by J. L. McCoy
His brow furrowed with worry as he quietly studied my face for a few seconds. “If that’s what you want, Sky.”
I nodded my head and walked out from behind the bar. “I’m going to run to the employee lounge and get my bag. I’ll meet you outside by the car.”
He nodded slowly and I turned and walked away. Once in the lounge I grabbed my bag and sat down on one of the black leather sofas. I slipped off my DIY pumps and threw on my black Converse Chucks. I stuffed the pumps back in my bag and made my way out to the back door. Jameson was already outside and he had his car pulled up to the exit. I got in and slouched down in the seat. I was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. What is it about a really bad day, emotional speaking? It just seems to always zap me physically; like, I’d rather do nothing more than crawl into bed and sleep for weeks.
Jameson said nothing as he pulled out of the parking lot and drove me home. He kept glancing over at me, but I refused to look at him. I didn’t want to drag him into my inner turmoil. It wouldn’t be fair to him and even if I did, I don’t think he’d like what I have to say. He would probably be upset with me for carrying a torch for his brother. Well, maybe not. After he caught me with Archer, he hadn’t made a move romantically on me again. He never even mentioned the date we had planned for that Saturday. Needless to say, the date never happened. I wouldn’t want to be with someone again if they had kissed MY sibling, I thought silently.
When we pulled into my driveway, Jameson quickly got out, flashed to my side of the door and opened it for me. I smiled tiredly up at him and thanked him before getting out. He went to the trunk and retrieved my flowers and card from Drop Kick Dan’s before following me to the front door.
I unlocked the door then turned to him and took the flowers and card from him. “Thanks for the ride, Jameson. Sorry if I put you out.”
He shook his head and slightly crinkled his forehead. “You’re never a bother, love. Never think that again.”
I swallowed thickly as I looked up at him. “You’re too nice to me, Jameson. I don’t deserve it after what I did to you with Archer,” I said honestly.
A pained look quickly flitted across his eyes before he looked away. “It’s no big deal, Sky. Shit happens,” he said as he stuck his hands in his pant pockets. He looked back at me after a few seconds had passed. “Do you want some help inside with those?”
I smiled slightly and shook my head. “No, no. That’s okay. You should go meet up with your friends at that bar they went to,” I said as I turned around and opened my door. “I’m good.”
“Sky…” Jameson stepped forward and started before I cut him off.
“Wow. I’m…exhausted,” I said with a deep breath as I ran my hand through my hair and stepped inside. I set my bag and card on the floor inside the door and the flowers on the small entryway table. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow.” I smiled, turning back to him, and putting on my best cheery voice. “Thanks again for the ride, Jameson. I totally owe you one.” I felt like I was giving myself whiplash with all of these crazy back-and-forth emotions running through me. What about poor Jameson? I chuckled aloud at the thought.
Jameson raised an eyebrow at me. “Are you okay?” he slowly asked.
I laughed at the ridiculousness of the question. No, Jameson. I’m so frickin’ FAR from okay. If you only knew…, I silently thought as I nodded my head. “Yeah. No, I’m good, I’m…good. I’m just going to go inside now and…take a shower,” I said with a fake smile, putting my hand on the door knob. “So, yeah. Have a good night. Big, big day tomorrow, so I’ll see you then, okay?”
I quickly shut the door before I had to lie to him again. I couldn’t take having to pretend I was fine anymore. Keeping up with the fake smiles was absolutely exhausting. I leaned heavily against the door and put my forehead to the cold, smooth finish. Fuck my life…, I silently thought and chuckled again. It’s your own damn fault, Skye. You keep putting yourself in these situations. I sighed and told my inner self to shut up hell up.
I turned around, trudged into my living room, and whistled for Styvi Nix. She came bounding through the doggy door and I put on my best happy voice to greet her. “How’s my little super star?” I said, leaning down and petting her. “I sure did miss you today.” She jumped up and down in excitement and I picked her up into my arms. I buried my face in her warm, short fur and nuzzled her. She licked all over my head and I chuckled sadly. “At least you still love me, Styvi Nix. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” I felt tears sting my eyes and threaten to fall. I blinked quickly and set her down. “Come on, girl. Let’s get you a treat.” I followed her into the kitchen and got a treat out of her treat jar on the counter. She promptly sat down in front of me and I handed her the treat. She playfully tossed it around a few times before she grabbed it and took off outside with it. I smiled at how cute she was. I cut off the kitchen light, made my way back through the living room to my messenger bag, and trudged up the stairs to my room.
I set my bag down on the bed and went into the bathroom to run myself a hot bath. I lit a couple of scented candles and added some soothing lavender bath salt to the water. I slowly peeled off my clothes and threw them in the clothes hamper before grabbing a washcloth and stepping in. The hot water felt good on my cold skin and I enjoyed the slight sting it brought. I leaned back against the tub, got my washcloth wet, closed my eyes, and slowly laid it over my face. The feel of the hot cloth mixed with the soothing scent of lavender was calming. I took a deep breath and sighed. I focused on relaxing my entire body starting with my toes and working my way to my shoulders. By the time I had made it there, I was completely relaxed. For once today I was not thinking about anything.
I stayed in the bath for a good forty-five minutes before it turned unbearably cold and I was forced to stand. I drained the tub and took a long steaming shower, taking my time washing my hair and body. I was enjoying the simplicity of the moment and I didn’t want it to end. I didn’t want to step out of my bath and go back to the real world. My shower was my sanctuary. Alas, my hot water ran out after a while and I was forced out. I slowly dried off and wrapped my towel around my body. I shaved my legs, plucked my eyebrows, and blew my hair dry.
After my renewal ritual, I felt a little better. I hung up my towel, threw on some zebra print boy shorts and a black tank top, and climbed into bed. I called out for Styvi Nix and snuggled down into the covers with her when she finally arrived. I was so exhausted and couldn’t wait to fall asleep. This had been one of the worst days that I’d had since I broke up with Jesse, and I couldn’t wait for it to be over.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Sleep finally descended on me, but it didn’t last long. I had bad dreams most of the night and kept waking up every hour. In my dreams I was running down a long, dark hall. It was like I was stuck, with no way out, so I kept running in hopes of seeing the end. I ran endlessly, for what seemed like hours, and never found the end of the hall. Each time I awoke from my dream, it got harder and harder to fall back asleep.
By six o’clock in the morning, I had had enough. I threw back the bedcovers in frustration and went downstairs to put the kettle on. I poured myself a hot cup of water, added an Earl Grey tea bag, a splash of fat free milk, and took my steaming mug into the living room to watch the early morning news.
I was shocked and saddened by what was on the broadcast. Something huge had happened last night in the sleepy town of Landry, just east of Austin. Someone had decapitated and mutilated the bodies of a man and his wife. The anchorman on TV said that police believe the brazen killer was psychologically disturbed and anyone with information should immediately contact police. They cut to a shot of policemen and crime scene technicians walking in and out of the ranch style house. The look on the faces of the workers as they exited was haunting. You could tell that the crime scene must have been immensely brutal. I shook my head and said a silent prayer for the victim’s families. What is this world coming to?
I turned off the TV and
quietly finished my tea. I couldn’t bear to watch the rest of the news cast. I had had enough nightmares for one day. I was wide awake and there was no chance of falling back asleep, so I went upstairs, put on my workout clothes, and drove over to the gym. I hadn’t been able to work out in a few days and the tension in my body was building up. I desperately needed to feel my muscles burn and release some of it.
I pulled into the gym and got to work. I spent an hour on the elliptical machine, an hour doing free weights, and I took a one hour hot yoga class. Hot yoga was so relaxing. The heat mixed with the stretching was wonderful. I felt like I had meditated the entire hour. My mind was calm and my heart happy. I hoped that the feeling lasted all day.
I arrived home at eleven, fed Styvi Nix, and made myself a fresh fruit, yogurt, and granola parfait for breakfast. I nibbled on it as I read a few chapters of the latest novel I was working on. When I got to a scene where the boy confesses his undying love for the girl and sweeps her off her feet, I threw my book down. Real love doesn’t work like that…at least not in my world; and definitely not lately. I groaned, took my dish to the sink, and washed it out. It was two in the afternoon, so I decided that I had better head up to my room, wash the workout off, and get ready for work.
I took a quick shower and re-washed my hair and body. When I was done, I dried off and threw on my black silk robe. I took my time blow drying my waist length hair straight and applying tonight’s gothic makeup. I used an ultra-pale foundation and powder combo and paired it with black eye shadow. I lined my eyes in teal and used black eyeliner to draw delicate swirling filigree around my eyes. I finished off the look with teal colored false eyelashes and lipstick. My hair looked a little plain, so I teased sections of it up big and plastered it into place with copious amounts of hairspray.
I had no clue what I should wear tonight, so I dug through all of the new clothes I bought with the company charge card and finally found the perfect outfit. I selected my black ultra-skinny bondage pants, a black fabric and mesh bondage shirt, and my new five inch spinal stilettos. After a quick spin in front of my full length mirror, I was satisfied. I thought I looked pretty good.
I threw my Chucks in my messenger bag, hobbled downstairs, and kissed Styvi Nix goodbye. She was curled up on the couch sleeping and barely paid any attention. After a quick check to make sure that the house was all locked up, I got in my car and backed out of the driveway. Type O Negative kept me company on the drive downtown to The Mausoleum.
When I pulled into the employee parking lot, I was shocked by the number of cars. Our lot had never been full before, but we’d never had all the employees here at once, either. I found a small spot open by the alley and pulled into it. I grabbed my bag, locked my car, and headed toward the employee entrance.
This is it, I thought silently. My first real day on the job. I had nervous butterflies in my stomach and I hoped like hell that I didn’t disappoint Archer with my lack of knowledge at running a club. I wanted today to be perfect, so I sent up a silent prayer before I opened the door and walked in.
The back of the club, which housed the stock rooms, equipment room, and employee lounge, was bustling with activity. I saw Lochlan wave to me as he ducked into a stockroom for supplies. I headed straight for the employee lounge to put my bag in my locker before I had to meet up with Archer.
When I entered the lounge, I was in for a surprise. The boom box was blaring and the cage dancers, both male and female, were having a dance-off. I walked a little further in and watched the show with great interest. Two guys, Alex and Seth, were having a break-off. Each took turns dancing and spinning. At the end of the round, Seth won. Two girls, Courtney and Eden, took their place, changed the music to pop, and took turns gyrating their hips and shaking their shoulders. At the end of the round, Courtney won. She challenged me next and I shook my head and laughed.
“Nu-uh…no way,” I said, walking over to my locker and putting up my bag. “You’re a professional dancer. I know better than to take you on. I’ll just look like a fool next to you.”
“Oh, come on, Skye,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll take it easy on you, I promise.”
The group of dancers good-naturedly egged me on and I finally gave in. “Okay, okay,” I said with a laugh, shaking my head. “But let’s let someone else pick the music.”
A girl with short black hair, I couldn’t remember her name off the top of my head, went over to the boom box and put another CD in. I shook my limbs to warm up as Courtney got ready to dance. Rihanna’s song ‘Rude Boy’ came on and Courtney started moving her body. She was grinding up and down, her hair whipping as she moved. She was an awesome dancer. Her control was amazing. When her turn was over, the room erupted in claps and whistles, and I was right there with them joining in.
There wasn’t a chance in hell I could beat Courtney, so I decided to just have fun with it. I stepped out into the round and broke out my 80s moves. I was cabbage-patching, roger-rabbiting, and doing the running-man. The whole room erupted in cheers and some even joined in on the dancing from the sidelines. For my big finale, I grabbed Seth and we did the Kid and Play together.
By the time my two minutes were up, I was thoroughly embarrassed, but I had had a blast. Courtney came up to me and hugged me and we had a good laugh about it. Everyone was busy busting out their 80s moves and laughing, so no winner was called out, but that was fine by me. Courtney had wiped the floor with me, naturally. I slipped out the door as quickly as I was able and made it to the main floor by 5 o’clock.
Archer’s first floor bartenders, Hunter and Trey, were busy cleaning and stocking the bar and prepping garnishes. I surveyed the room and saw Aoife and Lochlan doing the same thing to the second floor bar. Seamus was by the front entrance setting up crowd control ropes and prepping the bouncer station while Quinn was busy setting up a barrier rope at the end of the staircase.
I turned toward the stage and saw a group of three guys setting up the DJ and sound equipment. They had huge rolling trunks that were labeled DJ DARK. My heart skipped a beat and I got excited. I could hardly contain the teenage squeal that was threatening to erupt from my mouth at any second. Today was the day I had been waiting for. I would finally be able to see a DJ Dark show. I briefly looked around the club again and wondered where he was.
After a quick wave hello to Trey and Hunter, I headed over to the stairs and greeted Quinn. “Hey, Quinn. Big day, huh?”
“Yep,” he said while installing the barrier rope on the stairs. “It’s going to be a crazy night, I can feel it. How you doin’ today?”
“Pretty good. I’m excited about seeing the DJ.”
Quinn laughed. “Well, you’d better get your ass upstairs, then. He’s up in Archer’s office…go say hi.”
I smiled brightly. “Okay! See you later.” I walked up the stairs, said a quick hello to Aoife and Lochlan, then opened the door to Archer’s private staircase and started the ascension. I knocked a few times on Archer’s office door, then let myself in.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Archer was nowhere to be found, but DJ Dark was sitting in a tall director’s chair and he was being attended to by his makeup artist. They both turned and looked at me. I smiled brightly as soon as I made eye contact with him. DJ Dark was thin with long, wavy black hair, a long, straight nose, and a pointed chin. He had dark eyes and looked distinctly Roman, except for his pale skin. He was incredibly handsome, to say the least, and I immediately felt the butterflies.
“Wow, that was fast,” DJ Dark said as he shooed his makeup artist and got out of the chair. He walked over to me and licked his lips. “Where would you like it, girl? Wrist or neck? I don‘t have all day.”
I stared at him in a dazed confusion for a few seconds. What is he talking about? I snapped out of it just as he smirked, picked up my wrist, and moved to bring it to his mouth. I saw his long fangs slide down and I let out a surprised scream. All of my Krav Maga training kicked in within a nanosecond and I attacked without thought. As I bro
ught my left hand up to guard my face, I shot my right palm out and, with it, rapidly delivered a heel strike to his nose then immediately to his throat. I used both hands to grip his shoulders and quickly drove three consecutive knee jabs into his lower abdomen. He leaned over and groaned in pain as soon as I let go, but I barely noticed. I instinctively guarded my face again with my left arm and used my right elbow the deliver a raining elbow strike to the back of his head. He fell down to the ground. Someone grabbed me around the waist, hugged me tight, and pulled me away before I could kick my attacker in the ribs. It was all over within five seconds.
“What the hell are you doing?” Archer bellowed angrily from his apartment doorway. I looked up at him as Jameson spoke in my right ear from behind.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a breathless voice. “We heard you scream. What happened?”
Jameson turned my body around to face his and he quickly searched my face. “He…he had fangs,” I stumbled, shaking my head. “He tried to bite me.”
Jameson quickly reached up and turned my head from side to side, checking my neck. He then grabbed my hands and examined my wrists. A relieved look came over his face. He sighed and said, more to himself than to me, “He didn’t bite you.”
I jerked my hands out of his. “I know,” I said a little angrily. “I didn’t give him the chance.” I turned around and saw Archer and the makeup artist helping DJ Dark off the floor. His nose was bleeding and he groaned in pain. “What the hell is wrong with you?” I shouted at him.
Archer and the artist put the DJ back in the director’s chair. DJ Dark briefly held his hand to his nose and when he pulled it away, he saw all of the blood. “Ugh! You bitch! You broke my fucking nose!” he venomously spat at me.
“Watch your mouth!” Archer and I shouted at him at the exact same time. We looked over at each other, surprised. His eyes momentarily softened as he looked at me.
