Is this what it feels like to be a power couple?
Not that we’re a couple, of course. My brain’s getting ahead of herself. Still, it’s a very intoxicating knowing that all eyes are on us.
Growing up, the guards were never allowed to look at me. Hell, they weren’t even supposed totalkto me. My father once beat a guard senseless for telling me the time when I asked. I don’t know what ended up happening to him. Needless to say, the guard never came back.
I learned a very important lesson that day—keep to myself at all costs. If I don’t, other people will get hurt. And while I’m very much enjoying my time with Zane, I can’t shake the feeling that—sooner or later—something terrible is going to happen.
He seems to sense my unease as we climb the lit steps to the mezzanine, wrapping a protective arm around my waist. He speaks with his actions, his body placed just behind me as if to say:I’ve got you.
“They’re here!” Darlene exclaims, shooting out of her seat like a drunk jackrabbit. She rushes over to me and hugs me tightly. I stiffen, but only because I’m not used to this level of affection from someone I can only call a passing acquaintance.
I’m just not used to people being…niceto me.
Darlene, Heath, and Zane all seem pleased that I’m here.
Knox, on the other hand, does not.
“I’m so glad you could make it,” Darlene says to me, tugging me along by the hand. We’ve been given the corner table in the VIP section, which is more secluded than the general area. A lovely platinum blonde bottle girl in a skimpy black dress that leaves little to the imagination is our waitress.
“What can I get for you, babe?” she asks me.
“Oh, uh…”
I’ve never had an alcoholic drink before. My father never allowed it, though he could always be found with a whiskey in hand. The hypocrisy wasn’t lost on me.
“I’ve always wanted to try a Long Island iced tea,” I admit over the heavy bass notes blasting over the club’s speakers.
The bottle girl winks at me. “You got it, babe. And what about you, handsome?” She bats her faux eyelashes at Zane with just about as much subtly as a neon warning sign. I don’t miss or appreciate the way she deliberately bends over and squeezes her breasts together by pressing her arms close to her chest.
I’m not jealous. I swear I’m not. It’s not like Zane and I are a couple or anything. We’re just two people who happened to find each other in the craziness that is Las Vegas, and now we’re enjoying our week of fun until I can flee the country for good. That’s all. There’s no need for me to be seeing green.
Yet...
“Nothing for me,” he answers. He doesn’t even look her in the eye when she speaks. His attention is solely on me as he casually slings his arm over my shoulder.
“How’s the job hunt going?” Darlene asks me, sipping on her rainbow-colored cocktail with a comically massive umbrella and pineapple wedge.
“It’s, uh… it’s good,” I answer with a polite smile. “I’ve got a couple interviews set for next week.” I’m obviously lying. This time next week, I’ll hopefully be long gone and starting a brand-new life halfway across the world.
“Oh, so you’ll be here for Christmas, then?”
“I believe so, yes.”
“If that’s the case, I was wondering if I could ask you a very important question.”
“Sure.”
Darlene kisses Heath on the cheek. “Babycakes, can you go get me a refill? And take Knox with you. He’s stinking up the whole place with his negative vibes. Maybe help him find a nice girl to brood with.”
“I don’t stink,” Knox grumbles, but he stands up. “Doesn’t matter. I need to talk to you, Zane.”
I throw Zane a quick glance. The only reason I agreed to come to the club was because I thought Zane would be by my side at all times. It’s the only reason I feel safe enough to come to such a public space.
I’m completely transformed, it’s true. I’ve felt like I needed to dye my hair, but Zane said not to. Instead, I used a wash-out dye that only lasts for a few days. I dabbed on a bit of makeup, and my dress compliments every curve of my body. Hell, I almost didn’t recognize myself when I looked at my reflection in the mirror, so Esteban’s lackeys will probably have to do a double take to realize it’s me, but still. The thought of being without Zane makes my stomach churn anxiously.
“I’ll be right over there,” he whispers in my ear as if reading my mind. “Don’t worry. There’s only one way into the VIP section and I’ll stand where I have a clear line of sight of you. Darlene’s good company. You should let yourself to have a little fun.”
A part of me appreciates his clear line of communication. I know it must look so silly on the outside. I’m a grown woman too afraid to be left alone, but I think that’s what happens when you’ve been trapped in a cage for as long as I have. After twenty-one long years of being told how to dress, where to go, who to speak to, what to eat, who tomarry—I suddenly find myself with so much freedom it’s paralyzing.