Page 25 of Cut Me Down

‘Roses’-SAINt JHN, Imanbek

‘Memories’-David Guetta, Kid Cudi

“U-um. What?” I'm such a dumb bitch. This towering, god-like man, couldn’t be shorter than six foot four inches tall, almost black hair, piercing teal blue eyes, solid muscles, fully tattooed left arm, and strong jawline stands in front of me, practically asks me out, and what comes out of my mouth? Fucking ‘um what’.I hate myself. His deep chuckle shakes me back to the moment.

“I asked what you were doing tonight.” His soft, smooth, commanding voice slips through those full, velvety lips. I laugh awkwardly, very awkwardly as my body floods with heat. I might actually break out into a sweat. I can’t breathe, my breaths stalling worse than a new driver on manual vehicle. Is this normal? Probably not. Normal people don’t react like this.

“O-Oh, um…um, I’m supposed to go out with my friend tonight.”You dumb bitch.I say to myself, my mouth suddenly running dry, but then watering again as I run my gaze over the features of his face.

“Ah, I see. Well, you want some company? I don’t mind being a third wheel.” The striking man says with seductive intent.Oh my God, this man looks like he could ruin my life.I've had that happen before…but this time, I don’t feel scared, I feel…antsy. Jittery. Not a bad nervousness, but more like anticipation. Suddenly energetic, as if an electric current is building throughout my body.

This can’t be happening. This doesn’t happen to me, I normally run screaming in the opposite direction. My mind isn’t trying to retreat into a black hole, and my body isn’t sending me my normal warning signals. Any second now they’ll go off…any moment…well? No? Strange. That’s alright. I don’t need my body to tell me anymore. This is a trick, a scam, or maybe I’m hallucinating again. I slowly feel my adrenaline rush cease as I start to think of what this man could do to me. Mainly focusing on the not so good things.

“My name’s Damien.” He says so sexy, his voice soothing, yet demanding. The voice you’d expect from a king.

“Ashia.” That is all I can muster up behind my strained voice.

“Yeah, I caught that from Charlie. So, what do you say? Can I keep you company?” He says to me, like he’s toying with me.

“I-I think my friend would be mad…if I brought a guy to our girls’ night.” Bullshit, I don’t even sound convincing. If I brought a man out with us, she’d lock me and him in a bathroom and tell me not to come out until I got some dick. That thought has the muscles deep in my core clenching. Notifying me of how badly it needs to be filled.

“That’s alright. I was planning on going out tonight too. Maybe I'll see you around.” He stares at me so intensely, yet so softly. I know he’s searching for my soul in my eyes, yet he’s doing it in a way that isn’t harsh or alarming. Careful not scare me off.

“Yeah, maybe.” I turn around quickly to finish Carter’s cut and take off the cape, determined to get them out of here before I melt into a puddle in front of them. I turn to walk to the front desk, and I jump in surprise when I see Damien standing right in front of me now, holding four hundred dollar bills out to me. I have to strain my neck as I look up to see him fully. His scent of musk and a tinge of tobacco travels up my nose. He towers at least a whole foot above me, and his broad shoulders stretch out like a darkness that is waiting to consume me. I avert my gaze as I feel how hot my face is getting, and probably reddening with the sensation. Only for my eyes to meet with the money in his hand. “Oh. You don’t have to do that.” I say frantically as I shake my head.

“I want to.” His royal voice directs my gaze back up, his sharp blue eyes look into me deeply, hungry even as I swear the color shifts the more I look. God damn it, why can’t I just get over myself and go out with this hot ass man. A part of me wants to sign my life away to the devil at a chance of a piece of this man. I gently take it and nod to him, wanting to thank him, but the words won’t come out.

“Beautiful flower.” He says, looking over at my station, as he leans down close to me. His intoxicating presence and smell of white musk and tobacco pull me closer to him. Any other time, I’d be running for dear life if a man got this close to me. But with him, I don’t have the urge to run. The same pulling feeling between us emerges again and grows stronger the closer he gets. His face comes close enough to brush his lips against the shell of my ear. Warming the side of my face with his intoxicating spearmint breath. “It doesn’t do you justice.” He whispers to me before turning and walking out with Carter.

I stand and stare at the door in awe, a feeling foreign to me pushing its way to the surface. I want to run out of the door, and catch another glimpse of him, but I refrain, quickly realizing how embarrassing that would be. But would it? Would I seem too desperate? He clearly noticed the reaction I had over him, and it was obvious that he enjoyed it.

Don’t think about it. Just go. Stop him. Tell him you change your mind, and then freak out about it later.

I go to step towards the door, when my phone begins to buzz in my pocket, quickly pulling me from my irrational and manic decision. A wave of disappointment in myself crashing over me like a plane dropped from the sky. I pull it out to look. Another chill is sent down my spine, rattling me to my core as I see it’s the unknown number again.

Unknown Number:

There will never be a flower beautiful enough in comparison to you.

Serena and I get out of the Uber and go to walk into ‘Until Dawn’, a local night club located in deep downtown. My apartment is only about ten blocks down, but I'm not walking all of that way in these heels, especially after how much I plan on drinking. The last thing I need is to walk around the streets at night fumbling and make myself easy prey for any deranged man who thinks they could take advantage.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been out, and even longer since I’ve worn something so slutty. I caught myself really trying to look nice, on the very off chance that I actually run into Damien. According to Serena, I still look like a nun. I’m not sure how, considering I'm wearing a skimpy, draped, black halter top where the only things holding it up are two rhinestone straps, one around my neck and one around my back. I am wearing long black pants, but they’re bell-bottomed, only tight fitted around my waist, ass, and thighs, and the fabric around my waist is cut out like a ladder. So still, plenty of skin in my opinion.

I haven’t told Serena about meeting Damien. She’ll either want me to fuck him or hit him. Either way, I suppose. I don’t know what’s coming over me, but ever since I saw him again, my body has been a charging train. Slowly building momentum and buzzing with excitement and arousal at a now constant speed. But what if he’s my stalker? I mean, that text was almost immediate. And how else could my stalker have heard him say that? I don’t know. Maybe I’m crazy and I'm imagining all of this.

Yeah, that would be the most likely answer. The self-diagnosed hallucinations are slamming full throttle and I’m trying to deflect.

If someone knew what I went through, how used up I was, they’d never want to look in my direction again. I remember how men used to stare at my scars. They way their eyes would scan my arm and the way their lips would curl in disgust. They could play dumb all they wanted, but the look in their eyes said everything, and I won’t be looked down on like that again.

Once we show our IDs and get our bands, we walk inside the crowded club to hear the pulsating music thumping in my ears so loudly I can feel the base in my throat. Strobe lights, along with flashing colors of pink, purple, and blue fill the room. The dance floor is so packed at the moment that people are dancing shoulder to shoulder. There’s a balcony where the VIP’s go, and along the walls of the room, there are black leather couches and lounge chairs lined up in seating areas with small tables. Plus, three large bars, with at least thirty stools each.

I’m normally a rock kind of girl, but this song is hitting in the right places, and the atmosphere feels really fun tonight. Everyone else here looks so loose and free. The bodies covering the dance floor sway and jump so eloquently it’s almost as if they do this every night. Their movements are so smooth, it’s as if their bodies are boneless. I’m desperate to feel that free tonight, and even if I don’t look as good as they do, I’ll be too drunk to notice or care.

Serena immediately grabs my hand and leads me to the dance floor, only letting go long enough to grab two Jello shots from the server walking them around. After she hands me one, we both tilt our heads back and let the cool, jiggly substance slide down our throats, and my nerves melt almost instantly.

We start dancing with each other, and our bodies move to the beat of the music. Our hips and arms sway back and forth, occasionally grabbing and serenading each other like we don’t have a care in the world. I’ve never felt a physical attraction to Serena, or another woman for that matter, but the way we’re dancing with each other would make people ask twice.

Time is either going by very fast or very slow as we keep grabbing Jello shots when they glide by. Most people tonight are respectful to one another. Either staying with their own groups or partner and not bothering the other patrons. I say most. A man has already tried to get close to me and touch me, but Ser shoved her face into his and growled at him like a dog and scared him off. I almost spit out my Jello shot I laughed so hard.

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