First Sight (The Ivory Series Book 1) Page 8

  8

  Wednesday afternoon I had instinctively stopped by my car, I knew someone was near. Vaughan was standing behind me. “This could be considered stalking you know. Following me through a darkened car park.”

  “Sorry” he said with a laugh in his voice “I guess I need to stop doing that.”

  “You’re planning on making a habit out of it?” I looked to him, goading.

  He seemed to contemplate my question “Do you want me too?” he answered with a smile in his voice that made his eyes light up with joy.

  I let out a long aggravated sigh. “Why are you here?”

  “I left things badly last time. I wanted to make sure you were ok.”

  “Look Vaughan, I’m not going to play games with you. I’ll lay all my cards out on the table. I can’t stop thinking about you. I want to get to know you better, but you confuse me. So, I need you to tell me, do you want to be with me or not?”

  “Wow! You’re bold and straight to the point. You make things sound so simple, like it’s a question of yes or no.”

  My hands shook with anger “Isn’t it?”

  “When I told you that I was wrong for you, I meant it. I’m all wrong for you Nicola and I should stay away from you, let you get on with your life, but I can’t. You distract me when you’re near me and you distract me when you’re not near me. You are in my every waking thought.”

  “Why are you so wrong for me Vaughan?” I asked, taking a step closer to him.

  He shook his head “There’s things about me I can’t explain to you.”

  “I get that you are complicated and have secrets. But, I don’t care” A vision of Louis appeared in my head and I had to test my theory. “I have to ask you something, something that I’m afraid to ask.” My pulse was hammering in my ears, adrenalin making my arms tingle and my legs feel weak.

  “What is it?” Vaughan asked. His eyes were tight with concern as he searched my face.

  I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, hoping that he wouldn’t laugh at its absurdity “What are you?” When I opened them he had taken a step back, his face looked as though I had slapped him “What do you mean?”

  Slowly I stepped back to where the last remaining ray of sunlight peered between the buildings; the glare was in my eyes, blinding me. I held out my hand for him, to come and take it, prove me wrong so I could leave this craziness behind.

  There was silence, my eyes squinted and shielding the light with my hand. After a few agonising moment of silence I stepped forward into the shadows, he was gone. “Vaughan?” I called to no one, my voice echoing off the concrete walls of the car park.

  Friday night I begged Bec to go to Ivory “I thought you didn’t want to go there anymore Nic?” she protested as she scanned my closet for something to wear, pulling out clothes mentally assessing them, then putting them back.

  “I changed my mind” I shrugged as I straightened my hair.

  “This has nothing to do with Vaughan?” she stopped and turned to me, a purple strapless dress held in front of her. She decided she didn’t like it, then held it up to me. Shaking her head then throwing it haphazardly on my bed.

  “I’m over him” I declared, trying to convince myself.

  “It sure sounds like it.” She scoffed as she rolled her eyes.

  Once we were at Ivory I headed straight for the bar, pushing my way past the throng of sweaty bodies and ordered 2 tequila shots. Bec and I drank them and I ordered another round “Slow down Nic or I’ll have to carry you out of here” Bec warned as she looked over the crowd of people behind us.

  We drank the next round and headed upstairs to the VIP room. I walked to the far end of the bar and ordered 2 more tequila shots from Gerri. She poured them in front of me and I drank mine, Bec leaving hers on the bar giving me a scathing look. I picked it up and drank it too. Bec put her hand on my arm in warning “That’s enough for now Nic, you’ll be sick.”

  I brushed her hand away and turned to the bar. My inhibitions were slowly melting away with the tequila. “Hey Gerri, let me ask you a question. What part of Ireland are you from?” I could feel my head was starting to spin and my words slowing.

  Gerri smiled at me, glancing sideways at Bec “I’m from Waterford.”

  “Oh, is that where they make the crystal? Hey, have you ever seen Nessie?”

  “Ha, you sure are funny. Here have another drink, on the house” and she put another shot of tequila in front of me, Bec shaking her head as I drank the clear burning liquid. I soothed the fire in my throat with a sweet acidic lemon wedge. My head shook and I shouted “Woo. Hit me again Gerri!”

  “Ok, I think you need to sit down now” Bec held my arm and steered me to a table “I’ll get some water” as she turned around Heidi was standing behind her with a jug of water and 2 glasses, she put them on the table and left without smiling or saying a word. “Nic, what are you doing?” Bec asked.

  “I’m having a good time” I answered as I swayed in my chair to the beat of the music. The fuzzy numb feeling I was so use to had returned.

  “You’re going to throw up.”

  “No I’m not.”

  “Here have some water” and she pushed a glass towards me.

  “I don’t want water, I want to dance, let’s go.” I took Bec’s hand and pushed my way through the crowd, leaning on people as I passed, one of them was Tyler who caught me before I fell. “Hey Nicci.”

  “Tyler! It’s so good to see you” I said, throwing my arms around his neck and hugged him. I glanced at the bar; it seemed to have the desired effect. Vaughan had smashed another glass in his hand; the dark look on his face said a thousand angry words. Heidi and Gerri both looked in my direction. Heidi looked angry, Gerri confused. I let go of Tyler, but he kept his arms around me “You look like you’re having a good time” he commented as he looked me up and down.

  “I think I’ve had too much to drink” I was finding it difficult to hold my head straight and my legs felt like jelly.

  “I can see. My cars not far, I can take you home” Tyler tried to steer me in the direction of the stairs.

  “Ha! I know you too well Tyler” I pointed my finger in his face “When you say, my cars not far, I’ll take you home, that’s not what you really mean.”

  He held his hands up in mock surrender and I stumbled forward into his chest “You caught me. You never had a problem with that before” he brushed my hair over my shoulder and kissed my neck. “How about it?” he whispered in my ear.

  “I’m not a piece of ass you can use whenever you feel like it.”

  “Ok, ok. Let’s go for a drive and talk then” Tyler put his arm around my waist and started to guide me towards the stairs again. Bec grabbed my hand “Nic, where are you going? “ Before I could answer, Vaughan appeared in front of us, glowering at Tyler, his eyes were dark and menacing. The colour of midnight “Let her go” he demanded.

  Tyler smirked at him “Look buddy, she’s coming with me, now get out of my way.”

  Vaughan grabbed the front of Tyler’s shirt in his fist and pulled him close to his face, I stumbled back and Bec caught me.

  “I know you think you’re a big man around here because of your daddy, but I don’t care who your father is. You touch her again and I’ll break both your arms” Vaughan growled as he pushed Tyler away from him. Tyler glared from me to Vaughan and back, no one had been so aggressive with Tyler before, even though he more than deserved it. He shook his head and stepped forward to Vaughan “She’s not worth it” and pushed past him as he left. I stood frozen, Bec still holding my hand. The breath felt as though it had been knocked out of me with Tyler’s parting words. My knees gave way and I fell forward, the room seemed to move in slow motion. Vaughan caught me and scooped me into his arms. As everything started to go dark I remember hearing his voice. “I’ll take her to get some air. I’ll look after her.”

  My eyes came into focus in a small room. My back was pressed against something soft and cool which creaked wh
en I tried to move. One end of the room had a large desk and the other had filing cabinets and a large TV on the wall. This was Ivan’s office. Vaughan was crouched on the floor in front of me, looking at me concerned. “Are you ok?” he asked, his face was warm, his eyes lighter.

  I shook my head and whispered “Why are you bothering with me? You heard Tyler, I’m not worth it.”

  “That punks the last person I’ll take advice from.”

  I looked up at Vaughan’s face, his perfect skin, soft red lips. “What are you doing? Why are you playing these games with me?”

  He took a deep breath, looking to the ground as he spoke “You asked me a question that I didn’t answer.”

  I nodded.

  He looked up into my eyes; they were the deep dark blue that I remember seeing the first time I met Vaughan. The eyes I fell in love with. “If you have to ask me that question, you already know the answer. But I want you to ask yourself something first.”

  “What?”

  “Do you really want to know? Think about every aspect of it, what I do to survive? Who I do it to? Is that something you really want to know?” his face was soft, eyes tight with worry “You have a choice Nicola.”

  “Vaughan, what I did tonight, was all about you. I knew, eventually I would find myself in trouble. I just, sped up the process” I pushed myself up into a sitting position on the lounge “You’re all I can think about, you stir up these feelings in me that I’ve never felt before. For the first time I feel like more than just the pretty girl. More than just the one guys want to be seen with, who use me and throw me away when they’re done. So if knowing what you are is a consequence of feeling like this, then I want to know.”

  He was quiet for a long time, contemplating “I’m a vampire.”

  For some reason I felt relieved. Not scared. “The others that work here?”

  He nodded “All except Cassie.”

  “Does she know?”

  He thought about his answer for a few moments “She hasn’t asked any questions, but I don‘t think she is completely unaware.”

  “Thank you” I whispered, the honesty of Vaughan’s answers made me feel suddenly very sober “There’s another question you didn’t answer.”

  He looked at me confused, his eyebrows drawn together “What’s that?”

  “Do you want to be with me?”

  “Nicola, do you realise what you’re asking?” he seemed shocked by my question “What I can do to you? I drink blood to survive, human blood.”

  “I trust you won’t hurt me.”

  “I’m glad you trust me, because I am using a huge amount of restraint right now just sitting here beside you.”

  “You work in a nightclub filled with hundreds of people. I’m pretty sure you can control yourself around one of me.”

  He laughed “We must both have a death wish” and he knelt in front of me and kissed me, his lips were cool and soft, I grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him closer to me. I felt excited, my heart was beating faster and waves of passion flowed over my body.

  Vaughan sat back and looked at me bewildered “What?” I asked playfully.

  He shook his head “The sound of your heart is driving me crazy.”

  “My heart?” my hand felt my chest and I felt the rapid beating of my heart under my hand.

  He nodded.

  “You can hear it?”

  He had a cheeky smile on his perfectly shaped mouth.

  “It’s your fault. It beats this way because of you.”

  His face dropped “Are you afraid?”

  I laughed “No. Its beating this fast for another reason” Admitting this made me blush. Vaughan seemed to realise what I was saying.

  There was a knock at the door and Vaughan stood up and stepped away from me, putting distance between us. Ivan opened the door followed by Bec “Is everything alright?” Ivan asked, looking only at Vaughan. Bec rushed past Ivan and dropped on the lounge next to me.

  “Fine” Vaughan answered, his voice seemed forcibly controlled.

  “Rebecca was getting worried about you Nicola. You’d been gone for a while” Ivan was still looking only at Vaughan while he spoke. I looked at Bec and I could tell she was assessing my expression. “Nic, I’ve called Justin, he’s on his way to get us.” She stood, indicating for me to leave. I followed, closing the door and took Bec’s hand. She followed me through the bar and onto the street. Once we were out of sight of the bar Bec linked her arm into mine “You better tell me everything.”