CHAPTER 8
duke
"I’m waiting." She folded her arms upon her red t-shirt covered chest. I should’ve known something like that would happen, I think she had this odd sixth sense when somebody went only in a two feet radius of her stuff. Wait, she was just a girl, what harm could she possibly do to three muscular guys?
"Oh, Morrison, give them a break," A slender blond female showed beside her. She took off her sunglasses as she walked past her. Goldilocks here had wonderfully brown eyes and a wide smile on her lips, but more appealing was her backside when she bent down to pick up the pink bra. "Guys are just having some fun, speaking of which…" She tried on the bra, leaving us completely stunned by how casual her movement was, but how teasing and seductive it looked. She chuckled, throwing the clothing piece back in the box. "Is there a place we can talk in private?" Her look locked on Elle’s angry physiognomy. My apartment mate twitched her shoulders in a shrug looking over both Madd and Chris.
"Oh yeah… We were just leaving." Madd threw the bra in my direction, hitting me right in the face. God damn traitors, if we fall down, we fall together! I raised my eyebrows as I saw the front door close with a bang. They had to be kidding me… They came here, got me in fucking trouble and then just left? Yeah, sounded like the assholes from Carnival of Rust.
"khem…" Elle coughed as the blonde landed on the couch, placing her high-heel covered legs on the coffee table. I looked over my shoulder and saw her smiling playfully.
"You should go…" she mouthed.
"yeah…" Unsurely I placed the bra on the table next to her black pumps and went for my room, never sharing a glance with Elle. Somehow she frightened me, funny as it was, but for a fucking 5’4 she had a huge aura which yelled- I will fucking kill you!
As soon as I entered my lair, I fell on the bed, feeling the soothing touch of my black sheets.
"Fuck…" I sat up, angry with myself. "No fucking chick will tell me what to do!" As soon as my feet touched the soft carpet, I heard them speaking. The door was dampening the sound greatly, but I managed to figure most of it.
"He’s hot, Morrison…" The blonde laughed. I couldn’t handle an arrogant smirk forming on my lips. Another satisfied customer.
"Get to the chase, Anastasia." I walked closer to the door, leaning practically against it, "Why are you here?"
"I’m just happy to see an old friend, that’s it…" I could imagine her smiling innocently. Since when did Elle have friends? With her personality it was kind of hard to pull off. "Not… You want the good news or the extra good?"
"I bet on that ugly bra, you are in need of my service." She laughed. Elle laughed? That was something new.
"You could say that…" Service? What exactly was Elle’s job? I knew she had mobile shifts, sometimes she left early in the morning and returned in the afternoon, but sometimes she was away the whole night. I used to be grateful, I didn’t have to see her always displeased face, but now I got curious. I leaned closer, my ear pressed against the white door and then the t.v. happened. I couldn’t hear anything.
"Fuck…" I hissed. Every time when things got interesting, something had to happen. Last time when she was on her phone talking about the job, she did the dishes, making such noise even a deadman would be awakened. I was just a couple of feet away, watching the tv and still heard fucking nothing.
The sudden movement of my door left me shocked and with an aching nose.
"What the hell?!" My hands shot in front of my nose, rubbing it angrily. A pair of grey eyes narrowed on my hands. Elle stepped in my room. I just realized she had never been here, well since I moved in and she didn’t even look around. She pushed me back and I fell on the bed. I arched my eyebrow confusedly.
"What?" She hissed, taking my palms off my face and inspecting the damage she had done. Her cold hands cupped my face, turning it from right to left. Just then I noticed a small scar on her chin, almost invisible. Her finger touched the bone of my nose, making me shrug in pain. She jerked back when I cried out.
"It fucking hurts you know…" I hissed.
"It’s your fault- you eavesdropped." Her hand reached for my nose again, leaving a scent of orchids in the air. Her index finger ran down my nose bone till the very tip and then back up. She could be gentle if she wanted, nevertheless, the nose was throbbing in pain. "It’s not broken… but it can get a bit swollen."
"Why are you here?" I jerked her hand away, touching my nose, not really trusting her observations. I hoped this was not the case where I’ll get black eyes just because of a goddamn encounter with the door.
"So you didn’t hear that part?" She sent me a mocking smile, "We’re going out."
It took good ten seconds for it to sink in. Elle Morrison going out, enjoying herself. Well that was something unheard of, and that was a onetime opportunity, I couldn’t say no to me having a chance of getting her drunk.
elle
I wasn’t expecting running in to Anastasia when being in a grocery store. Who knew drug dealers did visit real shops not just sloppy bars and strip clubs? Okay, the stereotype was a little overrated, but when things got to Ana, she felt more comfortable around naked woman than sitting in some unkempt one room apartment where anyone could just charge in with a cop hot on their heels.
When she told me she was looking for a body guard, I cried out in laughter. I did the killing, not the… almost killing. If she wanted a body guard, she could try calling USPA, hear what they had to offer for a zero bucks. How could she tempt me into something without even paying me? Easy, she just had to tell me one of the big fishes were in town, and even more exclusively- visiting Johnny’s. Judging by her words, he was the one who stood above me, and speaking between us, superhumans, he owed me ten grand.
Johnny’s was a bar filled with too revealing bodies of too intoxicated girls and guys who were happily enjoying the view of their fake breasts. It was Cali, after all! Yet another stereotype, I had to quit with them, really. For god sake, just look at that girl, those can’t be real!
I got really mad when I got asked for my I.D. Did I look like I was twelve? But then again, if I would just send the guy to hell, I would drag too much attention on myself, and we didn’t want that now did we? I was supposed to be invisible tonight, blend in with the crowd, that’s why I had invited Duke with me. He would clearly make me look more casual and he could come in handy when needed. I was unarmed tonight, a sitting duck from every aspect and Duke could be my shield, cause have you seen the guy? He was huge.
"Duke, can you grab a beer for me?" His eyes widened on my question. "Don’t get on my nerves just yet, please…" Obviously angry he left me standing with Anastasia.
"Now turn with your back against the bar…" She said it making it look like she wasn’t even talking to me. She braced her elbows on the counter, winking towards the bartender. I did as she said; I took the empty seat on the stool, placing my jacket covered elbows on the counter. I scanned every table, every booth I saw and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Even the guys around the pool tables seemed wasted, too wasted for a guy who was on a business trip here. "A group on two o’clock. The one in the middle."
I pressed myself off the counter, so I could brace my elbow on my thigh, looking like I was scanning the place just out of boredom. People used do that. I think they did. Two o’clock, two o’clock, my two o’clock or her two o’clock? I turned my head to the right with a sharp movement, playing with a strand of hair between my fingers, looking over them with the corner of my eye. She had to be joking. The guy with extremely short hair, extremely broad shoulders and extremely cute dimples, the extremely close friend of Duke’s? What was his name… Oh yeah, Trent Black. He… was my employer?