"Excuse me, misses. I have a table ready for you." A server appeared with a black buttoned down shirt tucked in black slacks with two menus in his hand. His hair was slicked back in gel, giving him a smooth Casanova look to him.
A smirk appeared on his face as his eyes shifted from Emily to me. At first he looked at my roommate in anticipation, but then he saw me and read my eyes. 'Back off, buddy.'
He looked away as he led us through the crowd. We kept going upwards, which was surprising. I knew the Shoilster. Customers didn't get preferred seating unless they called ahead for reservations. It was the type of club where VIPs got private boxes, but we went past even those. He took us to a back corner where the music could barely be heard, but we were tucked at an angle where we could still see most of the activity and dance floor.
As we sat, Emily took the offered menu and leaned across the table. "This place is so pretty and we got a great table. It's everything the girls were saying. Oh, thank you so much."
The server took our order and left quietly.
Emily whispered after he'd gone a few steps, "He's cute."
"He's off limits," I growled and opened my own menu.
I hated the Shoilster. The food was made to look pretty on the plate, but the quality wasn't taste-worthy. However, what do you expect from a club/bar/restaurant that's geared towards the vampire customers. They didn't care about the food. As long as it looked pretty, appeased the humans they brought with them, and allowed a lot of drinks to come in dark colored glass, they were satisfied. They could consume their blood in front of any stupid human.
Emily gaped. "What? Why? He's cute."
"You're fragile right now. You need to go out a few more times before dating again. Bennett did a number on you."
"But," she sputtered. "Didn't you say the best thing was to go out and get over him?"
I closed my menu. "No. I said going out, but not going with a guy. It is okay to go out, let yourself soak up the fun, maybe even some attention from some guys, but that's it. Guys are dangerous. You need to get your head on straight in order to handle them."
My roommate made a disgusted face. "You make them sound like they're predators."
If the shoe fits.
Then she added, "What happened to you? You were crazy about Adam before and he wasn't a good guy."
"Adam was a cheater and a douchebag."
"Oh." She fell silent because we both knew she agreed with my sentiments about him. She'd been the first to tell me. Eyeing my roommate, I saw the confusion in her eyes. Maybe if she knew about vampires, about what they could do? Maybe if I told her?
Just then someone appeared at our table and Emily gasped, "Luke?"
My stomach fell and I looked up. Sure enough. There he was, glowering down at me. Emily just smiled at him. I realized she still had her crush for him from before.
"Um, hi."
"Emily, right? You're in one of my classes?" Roane put on a polished façade and seemed happy to see her as he pushed into my side of the booth, shoving me over. As his arm touched mine and I felt how tense he was, I knew he was pissed.
When he continued to chat with my roommate, I tried to sense inside of him. I hadn't gone far before he lashed at me, 'Get out! You shouldn't be here.'
Oh yes. He was pissed.
I hung my head for a moment because he was right. I shouldn't have been there, but I couldn't even deny it. I had wanted to see him. I wanted to go there to maybe see him. When Emily suggested the Shoilster, I hadn't argued, at all. Then I looked back up. My eyes skimmed over his chiseled features that seemed more mysterious from the shadows dancing over his face and I caught a glimpse of Gregory in the background. He'd taken point behind a post with a drink in hand. His eyes met mine for a second before he shifted and looked away. I knew he agreed with Roane, I had been stupid to go there.
I also knew he was our bodyguard for the rest of the night.
It was then that I felt Roane's hand grip mine underneath the booth and he squeezed tight. I didn't know if it was to convey how angry he was with me or if he was trying to warn me about something. Either way, I was fearful of sharing thoughts with him. Other vampires were too close, they might hear them. So I was forced to sit there as Luke talked with Emily because I knew what he was doing. He was making her feel like she was the focal point of his arrival so she wouldn't suspect a thing. I saw how her eyes lit up. She was eating it up and lavishing in it.
I was in hell.
CHAPTER TEN
Roane never spoke to me as he sat with us. And once he left, Emily gave me a dreamy smile and sighed. "He's a great guy. Doesn't seem to like you much, but he's nice."
I cleared my throat and sat up straight, but she stopped me with a wave. "Don't worry. I'm not going to chase Luke Roane. He's way out of my league. I'm not completely stupid. Besides, he's probably already devoted to some beautiful creature."