Page 18 of The Saviors: Part One
I give her a disbelieving look. “Stop lying.”
“For fuck sake. I’m not lying.” She grabs my hand and leads me over to a full-length mirror. Something that wasn’t in my house until she came along. “We can fix your hair in those pretty wavy curls. Put some makeup on you. Maybe some eyeliner to make those eyes pop. Some mascara to bring out those long eyelashes. Red lipstick. I brought some jewelry that matches everything I laid out. Those strappy black heels I talked you into buying. You’ll catch every eye.”
“I don’t want to catch every eye. But fine,” I sigh.
“Really?” I nod, and she claps her hands. “Yay!”
She runs over to my makeup vanity, another thing that wasn’t here, and starts setting everything out. I turn this way and that, looking at myself in the mirror. The dress stops mid-thigh. One wrong move, and everyone is going to see my panties. I look at the back and can only see the scar on one shoulder. One of the smallest. Easily explained. I take a deep breath.I can do this.
Amber leads me to the vanity and gets to work. She chatters the whole time, not expecting me to say much back. She does this every time, and it settles my nerves. I can’t tell you why.
She spritzes my hair one last time, then lays the necklace around my neck. It’s gorgeous. It has a little teardrop ruby hanging from a dainty silver chain and sits right at the top of my cleavage with earrings to match.
“You look gorgeous,” she whispers. Amber pulls me from the chair and tugs me back to the mirror. This time I try to see myself from her eyes.
She’s right about the eyeliner making my eyes pop. She did a subtle cat eye, smudging it at the bottom lash line. My eyelashes look forever long with the mascara. The red on my pouty lips makes them look even more pronounced.
“You see it, don’t you?” she asks softly. I nod, and she hugs me from behind. “Maybe a certain someone will show up.”
I laugh. “Stop.”
“What? Knock him dead because, babe, he won’t be able to resist you like this.”
* * *
We’ve beenat High Flyer for about an hour, and Amber has stuck to my side like glue. We’ve drank, laughed, and joked. This is about the time that she usually disappears, but she doesn’t seem to be scanning the crowd like normal.
“See any potentials?”
“Not really looking tonight.” She shrugs and laughs. “I need to chill out.”
“Why?”
“I just need a break, I guess. I’m happy just to hang out with you. Plus, with all the eyes your way, I feel like you need a bodyguard.”
I can feel eyes on me, but I try to ignore them. Because they aren’t telling me they’re checking me out, they’re telling me they’re wondering why a girl like me is wearing a dress like this.
I feel someone step up beside me, but I don’t look, figuring they are just ordering a drink.
“Hey, baby.”
Turning toward the voice I don’t recognize, I smile politely and turn back toward Amber, who’s talking to a girl on the other side of her.
“Can I buy you a drink?” he asks, not getting the hint.
I turn again. “No, but thanks anyway.”
“Come on. One drink.” He grins, and it just looks creepy. He’s handsome in that fuck boy kind of way. Long, dark hair hanging in his eyes—eyes that are bleary, telling me he’s drunk. He reaches over to rub my arm, and my whole body seizes.
“The lady said no. I suggest you move the fuck on.” I release a breath at the sound of Sean’s voice. It sounds menacing as hell. Something I didn’t know he was capable of, but it doesn’t scare me.
“Who the fuck are you?” the drunk guy asks Sean.
“I’m the one who’s about to remove your fingers from your hand for touching her without her permission. Now. Fuck. Off,” Sean says between clenched teeth. I turn fully to take in his face, it immediately softens when he sees me turn around. “Hello, Gorgeous.”
The drunk guy gets the hint and walks off. Sean slides onto his stool, turning me to face him with his legs bracketing my knees.
“Damn, Gorgeous. You look…wow.”
