Page 66 of Inside the Maelstrom: Part One
The second reason that he was catnip on nights like this was that Evan had an air of danger. It was just in the way he held himself. Despite the pleasant mediocrity of his face, his eyes held a coldness that was like a beacon to girls with daddy issues or who liked it a little rough.
“Isn’t that right, Sampson?” Firth said, and I dragged my thoughts back to my current company. I raised an eyebrow until he repeated himself. “I said our nights out were legendary. You remember that time Drix was banging… fuck, was it Shauna? Sheena? Fuck, I can’t even remember her name. Whoever she was, Drix had her in the back of her daddy’s Rolls, and then the paps opened the car door. You couldn’t look at a newsstand for weeks without seeing her tits on the front page of the tabloids.”
“She got disinherited,” Otto murmured, always the conscience for those of us who didn’t possess one—Firth included.
Hendrick shrugged. “She knew what she was doing.”
Aviva frowned but didn’t say anything, sipping her drink. Elle stood up, dragging up Firth and Hendrick as well. “We should dance,” she screeched, and looked down at Aviva. “Come on, girl! Why come to a club if we don’t shake it?!”
Aviva gave a tight laugh, but stood too. Otto was in an intense conversation about robotics and the future of communications with Asa and Goro, and waved us off. I sighed, standing. I hated dancing. But I wasn’t going to let my Good Girl go out there with just Hendrick and some strangers. He’d either fuck her, or piss her off, and neither of those options boded well for the rest of the night.
Hendrick grabbed the bottle of sake off the table, glaring at security as if daring them to stop him from taking it out into the main area of the club.
We moved down to the sunken dancefloor, with its strobing lights and smoke machine haze creating an epileptic’s nightmare. But it did seem almost surreal, like a frenzied orgy of sweaty limbs. Our group managed to find a spot and began to dance. I gripped Aviva’s hips as she swayed and bounced to the music, completely focused on how beautiful she looked as she let go of her inhibitions and just danced.
She got that same euphoric look on her face when she came.
One song turned into another, and then another, and finally I pulled her closer to my body, kissing her as I ground my body into hers in a way that couldn’t be construed as anything but foreplay.
Someone whistled but I ignored them, but then Aviva’s entire body stiffened. I looked over to see Hendrick had his entire body pressed against Elle’s, and the way they were dancing was similar to fucking with your clothes on. From what I could tell, they weren’t actually fucking, but it was awfully goddamn close.
“Cut it the fuck out, Drix,” I yelled over the sound of the music, and Hendrick cast me a petulant look, his eyes glazed with too much alcohol. I knew what was about to come out of his mouth would be bad.
“What? You were basically fucking Aviva on the dancefloor—what am I supposed to do? Wait with my hand on my dick until she’s ready to screw her way back in my direction?”
I felt more than heard Aviva’s gasp. “Fuck you, Hendrick Kenley. I screwed you once and that was uninspiring enough.”
“Ah, Viva. You lost your appeal as soon as I got my dick inside you. Been there, done that, don’t need a repeat performance.”
I sucked in a ragged breath of shock. I looked down at Aviva, and her look of pain, and shame, made my whole chest ache. Then a red haze came down over my vision.
“You fucking son of a bitch,” I growled, launching myself at Hendrick, my fist connecting with his jaw. His head snapped back, but while the alcohol in Drix’s system stole his coordination, it made up for it in pain tolerance. He barely stumbled back before he was springing forward again, tackling me around the waist and taking me down onto the dirty club floor. I dodged his swinging fist, because it was sloppy, and leaned up, headbutting him in the face.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aviva running off and Evan wading through the crowd toward me. “No! Go after her,” I shouted, as Drix roared, spattering blood on me. I didn’t have time to see if Evan listened or ignored me.
I rolled Drix onto his back, and slapped him hard. Honestly, nothing shocked a man like being bitch-slapped. “You fucking idiot,” I yelled in his face. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
He slumped back to the floor, and that was when I realized he was fucking manic. Bloody and manic on the dirty dancefloor, with hundreds of people watching the spectacle.
“It’s for the best,” he said, his eyes glazed and far away. “She deserves so much better than us, Sampson. Can’t you see that? Don’t you understand?”
I climbed off him, sick to my stomach. “No, Drix. You don’t understand. You’re so fucking wrong, and now you’ve fucked it up for all of us, asshole.”
Otto had appeared in the circle, his worried eyes bouncing between us. I climbed to my feet, nursing my aching face, but I didn’t look nearly as shit as Hendrick. Elle, the girl, stared between us all, horrified, while Firth looked on like this was the most entertaining thing he’d seen in forever. I was surprised he wasn’t filming it.
I walked toward Otto, angry, sad and nearly sick to my stomach. “Clean him up. I’m going to find Aviva.”
Otto nodded, as the crowd went back to dancing, like they hadn’t just witnessed the disintegration of something that had nearly been perfect.
Chapter36
Aviva
Iran out of that club with the burn of Hendrick’s words still coating my skin. Pushing past the bouncers and people hanging around the front of the club, I turned back toward the bay. I knew if I followed the water toward the Ferris wheel, I’d eventually make it to the hotel. I didn’t have the key, but I’d figure that out when I got there. Maybe they’d have another room so I could have some space and just breathe.
I wished I was wearing my Converse instead of these stupid heels, but I’d wanted to impress them. Impress Hendrick. I suddenly realized I was crying when the tears cooled rapidly on my cheeks, the wind from the water chilly this late at night. I nearly tripped again, growling at my stupid shoes that probably cost more than my car back home. Leaning down, I slipped them from my feet. Yokohama was fastidiously clean; I’d take my chances that I wouldn’t step on anything terrible. Finally able to run, I took off again, my hair loosening from the tight curls to fly out behind me. I ran until the tears flowed into my ears and down my neck.
“Aviva, wait!” I stumbled at the shout, straightening only to see Evan coming up behind me.
