“Davidos,” Gina grins pushing him over to stand next to Amber and that buzzing turns louder. “We were hoping you would be here.”
“What did you think of Amber’s performance?” Gautier asks, glancing at me and he frowns before turning his attention back to the group.
“A little edgier than usual no?” Davidos answers, looking at Amber and my fists clench and my neck starts to strain.
“That’s good, right?” Amber says and she’s not looking at me anymore. Her attention, her eyes, her lips, her body are not turned my way.
It makes me want to fuck her until she screams and begs and pleads.
And it makes me want to kill him, then bury him six feet underground myself.
“Ah yes, it is very, very good,” Davidos grins, his disgusting face splitting along with his smile. That clawing in my chest starts up again. I need to get her away from him.
“Amber, let’s go get you hydrated,” I say, my voice not sounding like my own and I inhale, feeling like there’s no oxygen in this place. She looks at me in surprise, then discreetly shakes her head, turning her attention to Davidos again.
She’s not allowed to do that. I need her attention to be on me, not another man.Look at me. Look at me. Fucking, look at me!
“Amber,” I say again, tugging at my collar. She gives me a pleading glance and I’m close to just throw her over my shoulder and march right out with her, no matter how much she protests.
“Please Stan...not right now.”
Three pair of eyes turn toward me and they’re perplexed.
“Who is he?” Davidos asks, pointing at me, his fingers covered in rings.
“Amber’s guard dog apparently,” Gina snorts. “Never mind about him, so about what you were saying?”
“Ah yes...” Davidos muses but I don’t hear the rest. I’m watching Amber and she’s not watching me back. First she slapped her hand away when I reached for her and now she’s standing far too close to another man.
Her eyes are interested. Like her careers is important to her.More important to her than you ever will be.
Blood starts pounding in my ears. The clawing turns brutal. Paining me.
“Of coure,” Davidos continues, “there is room for improvements.” His eyes go to Amber’s mouth. The mouth that I kiss. “But I could always help you with those...”
He reaches around her waist and...I snap.
One minute he’s standing upright and the next, I’ve grabbed him by the throat, shoved him to the ground and I pound his face with fist after fist, my knuckles whitening and his features go bloody.
“You dare to touch what’s mine!” I growl, unaware of the screams, that the lights have been turned on and that nobody is talking anymore. He’s limp in my grip, too weak to even try to defend himself. The rage doesn’t diminish, it increases until I feel a trembling hand on my shoulder.
I know that touch. I live for that touch.
Whipping my head to the side, my eyes lock on Amber’s and they are filled with tears. Her face is shocked, like she never expected something like this out of me.
“Stan...stop. Let him go. You can’t do this...”
I straighten, still holding Davidos by his one thousand dollar shirt and my breaths are ragged. “Help me stop,” I say between my teeth, “tell me you’re mine.”
Her mouth trembles. “I’m yours.”
But it sounds like a lie.
“Let’s just l...leave,” she says, tugging at me but then she doesn’t even wait for me, running toward the exit on her own and I follow.
Its night out, the sky starless because we’re in the middle of the city. Little clouds of breath pant out of her mouth when I reach for her wrist, trying to get her to look at me.
But she doesn’t want to look at me and she doesn’t want to hold my hand. Her head is down, her mouth tense and when she glances at me, her eyes glaze over me. Like I’m a stranger.