"I do not understand why you can"t just ring the boy and explain that your situation has changed." Draven was now sulking like a spoilt child.
"Because Jack is a friend and I would like to keep it that way. Besides, it would be rude to do it any other way and you need to get used to me seeing my friends." I said before reading his text message, informing me that we were now meeting at two o"clock.
"Fine, but you know I don"t share." He said but he couldn"t keep the half smile from his lips for long, only it was short lived as he ruined it by saying, "Well in that case I will go and let you get ready for your date."
"Come on! It"s not a date, I am just meeting a friend and besides you have your ex girlfriend sat at your table every night!" This made him frown and then roll his eyes at me.
"Keira, I have explained about Aurora. She means nothing." He had me looking up into his eyes, when he came close enough to kiss me.
"And I have explained about Jack. And besides you didn"t tell me about Aurora, Sophia did." I reminded him but once again he just rolled his eyes.
"Anyway you don"t have to go yet, it"s not even twelve and I"m not meeting him until two."
"Where are you meeting him?" He said as sourly as anyone could.
"At a diner on fifth, why?" I asked cautiously.
"Because I need to know where to send Ragnar."
"Oh no, Draven please you really don"t..." He cut me off by kissing me again and no will on earth could have me resisting.
"Keira do not fret, no one will see him but you." Now I was the one frowning.
"And how is that going to work because I am pretty sure his stealth skills are limited thanks to his gigantic size?" He was laughing again and this was probably due to the idea of Ragnar hiding away in bushes or behind trees.
"He has been given a power that will encase the minds of humans around him to simply pa.s.s him as if he was not there. He will not be seen... I can promise you." He nodded slightly at this promise and I found it an endearing quality to add to many others.
"You did that for me?"
"But of course, why not? You didn"t exactly hide your displeasure in having a bodyguard." I gave him a huge grin and hugged him but my small arms wouldn"t go all the way around so I gripped onto his T shirt. He liked this and held the back of my neck, which always sent tingly sparks down my spine.
"Thank you but how will I see him?"
"The power he has won"t work on you, like most of my talents." He said as though he was both annoyed and proud that his powers hardly ever worked on my diverse mind.
"Ah well, that"s good to know. So you don"t have to go now." I said but by the look on his face, he had other commitments today and had to go anyway, and I couldn"t help thinking it was a kind of punishment because I was seeing Jack.
"I am afraid I do still have to go but I will have Ragnar bring you back to me once you have finished with the bo.......Jack." He refrained from calling him "Boy" as he saw my disproving look. I hated it when he called him this, it was degrading but I think that was reason enough.
"It"s alright, I will see you after work later," I said turning knowing this caused another conflict between us. Draven didn"t want me working at the club anymore but I wasn"t having any of it.
He let out a short laugh that sounded like a "h.e.l.l No."
"Keira, we have discussed this, you know my feelings on the matter." He was putting on his smooth velvet voice to try and bring me round and normally it would work, making me do anything he asked but this time I remained strong. I sat down on my bed and folded my arms across my chest.
"Actually we haven"t. But this is not up for discussion Draven. I am working at the club and downstairs, not the VIP. Don"t look at me like that! Would you prefer I find another place to work, one you won"t be able to keep an eye on me?"
"I would prefer you didn"t work...period!" He was stood above me moving my top off my shoulder so he could feel my skin there. I shuddered under his warm hands, making me feel like he was creating sparks. This was a tactic to get what he wanted. He had learnt other ways to infiltrate my mind instead of using his powers.
"That isn"t going to happen. So tell me now, do I still have a job at your club or should I start looking elsewhere?" He looked shocked that his power of persuasion wasn"t working like he hoped. So he up"d his game. His hand moved up from my shoulder to my neck (A major weak spot of mine).
He gripped the back of my neck with his full palm under my hair. He pulled upwards making me stand to face him and my heart rate doubled. He leant down to my ear but before he spoke, he kissed my neck, making me bite my bottom lip.
"Keira listen to me, you do not want to work for me. You want to work with me... don"t you? Forget this idea and join me at my table, by my side where you belong." His voice filled my mind like a white cloud of happy ideas and I knew I was losing the fight quickly. It was like getting lightheaded on a hot day and staring at the sun for too long. I couldn"t focus and every time I came close to finding my way back, he would touch me down my sides making it harder to breathe.
But his confidence was his downfall because when he thought he had me completely under his will, he started to relax it, so I pushed as hard as I could making the fog fade and disperse into my clear mind once more. I opened my eyes and smiled up at him "Nope, sorry, didn"t work!" And I couldn"t help but laugh when I saw his face drop. He growled under his breathe to show his displeasure at being beaten.
"Now stop that! You know you shouldn"t be doing it anyway." I chastised.
"You will not listen to me on this matter, will you?" He said getting aggravated at my defiance.
"No, but I will meet you half way, I will cut down my hours to three nights a week and work the hours you choose." I said making his face change from a displeased one to one of intrigued.
"You are very clever at getting what you want, aren"t you?" He said raising an eyebrow at me, making him look s.e.xy as holy h.e.l.l.
"I learned from the master." I said winking at him and this had him showing his trademark bad boy grin adding greatly to the dark s.e.xiness.
"You do indeed. Right, while we are discussing compromise, I will allow you to work two nights a week downstairs, of your choice but Sat.u.r.day nights you will work upstairs in the VIP. And you will end each shift by accompanying me at my table. Is this acceptable?" He said in the most business like manner I had ever heard from him. It made me realise how much of a ruthless business man he must actually be.
"Alright, that sounds reasonable enough, but I will be at the club with my friends once a week at least and you won"t moan...right?"
"Me moan?" He said seriously and I almost laughed.
"Yes YOU. Let"s face it Draven, when it comes to me spending time with other people, we don"t actually see eye to eye."
"And I suppose this little bargain means you will be spending time with friends that are also male?" G.o.d he was so old fashioned, like I was committing sin and adultery!
"Yes, I have male friends, just as you have female friends."
"Female council members you mean. Keira although I find it utterly adorable that you get jealous over me, I also know that it is completely unnecessary. You are the only one my eyes see." I couldn"t help but blush when he said this.
I did get jealous but mainly over the amazing beauty Aurora. She was Draven"s ex girlfriend and although when you"re immortal and have been around for over one thousand years, those years are counted very differently. But twenty years for a couple to have been together is still a b.l.o.o.d.y long time in my book. Of course it didn"t help that she was the most beautiful creature alive and made starry nights and sunsets over the ocean look drab!
"Anyway if I didn"t know any better I would say you were stalling for time to keep me here." He said before kissing me and I knew it was his way of a goodbye, so for the first time, I didn"t enjoy it as much knowing this.
"Why do you have to go again?" I said after catching my breath. Ok so I kind of lied about the whole not enjoying it comment. He laughed to himself as he clearly loved it when I was being this needy.
"I don"t want to go but I do have some business that needs my attention. But Ragnar will bring you back to me." He said making me feel like a lost puppy being returned to his owner, that or a Frisbee.
"It"s ok, I will just see you tonight after work. I should probably do some college work before I go back next week." The idea didn"t have me dancing about the room with joy that was for sure. I had got used to spending all my time with Draven, that the thought of being apart made me feel a bit lost inside.
"I think you are smart enough." He playfully flicked my nose before continuing. "So I take it you have decided you are working Friday nights." I had chosen Fridays as it was always student night and very busy, which I liked because the hours went quicker and the bands were good.
"If that is alright by my boss, then yes." He frowned when I called him boss but secretly I think he liked it.
I walked him downstairs and Libby was sat on the couch with Frank looking cosy.
"You two going out?" She asked like she was the mum of this picture.
"Dra...Dominic has to go back to work." I said but couldn"t help but giggle a bit at the idea of Draven actually working. It was more like he just barked orders and they got obeyed. And I really needed to get used to calling him Dominic.
"Thank you for having me." He said this like I had my friend to stay and his mum had told him to thank my mum, which in this case was Libby.
"Oh no problem, any time really. But before you go, me and Frank were wondering if you would like to come over tomorrow night for dinner?" This was so sweet and I was about to decline for him, knowing this was a bit too soon for so much human company, when he shocked me.
"That would be great, I would love to but please let me bring the wine." O...K...A...Y, this was going to be weird! I shot him a look as if to say "really?" but he just smiled before agreeing on a time and saying goodbye. Once outside on the deck with the door closed behind us, I asked him if he was sure.
"Of course, why not? Is this not a customary gesture in humans?" He looked a bit hurt so I back tracked.
"Yeahhh.... but I guess I didn"t know if you would be comfortable, that"s all."
"Keira, I may have not spent a lot of time around humans but I know how to behave around them and besides if it all goes wrong, I can just blank their memories and replace them with more positive ones. Then they will have no other choice than to approve of me." I couldn"t tell if he was joking or not, but knowing Draven he would get his way, no matter what.
"Well I am pretty sure you"re already in there, but if you did want to seal the deal then maybe turn up in your Aston Martin and you will have Frank ready to sell his soul to you, for one ride." He raised his eyebrows as if I had just given him an idea and I would be very surprised if he didn"t turn up tomorrow night in the shiny beast.
"That"s good to know. Ragnar is already on his way here and he will follow you to the diner and back, then later to the club but remember no one but you will see him. Oh and also I thought you would want Libby to have forgotten what happened earlier so I altered her memory on the matter. She won"t remember you getting upset." This was the most considerate act that anyone could have done for me, giving my head strong nature and hating anyone knowing my emotions. He knew how this affected me because his hand went to my cheek to lift my gaze to his.
"Your eyes look amazing in this light and when glazed by emotion they look deep enough to swim in. Umm... stunning." He said stepping back to admire them and I automatically closed them resorting back to my shy self. He had never mentioned anything about my eyes before so it took me back. I always thought my eyes were dull and plain, being not really blue but more of a grey. Before I had chance to open them again he was kissing me, softly at first then with more intensity. His arms wrapped around me like he never wanted to let me go.
"You are incredibly difficult to leave." He said once he had finished but by then my legs were like hot moulding clay.
It took two more kisses and an "I love you" before getting in his car and driving away, which made me feel cold as soon as he was out of sight. I saw Ragnar come around the side of the house and waved, to which I received a nod in return. I went back into the house and Libby was ready to pounce.
"Right tell me everything!" She said smiling and very nearly dragging my arm off when pulling me upstairs. But I was very willing as I was getting desperate to talk to somebody about it and if I couldn"t be with him, then talking about him was the next best thing. We both jumped on the bed and folded our legs up like we used to as kids. She looked so excited for me and I couldn"t keep the smile off my face.
"You look so happy Kazzy! I don"t think I have ever seen you this happy." She said beaming, thanks heavily to pregnant hormones.
"Well I have never been in love before!" At this she let out a high pitched scream and clapped her hands together. I half expected Frank to come running up the stairs with a baseball bat again.
"So come on tell me, how did it all happen?"
"I don"t really know but he sort of just confessed he liked me." Which was the truth, well kind of. I told her about how Sophia invited me to sit at their table after work and I ended up next to Draven. Ok, so this wasn"t exactly the truth but it was as close to it as I could get. I told her about, after a few drinks, I relaxed enough to talk to him.
"It kind of happened really quickly but from what he says, he has had a thing for me for a while, which is really hard to believe." She screwed her face up like she disagreed.
"No it isn"t. He obviously has good taste and you could tell he felt something for you when he brought you home that night. But I do wonder what took him so long?" Well of course I knew the answer to that one but I wasn"t about to disclose that with Libby. Could you imagine me saying "Well see Libs, here"s the thing, he is a Demon/ Angel half breed and is like the Mafia G.o.dfather of the supernatural world we live in." I couldn"t see it going down well at all. So instead I just said, "I guess he was just being cautious."
"Well he is most definitely not a sn.o.b, so I will be the first to admit I was wrong about him. I thought he would be surrounded by bimbo strippers that had ma.s.sive...well you get the message. It restores my faith in human nature that money isn"t everything." This I wanted to laugh at but managed to control my outburst. Firstly Draven couldn"t get any further from human if he tried and secondly he wasn"t the bimbo type. From the looks of Aurora he was more the blonde G.o.ddess type, so I failed to see what he saw in me but happiness kept me from caring.
"So from what I gather earlier, you have, without a doubt hit all bases. So come on dish the dirt, how was it?" This had me howling with laughter and I threw my head back as more laughter followed.
"It is utter bliss and more...incredible, mind-blowing and completely like nothing I have ever known!" I said and she sighed at the thought.
"He looked umm.....fit" She said which is her way of saying well equipped.
"OH YES" We giggled again.
I carried on talking about Draven for over an hour and only just had time for a quick shower ready to meet Jack. This thought wiped the constant smile from my face, as I knew I was about to hurt him and it was something I was ashamed with myself for getting out of hand. I had led him on when Draven had hurt me and I used him in the worst way....to get revenge. It was not a good moment for me and I was appalled at my actions. Well now it was time to face the music and put things right, even if I needed to beg and grovel. I wasn"t going to let it prevent me and Jack from being friends. I knew Draven didn"t like it but he would come around....wouldn"t he?
I was ready for leaving, with a fresh clean outfit that consisted of my usual jeans and long sleeved top, with gloves underneath of course. I put my half wet hair up in a messy twist and bits fell down at the sides. The only difference to my appearance was the happy new glow my skin had acquired. I grabbed my long black jacket as it looked like it might rain later and headed for the door. I shouted my good byes to Libs and Frank and opened the door to a very handsome face, one I hadn"t seen in years and one that would no doubt cause me even more problems with Draven......
An ex from my past.
Chapter 9.
h.e.l.lo Stranger "Well h.e.l.lo Keira, looking fine as always!" Justin, Frank"s brother, stood opposite me leaning casually on the door frame. His baby face features had grown into a strong looking expression and he was skinny no longer. It had been replaced with a wide chest and broad shoulders. He looked like he had just jumped straight out of a surfing magazine, with his long blonde dreadlocks tied back from his face by a bit of thin rope. He had surfer beads up both wrists and a fossilized sharks tooth tied round his neck with some black cord. He wore combat trousers and a T shirt under a thin zip up hooded sweater, even though it was winter. And he looked fantastic!
"Justin, Hi...what are you doing here?" I asked, trying not to sound as surprised as I was. I hadn"t seen Justin since my sister"s wedding and well, back then I had a bit of a crush on him. Ok, so maybe more than a crush but he had been with a girlfriend.
"Just here to see the big guy but I get you instead, which is far more of a bonus and may I say much easier on the eyes." His compliment made me blush like a vicar in an underwear department! His lips formed a devilish grin at the sight of my pink cheeks, while I opened the door wider and called to Frank.
"Are you staying for long?" I asked, secretly hoping not because knowing Draven"s reaction to Justin"s flirting, it would be like lighting a firework and letting it go off in your hand. Hot and foolish!
"No, just pa.s.sing through." He said casually before Frank came to the door way.
"Ah, look what the cat dragged in! You back from trekking the jungle?" Frank said this while grabbing his brother into a bear hug. Justin was trying to breathe and hit him on the back to be released.
"G.o.d Frank, what you trying to do, break my spine in two!" Justin took a swipe at him which he skilfully dodged. I moved out of the way to let them bond the way brothers did. I could never imagine going up to Libby after not seeing her for months and punching her. Oh yeah, she"d love that.
"So how was Costa Rica? I thought you would have been on a diet of rice and beans but you look like you have put some meat on those skinny bones lad!"
"Yeah, well at least I"m not a muscle head!" This was how it went on for a few minutes but I was trying to edge towards my car until they spotted me.
"Where you off to Kaz?" It hadn"t taken Justin long to adopt my nickname.
"Oh, I"m meeting a friend." He looked a bit disappointed and Frank nudged him.
"Yeah little Kaz here has been quite a hit with the guys in this town." I rolled my eyes at Frank but he just laughed.
"I can see why!" Justin said in a low voice I could still hear, making Frank laugh louder.
"Don"t even think about it Romeo, she"s taken!" Frank tried to grab him into a head lock but Justin moved like lightening and was down by me in seconds, jumping off the porch steps. He looked down at me and I lowered my eyes before the blood rushed to my face.
"So, who"s the lucky guy?" I really didn"t want to be talking about this now. I was already running late for Jack.
"Oh no one you know. Anyway I must run but it was great seeing you again."
"Oh, you"ll be seeing me next weekend, that is if my big Bro don"t mind letting me crash for a few days." He said this last part at Frank and he looked happy enough that his brother was back. I, on the other hand, wasn"t so sure Justin being back here was such a great thing.
"Sure, you know you can but first you go and see Mum and Dad."
"Yeah, yeah I was on my way there next." Justin rolled his eyes at me in a comedy fashion and I smiled. Then he put his arms around me and pulled me to his now hard chest. I froze but he just hugged me to say goodbye. I swallowed hard, which he must have heard because he laughed as I quickly unlocked my car door.