Finding Kia

by Airicka Phoenix

“Hello?”

  I jumped and whipped around on my pointy heels, something one should never do when one was not coordinated. Gravity betrayed me. It sunk claws into me and I was propelled backwards in what was sure to be a very painful collision. But it didn’t happen. Something wasn’t right. I opened my eyes and blinked up into Adam’s face. Twice in a matter of a week, I found myself trapped in his arms. I was surrounded by the scent of exotic spices and leather and drowned in his heat. Fate, you say? You’ve clearly been reading the wrong story.

  “Are you all right?”

  I quickly pulled away. “You surprised me.”

  He offered me a small smile. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you. I just … you seem so familiar.”

  Oh look, the floor! I stared intently at it.

  I could say yes. I could take off the mask and show him. I could have him see me as his sister’s friend and the chick who sold him tacos. I could embarrass myself by proving to him I was the plainest, most out of place girl at the party. Or, I could let him guess. I could, for that one night, be someone else, someone beautiful and fun and mysterious. I could play the part and then, in the morning, I could go back to the world on the other side of those doors and slip back into my fuzzy sweaters and be plain, old Kia Valentines without anyone getting hurt.

  “Maybe,” I heard myself say, grinning like I had a dirty little secret. I felt a tingle of excitement rush over me. Maybe I could do this.

  His lips bowed into a brilliant smile. “You’re going to make me guess.”

  I bite my bottom lip. “Maybe,” I said again, doing a twirl on my heels that should have won an Emmy and strolled away like I flirted for a living.

  I was so ready to high five myself.

  “Hey!” His hand closed around mine, warm and pleasant and I nearly gasped as I was spun under his arm and jerked into his chest in one of the smoothest moves ever. “I should be allowed a hint.”

  Dude was asking for miracles. I didn’t even know my own name at that moment as I stood cradled in his arms, my head spinning from the twirl and his embrace and the giddy excitement.

  “Tell me your name,” he said when I took too long to respond.

  “How about a game?” I started to turn, to see who had snuck up on us using my voice to speak, but I was captivated by the beauty of his face. No mortal should have possessed such a glorious bone structure, profound eyes, and chiseled lips and … God he smelled good.

  Adam’s face perked. “What kind of game?”

  I waited for the bucket of scalding embarrassment to dump over me. I waited for my tongue to trip over itself in its haste to fumble out reasoning for my temporary insanity. I waited and when I opened my mouth, the words were already perched on my tongue, prepared to float out in a single breath.

  “You’re allowed three questions, but you have to earn them.”

  With a devil may care smile, I nimbly slipped out of his embrace and into the crowd. I didn’t look back, but I knew he followed. I could feel his eyes caress the curve of my spine, the width of my shoulders, the lengths of my arms. I could feel him touch the shiny strands of artificial hair. I wasn’t one for games, but this was one I wanted to play, if for one night.

  He caught up with me on what I assumed was the dance floor. There were others there, swaying to the earthy music. His fingers curled around my wrist and I was drawn into his arms, so close, my nose brushed his shoulder as he leaned in to whisper into my ear.

  “I think I should be allowed a freebee.”

  My lips curved. “And why is that?”

  “Because you owe me.”

  I tipped my head back, a mistake. I was instantly dropped into the endless pools of his eyes without a lifejacket. “For?”

  “Not letting you fall,” he answered, searching my eyes so thoroughly that I was momentarily panicked that he might see the truth behind the mask.

  “But you’re the cause behind me nearly falling in the first place,” I reminded him.

  “All right, for bumping into me at the door.”

  “I apologized.” Hadn’t I?

  “No ma’am.”

  I felt his fingers glide up my back. It was a task not to react, other than the flutter of my lashes and the sly flicker of my tongue over my lips, which I couldn’t control. “All right. One freebee question.”

  He was quiet for several long moments, possibly mulling over his question. I held my breath, certain he would ask me something I couldn’t answer like my name or where we’d met. It occurred to me that I could lie and he would never know, but I knew I couldn’t and that terrified me.

  “Do you go to Vina Academy?”

  Relief washed over me. I felt my shoulders sag with it. “No.”

  “Well, where—”

  His lips were warm, firm and smooth beneath the three fingertips I pressed against them. God, they really did feel as firm and smooth as they looked. “You got your one freebee.”

  I expected annoyance or frustration so I was surprised when he laughed. “So how do I earn more questions?”

  I opened my mouth to tell him when the music died and a familiar voice rang through the room.

  “Attention!” Claudia smiled from the makeshift stage at the front. “The games are about to begin. Everyone please follow me to the next room.”

  It was amazing how fluidly everyone moved, like some kind of choreographed dance. They all stopped what they were doing and poured in a wave after the allure that was Claudia, a wall of excited chatter trickling behind them.

  “That is seriously impressive,” I said.

  Adam chuckled, reminding me that I still stood in the circle of his arms, pressed way too close to his rock hard body. He ignored my attempts to disengage. “She looks like she could part water.”

  My fingers glided over the slope of his shoulder, down the length of his bicep to his forearm. The bold mood was exhilarating, exciting. Forget Claudia’s game, I wanted to stay there and grope Adam.

  “What’s the game?” I asked instead, trying to determine if it was worth detaching from where I wanted to be.

  Watching me intently, Adam shrugged. “No idea. This is my first time, too.”

  I bit my bottom lip. “We should follow then.” The room was nearly empty, making us the only two people left behind.

  Adam shrugged. “I don’t know. I kind of like where I am now.”

  I felt my cheeks hurt under the pressure of my broad smile. “You can find me after.”

  His eyes darkened. “And keep you?”

  I reached up and tugged on his tie lightly. “If you’re good.” With a grin, I stepped back. “Coming?”

  He made a deep growling sound at the back of his throat, but fell into place beside me. Keeping a hand on my lower back, he guided me after the others. We walked through the foyer into the adjacent room. It was another sitting area and I wondered how many a person needed in a house. The furniture had been pushed back from the center of the room, leaving just enough space for everyone to file in. Claudia stood at the very front, hands clasped delicately in front of her as she smiled mischievously at everyone.

  “Can everyone see me?” At the nods and low murmurs, Claudia beamed. She clapped her hands once before resuming. “Excellent. Now, the majority of you are returning guests, but a few are new so I will explain the game to you.” She moved aside to reveal a chair. It was a normal chair. Well, normal for someone like Claudia. You would never have found a chair like that at my house. It was glossy mahogany with a soft, silk cushion in brilliant red. I couldn’t be sure, but it looked expensive. Next to the chair was a small, wooden podium with a large, crystal vase and a very stiff man. “Boys, I hope you all remembered to wear a tie tonight, because I need you to remove them now and give them to Joffery. He will pin your names on the tie and put them in the bowl.”

  Beside me, Adam raised his eyebrows, but his hands went up and tugged the knot on his tie down. He slipped it over his head, all the while watching me in a way that made all t
he heat rise up into my face and my toes tingle. Others around us did the same. But they weren’t nearly as seductive as Adam in disrobing. Even if it was nothing more than his tie.

  “Please form a line on this side.” Claudia motioned to the left.

  Adam slanted a glance at me before he followed the others.

  “One at a time, please come forward and drop the tie into the bowl. Then please leave the room.”

  By the time each person did as they were told, the crowd had become considerably smaller. Her Highness remained in place, watching the girls now. I wasn’t sure about everyone else, but I felt stupid standing there. A very large part of me wanted to cross my arms and slouch against a wall.

  “Ladies, I will call you one by one. You will sit in the chair.” She touched the back of the chair in question because we were clearly too stupid to realize which chair she was referring to. “And be blind folded. You will remove a tie from the bowl. Whomever’s tie you remove will be your date for the evening. Rules! You are not allowed to switch your tie with anyone else. You are not allowed to reveal your identity to the boy. You are not allowed to kiss the boy. You are not allowed to leave. You are not allowed to take another person’s date. If you’re caught telling them who you are, you will be removed and never allowed back. This is all about being mysterious and having fun.”

  “What if they guess who we are?” a girl in a Kimono asked. There were two swords strapped to her back. They looked real.

  “If you play your cards right, they never will,” Claudia said simply. “If they do, pretend like they’re wrong. Keep them guessing. The winners will get a surprise at the end of the night.”

  “What’s the surprise?” someone else asked.

  Claudia arched a brow. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I said.” She peered over the rest of the group. “Ladies ready?”

  Nope. I didn’t like the thought of this game at all. Not one bit. I hated games of chance, because it meant there was a chance I wouldn’t be with Adam. Yeah, those odds were not good for me.

  “Let’s have some fun.”

  I went last. Not because I was nervous, or scared, but because I wasn’t eager to put my hand in the vase and remove a tie not belonging to Adam. There were over thirty ties coiled at the clear bottom, a colorful knot of snakes, but only one was his. I wasn’t counting on my luck to make sure I picked the right one. Odds were that I would pick someone I would be totally miserable with, someone clumsy and awkward, or someone arrogant and annoying. That would just be the cherry on my cake.

  When my turn finally came, I sat in the chair. Joffery slipped the black strip of silk over my eyes and gently knotted it at the back of my head. He took my wrist in his gloved hand and brought it forward. My fingers touched smooth glass and slipped inward through the opening. I reached all the way inside until I felt fabric. I removed the first one I touched. The blindfold was removed. I focused my eyes on the slash of crimson contrasting against the material of my dress. My tongue slipped over my lips as I turned the tie over in search of the tag.

  My heart stopped for a full second before resuming with speeds that should have been alarming. My stomach fluttered and my chest constricted with an overwhelming urge to giggle. I finally understood why girls squealed like pigs being slaughtered. It finally made sense. I wanted to dance and scream my excitement.

  But my excitement didn’t last.

  A pale hand snatched the tie from me before I could fully relish in my newfound luck. I leapt to my feet.

  “Hey!”

  Claudia blinked at me from behind her pretty gold mask. “Sorry, but this tie is already spoken for.”

  My jaw gaped. “What … no! I pulled that from the bowl.”

  Claudia gave a dainty shrug. “Sorry.” But she didn’t appear remotely sorry. She was smug.

  Refusing to be waylaid, not when Adam was the only thing I had to look forward to at an event I didn’t even want to be present for, I reached over and snatched the tie back.

  “That’s not fair. In fact, I’m pretty sure there’s a term for it—bullshit! I pulled this tie out fair and square and I’m not giving it up.”

  Claudia’s eyes narrowed, their dark depths crackling with an inferno that could flay the skin off a bull. “You’re making a big mistake, Kia. You do not want me as your enemy.”

  My own eyes narrowed. “If we become enemies over a tie then I really don’t want to be your friend.”

  Her chin went up. “Fine. Have it your way.”

  I clutched the tie to my pounding chest and glowered at the beauty, daring her to try and take it from me again. It wasn’t beneath me to break her pretty little nose.

  When no one moved, I gathered my skirt and marched into the next room.

  The freaking nerve of her, I thought, fury wafting off me. I couldn’t believe she would just change her own rules without a single thought to anyone else. The tie was mine. Adam was mine. Okay, maybe he wasn’t. But for that single night, he was and I wasn’t letting anyone get in the way of that.

  On the threshold, I tucked the tie behind my back.

  Most of the boys were gone, having been chosen by their dates already. There was about ten left and they were watching me. The hope on their faces speared me with guilt. I wasn’t sure what Claudia was thinking, inviting that many boys and not having enough girls for them. What were they supposed to do now without a date? It just didn’t seem fair.

  “Um, hi,” I said quietly, looking over their faces in search of one.

  He stood at the very end, hands tucked casually into the pockets of his blazer. But his shoulders were tense, his jaw set even though his expression was natural. His eyes were on me, willing me forward, willing me to pick him.

  I kept his gaze as I slipped the tie around my neck, letting it fall in a bright slash down my chest. Something dark flared behind his eyes and I grinned. My heels made a soft, steady clicking sound as I walked over to him slowly. His chest rose and fell rapidly.

  “Disappointed?” I only half teased, toying with the end of his tie resting lightly along my abdomen.

  His answer came in a single, choked breath. “God no.”

  Chapter IV

  Questions & Mistakes

  “Tell me your name.”

  Back against the wall, I smiled down at the tie I was twisting around my fingers. “Can’t. It’s against the rules. You’re supposed to guess.”

  He stood so close, his chest brushed my arm. “Do you always play by the rules?”

  I laughed. “Yes.” I raised my head and meet his gaze. “Usually, but if I tell you, I’ll get kicked out of the tree house and I don’t think I’m ready to leave.”

  His dark eyes bore into mine hungrily. “Hmm, no, we can’t have that.” His fingers slipped over mine, unraveling them from his tie so he could weave them with his. “But I am not nearly patient enough for guessing games.”

  “I bet you’re one of those people who reads the last chapter first in a book.”

  “I am, actually!” He grinned when I chuckled. “I don’t like suspense.”

  I looked down. “What if the fantasy is better than the reality?”

  “I really doubt that.”

  I could say nothing.

  “Hey.” He pushed off the wall and moved to stand in front of me. “Why are we standing in this corner?”

  I looked past him at all the dancing and laughing people around us. There were people sitting, people standing, people moving all throughout the lavish space. It would only take one of them to recognize me and the game would be over.

  “I like it here,” I lied. “It’s quiet.”

  “So.” He took my hand and pulled me away from the wall I was keeping up. “You like quiet. You like rules. What else?”

  I couldn’t stop the chuckle that left me as I was led onto the dance floor and twirled into his arms. “I can’t dance.”

  “No dancing,” he confirmed when I stepped on his foot, but he kept moving me side to side slowly. “Anything el
se?”

  “This seems like a very one sided game. How about we take turns? You ask one and I’ll ask one.”

  He nodded slowly. “Fair enough. Okay. You ask something.”

  “Favorite colors?”

  “Forest green.”

  Behind the mask, my eyebrows lifted. “That’s very specific.”

  His shoulders moved beneath my hands in a shrug. “The other greens seem very phony and full of drama.”

  “And forest green isn’t.”

  He shook his head. “It’s a very serious color.”

  “Are you a serious kind of person?”

  “Ah!” He put up a finger. “You got your question. My turn. Favorite day of the week?”

  “Monday.”

  The look of surprise on his face was comical. “Really?”

  I nodded. “Mondays get a lot of flack, but really, if Tuesdays came first, we would hate Tuesdays. So, I don’t think anyone really hates Mondays, only what it stands for, which is the beginning of the week.”

  The tip of his tongue poked out and moved over his bottom lip. “That is an interesting theory.”

  “Girlfriend. Do you have one?” I added when he just stared at me.

  “No.” He laughed slightly. “Never thought I would be so happy to be single.”

  I frowned. “Why?”

  “My turn!” He grinned at the downward tilt of my lips.

  “That shouldn’t count as another question since it pertains to the previous question.”

  His eyebrow quirked in a very sexy way that I could never pull off. “Not when it relates to a separate response. Asking if I have a girlfriend is the first question. Asking me why I was glad to be single is another. That’s two questions.”

  “But the second question is a direct result of your response.”

  He laughed. “You would make a fantastic lawyer, but it’s still my turn.” He sobered. “Boyfriend?”

  I started to laugh and remind him he’d already asked me that back in his car the night he drove me home, but I caught myself at the last second, squishing my lips together.

  Something flashed behind his eyes that resembled disappointment. “You do.”

  My head came up quickly, my eyes wide. “No! I don’t.”