Page 21 of Blind Bite
“I have a quaint little spot in mind.” He pushed open the door, cool night air rushed to greet us. “The night is young, and so are we. Relatively speaking.”
Chapter Fifteen
Jamie led me through the night-shrouded streets, his hand occasionally brushed against mine, which sent electric currents up my arm. We turned down an alley I’d never noticed before, stopping in front of an unmarked black door with a neon light of a heart above it.
“The Bleeding Heart,” Jamie announced, gesturing to a nearly invisible sign etched into the brick. “Best kept secret in town.”
“Kind of a morbid name. Is this a foreshadowing of what the night entails?”
Jamie laughed. “No, the owner is just... eccentric. She also bought this right after a particularly nasty breakup.” He knocked three times, and the door swung open.
A wall of sound hit me—low, pulsing music that vibrated in my chest. Deep crimson lighting washed over the interior, casting everyone in blood-tinted shadows.
“James!” A tall woman with red curls spiraling down her back approached. “I didn’t know you’d be by tonight.”
“Felicity, this is Lilith. Lilith, meet Felicity, the proprietor of this fine establishment.”
Felicity offered me a slight smile. “A pleasure,” the hint of sarcasm was apparent in her tone, though her eyes cut through to Jamie, so I couldn’t be sure I was the true target. “The ledger is on your desk whenever you’re ready to work, though, I’m guessing that will be another night.” Her eyes travelled from my hair down to my shoes before she seemed to come to her conclusions and sauntered off without so much of ‘goodbye’.
“She seemed... nice?” I offered.
“Like I said, eccentric. Sadly, that was a pleasant interaction.” Jamie guided me through the crowded heart of the place, his hand at the small of my back. The club was packed but somehow intimate, with secluded booths lining the walls and a dance floor where bodies moved as one. He brought us to a curved booth, nestled in a dark corner with a view of the club.
A server materialized. “Mr. Everthorn, your usual?”
“Please. And whatever the lady desires.”
“Something sweet but strong,” I said, surprising myself with boldly giving the girl my order without so much as a stutter. After she walked away, I turned to look at my impromptu date.
“Your usual?”
“I usually visit on site to do my work. I’ve become something of a regular.”
“Ah,” I said as I surveyed the room. I found it odd that this place was full, yet this prime table remained empty. “Regular enough to have his own table?”
“Just... regular enough.” He chuckled, and it brought a knowing smile to my face. “I even keep an office here so I can work in peace.”
When our drinks arrived—mine a ruby-colored concoction, his a dark amber liquid—I took a long sip. Liquid courage burned down my throat.
“So, Lilith Bensen, tell me something real.” Jamie leaned forward, those piercing blue eyes locked on mine.
“Like what?”
“What makes your heart race?”
I laughed nervously. “Besides being whisked away by mysterious men?”
“Besides that.”
“Art. Creation. That moment when something beautiful emerges from nothing.”
“Very eloquently said.” His fingers traced the rim of his glass.
“What about you?” I asked.
“What about me?”
“What makes your heart race?”
