Chapter 11
Vicki ended up finding a great bar/dance club just up the street from her apartment. Walking up to it she saw the name Twilight Lounge on the side of building, and as she got closer, she saw there was a very long line inching around the corner. She sighed and headed towards the back of the line when one of the bouncers called out to her,
"Hey there pretty thing, where do you think you're going?" He was about 6'5" with dark hair, caramel skin, bulging arm muscles under his black t-shirt, and honey brown eyes.
Vicki stopped and looked over at him with a questioning glance, then looked behind her just to make sure it was her he was speaking to.
"Well I don't make it a habit of calling every woman walking down Tallas St. 'pretty little' now do I?" He chuckling a bit he motioned her over, "Honestly Beth, you act like you've never seen me before."
Ohh right she thought to herself, as she turned back towards the bouncer, adding a little sway to her hips as she walked toward him. "Well, I just thought I'd give the common man a chance at getting in tonight, handsome," she said smiling. She stopped in front of him, his name tag read Rick. He smiled back and grabbed her in a big bear hug.
"Where have you been? It's nearly dark and I haven't seen you all week" he said in a pouty voice with a boyish gleam in his eye. " 'Is not right making us wait to see ya."
"Aw, poor baby," she said bringing up one of her hands to cup his cheek, smiling at him, "I think you some how managed without me." Winking at him she brought her hand down and placed it on her hip. "So what's it look like tonight?"
"Not too bad from where I'm standin,'" he replied with a smile.
"Such a charmer," Vicki said returning his smile. It's easier playing B than I thought it would be.
"Only for you." Winking at her he, ushered her to the front of the line. "Alright Jim, let Beth through." As Vicki walked up and through the red velvet ropes she heard a few cries of outrage from people who were standing in line and shrugged it off. It's not every night you get to pretend to be someone you're not. And with that thought she went in.
Henry started the night out making sure he had fed well before heading over to Twilight, one of his new favorite spots to go to in Vancouver. As he came up to Tallas he noticed how long the line was, AND smiling slightly to himself he walked up to the front of the line. Rick greeted him.
"Hey Henry," he said shaking his hand, "How you been man? We haven't seen you in a couple of weeks."
"Good to see you Rick, just ran up against some deadlines."
"Oh, I see, well it's good to see you. Liza has your table ready for you, like always," he said looking at Henry with a knowing gaze.
"Thank you Rick, make sure to give my thanks to Liza as well." He said tilting his head to the bouncer and went in.
Vicki was having a great time; people were greeting her with smiles and hugs. Men seemed to be drawn to her and she liked it. A lot. She had had a couple of drinks and was finishing off her third while sitting at the bar. The club was full of life and she could feel the energy pulling at her from the dance floor. The heat inside the club was overwhelming and she had removed her lightweight sweater to reveal a tight low cut tank top with beading along the neckline. She looked over to the entrance and saw the one man she had thought she'd never see again. One Henry Fitzroy, and man, did he look good. But the quick lustful emotion that ran through her was gone as quick as it had come and was taken over by the twinge of hurt and overwhelming emotions of rage and misery.
She finished off the rest of her drink quickly, tipping her head back downing the rest of it. Placing her glass on the bar she looked back at the entrance. There stood Henry, Duke of Richmond, talking to some little thing she was sure was his next meal. He seemed to tense a little and his head sharply turned, his gaze falling on her sitting at the bar.
Taking a deep breath she stood and met his gaze full on. Raising an eyebrow, she flipped her hair behind her and sauntered towards the dance floor, not looking back.
The beat of the music had her tuned into her body's need to get rid of the pent up energy. She moved her hips in suggestively and danced with any man who came by. She smiled to herself and realized she was having fun, real fun and she loved it. She wasn't worried about demons or things that go bump in the night; right now in this moment she wasn't Vicki Nelson PI, she was Bethany and she could play it however she wanted. She just kept moving to the beat of the music, having a great time. She danced with men, and women who seemed to be friends of hers. Then she felt it. The burning gaze on her back that ran through every part of her body, setting her on edge and forcing her to turn around; she knew exactly who was making her feel that way.
Henry stood at the outer limit of the dancing crowd watching Bethany dance. Something about her seemed different but he couldn't put his finger on it. When he had woken this night he felt it, a tingle in the air and rising tension; coming to the club COMMA it had grown stronger then intensified when he walked in. He hadn't really noticed it until he had been speaking with one of the waitresses at the club, then all of a sudden he had felt it.
First there had been lust which quickly replaced rage, hurt, and sadness, all of which were directed at him and he had seen one of the last people he thought he would. She didn't seem like the woman he had met the week before though but he felt something in her had changed; he wasn't quite sure what it was. He was, however, going to find out. When he had held her gaze, so many emotions had crossed her face. He was sure she wasn't aware of that, but why should she be hurt and saddened by seeing him? It didn't add up, and he was going to find out. One way or another.
