothing to do but absorb the music into her soul, letting it run in her veins, making her come alive. In this moment, she was in tune with the music, becoming one with it.

  Enjoying herself more than she anticipated, she turned around placing her hands on Kaitlyn’s shoulders, and threw her head back so far she thought she was floating. Her body swayed in time to the music. Lost in the vibrations, she slowly opened her eyes to the upside down view of people walking on the ceiling as she rubbed against her friend. Then she saw him and righted herself. Even upside down she recognised him. Nate.

  Across the floor, he leaned against the bar scanning the crowd while talking with a light-haired male. Thankfully, she appeared different than her normal, mousy way, and wouldn’t be so easy to spot. Her hands held firmly onto Kaitlyn’s shoulders and she tried to get back into her rhythm, pressing harder into Kaitlyn and lowering her hands down to her waist. Another quick glance towards him, only this time their eyes connected.

  She peeled herself out of Kaitlyn’s embrace. “I’m getting hot,” she yelled towards her friend. “I’ll be back.” Ducking out of the way, Aurora shimmied and slinked herself off the dance floor, to the opposite side of where Nate stood watching her. He nudged his friend and cocked his head in her direction.

  Stealing a quick peek back, he tried to follow her, but a young girl pushed herself into Nate’s arms and distracted him. It was all she needed – those few precious seconds – to help her fade into the background. After taking a moment to calm her racing heart, she peered around the column to look for him.

  He’d advanced enough towards her that she could read his lips as he mouthed, “No, thanks,” and he pushed the young girl away. Like a fox on the prowl, he hunted through the throngs of people, but she wasn’t about to be found. In fact, she was more than a little surprised he actually showed up. She scurried to the back of the club and up a flight of stairs, enjoying the hunt. But tonight she wasn’t about to be the prey. She merely wanted to watch.

  On the second level, she managed to push herself to the balcony, and surveyed the dance floor. Lights of blue, green and purple danced in time to heavy beats of the thumping dance music. Now she was the hunter, and she searched through the people, trying to find his brown-haired head, only with the mystical lights and bad angle, it seemed an impossible task.

  Finally, only at the end of a song did she spot him. A woman with short blond hair, in a skirt short enough to barely cover her ass crack, pressed into Nate, grinding against his leg. His hands hung awkwardly in the air as his eyes darted along the edges of the balcony, connecting once again with hers. A sly smile played on his lips as he spotted her.

  Flushing from the smirk, she backed away and made her way through the crowd of beer swilling, and mostly drunk, college-aged people. Glancing around, she hightailed it down another set of stairs. Her foot slipped on the step, and trying to correct herself before falling down the last two steps, she threw her back out.

  “Fuck!” she yelled to no one and cursed some more as she righted herself. People stopped and starred, but no one approached. Her back contracted in the worst spasms while her hands pushed deep into the tissue, hoping to alleviate some of the pain, but it was futile. The night was shot, and fighting against the people to leave pissed her off more. Her hand slammed against the counter, she redrew her ticket from her bra, thrusting it at the old lady manning the coat check. She dug her nails into her palms, and bit her lip to try to fight the urge to scream out some more.

  When her backpack arrived, she rummaged until she found the little bottle and popped two pills into her mouth. She fired off a text to Kaitlyn telling her she needed to go home ASAP although she knew she’d get it later. There was no place for Kaitlyn to store her cell phone in her tiny dress. Kicking out of her heels, she exited the club barefoot and slowly, painfully, made her way to the bathroom where she cried and waited until relief settled in.

  Chapter Seven

  A desperate call from her boss rattled her out of bed. One of the staff was ill, and they needed her to fill in. Nothing hard, nothing complicated. Line control. Watch the people in line and make sure everyone waits their turn to see Matthew James. Easy, right? The extra cash sounded appealing, so she agreed.

  Aurora arrived at work in her usual wear – jeans and a simple white long-sleeve t-shirt, with her most comfortable runners. She’d flung her heels into her closet somewhere after she managed to make it back home. Her back still ached today.

  Preparing to wear the standard-issue library vest, she was a little put off to find out she had a uniform to wear. “For real?” she asked.

  A manager passed her the purple velvet attire. “You slip it on over your clothes. It’s not so bad.” She turned and left Aurora alone in the locker room.

  “Not so bad?” She pulled out one of two pieces. A long and heavy purple cape with gold trim. Did Matthew James not realise it was supposed to hit 25C today? She was going to be hot enough as it was in her long-sleeved shirt. Another groan rumbled from her as she pulled out the last piece. “Fucking awesome,” she growled, unfolding the purple velvet hat. “I’m going to look like a fucking weirdo wizard.”

  She popped another perc and locked her locker. Slamming the ridiculous garb onto her head, she stormed out of the locker room, preparing herself for Nate’s taunts. No doubt, he’d give her a hard time. With a heavy sigh, she plastered on a fake smile and headed out into the main part of the library where hundreds of eager guests – mostly pre-teen children, awaited the arrival of the guest of honour.

  Aurora searched for Nate, wondering if he was somewhere in the corner, laughing at the whole event. He seemed to have no respect for the one he nicknamed “Rock Star God of Teenage Boys” and even asked if he wore a cape, and here she was dressed in a cape and sporting his colours. She could imagine the words he’d say, and the digs he’d get in. But to be honest, right now, she felt and looked foolish, and didn’t care about all the wonderful goodness Matthew James did, she was on Nate’s side. This was fucking ridiculous.

  Aurora’s portly manager waddled himself onto the stage, raising his hands in the air. “Boys and girls,” he said. “Matthew James will be taking the stage in a moment. Who’s excited?”

  The sizeable crowd of people screamed and hollered. Wanting to cover her ears, but knowing she shouldn’t, she instead pulled the wizard hat down lower, tucking her ears into it, and moved further back from the stage. Her sole purpose today was line management, and she could do that job without being close to the front where the crowd was tightest. Plus, the cape and hat get-up sucked out the positive feelings she had for Matthew James, and she wondered how long she’d have to wear it. If it was an all-day thing, she figured she’d hate his guts by the end of her shift.

  “Boys and girls,” the manager said a few minutes later. “May I present… Matthew James!”

  The crowd applauded wildly when Matthew’s name was called, and Aurora found herself momentarily caught up in the excitement as well. Turning in his direction, she saw him. Clearly comfortable in his own skin and exuding the confidence of a dozen men, he sauntered onto the stage, waving to his fans below. With a crisp white dress shirt and black jeans, he looked, well, like a rock star.
Exceedingly handsome, with his long wavy hair blown off his tan and sculpted face. A hint of stubble gave him an older, sexy refined appeal.

  She clapped and cheered with the fans. Her attention on him as he walked across the stage and shook hands with the manager, his megawatt smile unavoidable. She forgot about her job, and her reason for working. People were getting pushy and trying to see, and a violent shove against her aching back, made her stumble and lose her footing. Tumbling to the ground, she closed her eyes as pain blanketed her.

  A loud voice boomed over the PA system. “Hey,” the voice said, “is that how we treat people? Pushing others out of the way?” Although the volume on the PA remained the same, the voice who held it became louder. “Are you okay?”

  She opened her eyes and there he stood. Right in front of her. His gorgeous hand outstretched. Following the line of his arm, upwards until she focused on his green eyes edged with the longest lashes she’d ever seen. He was even more gorgeous up-close, breathtaking really. Being so close to a real celebrity, she trembled as she accepted his hand. His perfectly soft and manicured hand. “Yes, I’m okay.” With his help, she stood back on her feet.

  He turned to the crowd while holding her hand. “This,” he pointed to her, “is not how I want you treating your fellow brothers and sisters. We are all on this Earth together, and need to watch out and protect each other. Help, not hurt.” He scanned the crowds. “Is everyone else okay?”

  The crowd cheered, and Aurora wanted to join in, forgetting for a moment she was part of the reason the people applauded. She went to clap and stopped – he still held her hand. A stab of pain, and she pulled free of his hand. She rubbed her back, which had long sailed past aching. It throbbed.

  “Now, my lovely lady,” he bowed to her, “please come with me on stage.”

  “I can’t,” she whispered, heat flooding her cheeks. “I’m working.” She bent down to retrieve her fallen hat.

  “She’s working,” he announced into his headset with a laugh that sung through the walls. “Well, my lady, that is correct. Today you will be helping me directly. I insist.” When he smiled at her, his teeth actually seemed to reflect the overhead lights. “I’m sure your bosses won’t mind either.” He flashed her a knee-buckling wink.

  “Sure, Mr. James. What would you like me to do?”

  He turned off his mic, and lowered his voice. “You’re going to get me books from the boxes, and open them to page three, not page five. Not the first page but page three, and have them ready for me to sign when these sweet boys and girls come up. Understand?”

  She nodded and studied the table where the boxes were stacked. Sighing internally that they were accessible, she smiled back.

  “Good.” He switched the mic back on and released her hand. “Ladies and gentlemen, now that that issue is resolved, who wants to have some fun?”

  The crowd clapped wildly behind her as Aurora stepped up to the table and pulled out a few books. Under his orders, she opened them to the correct page, and placed them face down. Lost in the moment as Matthew James worked the crowd, bringing the group to their feet. She mouthed along as he recited moments of total brilliance from his books. Every bit the rock star, she became enchanted and searched for Nate, wondering if he was a witness to it all. He wasn’t.

  Aurora spent the remaining time passing the books to Matthew as guests and customers lined up to get an autographed copy. She noted that all the books were brand new, and not the ones she had been tasked with finding in the basement. Where were all those books? The distraction slowed her down, much to Matthew’s chagrin.

  “Where are my books, beautiful lady?” He said it in such a way that Aurora didn’t take it as a compliment, and heard the underlining hiss in his tone.

  “Sorry.” She grabbed another stack, giving her aching back a quick rub. She hoped her back pain wouldn’t reduce her to tears in front of a celebrity.

  “Quicker please! These adorable children shouldn’t have to wait.”

  She glanced from the lineup to Matthew and back again, passing another book as she did so. The longer she stood by him, the clearer she saw him. The shine of his star faded drastically with each little backhanded compliment.

  Eventually, and thankfully, it ended, and she was forever grateful. She couldn’t wait to toss the cape and hat getup into the nearest trash receptacle. As she was about to step off the stage, he called out to her. “Oh, my lady.” He reached for her hand. “Thank you for your assistance. You are truly remarkable.”

  For what? Opening a book to the right page? Yeah, that would classify me as fucking remarkable, wouldn’t it? Wanting to leave as fast as she could, she curtsied in return, plastering on an insincere smile, and said, “My pleasure.” Even though it wasn’t. Far from it. She wanted her pills. She needed her pills.

  “May I have the honour of knowing your name, my lady?” Holding her hand high, he kissed it delicately on the top, his soft lips like a feather.

  For a moment, her tongue ran away with her brain. “Aurora,” she finally said recovering.

  “Ah, like the princess in Sleeping Beauty.” He escorted her off the stage, and continued to hold her hand while they walked to the back room, avoiding the lingering fans.

  Completely spellbound, she followed the enchanting older man. Matthew James was well established in his thirties, maybe even older. At any rate, he was certainly older than her nineteen years.

  He wrapped his fingers through hers, and although it wasn’t uncomfortable, it wasn’t altogether pleasant either. “My lady, I’d like to take you out for dinner tonight, to celebrate today’s success.”

  Flabbergasted she mumbled, “Why?”

  “Why? Because today you were my staff, and I reward my hard-working staff with dinner and drinks.”

  Rolling over his answer, she thought about it. Nothing special, just a dinner with Matthew James. Probably everyone would be there. “Okay, as long as it’s close enough for me to walk.”

  “Oh, silly girl. All your transportation needs will be taken care of, trust me.” His green eyes held hers.

  She shrugged. “Yeah, but I don’t get into vehicles with strangers.”

  “Infantile that thought is. Regardless, I am hardly a stranger. You know my name.” His dazzling smile lit up his face.

  “But that alone does not make us known to each other.” What the hell? Why was she talking like him?

  He sighed. “My lady, you probably know more about me than I do of you, so in this case, it is you who are the stranger to me, and yet, I’ve extended a dinner invitation to you.”

  Touché! She rolled over that statement in her head. As attractive and charming as Matthew James was, something was setting off bells in her head. Large ringing bells with flashing neon signs. But he was a celebrity, and she’d be foolish to say no. She debated. Yes or no. “Fine, I’ll accept your invitation, but I insist on it being nearby. There’s a Brewster’s a couple of blocks away.”

  He stared at her, his eyes lighting up and he waved his hand about. “Interesting,” he declared to the surrounding people. “This girl, this woman–” he corrected after giving her a once over.

  She shuddered violently under the cloak of purple, hoping he didn’t notice. It was unlikely given he was talking to the select few privileged enough to be nearby.

  They all turned in his direction as Matthew James carried on. “Is making the rules. Interesting indeed.” He stared at her further, his roving gaze moving up and down her body as if determining whether she was worth it. “Fine, I, we will go with you to this Brewster’s. I need time to freshen up though, so I’ll meet you at the front of the library in thirty minutes.”

  “Actually, I’ll be walking, so I’ll meet you there in thirty minutes.” Take that!

  “Hmmm,” he said, as he rubbed his whisker-laden jawline with his free hand. “Okay. I like this feistiness.” He let go of her hand after giving it another kiss. “Thirty minutes.”

  Aurora turned and walked away, unsure
of her feelings. Confusion mostly. Ten minutes ago she was ready to leave him in the dirt, but now? Now she was going to have a dinner date with Matthew James for crying out loud! How in hell did that happen? She’d rack this up to an unusual day for sure. She grabbed her purse, and choked down a couple of muscle relaxers. Shit. She forgot to give him directions to where the restaurant was, and spun back towards the special visitors room they’d set up for him.

  Hand up, poised to knock on the slightly ajar door, she heard laughter and the soft, expressive voice of Matthew James. “You saw that, eh? Such a princess.” He laughed a deep throaty laugh. “These young girls are so easy to charm. Give them some attention, puff them up a little and they eat out of my hand.”

  “Or further south,” said another voice, which burst into a laugh. “Just make sure this one is legal. She looks young.”

  “I will, don’t need that following me around again,” Matthew said.

  Shocked, Aurora stood there. She couldn’t believe her ears. Clearly he was talking about her. He was using her, and she was no more special than anyone else. God, she felt so dumb having fallen for his charm. I wonder if he’s ever been stood up before. She turned and marched herself home, hating herself, and hating Nate because he was right – Matthew James was pretentious.

  Chapter Eight

  “Asshole,” she repeated over and over on the way home. She hated what he’d done, made her feel special when it was all an act. All lies. He was so fucking cocky and so self-assured. He’d been manipulating her with his charm and despite the back-handed compliments, like an idiot, she’d fallen for it. She knew better than that. And she certainly wouldn’t be going ‘further south’ on a stranger.

  She threw her purse across the kitchen when she entered her apartment, angry with herself. “Bastard,” she yelled and grabbed her laptop. Google would provide more information about this jerk. As she started typing, her cell rang.