The Forbidden Chapters Part 1: Afterlife Saga by Stephanie Hudson
“So, you were saying...?” RJ asked and I looked out of the window with a sigh and said the truth,
“It doesn’t matter, it wasn’t that important.”
Once at college, I thought getting my mind off him would be easier with droning lectures to listen to but I couldn’t have been more wrong. All I found myself doing was clock watching and wondering what my next shift would bring. Half of me wanted to call in sick just so that I didn’t have to face him, but then that thought alone had me wanting to kick myself. I was just so confused. Last night I had been dead set on quitting the VIP for good but now I wasn’t so sure. Because the plain sad truth of the matter was as simple as it was sad…the thought of never seeing Draven again actually hurt.
I wanted so badly to be strong enough to walk away, but the more the day went on, the more I just wanted to get home so that I could get ready for work. I didn’t know when my life had become so focused on one thing and it worried me, even if my obsessive dreaming had already become out of hand. It was unhealthy, I knew this and if I was ever going to get past it then I knew cold turkey was the only way and doing that required giving up that obsession…Draven.
Speaking of whom, my last class of the day was where I would find one of the culprits from last night. I knew that Sophia was only trying to help as she obviously had a bee in her bonnet about getting us both together, something I still found hard to understand. But it seemed to be doing more harm than good and was obviously just pissing off her brother, if last night was anything to go by.
“Hey,” I said as I sat down next to her and the second I said it, she started,
“Okay before you say anything or try and tell me something silly like you are quitting, just let me explain.”
“Sophia, it’s okay really. I get what you’re trying to do here but I think last night should be where it ends. I appreciate your effort in trying to set your brother up and you obviously just want to see him happy, but I really think we should both just take the hint.” I told her and the second I finished for some odd reason she scowled at the guy behind her. I raised an eyebrow in question at the look they exchanged.
“I told you, I am not kicking the back of your chair!” The guy said forcefully before looking to me. I don’t know why but the whole exchange was a weird one, like they knew each other or something. Sophia looked to me and saw my expression full of confusion so left it after first saying,
“Well see that you don’t! You have done enough damage already!” Okay so that last bit was certainly a strange thing to say and when he rolled his eyes at her it was done more in the sense of someone spilling a secret and in exasperation than at having someone have a go at them for something they didn’t do.
“Umm…are you okay?” I asked, leaning into her so the guy wouldn’t hear.
“Yeah just stubborn, pig-headed males annoy me,” she said which didn’t really fit in with the description of someone accidently kicking her seat. The guy behind her released a sigh and then made it his mission to try and ignore her. I looked back at him when she wasn’t looking and mouthed the word ‘Sorry’. To which he granted me a genuine smile and even winked at me, making me blush.
“So, getting back to working the VIP,” I said trying to get the conversation back on track.
“Oh no, no, no, you’re not doing that to me,” she said getting worked up for some reason.
“Hey,” I said softly placing my hand on hers.
“I was just about to say that it would be best if I just stuck to my own section and keep out of your brother’s way. I will still work in the VIP,” I told her, knowing I couldn’t stand the idea of hurting her feelings by quitting as I had intended.
“You mean that?”
“Yeah, well that is if your brother doesn’t fire me first.” She made a disgusted face which just looked cute on her. Then she laughed once without humour.
“Well that isn’t likely to happen any time soon!” She always seemed so sure and I was tempted to ask her why? Why had she gotten it in her head that I was the one she wanted to see with her brother? Because really, what did I have that a million other girls didn’t have? It wasn’t that I was belittling myself but really, a man like that with someone like me?! No, it just didn’t seem plausible.
“Oh, really Keira, you need to take a good long hard look in the mirror sometime, then maybe you will see what the rest of us sees,” she said as if she was responding to my thoughts. I gave her a strange look but never got the chance to ask her what her outburst was about as the dreaded Reed walked into the room.
After class, I walked out with Sophia, not missing the way the guy behind us looked at her before opening the door for me. It was as if he had silently been issuing a warning to Sophia and then turning his kindness on me.
“Is there something going on with you and that guy?” I asked as I watched him walk away and out of sight.
“Hell no!” she shouted, seeming affronted by the idea.
“He’s just irritating that’s all…so anyway, I wanted to ask you something,” she said quickly turning on her sweet voice for me.
“Okay, shoot.”
“I was wondering, as it’s a while before your next shift, if you would like to have dinner with me?” I gave her a coy smile and she knew what I was about to say,
“No tricks, I promise. Just me and you having girl time.” I smiled big this time and said,
“I would love that. Let me just text RJ to tell her I won’t need a lift home and I am ready to go…unless I need to change first?” I said looking to Sophia and as always feeling like an utter scruff bag next to her. However, she just waved off the notion and said,
“Oh no, that won’t be necessary, you look lovely as always. I have a car waiting and don’t worry, I will make sure you get home in time for your shift,” she said smiling as if it was all going to plan. All I could hope for was that this plan didn’t include a certain, tall, dark and handsome, broody brother of hers.
I decided not to press the matter as I found it better to let her believe in what she was doing was the right thing rather than crush her ideas too early on. I mean who was I to get in the way of what she thought was best for her brother. But on the other hand, he had the right to and he had made it perfectly clear on what he didn’t want and that unfortunately was me.
We both walked to the car just as I received a text from RJ telling me not to worry as she had to stay later anyway to try and get an assignment finished in the library. For all her fun and quirky ways, what surprised me was how academic RJ was and she was certainly driven to get good grades.
When we got to the big blacked out beast of an SUV I looked at the door with trepidation. Sophia laughed at me and said,
“Don’t worry, he’s not in there.” She laughed again when I released a held breath in a big sigh. I went to open the door just as the driver got out to do that for us….yep, very cool moves Kazzy, I thought to myself. We both got in and were instantly surrounded by luxury and bless RJ and her little car but it was a far cry from how I arrived that morning.
“So, any ideas on where we should eat?” I asked, sitting back against the soft leather and sinking in to the comfort provided.
“Oh, I hope you don’t mind but I already booked somewhere.” I looked at her side on to see her looking sheepish and I smirked.
“Should I be worried at how predictable I am?” I asked jokingly.
“Nah, I just knew you could never say no to me,” she teased back making us both laugh.
We arrived after about an hour’s drive and to my horror it was much more than a simply jeans, T shirt and Doc Martin wearing kinda place. It was also in bloody Portland, not Evergreen Falls Mall food court as I had been hoping. Although thinking about it I doubted very much you would have needed to book to go there.
“Uh…Sophia, I don’t think I am dressed for silver service, a la carte right now.” She looked back at me still hovering in the car even though the driver was still holding the door open for me
“Oh please, don’t worry about it, I come here all the time and most of the time never dress for the occasion,” she said and I sighed,
“Yeah right.” I muttered under my breath, making her laugh anyway. Then I followed her up to the entrance, trying not to look like some beggar following her around for scraps of food or loose change. A doorman opened the door for her and I smiled my thanks at him for doing the same for me. Walking through the lobby of the hotel it was times like this that I knew I would never fit in Draven’s world and maybe he knew it too, as that must have been a big turn off for a man like him.
The sheer expense of staying somewhere like this had me now panicking about paying my half of the bill…maybe soup was cheap enough, I thought mentally counting the notes I had in my wallet. I couldn’t say I appreciated the snooty looks I was receiving as I followed behind the gorgeous and glamourous Sophia. But what was at least nice was to see that Sophia looked completely unaffected or more importantly unashamed to be seen with me. She even stopped and linked my arm as we were shown to our table. It was a nice quiet section in a cute booth big enough for four people at a squeeze. She nodded for me to sit down and did so herself opposite me.
“Wow, this place is incredible.” And it was. I looked around the huge open space that looked like it was half restaurant, half art gallery. Massive metal sculptures hung from the high ceilings that were integrated with the lights. Even the bar looked as though it had first known life in some artist’s studio before being converted into a piece of the restaurant.
“Thank you,” she said and I gave her a questioning look.
“We own the hotel,” she stated as if it was something someone said on a regular basis and I had to wonder if it was the equivalent of little Mrs Jenkins on our street who used to use her homegrown strawberries when she made her famous cheesecake. She used to say things like, ‘oh you like them, I grow them in my garden’.
“Of course, you do.” I said making her laugh.
“My brothers’ often use it for meetings and such things,” she said waving her hand around as if it was nothing. I didn’t think much more about it as soon after this she was ordering some expensive bottle from the waiter. I, on the other hand, ordered a tap water making Sophia burst out laughing.
“I’m on duty later remember, speaking of which, we will have enough time to get me home won’t we?” I asked getting worried about the time as I hadn’t expected the hour’s drive here on top of eating what I think Sophia was planning was a three-course meal. Well that was if her excitement over the starters was anything to go by.
“Oh, don’t worry about such things, we will get you there in time…in fact, I will be surprised if my brother even lets you work, due your injury that is,” she said smirking into her menu.
“What!? Oh no, surely not, I mean it was only a little cut and my hand is fine,” I told her, silently panicking that he would use this as an excuse to not let me work. Maybe he needed a break from me…could that be it.
“I mean, did…did he say something?” I asked getting anxious and again making her laugh with my desperate tone, one I wished I could have taken back.
“Keira, really, you worry too much. I all I meant was that my brother would be concerned if you were to pull one of your stitches and I wouldn’t let him hear you calling it a ‘little cut’…not unless you want to intentionally piss him off,” she said reading her menu.
“I think I do enough of that already without even trying,” I said frowning and wondering why he would even care about my stitches. All right, so last night he had seemed to care, a lot in fact. But that was until I found out that it was most likely due to Sophia and me being friends.
“Really Keira, most of the time he is angry at himself, not you.” I laughed without humour at that excuse.
“I don’t think so but nice try, Sophia. Anyway, lucky for me he’s not here so I…” this was when that sentence trailed off as right at that moment who should be walking down the centre of the restaurant, but the man himself…
Draven.
Chapter 26
First Date
Book 1
NEW
“Sophia!” I hissed her name in panic, sinking back into my seat trying my best to hide, but that was a bit difficult seeing as she had positioned me so he would have to walk right past me. Sophia looked round and saw her brother walking down the centre aisle with purpose and looking like…well, like he owned the damn hotel!
“Oh, would you look at that, they must have had a meeting here today, well how lucky.” I growled at her knowing it was bullshit and she had once again orchestrated the whole thing.
“Okay, time for me to go,” I muttered looking back at the exit and seeing if I could make it in time.
“Keira?” Draven said my name and I turned around to face him, knowing that there was no damn chance of my getaway now!
“Hey,” I said in a quiet but high-pitched voice.
“Ah Dom, I didn’t know you had a meeting here today.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Yeah, right.” Draven and I both muttered this at the same time and then gave each other a look…but only one of us smiled and it wasn’t me.
“Why don’t you join us,” Sophia offered with a smirk and Vincent, who I now just noticed behind him, sat quickly next to his sister and said,
“What good timing, we were just about to get a bite to eat before heading back, I am famished!” Draven shot him a look to silently call bullshit but he didn’t say anything. No, instead, amazingly he unbuttoned his jacket and sat down next to me. I shifted over, pressing myself as far into the wall as I could so that we weren’t touching. He looked down at what I was doing and then back up at me. Then he leant closer to me and said,
“Easy sweetheart, I don’t bite.” I think if I had been eating I would have spat my food out cartoon style, that or started choking! Did he seriously just start flirting with me again…after last night! So, I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine and say something completely out of character.
“I doubt that,” I said referring to his changeable attitude rather than the sexual reference it could be taken as. Sophia burst out laughing and Vincent slowly followed.
“Well she has you there, brother,” Vincent said in jest. Draven continued to look down at me and agreed with a simple noise,
“Umm.” And a nod of his head. His staring was making me feel uncomfortable and I shifted again in my seat which Sophia took for another reason.
“If you’re hot take your jacket off, it is quite warm in here isn’t it…your cheeks are going red,” Sophia added probably knowing full well my blush had nothing to do with the heat.
“Um…yeah,” I muttered and unzipped my jacket wondering how I was going to do this without knocking my arm out against him…damn but these booths should really be bigger.
“Here, let me help you,” Draven said taking hold of my shoulders and turning me away from him so that he could help in pulling it down my arms. His hands lingered for a moment before he slowly drew the thick material down and off me. Then he made a signal with his hand in the air getting someone’s instant attention. He handed them the folded jacket as if it was some prized possession and whispered something to the waiter I couldn’t hear.
“Thanks,” I said quietly pulling down nervously at my sleeves, hiding my gloves and trying to hide my bandaged hand. Of course, he noticed. So, instead of asking me about it, he simply reached down to my lap and picked up my hand, bringing it closer to him as though it was the most natural thing in the world. He acted as if touching me was somehow his given right and I found I was too shocked to make it otherwise.
“How is it feeling today?” I gently tried to pull it back as I said,
“It’s fine.” But he wouldn’t allow this and instead spent far longer than was necessary looking down at it. I mean what did he have, the Superman gene and X-ray vision? I coughed, clearing my throat hoping he would get the hint
“I think she wants her hand back there, Dom.” Sophia smirked when Draven shot him a scathing look, one that Vincent obviously ignored with a grin. He let go of my hand, looked back at me and said,
“I am glad it is feeling better.”
“It is, thank you.” I gave him a small smile and then looked back at the menu, trying to pretend that I wasn’t freaking out that there wasn’t even a pricelist printed. At least they had soup I thought wryly. The waiter turned up with Sophia’s bottle and my tap water, which made Draven look at it as though it was poison. Vincent tried to swallow a laugh watching his brother’s reaction.
“Did you order this?” he asked me and Sophia answered for me.
“She did.” I blushed and then said,
“It’s fine, I am not that thirsty and…”
“Waiter!” Draven quickly called him back before he could go too far, interrupting me.
“Yes sir?”
“What do you like to drink, Keira?” Draven asked me and I bit my lip trying to think of what to say.
“Well I…uh don’t know, I usually just drink Corona but I guess I like white wine…”
“Bring us a bottle of Domaine Ramonet Montrachet Grand Cru,” he said railroading me again and for a second I seemed to be lost in the sound of his voice as he spoke the foreign words as though he had been born speaking them.
“I uh…that won’t be necessary, really just the water will be…” And once again, Draven took no notice and spoke over me,
“And you can take this back and bring the lady a real bottle of water.” The waiter nodded and said,
“Yes Sir, right away Sir.” Then took the glass and disappeared.
“Umm, so what looks good?” Sophia said, no doubt trying to move the conversation along but I was determined to say what I had been trying to say all along.