There was an "obstruction" on the stairs.
Alison held Emily's hand firmly, refusing to stop walking parallel to the brunette, even when what seemed like hundreds of bodies crashed against her figure in the grim flight of stairs. "Seriously, couldn't they have put a fucking decent light so people won't be killed in the damn stairs?", she grumbled internally, beginning to question the need to wear those fourteen centimeters heels.
People moved in relative silence, quietly, like slow zombies, the atmosphere becoming uncomfortable and kind of overwhelming, making the heat produced by the central heating system rise to the point of making you sweat.
Suddenly, the brunette's hand slipped off the grip of Alison's fingers.
Her heart jumped in her chest, causing her to stop her movements, blocking the motion of the people behind her.
It had been a second. A second of hesitation. A second of clumsiness. A second that had cost her the lost of her girl.
When Alison looked to her right she just saw a column of people moving without pause, there was no sign of the brunette.
She didn't have time to call her, not even to look for her with her eyes.
Trying to control the panic that was about to overcome her she continued walking and, after descending five steps, she was on the second floor landing which, unfortunately for her, was almost worse than the stairs.
It seemed that the abundant human river that had brought her there had fallen into a confusing sea of glittering dresses and suits.
She couldn't believe that, just a few minutes ago, she had been fooling around with her girlfriend in a luxury room, surrounded by strangers. Now her heart was beating hastily, afraid, and she could almost feel how her eyes bulged in an attempt to distinguish those who were moving around her, she was as lost as at the beginning of the night.
How could it all change so fast?
Alison walked until she found a "clear" in the crowd (a small spot in a corner that hadn't been captured by anyone yet) and focused on finding the brunette's dark hair or the strips of that dress that had taken her breath away.
She should have shouted her name, why hadn't she shouted her name? Oh, yes, of course, from her mouth would have come out an "Emily", instead of a "Natalie", and her cover would have been ruined. Apparently, the reflexes of her years evading the world had acted and the brunette had escaped from her hands, literally.
"She cannot be far", she said to herself before being absorbed by the crowd, on her way back to the stairs.
That stretch between the second and the first floor seemed more bearable and all her senses were put on alert when she recognized a tanned shoulder half-covered by a strip of white cloth, just a few steps below her.
Alison began to move more fluidly, knowing that the first floor landing was very close, when the tip of right foot stepped on the hem of a gown, destabilizing her.
A lady in her fifties turned to her with an angry expression after letting out a yelp of surprise.
- Maudite insolente élevage. – She growled, leaning on the shoulder of the man next to her, before continuing her descent.
- Bitch… - Alison murmured, and to think she had been just about to apologize.
The blonde didn't have to look up to know that she had lost sight of Emily one more time.
The girl took down the last few steps, being more careful when she touched the floor and wondering who had been the smart person deciding to empty all the salons at once. It seemed more an evacuation than any other thing, it was impossible that all those people were going to fit in the cafeteria!
When she reached the first floor landing, Alison decided to go down to the cafeteria without stopping, the brunette would surely be already there. That's when the blonde recognized a very special hair style in front of her.
- Chloe? – She asked, not too loud, apparently, since the girl kept walking like nothing. – Chloe! – She exclaimed and the brunette didn't have time to turn towards her before she continued talking. – Have you seen Natalie?
It was strange, and maybe it was due to the drink or… the lack of it, but the blonde would swear that she had heard an echo when she asked that question… a French echo. When Chloe finally turned to face the blonde the look on her face was far from that timid flattery stare that the girl had become used to, it was more like she had just seen a ghost… the same look that occupied the woman's face behind her.
She was thin and not very tall, probably she was even shorter than her. The cut of her hair made her look older than she surely was, and her eyes… Those dark, serious eyes were watching her like they recognized her and they didn't seem very excited about that.
Who was that woman?
- Estella… - Chloe began, overwhelmed, that situation was too weird for her and her mind, which hadn't eliminated yet enough bubbles from the champagne she had consumed. – This is Nicolette, - She decided to say, pointing to her boss. – Nicolette, this is Estella. – This time the girl pointed to the blonde. – And no, I have no idea where Natalie is.
Alison tentatively approached the woman, who was watching her with amazement and a little of… fear?
"This is the woman who frightens Emily?", Alison asked herself. She didn't seem that scary.
- Hi. – The blonde greeted, holding out a hand and showing a smile. – It's a pleasure to meet you.
It was then when Nicolette neutralized her expression and looked at the girl with disdain, as if she was the tiniest insect in the surface of earth. A look that bordered the revulsion.
- Qui est-elle? – She asked, denying the blonde's hand and looking directly at Chloe.
- She is… - The brunette began, not knowing where to go. There was so many people in that party… how could those two had found each other?
- Je suis Estella, la copine du Natalie. – Alison introduced herself, feeling kind of comfortable while saying it.
- Bonne nuit. – Nicolette said quickly and, after a little tilt of her head, she started to turn away.
- Un moment. – The blonde stopped her, placing a hand on her right forearm. – S'il vous plait? – She asked sweetly and Nicolette looked at the clinging fingers in her skin. – Je… je tiens à vous remercier pour tout ce que vous faites pour Natalie.
The woman changed her gaze from those pale digits to the blonde's blue eyes with a single blink.
- Elle parle beaucoup de vous et… ell edit choses ci bonnes que… à present, he veux travailler ici! – Alison said with a smile and saw how Nicolette watched her up and down. – Récemment, nous sommes arrivés à la ville et, si pas pour vous, nous serions dans la rue. – The woman raised an eyebrow. "Too much", the blonde thought. Yeah, that had been too much.
Actually, Alison hadn't really thought what she would say to Nicolette in case of meeting her. If it had been for her she would have hissed a "watch what you do to my girl or you'll see how much of a DiLaurentis I still am", but… that wouldn't have had any effect there.
She knew nothing about the life of that woman.
The blonde didn't have idea if she had family, a partner, another work or some skeletons in her closet, so it was a little difficult to threaten her, scare her days with painful consequences to prove that Emily wasn't alone and that, despite being young (because it was obvious that the two of them were very young), they knew how to take care of each other.
- Natalie est très heureux de travailler ici, je sais qu'elle ne será pas dit quoi que ce soit, parce qu'elle est très timide, mais elle aime être ici, et travailler avec vous. – This time the woman crossed her arms and sighed as she looked at the austere watch with a thin black belt surrounding her left wrist. Was she bored? – Et je tiens à la voir heureuse, vous savez? Donc je ne peux pas me plaindre, même quand elle vient à la maison a minuit, après… je ne sais pas, sept heures de travail sans ralâche?
Nicolette wasn't reacting, she was just half-listening what she was saying, paying more attention to their surroundings than to the blonde, and the girl was getting tired of being ignored, that wasn't anything else but a waste of time, she should be looking for Emily, not trying to threaten someone who was clearly far above her.
"Far above you? What's your problem? Since when do you think like that about yourself? This woman is exploding Emily, your Emily, are you really going to let her keep doing what she wants with her?" For the first time, her DiLaurentis side had spoken in the right moment.
- La vérité est que je ne comprends pas grand-chose, mais… un ami de ma famille est avocat et il nous a dit une fois qu¡il a retire a toute une entreprise parce que l'un des travailleurs qui travaillent plus une heure du son contrat. Ce fou, est-ce pas? – That seemed to catch Nicolette's attention, slightly, as she raised an eyebrow and looked at her with pursed lips. – Je ne dis pas vous exploitez vos employés! Non, mon Dieu! – The blonde laughed. – Je suis sûr que á la fin du mois Natalie encaissera plus pour ceux supplémentaire heures, comme le reste de ses compagnons, je suppose, car il semble que ils travaillent tous plus qu'ils ne devraient. – Those last words left her mouth slowly, accompanied by a gaze so intense that even that unflappable woman couldn't avoid. – Pas facile d'exploiter une entreprise aussi grande que cela, passer inspections, garder les gens… - Alison could see her jaw clenching on her sharp face. – Mais, qu'est que je sais? Pour moi, la seule chose que je me soucie est que Natalie est bien, vous entendez?
- J'entends. – She replied, lifting her chin. – C'était un plaisir de vous rencontrer, Estella.
- Également.
And with that last and concise sentence the woman disappeared into the crowd, her body visibly tense, it seemed that the blonde had gotten into her nerves, finally!
- Did you just threaten my boss? – Chloe asked her, the girl had remained silent throughout the conversation.
- Something like that. – Alison answered, feeling proud of what she had done, maybe she hadn't completely lost her DiLaurentis touch. – Have you seen Natalie?
- I told you I haven't but… she should be down by now and… did you really threaten my boss? – The girl repeated in disbelief, if before the blonde seemed to her one of those perfect girls that could get everything now she had just became her personal idol.
- I will not let anyone hurt her. – Alison said firmly, more to herself than to the brunette. They hadn't traveled half the world to escape from the hands of a psychopath to just fall into the clutches of an exploiter.
(AN: Alison's conversation with Nicolette is translated at the end of the chapter ;) )
"Alison, where are you?". Emily scanned her surroundings one more time, looking for the blonde mane she had lost two flights of stairs back.
The cafeteria should be packed given the unstoppable influx of people it was receiving, but that overcrowding wasn't happening, not even remotely. It was funny how some of the guests left the place by the front door without even saying goodbye to anyone while others remained within its walls, behind, in increasingly smaller groups that weren't exchanging too many words. It seemed that there was some kind of list for those "VIP customers" who were allowed to stay for the rest of the evening.
The atmosphere had lost its charm and relaxation time ago, right at the moment when all the guests had walked with that particular rhythm and order to the stairs. It was as if everyone knew where they should be and what they should do and, apparently, now it was the moment to take a good place in that large room and wait.
But Emily wasn't able to notice anything of that.
The adrenaline of losing Alison in the crowd had subsided the dizziness produced by the alcohol on the brunette, who was moving with some precision and speed among those people, looking, walking forward and back again, kind of desperate, until the inevitable happened and… she hit someone.
- Sorry… - She apologized instantly and, looking up, the brunette found the giant man who had entertained Chloe at the beginning of the night.
- Don't worry. – He said calmly, with a French accent, smiling sideways, creating wrinkles only at the corners of his mouth. – You're Natalie, right?
- Eh… yes. – How did he know her name? Well… her fake name.
- It's such a shame that Chloe couldn't introduce us formally before, I am Damien Magné. - He said, handing her a big hand. – Nice to meet you.
With that relaxed pose and those eyes not showing any expression in particular the brunette didn't find him as intimidating as the first time she saw him. Although the width of his shoulders and his impressive height forced her to think about how to breathe like a normal person.
- Nice to meet you too. – Emily replied awkwardly, shaking his hand (which was unexpectedly soft) but looking away from his face every few seconds, still trying to find the blonde.
- Demetz warned me about your beauty, but I must confess that you exceed any expectations.
"What?", that comment made her entire body shudder and she didn't waste a single second to withdraw her hand from Monsieur Magné.
- You know Demetz? – She asked, just to say something and not stay silent, showing how cornered she was beginning to feel.
- Oh, yes, of course, since we were kids, I'm one of his associates in the company. – He answered quietly, keeping his hands in the pockets of his black suit.
- And he told you about me?
- Everyone knows who you are, Natalie. – He said, staring at her, this time with intensity. Emily swallowed while a drop of cold sweat run down her spine. – Everyone that matters, anyway.
- Why…?
- Good evening, my friends. – Said an amplified voice, and the whole room fell completely silent.
When Alison set her foot on the penultimate step of the stairs she scanned the cafeteria carefully, not caring of the people that was still behind her.
Luckily (and because of how white her glorious dress was) the blonde found the brunette easily, on the right side of the room, near the center.
She almost let out a sigh of relief once she found her, for a moment she had even considered the thought of someone kidnapping the girl, but her lips didn't open. Alison clenched her teeth, hard, when she saw that the brunette wasn't alone, there was a very tall man next to her, talking to her, staring at her and, by the expression of stupefaction and tension on her face, she didn't seem to be enjoying whatever conversation they were having.
Letting the air finally abandon her body through her nose in a snort Alison began to move among people at an accelerated pace, giving occasional pushes without worrying about stepping onto old ladies.
Who the hell was that guy?
- Good evening, my friends. – Said an amplified voice, and the whole room fell completely silent.
Hearing those words the blonde stopped short, only five people away from the brunette.
How was it possible that she hadn't seen him while she was searching for Emily?
There was Demetz, standing on a red dais that had never been in that room before, with two serious and obviously well trained men on each side of his wheelchair, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose, facing a gray microphone, smiling shyly and catching the attention of everyone. He looked like a kid who was about to give a speech in front of the whole school on Peace Day.
- I hope you're enjoying the evening, both for the good food and the good company. – He began, clearing his throat and earning a couple of silent gestures of sympathy from the public. He was nervous, or at least he looked like he was nervous. – For me it is an honor and a pleasure to be here tonight. When my father started this business I was just a kid who had nothing clear…
Alison made sure her ears were recording the story of Demetz's life while looking towards the brunette. That man was still beside her, now without talking, without touching her (fortunately for him), but too close for the blonde.
- He loves to explain how he got to the top. – Suddenly Chloe was next to her, her view fixed on Demetz, as the rest of the people, but blocking her way to Emily.
- Does he always say the same? – Alison asked her, trying to stay in place and not run to the brunette to grab her hand and get out of there as soon as possible.
There was something very weird in the air.
Everyone was mesmerized by the words of Demetz, which were nothing more than a tragic story told in a very studied tone of voice. The silence was so thick that you could actually chew it, the music she once heard while walking in the room was gone. All the lights were decreasing their intensity imperceptibly, all but the one that was above the host. Even Chloe seemed immersed in that disturbing spell, arms crossed in front of her chest and a glass of champagne halfway to her lips.
- Yes, his childhood upon rich people, the death of his mother, his dark days in college, the accident and… - Summarized the girl quietly, pronouncing each word slower than the one before.
The blonde didn't understand all that… worship.
At that moment the main door of the room opened silently to let another couple of bodyguards in. It was a subtle entrance, the people listening to Demetz didn't even noticed it. But Alison, being aware of how grisly the situation was, had stopped listening to the man minutes ago and could see perfectly how, between those two tall, muscular men, was moving a smaller figure, with well-defined curves, a figure with dark hair and light skin…
- Who…? – The blonde began to ask in a whisper, just as the three new guests were aligned to the left of Demetz.
- Oh, that's Vivian. – Chloe said, the question still unfinished and her eyes fixed on Demetz. It was obvious that the brunette had caught Alison's attention, she always caught everyone attention.
- I know who she is. – Now that the girl was in the front row that surrounded the scaffold she could see the unmistakable features of CeCe.
- Oh, yeah? – Chloe took her gaze away from the center of the room and looked at the blonde with a frown.
- Yeah. – Alison replied, returning the gesture. What was happening?
- Wait… - The brunette's eyes widened at that moment. – Is that your friend? – Alison raised an eyebrow while her heart started to race, what did Chloe know about CeCe and her? – Natalie told me that a friend of yours was helping you to prepare for tonight, is that your friend?
- Yeah. – The blonde said again, reluctantly.
- That explains everything. – The brunette commented, finally drinking from the cup of champagne.
- What…? – She began to ask.
- … and things aren't always simple. – Demetz continued, raising his voice slightly, as if the emotion of what he was saying had made him lose control. The blonde finally looked at him due to that outburst of sentimentality, seeing how wet his eyes were the guy must have been about to burst in tears. – But you surround yourself with good people, people who respects you and loves you… - Then he turned his head to the left and extended a hand to CeCe, as if the girl had been there all the time.
The brunette walked the few steps that separated her from the dais and laced her fingers through the boys, who smiled fondly. CeCe was wearing the long silver dress that Alison had seen in her apartment but hadn't been allowed to try on. It fitted her, showing her cleavage and her back, with an eternal fall that almost touched the ground. She looked like a movie star who was going to collect an Oscar.
When CeCe stood beside Demetz on the scaffold and grinned, soft sighs emerged among the audience, and suddenly the room was filled with dreamy smiles.
- I guess it's easy to call the boss's attention when your girlfriend is the BFF of his fiancée. – Chloe muttered to no one in particular.
- Fiancée? – Alison exclaimed, unable to contain herself, grateful that Demetz was rambling without pause once again.
For a moment the blonde forgot everything, Demetz's speech, how rare the environment was and even how uncomfortable she knew Emily was, who kept changing her weight from one leg to another, wondering what the hell was CeCe doing up there and when would that man, who she felt breathing behind her, leave.
- What do you mean by fiancée? – Alison asked hastily.
- Didn't you know…?
- No!
- Shh. – Someone rebuked them and when Alison turned to her left she found the stairs woman. That lady was very lucky that all she had in her mind at the moment was the idea of the brunette and engaged version of CeCe Drake.
- Since when are they engaged? – The blonde demanded, getting closer to Chloe.
- Since… I don't know, forever? Everyone knows them as a couple, as long as Demetz has been attending this parties she's always been by his side.
Okay, that made no sense, that was not possible. CeCe hadn't been in Paris for so long to be the fiancée of a billionaire and his usual date in public events, right? RIGHT?
Alison was on the verge of hyperventilating. Not that she had expected CeCe to be completely honest with her but… she could have told her that! She felt almost sick knowing how the girl had been lying to her face, no matter how many differences they had, that… that was…
Suddenly everyone around her was clapping and moving. Great, she had missed the end of the speech and, apparently, the instructions for the second part of the night.
People walked as if they knew where to go, while some were heading towards the exit door others returned to the stairs. Trying to not get carried away by the confusion of the moment Alison looked back to the center of the room.
Within seconds the platform had disappeared and, with it, Demetz, CeCe and the four bodyguards.
How have they moved so fast?
"And Emily?", the blonde asked to herself, more altered second by second. WHERE WAS EMILY?
Everything was just a mix of bodies and unfamiliar faces surrounding her, even Chloe had disappeared. Alison was about to collapse when a hand closed around her wrist.
- Hey… - As she turned abruptly the blonde was met with Emily's chocolate eyes and the air finally found its way to her chest. Thank God she was there. – Are you okay?
- Yes… I… Don't ever walk away from me like that again, will you? – She almost demanded in a strained voice, holding her hand tightly. – Who was the man next to you?
- An associate of Demetz… - The brunette replied, a little surprised by the question. – Have you seen how weird the people was while Demetz was talking? And… Vivian…
- Yeah. – Alison said vaguely, still searching the room with her eyes.
- Who are you looking for? – Emily asked her, trying to follow her gaze. – Ali. – Saying her name she took her face in her hands, she was shaking a little. – Are you okay?
Alison focused on those brown irises and made an effort to relax. To learn about CeCe's reality had hit her so hard that she wasn't even able to pay attention to Emily, who she had found, finally!
- Why don't we go home? – The blonde asked her, she didn't want to be in that place any longer.
- I think we can't. – The brunette replied and Alison frowned.
Emily pointed to the front door, which was completely closed and guarded by two guards.
- I think they want us to go to the first floor.
They climbed the stairs in silence and, when they reached the first floor, they only had one option: to enter the room in which Emily used to work. The beginning of the stairs leading to the second floor there was a man with a scowl, and the other room's door was locked, so the way they should go was extremely obvious.
Both girls looked at each other before walking hesitantly to the interior of the room.
There would be no more than fifty people there. They had removed almost all the tables and chairs, making the place look wider than usual.
Most of the people were talking between them, discussing with murmurs, holding champagne glasses that nobody drank because it seemed there were more important things to do than go with the bubbly alcohol.
The other guests who didn't seem to be deciding the fate of the world danced to the sound of a soft melody that came from the string quartet playing in one corner of the room.
If you took a glimpse at the place for the first time everything seemed normal but, if you paid a little more attention you could pick up the weird details.
The first thing that stood out in that room was that only the youngest were at the center of the room, using the makeshift dance floor, while the older guests who were in the "surroundings" talked to each other without taking their eyes away from them, as if they were concerned parents who had just send their children to play, for surely they were required to talk about "adult things" that those children would never understand.
And then, after that, you realize how slow the music goes and how low the lights are.
Why were they so determined to leave almost every corner of the place in darkness?
Emily and Alison, meanwhile, were still at the door of the room, not daring to go inside but knowing that they couldn't leave. Until they finally decided to cross the doorframe. Then the eyes of everyone fell on them, even though they had moved as subtly as possible.
There was no one they could recognize, at least with that light.
The brunette saw the giant mirror on the left back of the room and knowing the type of room it was hiding she felt a chill run down her spine. Would anyone be behind that misleading glass that night?
Just in case, Emily decided to guide Alison toward the windows, away from that sinister place, where the only tables and chairs around the room remained. There were various sweets harmoniously placed on the tablecloths. Cakes, mousses, cupcakes, fruit sorbets, croquembouches… a feast that was completely intact.
- This place is giving me the creeps. – Alison said, staying as close to the brunette as she could.
- Yeah… I know… - Emily commented, being aware that there were still too many eyes on them, or rather… on the blonde. At first they had looked at both of them but now she was realizing that it was Alison the one attracting more pairs of eyes, and she didn't like it, at all. – Did you know that Ce… Vivian was with Demetz?
- No. – She decided to answer after a second of hesitation. It wasn't really a lie, if it hadn't been for Chloe she wouldn't have known what was going on between those two, so... Chloe… where was she?
- It was all so weird… The way the people were looking at him, the bodyguards… - Emily sighed and looked at the blonde. – Can we be in a normal place for once?
- Em… - Alison began, she understood exactly how she felt.
- Natalie! – A shrill voice exclaimed all of a sudden and, a second later, the arm of Bruno, one of the waiters from the second floor fell on the brunette's shoulders, making her jump.
- Hey Bruno… - The girl greeted him, unenthusiastically.
- Io sono content che tu sei qui ancora. – The Italian said, drawling the words. The guy was clearly drunk.
- Yeah, it's really good you're still here, with your friend. Buonanotte signorine. – This time it was Fausto, Bruno's twin, who spoke as he stood next to Alison, who stuck a little closer to the brunette.
Those were the two twins George had talked about when Emily saw him at the restaurant's entrance.
They both had dark hair, tanned skin and light eyes. With attractive smile and perfect body there was no girl in the restaurant who was not interested in them, except Emily, of course.
Bruno used to be the most uncaring twin, the most "liberal". He didn't care about schedules or rules. Although the brunette had never worked with them she saw both every day in the kitchen and it was Bruno who used to appear closer than necessary to her, trying to help the girl in everything, even in the little things that the brunette already understood.
Fausto, however, was more restrained, serious and dedicated. Curiously, he was the one getting the most dates out of them.
The two boys began to speak, Bruno to Emily, in Italian mixed with some English that she could barely understand, and Fausto to Alison, more quietly and… closer.
The brunette didn't know how to get away from the guy. She couldn't be rude to him and just shout a "fuck off" in his face because she would have to see him every single day in a very small and crowded space, but if that hand over her shoulder dared to move in the wrong direction her own palm was going to be tattooed in one of those perfect cheeks.
And if the "twin attack" wasn't overwhelming enough, the small groups of people looking at them were growing pretty quick. That's when Emily turned to Alison and saw how close Fausto was to the blonde, how he was ogling at her, her girl, shamelessly!
- Bella signorina, - The fool started to say in Italian, offering his left hand to the blonde. – it would be a pleasure to share the dance floor with you, may I please be your partner for the next song?
Alison just blinked, raising her eyebrows, she had to admit that the Italians knew how to woo a lady, way much better than the kids in Rosewood, infinitely better, actually. She didn't had idea what he had been talking about because he had been speaking mostly in Italian but, the way he had spoken to her, close but without touching… she knew she wouldn't have been very resistant to him, not in the past.
- You know what, Fausto? – Emily said, dumping Bruno's arm and getting in front of the other guy. – Estella is not my friend, she's MY girlfriend, so if someone is going to take her out dancing tonight that person is going to be me. – The two boys looked at her surprised. Emily was always so quiet and respectful that they would have never expected that kind of reaction, or that kind of confession, to be honest. Then the brunette looked at Alison and, with her cheeks flushing (because of anger and… because of what she was going to do) she extended her hand to the blonde. – Do you want to dance with me?
The brunette held her breath for a second, that wasn't the way she had planned to ask her for a dance (for their first dance!) that night, it was supposed to be gentle, romantic even, not in the edge of rage, trying to make clear she was hers… not that she thought she owned the girl, not really, not in a bad way, at least, but…
Her crazy train of thoughts stopped when she saw the blonde's eyes becoming more intense and the left corner of her beautiful mouth slightly lifted.
As it had happened quite often that night, Alison didn't answer with words, she just took her hand and began moving through the crowd. When the girl found a fairly clear spot she turned to the brunette and, still holding her hand she stepped closer to her body, as close as she could, allowing her free hand to fall over her right shoulder. Automatically, the brunette wrapped the edge of her waist with her right hand and started to move slowly, following the quiet rhythm of the music.
For a while they didn't speak, they just looked at each other. It was easier to focus on the eyes of the other instead of being aware of the spotlight that they must be at that moment.
Although, in some way, the situation was strangely idyllic, the atmosphere was strangely idyllic.
The lights dimmed each time more and more, turning the usual light red of the walls into a darker tone, giving a feeling of warmth.
The various bodies that were dancing around them seemed ghosts, ghosts from another dimension, transparent and incorporeal, secondary presences merged with the background of the scene.
And the music… that music that ranged from note to note was the soundtrack to a dream that threatened to become a nightmare at any moment.
It was the fear that everything was some kind of macabre trap what made their hearts beat faster and what turned each steady and quiet second into an eternity.
But the people was still looking at them, and Emily couldn't help but feel that unwanted attention. It wasn't exactly something brazen, and there weren't any grimaces of disgust, but the brunette wasn't appreciating very much all that curiosity.
Emily focused on continuing the slow motion in which their dance had become and let her left hand abandon the blonde's right to encircle her waist and attract the girl a little more to her body, feeling how Alison accepted that embrace while she placed her own arms around her neck.
When she inhaled, the brunette caught the blonde's perfume and… the scent of her skin. She couldn't help a sigh. Carefully, making a caress out of the gesture, she let her cheek rest against hers.
She could feel the heat of her body, the way she breathed against her chest, her legs brushing her thighs every time they took a step.
She closed her eyes.
It was Alison who was dancing with her, whose fingers were caressing her dark hair, whose lips were an inch away from her neck…
Alison.
For a moment she had forgotten what that moment meant.
- Are you okay? – The blonde asked when she sighed a second time and Emily nodded.
- If you only knew how many times I've dreamed of this. – She began to say in a low voice, her slightly trembling breath brushing the curve of her ear. – How many times I've wanted to be like this with you, on the street, when we were with the girls, at school… I just wanted to have you in my arms knowing that it was something you also wanted.
- Em…
If they were in danger, if something bad was going to happen during what remained of night, she needed to tell her what that part of her brain that was always reserved for the blonde had been muttering every time someone had put their eyes on her.
- People have been watching you all night, Ali. I knew it would happen, as soon as I've seen you with that dress… I knew everybody would be looking at you, as always. And I was ready to not care about it, to just focus on you and ignore the rest but… - She stopped one second before proceeding, to wet her lips and order her ideas. – Before I didn't have any right to be jealous, I couldn't get angry because some guy was too close to you, I… I couldn't do anything. It was so frustrating… but I guess I got used to it. – This time she swallowed. – Now… now I feel that I do have that right, and when Fausto has asked you to dance with him… I couldn't help it.
- I liked what you did. – She confessed gently and moved a little away from her to be able to look into her eyes. – I like that you say clearly that I'm with you, that I'm yours. – She really did, and she wished she was able to do the same for her.
The brunette wanted to cry.
If someone had told her a few months ago that Alison DiLaurentis was going to say those words looking directly to her eyes she would have laughed in their face before running to hide in her room for days to deal with the pain on her own because it seemed impossible that that girl could come to feel something for her.
- Well… it doesn't look like it is so clear. – She said, normalizing her breathing at the sight of two men watching the blonde without hesitation. – There are two guys who don't stop looking at you.
- Then you should show them that they have nothing to do.
That wasn't going to make the looks go away, in any case, it would attract more, so it was her mission to make it so intimate that it would become uncomfortable or that it would just distract them completely from the present.
Emily watched the blonde's blue eyes one last time before focusing on her mouth. She liked to do that, to look at her eyes without shame or fear, to enjoy them.
The brunette stopped the swing of their bodies and, after making their foreheads come into contact, she cocked her head slightly to the right, letting the tips of their noses brush subtly before their lips touched.
Pressure, the air restrained in the chest, her arms encircling that body and, finally, movement.
The blonde had perfect lips, soft, full, sweet… Emily remembered the dessert they had shared when she run her tongue over them and, barely a moment later, she found herself awash in flavor, her flavor, lost inside of that wonderful mouth.
They had learned how to breathe between kisses so they didn't have to separate too much and break the magic of the moment, so their lips chased each other with expert caresses that extended more and more in time.
Emily's hands reached for Alison's bare back, feeling the warmth of her skin. Every time she touched her it was as if she was doing it for the first time, she always started slowly, like tasting the waters, until her fingers remembered the unmistakable touch of that body and then she let go completely.
It was the change of the song played by the string quartet what made Alison realize where they were. Almost reluctantly, the girl took the brunette's face in her hands, controlling the contact between their lips.
- Let's go home. – The blonde said against the brunette's mouth, hating every millimeter between them. She had gone crazy with that kiss, they needed to get out of there before making a show (one greater than the one they had just offered).
- What if the door is closed? – Emily asked in a whisper.
- I'll open it.
The restaurant was completely silent, at last.
It had been four hours of intense work, not counting, of course, all the previous time of preparation.
So many customers to satisfy, so many tables to serve, so many details to be finalized in a haste just before someone took their place…
Why everything had to be always so calculated?
Why did she have to work so hard?
Why?
Nicolette suppressed a sigh and continued walking down the hall on the top floor, without being carried away by the tinkle of rain crashing against the glasses, blurring the night view of the city. On nights like that, when the interior or the restaurant remained silent, it seemed that its structure was melting with the outside. It was as if Paris walked inside of the building, flooding it with its sounds of distant laughter and occasional cars, with raindrops that hurtled from the sky over its streets and rooftops.
Nicolette used to like those nights.
She used to…
The little woman moved from table to table, making a mental list of the inevitable damage that the night had left. She knew those "parties" were necessary, of course she knew, but lately her constant and centered attitude was wavering… were those events really that necessary?
Six tablecloths would have to be completely replaced because of those stupid wax candles that had adorned the center of each and every one of the tables.
Eight dishes, fifteen cups and one fork would also have to be replaced because it seemed that those people, while having more than enough money to pay for "manners", didn't know how to use cutlery in a proper way.
Luckily, during the night, no one had noticed any of those flaws.
Well, not luckily but thanks to her.
Whenever something broke the waiters were trained to see it before anybody else so they'll be able to replace it without a single person being aware of it.
And that was her fault, entirely.
She spoiled her customers, she had to admit it, and the results of their miseducation were the subtle damages that appeared in her saloons night after night.
Her saloons… they really were hers, not legally, but in terms of responsibility, work and worry. She hadn't expected to end up being locked in a restaurant at night, she hadn't wanted to but… it had happened, inevitably.
If it were for her, she would be at that very moment sitting on the porch of the house that accompanied the vineyards that her grandparents cultivated, relieving the elderly couple from their tasks, organizing the site, modernizing it but without taking away its curious nature, a cross between the rural and the sophisticated, something really special that made it her personal paradise.
But no, Nicolette was caught between those walls, breathing the toxic air from the noisy streets of the city, regretting the present in which she was submerged.
And that night, like many others, she didn't have other choice but to feel resigned and ignore the crystals she knew were hid by the long fabric clothing the tables before climbing down the stairs, without stopping at any other room (she had seen enough in that third floor), until she reached the first floor.
This time, before she opened the door of the saloon on the left, Nicolette didn't fail to sigh. She would need an empty chest and a clear mind to face what remained of that night.
While crossing the room she didn't want to pay attention to the floor, which was dotted with drops of alcohol and bruised by the rubbing of heels. She just let her steps resonate in the echo of the empty place, heading for the door next to the mirror.
Before she turned the handle the woman heard the voices.
- They are so insolent.
- Come on Cormier, what have they done this time?
- Didn't you see them?
Nicolette opened and closed the door subtly, waiting to hear the click of the lock to rely on the wood, keeping herself in the semi-darkness of that entry, the only advantage of that room.
"Le seul avantage de cet maudit endroit", rectified her subconscious.
The "Room behind the mirror", as some of the most innocent waiters of the local liked to call it, was not at all what it pretended to be.
It was supposed to be a dressing room, a discrete space that allowed the employees to put on their uniforms before starting their shifts, a harmless place.
But the boudoirs, closets, hangers, even the curtains that created the tiny makeshift changers on the walls, were a mere deception for those who started in the business, a cover.
If that kind of place was really necessary it would exist in each and every one of the rooms, as the drawers with cutlery and the room connecting the kitchen with the various floors did.
No, that room was more than that.
When there were events like the one that had happened that night, that room mutated into what it really was, an "Observation room".
Within minutes, before any guest entered the place, the room lost the little furniture it usually had and ended up being completely naked, only four black walls, a dark hole in the first floor. Then, a long gray table accompanied by a total of nine solid wood chairs and a wheeled one appeared in the center of the room, just in front of the mirror that, from that sinister interior, ended up being a huge window offering a panoramic view of the evening.
If someone wanted to watch directly over dinner what was happening on the other side of the glass, they could, if not… well, they always had the possibility to wait for the screens to be installed and the sound to be activated to join the meeting at the end of the night, the one that was taking place at that exact moment.
Nicolette wasn't a regular of those meetings, she usually tried to skip them because she couldn't stand the little group of magnates who gathered there, but tonight she wanted to be present to witness the words that would be exchanged at the table. Things were changing, she knew it, and she had to be part of that change.
- I say we throw them out. – Cormier sentenced, hitting the table with the palm of his hand.
Cormier was a small man close to his fifties, and his lack of hair on the upper part of his head was a good example of it. Cormier didn't like setbacks or last minute changes of plans, hence he had decided to get rid of a major setback that always resulted in last minute changes that same night.
- What? – Feiner exclaimed, continuing the discussion that still delayed the point of the day. – Do you realize what you're proposing? They are our best card in the deck, the best, we cannot throw them out.
If Cormier was based on order and planning, Feiner was his complete opposite. He didn't even wear a suit to those meetings (anywhere, really). He was a relatively young guy, 37 years old, still with athletic body and all the hair in the world adorning his head. His thing was the innovation (something that living in New York for five years can give you, according to him), not the ancestral methods that people like Cormier followed so strictly. So he didn't care about the clock hands of his golden Lotus, advancing minute by minute, he would fight for what he believed was best for the business, even if it meant to be stuck there for the rest of the night.
- They are going to kill our business. – Cormier went on, this time crossing his arms, ignoring the snorting of his tablemates.
- The hell are you saying? – Feiner wrinkled his face, did that man know how nonsense what he had said was?
- Gentlemen. – Demetz stopped them calmly, who occupied one of the ends of the table, and all eyes turned to him obediently. – Please, this isn't necessary.
- Demetz, you've seen them like me, like everyone! – Cormier coughed before going on and decided to control his voice, seeing as his exclamation had raised an eyebrow at Demetz's face, everyone knew that he didn't appreciate the screams. – Those two do not respect any rules, they'll end us before they can be of any use.
- Before they can be of any use? – Feiner repeated. – Are you saying that they hadn't done anything for this business? Is that what you're saying? Because…!
- Brandon, for God's sake! – Demetz reprimanded him, making him stop his speech, forcing him to use all his willpower to keep his mouth shut, something that could be seen in the swollen vein beating rapidly in his temple. Demetz laughed. – We all know how into those little boys you're, like some others at this table.
The Allamand sisters, who sat in the center of the wooden table, chuckled when Demetz's eyes strayed to them knowingly, shaking their chestnuts manes over their shoulders as if they were twenty years old younger and still in high school.
- They are good, the best so far. – Feiner remarked, slightly calmer.
- I know, as I know that it would be very stupid to throw them out, but… Cormier has a point. Lately even you have to admit that they are taking too many liberties.
- They are going to ruin us. – Cormier intervened again.
- Well, don't be so dramatic. – Demetz answered him, before Feiner said anything more, every time those two got together the meeting was quite a show, luckily Feiner didn't use to be in the country very often and he only spoke to him directly. – They're bored, that's all, they have been doing the same thing for too long, maybe they need something else to do, what do you think, Nicolette?
All the people there turned their eyes towards the door strangely, apparently no one had seen her come into the room, no one except Demetz, of course.
The woman escaped the set of eyes joined by frowns and walked away from the door to the second screen that was resting in front of the table. She had always thought that it was excessive to use three plasma screens to review the events of the night, not to mention the HD sound system reproducing any audio recorded by the dozens of microphones that were hidden in the different rooms…
Definitely, everything was a little… too much.
At that moment, the central screen showed images of Bruno and Fabian, those Italian twins gave her a headache every single night.
- I think… - Nicolette began, forcing herself to speak English, watching her accent. She hated those meetings. – they could handle garbage for a while.
- Do you think that's going to keep them entertained? – Insisted Demetz, the guy always tried to make her participate in their discussions.
- It should. – She replied tersely.
Nicolette held Demetz's gaze for a few seconds, being aware that he was analyzing her defensive posture of her folded arms across her chest and the reluctance she had highlighted in her voice, it seemed that he was beginning to realize that the woman was one step away to hate the place. Then the boy smirked and looked at his watch.
- It's late, it's been a long night and we still have a point to be resolved. I think we'd better leave these two to the meeting next week, when we'll all be more relaxed and rested.
While screens changed from scene to scene to the next issue of the night, Demetz saw over his glasses as the occupants of the table prepared themselves for the end of the meeting.
Black father and Black son changed the pages of their notebooks taking a sip from their respective glasses of whisky. Both of them were so obsessed with the business that they even took notes during the meetings, even though they rarely spoke.
Fontaine, meanwhile, took advantage of the short break to freshen her makeup and Magné looked for the third time at his mobile, giving another tug at the knot of his tie.
The Allamand sisters talked between them and Cormier avoided the mocking gaze of Feiner.
When the screens showed coherent images and the volume went on they all turned silent.
- Well, the last point of the night. – Demetz said, excited. – The new acquisition… what do you say? Do we like her or not?
On the screens sequences of certain brunette accompanied by certain blonde were changing regularly, since the beginning of the night until the final dance.
- I would better say that we like them. Why isn't the blonde one working for us? – The youngest of the Allamand sisters asked.
- Because the blonde is out of limits. – CeCe said, speaking for the first time during that meeting, it looked like she had been saving herself for that moment.
Nicolette, who had made the attempt of approaching the table since that was the only part of the meeting that she was really interested in, stayed exactly where she was. Not that she hadn't seen her, but hearing her had made the girl more present.
There she was, of course, sitting to Demetz's right, in a privileged position, undeservedly. She was more important than Nicolette, yes, definitely much more valuable.
Demetz looked at the brunette with light eyes and took her left hand over the table, stroking the back of it with his thumb.
Nicolette wanted to vomit… and she also wanted to strangle that damn woman, as usual.
- I don't understand why. – The same Allamand sister continued. – That blonde is a real wonder, have you seen how she got rid of the guards at the door?
- That had even impressed me. – Magné admitted, finally entering the conversation. He, just like Nicolette and CeCe, had been waiting for that part of the meeting.
- She's not going to get into this business, ever, is that clear? – CeCe said with authority, aggressively looking at them one by one.
- Hey, honey, don't stress yourself. – Demetz calmed her. – I gave you my word that she would be out of it and I'll maintain it.
- Yeah? Really? – The brunette broke contact with the guy while staring at him, ignoring the rest of the room. – Because inviting her to this party and threatening her with you "knowing her name" doesn't look like that.
Demetz was able to maintain a poker face in front of that accusation and CeCe didn't even think about having that conversation in private, not surrounded by magnates at a meeting that had been extended until so late.
- First of all, - He started. – the invitation was just out of courtesy, - In response to that phrase CeCe gave a sarcastic laugh and folded her arms. – but seeing how she cared about the other one I don't think she would have ever let her come alone. And second of all… the threat wasn't for her.
- No, it was for her girlfriend. – It had been worse than threaten Alison herself, CeCe was sure of it, as she was sure that the girl would go looking for her, demanding answers for the trick of "appearance and disappearance" that she had performed that night.
- Yes, something I didn't know. – Now it was Demetz the defensive one, because it would have been a beautiful detail from his future wife to tell him about those girls being more than friends.
- Until you saw them in your office. – The brunette refuted, who knew Demetz too well to know that all the ingenuity he gave off was pure façade.
- You mean the same day that when, instead of coming to me a single girl, appeared two? – That had been something he hadn't been expecting, but just when he saw them he decided that he didn't mind the lack of information… at first, then he realized that the distribution of the jobs hadn't gone as he had hoped and he became angry, but that was something nobody knew.
All the people in the room followed attentively the discussion and, some, trying to contain their laughter. It is always funny to see your boss arguing with his wife or, in this case, his almost wife.
- Can we go back to Natalie? – Nicolette said wearily, unable to contain herself, anything to get out of there as soon as possible.
- Is that her real name? – Feiner asked, who had arrived to the city that morning and hadn't received the reports the rest had.
- No, her name is Emily Fields, although Natalie would be better for us, we won't need to create another false identity. – Demetz answered.
- We could also leave her out of this. – CeCe intervened again, accompanying her crossed arms with crossed legs, getting away from her fiancée.
- So she just works as a waitress? – Cormier wondered, that would be extremely unproductive.
- She won't be the only one.
- But it would be such a waste, I mean… look at her! – There was a creepy twinkle in Demetz's eyes that had nothing to do with the light of the screen.
- She's beautiful. – Magné commented, watching how the brunette was losing her inhibitions in the right monitor to the point of smiling openly.
- You've been watching her tonight, what do you think? – Demetz asked him.
- Well… she's not as impressionable as she seems, the girl endured a whole conversation with me and she didn't even tried to avoid it. All that is good, but…
- She is too young. – Nicolette said dryly, and the others looked at Magné to see if he confirmed that.
- Yes, she's very young. – The man coincided. – However, with a little time, a little more than usual, she could…
- She is a child! – CeCe exclaimed, rising from her seat. – They both are!
- Vivian, love, you knew what it meant to ask me to give them a job, right? – Demetz said as he caught the bridge of his nose between two fingers, closing his eyes tightly, he was starting to get tired of the behavior of the girl, why was she making such a fuss?
- Yes, but not everybody who works here go into your business.
- Because we have rules and requirements…
- And she doesn't even fulfil half of them.
Demetz sighed, closing his hands in tight fists and making sure to keep them on the table.
- There is something in her that I like. – He ended up saying, much calmer than he felt.
- JA! There is something in her that you like, of course there is something in her that you like! There is something in her that everybody likes!
- I think that with the right preparation she can go far.
- She won't accept. – CeCe concluded, sitting back down. Emily was too sensible to get into that dead end.
- If Chloe explains it to her there won't be any problem. – Demetz said before looking to Nicolette. – She gets along with her, right?
The woman just nodded.
- You could ask her to introduce the girl to the whole idea. – The guy continued and Nicolette raised an eyebrow, that wasn't the usual procedure, typically they were the ones explaining things. – To avoid panic. – He clarified. – Tell her… I don't know, to offer it as a promotion? She could tell the girl that she would be able to choose schedules, make more money…
- And then? – Nicolette wanted to know.
- We won't have to worry about anything after that, we never have to worry about anything after that, when the first checks appear they lose all curiosity, nobody has complained so far.
- She won't do it. – CeCe insisted.
- Vivian…
- Alison won't let her.
- Then… - Demetz continued slowly, thinking well into the next thing he would say, knowing he would not be able to control his temper if he received one more replica from the brunette. – we'll have to propose it to her so she won't want to tell Alison, they are a couple, I don't think it will be the first time they hide something from each other.
- Gardez la monnaie. – Alison told to the taxi driver as she extended twenty euros to him.
- Merci beaucoup. – The man answered somewhat surprised, it had been a while since someone had given him such a tip.
The blonde just smiled and reached for the door handle to exit the vehicle.
- Did you tell him to keep the change? – Emily asked her when the two girls stepped onto the wet sidewalk tiles, instantly feeling like thousands of drops of cold water fell on her body and her breath froze whenever it left her body.
- Yeah, so what? It wasn't our money. – The blonde answered with a wink before taking her hand and crossing the road, walking towards the street of the hotel.
- I still can't believe you were able to take money from the guards. – The brunette commented, laughing.
- I have lots of talents. – Alison told her, letting her shoulder collide with hers and sneaking a glance at her face, detecting a glow of excitement in her pupils, which were dilated and seemed to smile with her mouth.
They should be shaking, starting to feel the chill of the night creeping into their bones, but they were so drugged by the adrenaline of the moment…
Leaving the restaurant turned out to be an odyssey that the blonde had no qualms about starring.
Exiting the "dance room" was simple, in fact, they just had to wait a few more minutes in the center of the saloon, until the light decreased enough to avoid prying eyes peering their movements so they could slip out of the door.
Surprisingly, in the first floor landing there was no one watching anything, so they went downstairs with care and, within seconds, they were walking through the cafeteria which… was also deserted.
They kept their eyes open wide every step that separated the stairs from the front door, waiting for someone to appear from the shadows and attack them in some way.
But nothing happened.
They collected their coats from the small wardrobe that Emily knew existed to the right of the entry and got ready to leave the restaurant.
Then, the situation became a little complicated.
There wasn't one guard at the door of the restaurant, watching that no one entered or came out of the place, no, there were four! Tall men wearing black suits which stuck to their indisputable muscles, men who didn't inspire any confidence. They were smoking, ignoring the cold of the night and chatting among themselves, throwing sporadic glances around, their backs to the entrance.
The two girls were paralyzed in the door frame, not knowing what to do. Should they go back inside and wait for "something" (or nothing) to happen or should they take a risk and attempt to leave?
It was the blonde who finally decided to act and take them both out of there. Alison didn't have any intention in going back to that insane saloon, full of hypnotic music, too dim light and looks that raised every single hair in her body, the night had been long enough.
Without a second thought the girl freed the long strands of her hair that were still trapped under her coat and, making sure to not have any button buttoned, she stepped onto the sidewalk and tapped the shoulder of the closest bodyguard.
Emily's eyes popped out of her head while she observed how the blonde began to speak in French, capturing the attention of the four men.
In less than a blink she had them at her mercy, laughing at her comments and appreciating her cleavage.
The brunette should be boiling with rage because of that scene but it was like watching a movie. It had been a while since she had seen Alison in action like that, and it was… kind of fascinating.
Alison let her charm speak for herself, knowing when to touch an arm or when to laugh loudly. She was playing and, in some way, she liked it. Those guys hadn't even seen Emily at the door.
"I can't believe this is going to be so easy", the girl thought, taking the money that one of the guards was extending to her so she'll be able to go back home safely when she'll be "allowed" to leave the place.
At that moment Alison heard the roar of thunder, a sign that she should hurry if she wanted to do what she had in mind.
The brunette tensed as she saw the blonde putting a cigarette between her lips from one of those men. Then Alison looked at her directly. Her blue eyes caught her brown irises in an intense gaze as a pair of eager lighters lit her face.
And after that brief moment that ignited her pulse and flushed her cheeks everything happened way too fast.
Suddenly there was a man rolling on the floor with his pants on fire and three other men trying to help him.
"A distraction", Emily realized, watching the blonde smiling triumphantly, "but what a distraction…"
- Let's go! – Alison told her, taking her hand and urging the girl down the street.
They soon found a taxi whose driver the blonde explained between sniffles where they wanted to go.
Both girls remained silent all the way, catching their breath, clutching to the seat belt that crossed over their chests, watching as the first drops of rain collided hard against the vehicle's windows.
They had been so lucky finding that taxi just before the rain started falling, but perhaps the idea of getting off the car a block away from their hotel wasn't very good.
Besides from the water spraying the city, all you could hear at those hours in that district were the girl's heels hitting the ground, faster and faster.
They wanted to run but they couldn't.
When they entered the hotel Agathe received them looking up from the book she had in her lap. The woman was sitting in a comfortable reclining chair behind the small counter that was in the hall.
- She knew we would come later because I told her we were going out for dinner. – Alison whispered to Emily while both left the drops that slipped from their bodies fall upon the carpet that was in the entry.
- Do you think she stayed up for us? – The brunette asked back in another whisper, watching as the woman got up and disappeared through the door that was behind her. Emily still didn't understand how Alison and that lady had become almost friends.
- Maybe…
A minute later, just as they were going to walk towards their room, Agathe returned with two large white towels in her hands.
- Oh, merci beaucoup Agathe. – The blonde said and the woman nodded.
- Yeah… merci beaucoup. – Emily dared to say, accepting the towel she was offering her, not seeing how Alison was biting her lower lip.
- Ce soir est très froid, couvrez-vous bien. – She recommended them before approaching slowly the front door to lock it.
After that, Agathe said goodbye to the two girls with a nod, taking her book before entering the room from which she had taken the towels.
They walked down the aisle and, upon reaching the room's door, Alison looked for her key into the inner compartment of her coat.
Meanwhile, Emily kept her hands in the front pockets of her own coat, clenching her jaw and staring at the floor, waiting… holding back.
The blonde opened the door and walked into the room, closely followed by the brunette. The place was dark, except for the small moonbeams that streamed through the window as long as the storm clouds would allow them.
- Don't turn on the light. – Alison told her and Emily, after closing the door, turned to the girl… to lose all her words.
The blonde's coat and Agathe's towel were lying on the floor around her feet, which had already been released from those torturous heels, and her hands were heading to the small of her back, probably to lower the zipper that ensured the dress over her body.
- Would you help me? – She asked again, licking her lips.
She was soaked.
Despite her coat, the water droplets had been so abundant that they had filtered the cloth and reached her dress, which clung to her skin, as if someone had painted it on her snowy contours.
Her hair was tousled and wet, her cheeks flushed and her makeup faded.
She was breathtaking.
Emily swallowed hard, dropped her towel and approached her, holding her gaze, standing just five inches away from her body. She was breathing heavily, like her, and when she went to get her hands behind her back she felt them cold, like hers.
Both had waited so long for that moment of privacy…
The brunette intertwined their fingers, pulling Alison to her until their chests touched and their breaths mingled.
The sky broke with a thunder and a lightning lit the darkness behind their eyelids as their lips came into contact.
It wasn't a soft, gentle kiss, no, it was a hungry kiss, a voracious kiss.
Alison's lips abused Emilys, they caressed them hard so they would open up to allow her tongue to chase the brunettes into her mouth, causing some occasional collision of teeth.
The blonde had made great efforts during the night to not jump on top of the other girl and now that she had her all to herself she wasn't thinking about restraining her desires, no freaking way.
She wanted to drink the raindrops that dotted her skin and leave marks with her fingertips over her whole body, she wanted her, more than ever and… she didn't really understand why.
Maybe it was because of that stupid man harassing her during the night, or because of the shock her brain had suffered when she found out that CeCe was going to be married, or because of that disturbing dance, or because of having to get rid of four monster guards on her own…
Maybe it was because of all that, or maybe it was just because it was her, Emily, because she wanted her and because she could have her.
Alison tried to pull away from the brunette's hands to run her fingers through her beautiful hair but the girl didn't let her.
In four steps Emily pressed her against the door, trapping her between her figure and the wood. At that the blonde had no choice but to stop the kiss, because her heart had skipped a couple of beats, making her dizzy.
When she opened her eyes Alison found the pervasive look of a hectic Emily that seemed even a little dangerous.
- I want to touch you. – The blonde told the brunette, almost begging, because her hands didn't seem unwilling to let her go.
- Later… - Emily whispered in reply, trying to not tremble. – Now I want to touch you.
With those words and keeping her fingers intertwined with hers, the brunette lifted the blonde's arms and placed them over her head, sticking them to the wood, leaning on that union of digits before kissing her again.
Alison moaned.
- Keep them up. – Emily told her, beginning to slide her hands down her arms, her eyes narrowed, not allowing the other girl to approach her mouth.
The blonde felt her body extremely sensitive and was hating the brunette's coat, which was still covering her body… damn, how she needed to feel her skin. Then, the hands of Emily, which had made it to her hips, left her amazing curves to go to the buttons of that devil coat.
The buttons were freed one by one, each time revealing more centimeters of the brunette's body… the color white was definitely not discreet.
After the untimely garment touched the ground Emily began to remove from her wet skin the strips of fabric that conformed her dress.
- Are you going to strip for me? – The blonde asked her and Emily's cheeks blushed at the sight of that predatory look that darkened those blue eyes.
The brunette didn't answer, she just continued undressing slowly, enjoying the way in which Alison watched her, yearningly, paying attention to every portion of her body that was revealed.
It was as if someone was unwrapping her favorite gift in front of her face, that gift for which she had been waiting what seemed like an eternity, and she was mad because she wasn't unwrapping it herself but at the same time… To see Emily undressing like that, trying to heighten her pulse and make her lose control… well, that was something that didn't happen every day, much less after that night in which "everything and nothing" had taken place.
So Alison sighed and swallowed before clasping her hands over her head, letting her do whatever she wanted to do, getting more and more excited by the moment, until the dress joined the coat on the floor and her body, only covered in underwear, overlapped with hers completely, lips included.
At that time the blonde wasn't able to resist anymore and her hands sank into that dark hair, while her right leg climbed the body of the girl, seeking the support of her hip.
She needed to feel her.
Emily perceived the slick texture of Alison's dress against her skin, the same way she perceived her fingers closing around the strands of her hair.
Was she trying to take control?
It wasn't that she didn't want her to touch her, on the contrary, the brunette was dying to feel her in every cell of her body, but before that the girl would have to pay for her behavior in the restaurant.
Emily had to admit that she liked the flirting, especially Alisons, but not in situations as tense as the one they had lived barely an hour earlier. She hadn't left her concentrate on what was happening!
"And isn't it a good thing?", her subconscious asked her, taking a little space in her brain between the sensation of the blonde's mouth over hers and the jolt of pleasure that descended down her stomach.
Actually, thanks to that "improper" behavior, the brunette had been able to enjoy her first date with Alison. Because in some way, that night had been her first official date with Alison DiLaurentis, the first time she had been able to hold her hand and kiss her lips in public. And it hadn't been weird, there hadn't been a lot of nerves (at least not for that) and she had been able to say aloud that the blonde was her girlfriend, hers.
Regarding Alison that night had been all she had always wanted since she was 15 and… a little more, because her youthful fantasies didn't include what was about to happen in that hotel, because her youthful fantasies were amazing with just one kiss, now, however…
- Turn around. – Emily managed to say between touches of lips, placing a hand on the blonde's leg to push it away from her body and making the other leave the waist it was holding, looking for the solidity of the door.
- What? – Alison gasped, confused, seeking her neck with her mouth, not wanting to hear her.
- Turn around. – This time Emily made sure to look into her eyes when she spoke to her, and the girl had to suppress a smile of victory when she saw how the blonde swallowed one more time, trying to catch her breath.
Slowly, Alison moved in the little space that Emily's body left her to face the door. A second later the brunette's hands came back to her hips and her lips kissed her left shoulder.
Emily's fingers fumbled with the fabric of the blonde's dress before looking for its clasp to play with, while her white teeth gently scraped any skin they could find.
- Em, please… - Alison begged, attempting to find the body of the girl with her hands.
With a grunt, Emily caught her wrists, pinning her hands to the wood one more time.
Why didn't she let her touch her?
Taking a deep breath the blonde leaned her forehead against the door and tried to stay still while she felt the brunette finally unclasping her dress.
The zipper went down extremely slowly, until it reached its end and Emily's fingers hiked her back, softer than usual due to the moisture from the storm, finding the suspenders covering her shoulders. The brunette pushed that fabric and Alison let her arms fall to her sides, closing her eyes and clenching her jaw.
The blonde could feel how the dress was leaving her skin, undressing her breasts, her belly, her thighs… but Emily seemed unwilling to touch her, she couldn't even notice the tips of her fingers or the warmth of her body.
The dress ended up on the floor, hopelessly, and then, holding her breath, the brunette watched the almost completely naked figure of the blonde.
Except for that piece of dark lingerie hugging her hips, Alison's skin was exposed and, even knowing that the front of the girl was outstanding, the brunette remained admiring her back, an incredibly erotic sight.
Finally, Emily's hands rested on Alison's waist, just above her underwear and the blonde huffed in frustration, a huff that soon became a groan as those hands began to ascend her abdomen.
Now she could feel the brunette's body on her back and her breath on her neck.
When the hands of Emily closed over her breasts the blonde threw her head back, turning her face just enough to meet the lips of the other girl, who kissed her passionately, almost in slow motion, exploring the inside of her mouth with her tongue.
Alison's knees trembled and her hands covered those of the brunette, which gave a little squeeze, making her gasp and bit her lower lip.
Shortly after that the blonde faced the brunette. Her arms around Emily's neck. And, without further ado, Alison began to move, causing the girl to walk backwards toward the bed.
Emily, knowing that the blonde was trying to control the caresses and touches, abandoned her breasts and clung to her hips, turning her body, hitting some objects, making the girl lose her balance and fall on the mattress, with her on top.
The blonde jumped and the brunette broke the kiss to laugh out loud as she settled over her, placing one leg between the girls and holding the weight of her body with her arms, which rested on either side of that golden head.
At that moment they looked at each other and smiled, catching their breath for a second, before Alison's hands encircled Emily's face to bring her to her lips, kissing her again.
The brunette allowed her to control the kiss and shuddered when her nails grazed her arms subtly.
- Why are you still wearing this? – The blonde asked, a little annoyed, starting to push away the straps of the girl's bra.
- Hey, wait… - Emily told her, rising to her knees. – Don't you want me to finish stripping?
- It depends, is it going to take long? – The blonde moaned as she felt the brunette's thigh pressing against the center of her body.
In response, the girl reached in her back for the clasp of the white bra she was still wearing and, a second later, the garment met the rest of the clothes covering the floor.
Alison sighed.
A lightning lit up the room and Emily could see how the blonde's eyes unabashedly examined her, she was looking at her with a mixture of relief, desire and… hunger.
The brunette took off her heels quickly and, when she was going to get rid of the last garment that covered her body, Alison sat up and stopped her hands, surrounding her wrists with a certain intensity.
- Let me do it. – She said quietly, whispering over her lips.
- Ali…
Without giving her time to react, the blonde took her waist, pushing her, making her back meet the sheets.
- You told me I could touch you. – The girl reminded her, straddling her hips, approaching their torsos.
- Yes… - The brunette gave up, feeling her mouth on her neck and the softness of her body in her own skin.
- I want to do more than that. – She purred in her ear and Emily shivered.
- What do you want to do? – She asked, breathing hard, her breasts crashing against hers.
- I want to taste you.
Emily moaned at her words, closing her eyes and burying her hands in the blonde's mane while she started to go down her body through kisses until she got to her waist, where her teeth clung to that thin white cloth that contrasted with her dark skin.
With her heart pounding like crazy and feeling how her underwear began to leave her body the brunette dared to open her eyes, finding a mischievous smile subtitling those shinning blue spheres between her legs.
It was going to be a long night, an extremely long night…
AN: here you have the translation of the conversation between Ali and Nicolette (I'm not an expert in French, at all, so please forgive me for the very possible and abundant mistakes on the text).
- Hi. – The blonde greeted, holding out a hand and showing a smile. – It's a pleasure to meet you.
It was then when Nicolette neutralized her expression and looked at the girl with disdain, as if she was the tiniest insect in the surface of earth. A look that bordered the revulsion.
- Who is she? – She asked, denying the blonde's hand and looking directly at Chloe.
- She is… - The brunette began, not knowing where to go. There was so many people in that party… how could those two had found each other?
- I am Estella, Natalie's girlfriend. – Alison introduced herself, feeling kind of comfortable while saying it.
- Good evening. – Nicolette said quickly and, after a little tilt of her head, she started to turn away.
- Just a moment. – The blonde stopped her, placing a hand on her right forearm. – Please? – She asked sweetly and Nicolette looked at the clinging fingers in her skin. – I… I just wanted to thank you for all you do for Natalie.
The woman changed her gaze from those pale digits to the blonde's blue eyes with a single blink.
- She talks a lot about you and… she say so many good things that… now it's me who wants to work in here! – Alison said with a smile and saw how Nicolette watched her up and down. – We just arrived to the city and if it wasn't for you we'll be living in the streets – The woman raised an eyebrow. "Too much", the blonde thought. Yeah, that had been too much.
Actually, Alison hadn't really thought what she would say to Nicolette in case of meeting her. If it had been for her she would have hissed a "watch what you do to my girl or you'll see how much of a DiLaurentis I still am", but… that wouldn't have had any effect there.
She knew nothing about the life of that woman.
The blonde didn't have idea if she had family, a partner, another work or some skeletons in her closet, so it was a little difficult to threaten her, scare her days with painful consequences to prove that Emily wasn't alone and that, despite being young (because it was obvious that the two of them were very young), they knew how to take care of each other.
- Natalie is very happy to work here, I know that she won't have said anything, because she's really shy, but she loves being here, working with you. – This time the woman crossed her arms and sighed as she looked at the austere watch with a thin black belt surrounding her left wrist. Was she bored? – And I want to see her happy, you know? So I cannot complain, not even when she comes home at midnight after… I don't know, seven hours of work without rest?
Nicolette wasn't reacting, she was just half-listening what she was saying, paying more attention to their surroundings than to the blonde, and the girl was getting tired of being ignored, that wasn't anything else but a waste of time, she should be looking for Emily, not trying to threaten someone who was clearly far above her.
"Far above you? What's your problem? Since when do you think like that about yourself? This woman is exploding Emily, your Emily, are you really going to let her keep doing what she wants with her?" For the first time, her DiLaurentis side had spoken in the right moment.
- The truth is that I don't understand much about it but… a friend of my family's lawyer told us once that he destroyed an entire business because one of the contracted workers was working more than he should, like just one more hour every day. It's… crazy, don't you think? – That seemed to catch Nicolette's attention, slightly, as she raised an eyebrow and looked at her with pursed lips. – Not that I'm saying that you're exploiting your employees, no, for God's sake! – The blonde laughed. – I'm sure that at the end of the month Natalie would be paid for those extra hours, like the rest of her companions, I guess, because it seems that everyone is working a little more than they should. – Those last words left her mouth slowly, accompanied by a gaze so intense that even that unflappable woman couldn't avoid. – It must be hard to run a business as big as this one, to pass inspections, to keep people... - Alison could see her jaw clenching on her sharp face. – But, what do I know? For me the only thing that matters is that Natalie is ok, do you understand?
- I understand. – She replied, lifting her chin. – It was nice meeting you, Estella.
- Me too.
And with that last and concise sentence the woman disappeared into the crowd, her body visibly tense, it seemed that the blonde had gotten into her nerves, finally!
AN 2: I'm alive and so is this story!
I could give you a thousand reasons why I didn't published before but I think you've read enough with that insanely huge text so I'm just going to say that I'm back, without established dates of publication, but back.
I hope you had enjoyed this chapter (sorry about the extension in case it annoyed any of you, I just needed to translate everything I had until now for a "fresh start"; also, sorry for the mistakes I've probably made while translating, it was a lot) and I'll keep going with this story as soon as I can!
Thank you for all the reviews, favourites and follows, and of course, just for reading (seriously, if you had finished that thing above, you're brave, congratulations!).
Until the next chapter ;)
