Page 44 of Trick or Treat
"Rough day or something?" he asks when I finally turn my head, taking in all the tattoos covering his body.
I’ve seen him at the beach... and the lake.He grins, noticing my expression, as if he realizes I know who he is.
"I suppose you could say that. Hey, you were at the lake that night, weren't you?"
"Yeah, we all were." Bits and pieces of what happened start to rush back to me as he gives me the same smirk he gave me that night.
Nothing makes sense, though. Everything is still a huge fucking blur.
"Scarlett, right?"
"Yeah, that's right. I'm not even going to try to guess your name because I have no idea."
"Nixon, but some call mewhite." As he runs his fingertips across my forearm, my hair stands on end, and goosebumps prickle my skin, sending a chill down my spine.
I want to remove my arm, but something in his eyes prevents me from doing so. My eyes fix on him as my body freezes to the stool, and I notice that his grin is growing progressively more menacing.
"Where's your friends you were with that night?" he asks, his gaze never leaving mine as he takes his shot.
"Melanie is doing her own thing, and River... well, River is no longer with us." His brows knit together with curiosity.
"Meaning what?" he prods, trying to decipher the message hidden behind my cryptic response.
"He was murdered that night." He doesn't even flinch as I say it, which gives me a rather uncomfortable chill, but I ignore it and look away from him, refusing to let him see the tears forming behind my eyes.
He places his hand on my arm, putting an end to the tickling his fingers were doing. The simple gesture causes me to turn my head and smile, meeting kind eyes rather than evil ones. I return his smile, forgetting about the gut feeling I had when he first came over, as the alcohol does its job of loosening me up.
"I'm sorry about your friend, Scarlett. Did they find out who did it?" I can hear genuine sympathy in his voice, which calms my frayed nerves.
"Thank you, but no, not yet." Helicoptering my finger around, I signal to the bartender for another round, just wanting to forget about the hell that River went through for one night.
"Did you want another drink?" I ask Nixon, a smile on my lips as we lock eyes once more. "My treat this time," I add, offering him another flirty smile.
"Sure, I'dloveto drink with you."
When our drinks are placed in front of us, neither of us hesitates to finish them. My cheeks quickly become hot and rosy. I've been laughing for a while at something he said that wasn'tthatfunny, and I feel more relaxed than I have in the past month. Other than just that night at the lake, which I can’t even completely recall, something about Nixon seems familiar.
Two hours after entering the bar, Nixon stands up and approaches me from behind, placing his hand on my lower back and setting off small internal fireworks.No one has touched me like that since River… and the men in the masks.
"I'm going out to smoke a cigarette. Do you want to join me?" He smiles and whispers into my ear, tickling the skin on my neck with the warmth of his breath, which causes me to shiver.
"Yeah, sure," I agree, throw a few bills on the bar to pay for my drinks, and eventually leave the bar voluntarily with Nixon, not knowing what tonight will bring.
Nixon
Unlike Blade and Saint, I don't have to drug Scarlett to get her to do what I want. All I had to do was be nice to her and a little fucking manipulative in order for her to feel at ease around me. Her decision to come out to smoke with me was entirely her own; I simply pointed her in the right fucking direction.
I keep my gaze on her as she puffs away on the mentholated cigarette between her puffy, luscious lips as we stand in the dark, quiet alley between the bar and a strip club.Damn, what I wouldn't give to have them wrapped around my cock.The looks she keeps giving me and the raised brow she keeps flaunting make me think she has plans of her own while we're back here, away from everyone's prying eyes.
I can tell she's drunk—not completely obliterated—but she's definitely on the verge. Which makes my plan for tonight so much fucking easier, and without me giving her drugs to block her memory, I know she’ll remember every fucking thing I do to her. But I'll take it easy so I don't scare her.
"So, Scarlett. Do you have a boyfriend?" I ask, already knowing the answer.
"Nope. River and I used to date, but after the death of our friend and the disappearance of another, we went our separate ways. I guess the stress was too much on our relationship," she offers willingly, puffing heavily on the cigarette and doing her best to blow rings of smoke into the foggy air.
"So, are you looking to come back to my place for a little…company?"
She smiles, fear no longer visible in her jet black eyes. “I don’t know if I’m ready for all that,” she says, without actually admitting her ass is a fucking virgin. But unbeknownst to her, I already fucking know.