I shuffled through the crowd, careful not to get too close to any guys that might actually be Eros dressed in a costume. Someone grabbed my hips, but I pushed him away and continued towards Trevon’s office in the back of the bar.

  “Hey Dani!” Samantha, the bartender, called from behind the bar. She pushed a drink toward someone, collected money from a woman that looked like she had already had one too many, and smiled at me. “Didn’t think you’d come back after last time.”

  God, everyone did remember.

  “Yeah, me either.” I rubbed Mom’s necklace.

  “Can I get you anything? White sangria? I know you like those.” She tossed her chocolate-colored hair over her shoulder and smiled.

  “Water,” I said. “Please.”

  After she poured me a glass, she slid it toward me. “Have fun tonight.”

  This was going to be a long night. I could already feel it. I sipped my water and looked at her. “Do you know where Trevon is?”

  She leaned against the edge of the bar, gaze lingering on my lips. “I think I saw him walk back through the crowd.”

  I scanned the room for Trevon, wanting to show him that, yes, I did show up. But my gaze fell on the one man that I didn’t want to see tonight. Eros was pushing his way through the throng of people, walking in my direction. Some girl dressed in a sexy nun costume trailed her black manicured fingers across his chest, but he continued walking. Not sparing her a single glance.

  Go find Trevon, Dani. Don’t just wait for Eros to get here.

  Yet, I didn’t move. Even in a crowd of a hundred people who reeked of sweat, bad perfume, and spilt drinks, I could smell his sweet scent of cinnamon.

  He shoved through the last group, and when finally he saw me, he stood still. His eyes grew wide, and he stared at me like I was the only person in the entire room.

  Large, white wings hung off his back, a silver chest plate covered half of his bare chest. An angel. A seductive, sexy, sinning angel.

  Moments passed, and I still didn’t move. My heart was racing in my chest at the way he was staring at me.

  A woman brushed her hand against the back of his neck, whispered something in his ear, and grabbed his bicep, trying to pull him to the dance floor. But he didn’t budge. Instead, he started walking forward again—each step dreadfully slow—until he was mere inches from me. I gripped the glass in my hand.

  I should’ve been terrified that Trevon would appear at any moment and see me this close to Eros, but all I could think about was how I had never seen his eyes this soft. They were always fixed on me with such intent, always so intense. Never so gentle.

  “Wow,” he finally said. His gaze traveled across every inch of my face. “You look… amazing.”

  My breath caught in my throat. I didn’t expect a compliment from him. I expected one of his flirtatious remarks.

  Mom’s pendant rested in the center of my chest—its usual cool feel now burning my skin—and I had the urge to tug on it.

  His fingers trailed up my jawline and grazed against the horns in my hair. “I’ve never seen someone look so good in these.”

  “I-uh…” What do I say to something like that? “I’m a demon,” I said.

  My cheeks burned. What the hell was that? Way to state the obvious.

  He chuckled, lips curling into a tender smile. “I know. Me too.”

  I took a deep breath, trying to brush off my embarrassment. “You look more like an angel to me.” He had the whole costume—except a halo on his head. My gaze traveled down his bronze abdomen to the white-skirt-like material that hung loosely off of his hips. It was so small and thin.

  Don’t think about it, Dani.

  But it was too late.

  “Dani!” Trevon yelled from somewhere in the crowd. I snapped my head in his direction, stepped away from Eros, and sipped my water—hoping to cool off the parts of my body that were burning.

  Trevon curled an arm around my waist, pulled me to him, and pecked me on the lips. “You actually came.” He smelt of booze, and his tie was off-centered.

  “For you,” I said.

  He took my hand, stepped back and looked me up and down. “I’m glad. You’re the sexiest witch here.”

  I furrowed my brows together. “I’m not a witch.”

  “She’s a demon,” Eros said, clenching his jaw.

  Trevon grinned. “Well, you’re the best-looking demon here.”

  Neither Eros nor I said a word. For some odd reason, I felt offended. Did I look like a witch? Was Trevon just too drunk to even realize what I was? I smiled tensely at him and readjusted his tie. And what was with his—

  “Trevon!” Samantha shouted from the bar. “Can you come here? I need your help with something.”

  After quickly kissing my cheek, he walked back to the bar. Chatting with Samantha for longer than I wanted. I hoped that it wouldn’t be like this the whole night.

  Eros grasped my elbow. “Come sit with me and the guys.”

  “I’m here with a friend,” I said, looking for Kasey. If I spent one more minute with him, I would rip off that tiny costume and—

  “It looks like you’re alone,” he said. “Come on.” He nodded to the corner of the bar where I saw his roommates and Maria sitting in a booth. And—only because Kasey had disappeared and left me by myself—I followed him.

  Chapter 10

  Eros took my hand and lead me to Javier, Zane, and Maria. I scooted onto the very end of the booth, next to Maria who was smirking at me.

  She was wearing a sexy mermaid costume—a skintight green sequin skirt with two colorful seashells covering her breasts and a lilac-colored starfish pinned in her hair. “Girl, you look so sexy,” she said.

  I adjusted the horns on my head and sipped my water.

  Zane leaned against the table—his green elf hat nearly falling off—and raised a brow. “Is that water? How are you supposed to have any fun with that?”

  Heat crawled up my neck. Truth was that I wasn’t planning to have any fun tonight. Not after last year—especially if people remembered.

  Maria wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer. “Dani’s going to have the time of her life tonight—with or without alcohol.” Her breath smelled like beer, but I was grateful for her. At least she didn’t tell them what had happened.

  Throughout the night, I watched Maria flirt with Javier and Zane who each had a girl that I had never met before tucked under their arms and were whispering to them. The two girls and Maria were giggling at Zane’s vaguely pointed elf ears and trying on Javier’s plastic golden cross that was a part of his priest costume.

  Eros, on the other hand, didn’t pay attention to any of them. He didn’t even try to flirt. Instead, he was gently tightening and relaxing one of his hands into a fist on top of the table. His ring glistened under the dim light, giving it a slight pink tint against his tan skin.

  His gaze was fixed on me. But when I looked at him—even if it was for a moment—those green eyes would darken, and he’d look away.

  I gazed around, trying to find Trevon or even Kasey, but they both seemed to have disappeared. Samantha was still behind the bar, pushing drinks to customers who were too drunk to stand straight. Bouncers were walking through the crowd every now and then. At one point, Maria tried to drag me onto the dance floor with the rest of the group, but I declined.

  Eros and I stayed at the table alone.

  The girls were grinding against Javier and Zane, eyes closed slightly. Their skirts riding up their legs, hips moving so sensually. Partition played through the speakers, and a part of me wanted to get out there and forget about my worries. Let my body move with ease. Let loose with Eros behind me. His hands on my hips, pulling me closer. His lips against my ear, whispering something sinful to me.

  I gnawed on my lip and glanced over at him. He was staring right at me and didn’t look away this time. His fingers grazed against the stubble on his face. “Are you thinking about me, Dani?”

  My cheeks flushed, and I looked down. I wished I had the liquid courage to admit that I was thinking about him—had been thinking about him—and couldn’t stop, but I was a coward and I was taken by a man who would rather spend his night drinking in his office than see me dressed up for him.

  I grabbed Mom’s pendant and glanced around the room, not being able to hold his stare. Trevon was leaning over the bar, chatting with Samantha, a half-empty glass in his hand. I sighed.

  “No,” I said.

  Eros leaned his forearms onto the table, biceps flexing. He picked up his drink and swirled it around, still staring intensely at me. “I hope you know that liars are sent to Hell.”

  I’d been sinning since the day I met him. I doubted that I’d be sent anywhere else.

  “It’s good I’m not a liar then.”

  He chuckled lowly and shook his head, pieces of his dark hair falling onto his face. “Dani, there’s a special place in Hell for you.”

  I shuffled up in the seat, dropped Mom’s pendant from my fingers, and leaned close to the table, breasts pressing against it. “And I bet it’s filled with demons that’ll eat me alive, right?”

  His gaze traveled down my chest, then back up it. “They’ll tear you apart.”

  My eyes lingered on his plump lips, hanging off of each word that he said.

  “They’ll leave you trembling.”

  I pressed my knees together.

  He brushed his fingers against my cheek, his ring warming my skin, and lightly grasped my chin. “They’ll bite into your soft flesh.”

  “They’ll make me scream, won’t they?” I asked.

  He took a deep breath, jaw tensing. “Damn it, Dani, they’ll make you do more than that.”

  My God, I wanted him closer.

  “Hell doesn’t seem that bad,” I whispered.

  A stabbing pain split through my stomach. I placed a hand over it, hoping that it wouldn’t ruin this moment because I was about to do something so sinful and Hell looked way too appealing for me to pass up now. I was sure that Mom would’ve thought Eros was pure evil, but all I could think about was the growing ache between my legs and how he was the only one who could stop it.

  His gaze dropped to my lips. He smelled so good.

  Another pain pierced through the other side of my stomach. “Fuck,” I whispered, leaning back. I squeezed my eyes shut. This couldn’t be happening. Not again.

  “Are you okay?” Eros asked, brows furrowed together. That lustful look in his eyes had disappeared. “You look pale.”

  No. No. No. No. No. Not here. Not now.

  He brushed his hand against my cheek, but I pushed it away. My stomach tightened, and I gripped the table, pulling myself to the edge of the booth. Everything suddenly felt weak. “I need to get to the bathroom.” I used all of my energy to stand, and then I doubled over onto the ground. My stomach churned. Bile burned the back of my throat. And it happened.

  I placed my hand on the filthy bar floor, my arms shaking. Everything I had eaten earlier was now lying in a thick puddle in front of me.

  A girl screamed when she stepped in it with her shiny silver stilettos. People scurried away from our booth, wide eyes fixed on me.

  All I felt was a heap of shame and embarrassment. I stumbled to my feet and rushed to the bathroom before it happened again. Sweat was dripping down my back in this latex suit. My fingers were trembling. Tears were streaming down my cheeks.

  I locked the bathroom door, grasped onto the sink, using all of my strength to hold myself up, and puked again.

  Why was this happening again? What was wrong with me?

  Tears welled up in my eyes. Not only did I just embarrass myself in front of everyone here, but Eros too. One moment I was thinking about sinning with him, the next I was on the ground, puke spewing from my mouth. Why was I such an embarrassment?

  My mascara was rolling down my cheeks, leaving black splotchy lines. My hair was disheveled. Someone knocked on the door. “Dani?” Maria said. “Can I come in?”

  I wrapped my arms around myself and leaned against the wall. I didn’t want anyone to see me like this. I just wanted to go home—where I should’ve been.

  “Please open the door,” Kasey said a few moments later. I didn’t respond to her either.

  Another pain gnawed at the inside of my stomach. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that it would go away this time, and thankfully it did. But how could I go back out there tonight? I couldn’t. Maybe Trevon would let me hide in his office until the night was over. No way was I going to face all of those people—even for just a moment.

  After talking myself out of jumping through the window and disappearing for the night that way, I opened the door, expecting to see either Maria or Kasey.

  Eros was leaning against the wall with his jaw clenched, eyes focused intensely me. He gripped my glass of water in his hand. “Did you leave your drink alone?”

  “Can-can you just leave me alone, Eros?” I whispered and wrapped my arms around my body. I tried to squeeze by him and sneak into the hallway to Trevon’s office, but he grabbed my arm.

  “No, I can’t. Someone spiked your drink.” He pulled me closer to him. “Now, did you place your glass down anywhere?”

  I shook my head. “No…” Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes again. “I never set it down.” Not once.

  My gaze shifted behind him to Trevon who was storming toward us, lips in a tight line, tie loose around his neck. He had a dirty mop in one hand. “Dani, I need to speak with you in my office. Now.” He hurried down the hallway to his office and held the door open for me.

  After giving Eros my weakest grimace, I walked into Trevon’s office. There was an open bottle of Brandy on his desk, and a pile of costumes and accessories that people must have left or lost tonight on the plush green chair across from his desk. He slammed the door and placed the mop against the wall. “What was that?”

  “I-I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry, Dani? That’s all you have to say? This is the second time you’ve puked everywhere in my bar. And each time I have to clean up your mess.”

  I parted my lips, keeping my eyes trained on the floor. “Eros said that my drink was spiked.”

  He gave me a hollow laugh. “You think your drink was spiked? Really? You think someone would spike your drink two fucking parties in a row? Do you know the probability of that?” he asked, his breath reeking of alcohol. He walked to his desk and shook his head.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t… know what you want me to say.”

  “How much did you have to drink tonight?”

  “I didn’t have anything.”

  “Don’t bullshit me,” he said, jaw twitching. The raging look he was giving me was absolutely terrifying—I had never seen him look so wrathful before.

  “I didn’t! Why would I lie to you?” I clenched my teeth together. “Why are you acting like this?”

  Guilt flashed across his face but disappeared almost immediately. After a few moments of complete silence, he shook his head again and snatched a gold chain off his desk, throwing it into the pile of clothes on the green chair. “How much?”

  “What don’t you understand about the word ‘none’? I had nothing! Maybe if you actually saw me tonight, you would know that. But you were out having such a merry fucking time with everyone else. Couldn’t be seen with the girlfriend that you begged to come.”

  “Dani—”

  “No!” I stepped forward. “Don’t Dani me. I came here for you. Not to dress up and dance and have a good time. I came here because you wanted me to. You told me you wanted to show me off. And what do you do? Ignore me all fucking night?”

  “Is that why you puked everywhere?” His voice was oddly calm. “You wanted to get my attention?”

  I dug my nails into my palms. “Are you serious right now? Are you really fucking serious?” I stormed to the door. I wished he never opened this stupid damn bar. “I’m not taking this anymore. I’m leaving.”

  “Less I have to clean up later on,” Trevon said under his breath.

  I slammed the door. Fuck him. Fuck this whole damn thing. He wasn’t going to ever have to clean up my mess again because I would never come back to this place. This bar was far more important to him than I ever was.

  Chapter 11

  I didn’t know where Kasey was, Maria wasn’t at the booth, and I had $2.75 of spare change in my wallet. So, I walked to the bus stop at the corner of Sixth and Liberty in the pouring rain, and bounced up and down on my toes, trying to keep myself warm.

  Sharp pains continued to split in my stomach. I feared that as soon as I stepped onto the bus, I’d throw up again. But it was my only way home.

  A familiar black car pulled up to the curb with its window rolled down. With one hand resting against the top of the wheel, the other on the gearstick, Eros leaned over the passenger seat and gazed out the window. “Get in.”

  I clenched my fists by my side. “No.” I didn’t need him cleaning up my mess either.

  “Get in, Dani, or I’ll put you in myself.”

  My bus approached a red light down the street. I pulled out my wallet.

  Eros sighed, parked, and got out of the car. “Why do you have to make this hard?”

  “I’m not going with you. I’ll just puke all over your car.”

  “I don’t care what you do in my car.”

  “Well, I do.”

  He opened the passenger door and waited patiently for me. “Just get in, Dani. It’s cold out.” After a couple of moments, he took my hand and pulled me toward the car.

  I frowned at him, feeling torn, and sat. I just wanted to get home as soon as possible, so I could curl up into my blankets and forget about this whole night.

  The ride was silent. I stared out the window, watching beads of rain race alongside the glass. Did Trevon really think of me as work? Was that what I was to him—just a mess that needed to be cleaned up? Tears welled up in my eyes. Why didn’t he believe me when I told him my drink was spiked? It was like he didn’t even care about it or about me.

 

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