Midnight Sun, page 4
part #1 of Mortal Heat Series
“Don’t you want me to stay? Don’t you want me?” Em’s breath was coming in ragged pants, and she threw herself into his arms. I had never seen her like this; she was beside herself.
“Of course I want you, love,” Todd answered. “I just want you to get some sleep. I need you to be ready to go at our show tonight. We all need some rest, and you’ll sleep better in your own bed.” He rubbed reassuring circles on her back, and her breathing steadied. Em nestled into his arms and when she started kissing his neck, I took that as a sign she had calmed down.
I slipped back into my supple leather jacket and stood, Mick rising with me. His arm slid around my waist and he pulled me to him, wrapping me in a hug before leaning back to study my face. When his eyes settled on my mouth I started to protest, but it melted away the second his lips touched mine.
Mick’s lips were every bit as soft as they looked, and the tingling sensations his touch induced on my arm had nothing on the way my body reacted to his mouth. A hazy fog of euphoria washed over me. My eyes rolled back into my head and I drank him in, swimming in the cloud of sensations that seemed to wrap my skin in a net of electric pulses. For two people pressing their lips together, it seemed to go on an inordinately long time, and yet only lasted a second. When he pulled back, Mick’s eyes were brilliant turquoise, once again appearing to swirl with innumerable blues and greens flecked with gold. I blinked to clear the haze from my vision and remembered Em.
Todd was standing behind us, holding Em who was curled up with her face on his neck. He gave me an apologetic smile and nodded towards the door. Mick caught on faster than I did, and grabbing my hand walked to the exit, leaving the door open wide for Todd to carry Em through. This time his fingers laced through mine, and I could feel his pulse beating in his palm. I tried to ignore how it sped up my heart rate and focus on my friend.
The Uber was waiting for us outside, and Todd tucked Emily carefully into the car. When he straightened, I was surprised to see a purply red bruise on his neck. Huh. I guess Em got her revenge after all.
Todd cleared his throat. “I’m sorry if she’s a little out of it. I should have cut her off sooner, but she kept insisting she was fine,” he apologized.
“No worries,” I answered. “She normally has a very high tolerance. Is that liquor we’ve been drinking a really high proof or something? It doesn’t taste strong, but sometimes that’s what bites you in the end.” Mick was still holding my hand, seemingly reticent to let go. He rubbed small circles into the back of it, the tingly sensations running up my arm in response.
“No, it’s nothing special, just something we enjoy from back home.” Todd scratched the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable. “Well, it’s almost dawn, you two should get home and get your beauty rest. She may be groggy when she wakes up, but you are both invited to our show tonight. I’ll text Em the details, okay? We’ll see you later.”
“Sure, sounds great,” my response came out more as a yawn than words. Todd chuckled and walked back through the door, leaving Mick and I alone outside the Uber. Remembering that I was paying extra to keep him waiting, I gave Mick a quick peck on the cheek and pulled my hand free. “I had fun tonight, Mick. I’ll see you later, right?”
His lip curled in that one-sided smile and he pulled a phone out of his back pocket. My phone. “Here, you don’t want to forget this,” he handed me the device and brushed his fingertips along my temple, tucking my hair behind my ear before he planted a kiss on my forehead. “I’ll see you later, Lucy,” he promised, then shoved his hands in his pockets and walked back through the door.
***
The sun rose as we crossed back to the other side of town, casting the clouds into brilliant shades of orange and pink. In the growing light I could see a second dark purple bruise on Em’s neck. Apparently her mark on him didn’t make them even. When we arrived home, I woke her enough to help her walk into the condo and got her tucked into bed. I was a little concerned at her state; I’d never seen her this drunk before. Maybe she didn’t eat enough, and mixed with giddiness of a guy she really liked and trying to prove herself a bonafide party girl it was enough to set her over the edge.
Regardless, I vowed to keep a better eye on her when we met up with the guys again. I pulled my curtains tight to keep out the morning sun and snuggled into my bed. Sleep took me quickly, and I drifted off remembering the electricity of Mick’s touches and the pillow softness of his lips.
ROUND THREE
EMILY SLEPT ALL day. I only dozed a few hours before I gave up. I typically have a hard time sleeping through the night, but being up all night didn’t have the effect I thought. Instead of making me even more tired, the lack of sleep seemed to have energized me in a weird way. I was perfectly happy getting up at noon and even showered and did some cleaning. Convinced I needed more rest before I attempted another all-nighter—and giddy at the thought of spending that time with Mick again—I tried to take a nap in the afternoon but it was a bust. So I settled on the couch and watched a movie on the Sci-Fi channel instead.
By the time the movie ended the sun’s rays were slanting almost horizontally through the blinds, and I knew it was getting late. I started to worry about Emily, wondering if I should let her sleep or at least go check on her and make sure she was still breathing. Part of me wanted to let her rest, but the other part was eager to find out where the band was playing tonight and when we should meet them. I knew nothing, Todd had texted Em, and that was how I was supposed to find out. What if she slept all night and I didn’t get to see Mick again? Just the thought of not seeing him again stressed me out, and that was odd. I chalked it up to how glamorous he’d made me feel last night, like he was some sort of drug and I was jonesing for another hit of that glimmering confidence I’d felt. I knew it stemmed from him. In all of my twenty-four years I’d never, not once felt like that. I wasn’t sure how it worked, but I knew he was the key.
Just as I’d resolved to sneak into Emily’s room to check on her—and see if Todd had texted her—she emerged from her room. Aside from looking a little pale and having two spectacularly purple hickeys on her neck, she seemed fine.
“Morning!” she chirped.
“Morning? Em, do you know what time it is?”
“No...” she glanced at the phone in her hand. “Shit! It’s after five! Lucy, why didn’t you wake me up? We should have been getting ready hours ago!”
“Relax, Em, it’s fine. I’m sure Todd understands, we didn’t leave until dawn.”
She was texting furiously. When she received a reply the relief on her face was obvious. “Okay, he just woke up. We’re supposed to meet them in two hours at The Sunset.”
“Perfect,” I assessed her sleepy, disheveled appearance. “I’ve already showered, but you need to get cleaned up. I’ll make us some food and it’ll be ready when you get out of the shower, okay?” I would make certain she didn’t get too drunk tonight, starting with a good meal.
Emily beamed at me. “That sounds great, thanks Lu. Pancakes?”
“Sure, Em, pancakes it is.”
***
After a filling seven p.m. breakfast and yet another makeover, we were on our way to The Sunset. I opted for dark-wash skinny jeans with ankle boots and my trusty jacket, and Em chose a glittering gold tank for me to wear with it. My ‘professional’ makeup matched; a glittery gold shadow lined my lids and brought out the gold tones in my eyes. My hair was loose and slightly curled in the damp air. Em was, as usual, in another skirt. This time she chose a crop top and a high-waisted skirt that revealed a strip of skin on her ribcage, paired with sky-high over-the-knee boots. She was happy and excited, but there was an edge to her joy. Her knee bounced rapidly in the back seat of our Uber, and she couldn’t seem to sit still.
This worried me, because Em was always the calm, confident one. Of our pair I was the anxious one, the worrier, the one who occasionally chewed my nails and tapped a pen on my desk. Em kept glancing between the passing scenery outside the window and her phone, texting rapidly—I assumed with Todd. If I had to guess I would say she was giving him updates about where we were, or how much longer until we arrived. She sighed on multiple occasions as if we weren’t traveling fast enough for her taste, and it all made me even more concerned.
“Em...” I began.
“Hmmm?” She din’t look at me; she was too busy texting. Of course.
“Em,” I tried again, “Are you okay? You seem... a little anxious.” It was a blatant understatement, but I was going for kind.
“Me? Oh I’m fine. I’m just excited, you know? Tonight will be so much fun!” She enthused, as if we hadn’t just spent the last two nights having fun.
“Sure, I’m sure it will. But... are you okay otherwise? You’re not acting like yourself lately,” I hesitated to say more, I didn’t want to upset her.
She laughed with false bravado. “Not myself? What are you talking about? I’m totally fine.”
“Well, just little stuff, but like... okay, the hickeys, for example. You’ve never, for as long as I’ve known you, allowed a guy to so much as think about putting a mark on your neck. Now here’s this guy and you have two monster hickeys on your neck in as many days. What is up with that?”
Em pulled her hair around to rest on her shoulder, concealing the offending marks from view behind a cloud of golden locks. “Well, maybe I decided to loosen up a bit,” she sniffed defensively. “Todd is different than the other bozos we’ve known, and it doesn’t bother me if he does it. Is it really such a big deal? Other people get hickeys all the time.”
“I know, but I’m not talking to ‘other people’, I’m talking to my best friend, Emily, who has hated the idea of letting a man mark her for her entire life. And then, one night, decided, ‘fuck it, he’s a rock star’ and let him give you a mark so dark you can’t even cover it with your thickest concealer. That’s just not like you, Em,” my tone started sharply but ended on a softer note. I wasn’t trying to be accusatory, I just wanted to know if there was something else going on.
“It’s okay, Lulu, and I appreciate you worrying about me, but I promise I’m fine.” Her voice lost all hints of anger and turned irresistibly sweet. “I’m thrilled. I can’t remember ever being this excited about a guy. Todd’s so amazing, and the way he makes me feel... well, I feel... lit up inside when I’m around him, like a Christmas tree. It’s like I’m glowing so brightly nothing that used to bother me can even touch me.” She sighed happily, a dreamy smile on her face.
I gave up, defeated. I may have understood the feeling she was describing a little better than she knew, and regardless I just wanted to make sure she was happy. As long as Todd Benson continued to make her happy, then I would be a supportive best friend. “Okay, Em,” I replied. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.” I hugged her tightly, and we both went back to counting down our arrival at The Sunset.
NEVER LEAVE A FRIEND BEHIND
AS SOON AS I laid eyes on Mick, my heart fluttered. He was wearing black pants again, but tonight a charcoal grey shirt wrapped his wide shoulders and hugged his developed chest. His hair was down and brushing his shoulders, and his emerald eyes appeared lit from within when they landed on my face. The smile that crept across his lips infused me with warmth and I took a deep breath to steady myself. This time he took my hand immediately, threading his fingers through mine and sending pleasurable tingles up my arm. His lips pressed to my temple by way of greeting, a shiver sliding down my spine in response.
Todd was playing the diva musician and didn’t come greet us like Mick did, expecting Em to come to him. She didn’t mind, but I resented it, silently, on her behalf. Aside from my new closeness with Mick this all felt very repetitive: We greeted the band, took shots, danced in the wings, and Mick watched us with glimmering green eyes from the shadows. It was like an episode of The Twilight Zone where we were doomed to repeat the same scenario, not realizing someone trapped us in an alternate reality.
As pleased as I was with Mick’s company, I was concerned about Em and I watched her closely. Determined to remain sober, I hadn’t drunk at home and I only took one shot with the group. As a result, my consciousness was in full effect and I noticed several things. Emily was acting like an addict, stressed until she was around Todd, then after some close contact and a few shots of his unnamed liquor she was suddenly a moon goddess having the best night of her life. The girls with the other band members differed from last night, and now that I thought about it the girls from last night weren’t the same as the first night. They were nearly interchangeable, but not the same. I was sure of it.
Well, I can’t fault guys for having a type, and they are rock stars after all. Which meant that Em and I were the only two invited to more than one ‘backstage party’. I wondered if that meant Em was special, or just that Todd differed from his friends.
Mick’s presence was semi-distracting, as he continued to find direct contact with my body. Every time he dragged a fingertip across my skin my brain went a little fuzzy and my eyes threatened to roll back in my head. I enjoyed the narcotic sensation of his touch but I needed to monitor Em, so I held his hand firmly in my lap and kept my jacket on. The barrier helped me keep my head straight, so even though I was uncomfortably warm I refused to remove it.
As the night wore on I noticed the band disappearing with their dates, one at a time. They weren’t gone long, but the girls almost seemed drugged when they reappeared. Is that what is going on? Is Todd giving her drugs? That would explain why she was acting like some sort of drug addict... maybe she actually was!
Just as I was considering how I could convince Em to leave with me before she disappeared with Todd again, I felt Mick’s hand sweep my hair behind my shoulder before his lips pressed lightly to my neck.
The sensation was electric; It coursed through me, igniting my skin in a wave of sparkling shivers. It felt like a thousand simultaneous strokes with a feather on every inch of my body. I was completely overpowered. My eyes closed and rolled back in my head, the sharp intake of breath through my parted lips loudly betrayed my pleasure. My body was liquid, poured languidly on Mick’s lap. I vaguely knew Mick’s hand was on the back of my neck, and I wondered idly if Em was watching me and laughing.
Shit, Em! My eyes flew open, and I sat up abruptly. The room seemed unusually bright and I scanned for Em, just in time to see her walking back into the room with Todd. She was giddy and her body looked loose, like she didn’t have control of her limbs. Todd was practically carrying her back into the room.
I was furious at myself. How the hell did that happen? One moment I was watching her like a hawk, then Mick kissed me on the neck and suddenly I was oblivious... wait a minute. Is he in on it? Did he do that on purpose? More to the point, how did he do that? Did he drug me somehow?
Jesus. Comprehension dawned on me with startling clarity: they were all in on it. I looked around the room at the glassy-eyed groupies draped across the laps of the band. Whatever was going on, the whole band knew. I felt the panic rise in my throat, the fear, as immediate danger send my heart racing. I looked sideways at Mick, who smiled that sexy half-smile back at me, his green eyes luminous and faintly blue...
No. I wasn’t falling for it, whatever ‘it’ was. This was wrong, I felt it in my gut. I thought something was off the first night, and now I knew it. I needed to get out of here. I needed to get Em out of here.
I flew to my feet and charged over to Todd where Em lay curled on his lap contentedly. “We need to go home. Now,” I tried to diffuse the panic in my voice, keeping my tone even and confident.
Todd glanced up at me, his dark hair disheveled and his eyes a brilliant azure blue. He smiled warmly. “Yes, you probably should. She hit it kind of hard again tonight. I’m not sure she is in shape to walk, but I can carry her for you.” He seemed genuinely kind in the offer, but I wasn’t fooled. He did something to her, something that was messing her up, and was trying to play it off like she drank too much again.
“Yeah, maybe you should do that,” I smiled sweetly at him as if I bought his explanation. I pulled out my phone and ordered an Uber, then stood over Todd waiting for him to stand.
As soon as Todd shifted his weight Em woke with a vengeance. “Who’s ready for another round?” she shouted, jumping up, tossing her hair and smiling confidently. I spotted a third dark purple mark on her neck, and the sight enraged me.
“Em, it’s time to go home,” my voice had a razor-sharp edge, and she picked up on it right away.
“No. I’m not ready to leave, Lulu, let’s have another shot and hang out for a while,” she reached for me and used the nickname that always gets her what she wants. Except this time, I knew that what she needed was to get out of there, despite being the opposite of what she wanted.
“No, Emily, we’re leaving. I already called the Uber, and I’ve got your purse. Let’s go,” I tried to grab her hand to tug her towards the door, but she withdrew from me.
“NO, Lucy. I’m staying with Todd. If you want to leave, you can go,” she settled back on Todd’s lap, and he gave me a sheepish grin as if he wasn’t in control of this entire scenario.
That bastard.
“Em, I’m not leaving without you. We never leave each other behind. Remember? That’s our deal,” I crouched so I was eye-level with her. “Em, come on. I’m your best friend, I can’t leave without you. Please come with me,” I pleaded. Emily’s eyes were two empty orbs, the cerulean almost concealed by enlarged pupils. There was no light behind her eyes; they looked dead, like doll's eyes. Pretty, but empty.
Panicked, I grabbed Em’s hand and tried to drag her off of Todd’s lap. She shrieked, lashing out at me with her other hand and scratching my face. Startled, I let her go. She wrapped both arms around Todd’s neck and immediately began sobbing.
