"You know I don't work Sat.u.r.days but what a shame your biggest fan does." I nodded to Ca.s.sie who was collecting only two gla.s.ses at a time.

"Thanks for reminding me, you've now destroyed an illusion I had been working on all night."

"So who was she this time...Jessica Biel or Jessica Alba?" He laughed at how well I knew him and just as he put my usual Corona with lime in front of me, he answered, "Neither smarty pants." I raised my eyebrows and put up a hand.

"Wait, don't tell me...I got this one...Umm... Sarah Mich.e.l.le Gellar!" I could tell with his face I'd guessed right. See Ca.s.sie was a grade A pain in the a.r.s.e that loved Mike and practically humped his leg whenever she got the chance, so I came up with the idea of blocking her out by pretending she was someone else. I doubted he actually did it but it was still something we joked about every time we saw each other.

"Hold on, here comes Buffy now!"

"Actually I preferred her in Cruel Intentions." He winked at me and just as she came up to the bar I whispered, "Yeah, but that's only because she kisses a girl!"

"Argh, gross! Who kissed a girl?" Ca.s.sie asked but not without the disgusted look my way. She probably thought I was a lesbian now and it would soon be around the club that I was cheating on Draven with some out of town Cyber chick.

The Dravens' prolonged stay was still generating an array of unusual tourists that travelled miles just for one night at Club Afterlife and maybe a glimpse at its famous Gothic millionaire. Unfortunately the drama and gossip of the town was still about me dating Draven. I think there was even one rumour the other day that I was pregnant and just saying it was his because I wanted his money. I had laughed until tears developed when RJ had told me. But I wasn't hurt by all these rumours. It came with the territory when dating the town's most influential man and besides, I knew the truth and that's all that mattered.

Of course it caused a little friction at work to begin with but soon they just seemed to accept it was now a part of me and when I disappeared upstairs, it was as if I was forgotten about. On the shifts when I worked in the VIP, I would walk past without a word spoken to me, but on the shifts when I worked down here, then it was as though nothing had changed. I was now two different people to everyone else but I was still the same person inside. It had bothered me in the beginning, that I couldn't have it both ways but I soon realised there was no other way it would work...it was them that had changed, not me.

"Oh my, oh my!" Ca.s.sie was muttering to me which was odd in itself. Her killer instincts had kicked into overdrive and she was now fixated on Justin who was walking this way.

"Move out of my way, my future husband just walked in and he's looking this way, oh and try not to speak, I don't want him running off." She budged me out of the way to stand in front of me. I wanted to laugh out loud but refrained. I didn't want to crush her dreams as soon as they had been created. Besides this was going to be far too entertaining to watch!

Justin sure did attract attention even if he did look like a fish out of water. He was trying to look around for me and I had to wave behind Ca.s.sie's back. This was like giving a diabetic, keys to the sweet shop because Ca.s.sie thought he was coming for her. He was now stood in front of us both trying to get to me.

"Hi, looking for someone 'cause my name's Ca.s.sie and I'm someone?" She flashed her white teeth under murderous red lips that were closer to hooker than hottie. She then added a girly hair flick, which ending up hitting me in the face with bleached blonde hair that even smelt like peroxide.

"Hey Ca.s.sie, I'm Justin and I've found who I'm looking for thanks." He was trying to be polite but she didn't even flinch.

"Yeah, well why don't you tell her you've found me and let me and you go party, I'm off in twenty minutes." At this he lost his gentlemanly patience and held her by the shoulders and moved her to the side to reveal an amused me behind, which brought his smile back.

"Sorry kid, I play in the big leagues and I've found what I was looking for." He finished it with a wink at me, which sent Ca.s.sie over the edge. She went scarlet to the dark roots and huffed off shouting "Dog" over her shoulder but Justin just replied with a "Woof, Woof", even though I think it was mainly aimed at me.

"Well she was pleasant... Not!" he said before ordering a rum and c.o.ke.

"You just met the s.l.u.t of Afterlife and survived, congrats," I said causing a warm smile to replace the c.o.c.ky one.

We were only there a few minutes when a familiar pink head could be seen amongst the crowd. Boy for such a little thing she couldn't half push her way through a room full of dancing bodies. She came bounding up to me so I met her half way, where she gave me a huge hug, momentarily forgetting Justin. She was wearing a ripped black tank top with net sleeves. This was matched with a pink tartan tutu skirt and tartan boots on top of fish net tights that had seen better days. Her hair had grown out a bit but the roots were now dyed red, so each pink spike now looked like it was bleeding into her skull.

"Nice hair!" I commented and her eyes lit up with the complement.

"You like? And who said red and pink clash! You look cute as usual but wait...what is this, doth my eyes deceive me?" She said this in a posh, old fashioned English accent (or at least tried to) before carrying on, "Are you, Keira our English rose, wearing the tightest black jeans I have ever seen?"

"No! And don't make me regret them...ok?" I said in a low voice and she just nodded, understanding my code.

"Mum's the word, old chap!" She did it again and at this rate if she persisted to keep up the accent then I would have to teach her a few things, like for one, not all English people sounded like Sherlock Homes!

"So what do we have here then, what did you bring me?" She motioned towards Justin with her netted hand and I turned to see him waiting for us. She giggled at the sight and as we walked over there I heard her behind me saying "Yum, Yum".

"Justin, this is my very good friend RJ, RJ this is who I was telling you about." I thought I had introduced them properly but I think Justin got the wrong idea.

"Keira, have you been telling people about me, you little minx?" He held a hand out to RJ like something from a period drama on the BBC. I don't know why but Mr Wickham sprang to mind. He was being the perfect gentleman as we all chatted at the bar about what Justin had been up to the past few years.

"But if you're only a few years older than Keira, didn't you finish college?" s.h.i.t! I hadn't thought about that, they all still thought I was twenty one not twenty three. Of course Justin knew what had happened to me, it would have been hard for Frank not to explain why he had to come over to England to console his wife. His family had been great in not disclosing this bit of information to anyone else and although Justin didn't know all the gruelling details, he still knew.

"Ah well... my parents didn't mind me taking some time out on account of being a free spirit and all. I'll go back but only when I'm finished with travelling." He carried on but I was just thanking my lucky stars that Justin had been so cool with lying. If that had been me, I would have been busted Disney style and my big conk would have probably poked her eye out. But Justin was obviously a pro in this line of work.

By the end of his third story about helping out the locals, I think RJ was in love and ready to run away with him to become a world healing surfer, living in huts and mothering abandoned monkeys while making vegan meals for hungry locals.

"So do you like the band?" RJ was asking Justin as I saw one of the friendliest faces on the planet come towards us. Jack's messy hair flopped about in the crowd and a couple of girls dressed like vampire dolls drooled as he went past. His smile lit up my face as he approached and I couldn't help but laugh at his T-shirt that was black and the white lettering said "Guns don't kill people, Zombies do" and the word Zombies was painted in fake dripping blood.

"Nice T-shirt," I said as he gave me a big bear hug.

"I wore it for you, knew you'd like it considering you work in a Gothic nightclub. Cute top, by the way." He gave me a great big grin that I expected most of the room could see. Meanwhile Justin had stopped listening to RJ and was staring at us. You could feel the heat from his glare and it made us both turn round at the same time.

"Oh sorry dude, you must be Justin" Jack extended his hand and Justin slapped his own into it with an edge of aggression.

"And you? Sorry Keira hasn't spoken about you." I blushed and felt like pulling out one of Justin's ribs and hitting him with it for being so rude.

"Oh this is just my brother Jack."

"Geez thanks sis, that's real heartfelt." Jack hit a fist to his chest and joked about being the more mature one of the two. I quickly asked RJ about the band name, trying to disperse some of the tense atmosphere that was far too thick for me.

"So what's the band's name?"

"The Happy Yellow Stains, they're ok but the next band is called 'TCTF' and they rock." She then got Jack's attention and drank from an imaginary cup, her way of asking for a drink. He rolled his eyes at me and shouted for Mike who was trying to get away from Ca.s.sie at the time, so he seemed more than pleased about his reason for escape.

"What does 'TCTF' mean?" I asked when I really wanted to ask if it meant 'Tactless conversations to friends', but I swallowed that one and waited for my answer which was in no way what I was expecting.

"This Clown Tastes Funny."

"Sorry?" I thought she had just randomly told me something from a dream but no, that had been the answer. I hadn't heard anymore because a vibrating in my bag told me that I had a message. I fumbled in the side pocket and half answered Jack at the same time, "Yes thanks," I said to the offer of a drink but I noticed Justin had made it a point of ordering me one first and he slid the bottle my way. Jack just shrugged his shoulders and told Mike his order minus one Corona. I now had my phone in my palm and flipped it open to a message from an unknown number.

"Did you think it a wise choice to dress so s.e.xy when surrounded by drooling boys, while your boyfriend looks on?"

OMG! Not only was he watching me but he was now texting me!

"Anyone I know...Or someone I wanna know?" RJ said trying to look at my phone which I was now clasping to my chest and turning rosy red.

"It's no one, just Libby." She wasn't convinced and laughed saying "Yeah right", then she carried on talking to Justin. Next thing I knew my phone was vibrating in my sweaty hand making me nearly drop it.

"n.o.body is it? Well, why don't you meet this n.o.body upstairs and we can discuss what colour your cheeks have blushed to?"

I couldn't help the smile that crept across my face like a deflowered maiden.

"Lover boy calling?" Justin said in a flat tone that had taken my smile to heart. Jack frowned but said nothing. And RJ nudged me and said "Bootie call."

I ignored them all and text back with a shaky hand.

"Is this who I think it is using modern technology to arrange a date?" K xx I sent it and tried to listen to the conversation but it was hard when I kept looking over my shoulder to where his shadow might be or the phone to light up, letting me know I had a message back. I had been smart enough to put it on silent and vibrate. Sure enough, seconds later it was glowing in my hand.

"Come to me and I'll show you what I can do without this phone in my hand." D x.x.x I gulped and bit down on my lip. I wanted to say goodbye and run for the stairs as quick as my legs could carry me but I knew my guilt would be overwhelming, so I sent the text that I knew he wouldn't like...the one telling him no.

"I can't, not yet anyway but I promise I will see you later"

Love K x.x.xx I really wanted to say "See you in two shakes of a lamb's tail" but I knew I would be doing the wrong thing, so I flipped the phone shut and instead of sulking, I plastered on a smile and joined in with the conversation.

The others then arrived and Jack got Chaz's attention and we went over to sit in a booth. Justin made a bee line for me and ended up in between me and RJ. Jack then sat opposite me and gave me a smile that said, "I feel your pain". I mouthed a thank you at him when no one was looking. The night seemed to drag on and on, which made it near impossible to relax, knowing I still had hours until I could give in to what I really wanted to do.

"So where is the Prince of Darkness this evening?" Lanie asked as she snuggled up to Drew, who she had started dating not long after I had arrived here. Drew was RJ's best friend from childhood so she had a few issues when she had found out and took a while to adjust but thankfully she was now cool with it.

"Yeah, are we too beneath him to warrant an introduction?" Justin said spitefully and Jack's peaceful face turned deadly, but I b.u.t.ted in before anyone could say anything.

"Below the belt there Justin, he knows that I'm having a night with my friends and he doesn't want to intrude, that's all."

"Yeah and it's nice that he's been letting the bar give us all free drinks all night." Lanie said as she pushed her gla.s.ses back up her nose and looked to Drew for back up. But it was Jack who spoke up for him.

"Yes he has and if I were you I would judge on what you know rather than that on what you clearly don't!" Jack and Justin then had a staring match, which if I could've had money on, I would have picked Jack every time. His 'boy next door' charm had turned into something protectively lethal.

"Chill out Bro, he was just kidding around, weren't you Justin?" RJ came in and saved the day and when Justin didn't respond, she nudged him and gave him a look to back down.

"Sure, why not?" He said dipped in smugness. OK, so Jack and Justin would never be sporting buddies but Justin didn't strike me as the type that shared his toys or conquests, which incidentally is what he cla.s.sed me as. Not long after, I got up to use the bathroom and RJ came with me.

"Ok... so what was all that about?" She asked as soon as the other girls had left the bathroom. We both stood at the basins that were covered in expensive gold leaf and held up with twisted iron. The gilded mirror showed two very different friends having a discussion about two very different boys.

"I don't know what Justin's problem is but it's not about Jack."

"Well durr, it's about Dominic Draven that's who! Oh, come on Keira, you can be so naive sometimes. It obvious that Justin's got a major thing for you and the Dark Prince is in the way."

"I wish people would stop calling him that."

"Are you kidding, that's the shortened version, it's normally 'The Dark Prince of Hotness' but we shorten it out of respect." I couldn't help but laugh and when she started to join in, we were giggling like a couple of schoolyard teenagers.

"Look, I know you will hate me for saying this but he kind of has a point, he has never come down to meet us...I mean, don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm expecting him to come down and kick it with us or anything but it would be nice to at least meet the guy." What could I say to that? If they only knew the truth, would they want to meet him then? I was about to answer, when a noise from one of the cubicles startled us.

"Is someone...?" Just before she could finish, a girl emerged from behind a door and came to stand next to us. I knew instantly it was Draven. There was a flash of purple that RJ couldn't see and my heart dropped. Had he heard everything? I started to replay our conversation over and over like a broken record that was now counted as evidence.

The girl finished washing her hands and I looked over to RJ who was putting on another layer of thick black lines under and above her eyes when something happened. The water that I had been running stopped...no that's not quite right, not just stopped but froze.

It was as if this was a video being played and someone just hit the pause b.u.t.ton. I looked to my right and RJ had frozen, still holding the eyeliner close to her lid. She was pulling a funny face like most girls do when trying to straighten their faces so that the makeup would somehow be applied better.

I then turned slowly to my left and found that only I and the girl were running in true time.

"Ah c.r.a.p!" I said making the girl laugh.

"Hi Keira." The girl said sweetly and I knew Draven was having far too much fun with my reaction.

"Hi," I said with an unimpressed edge to my voice and this just made the poor vessel Draven was using smile.

"If I was you sweetheart, I would check my phone, you never know who wants you...your attention!" she corrected herself or was it, he corrected himself?

"Draven you can't jus..." I started to object to him being here but by the time I turned back to face him, the girl was gone.

"Hey, are you ok?" RJ asked back in full swing of real time and full of concern at my pale, confused face.

We finished in the bathroom and made our way through the crowd when I decided to hang back and check my phone...

"Don't keep me waiting Keira, or I will have to come and get you. See you soon." Dominic GULP!.

Chapter 30.

Coming to Get Me.

I was still in shock that he had gone to those lengths just to get my attention. RJ kept looking behind her making sure I hadn't gotten lost in the crowd. Bless her, she didn't know my half functioning state was due to just meeting my boyfriend in the girl's toilets in the form of a blue haired nineteen year old girl with braces and furry boots.

I think that one would throw anyone off their game. I kept walking towards the booth but jumped when a hand came out of a bunch of dancing bodies which turned out to be my friends. The hand belonged to Justin who was determined to make me stay and dance.

"Hey, there you are. I was looking for you." I was about to pull my arm away and walk back to the booth where Jack and Chaz were still chatting but he gripped me tighter.

"Dance!" He urged but I was still mad at him for being a jerk.

"Why, have you grown up in the past ten minutes?" I asked sarcastically.

"Look, I'm sorry about before, I was being a Jack a.r.s.e...forgive me?" He started to plead with hands together praying but when I didn't respond he made it worse by getting on his knees in front of everyone. This was causing a scene, so I grabbed his arm and pulled him up.

"Ok, ok, but just one dance." I found myself whispering it, like this would somehow help. I could tell he wanted to dance one on one but I made it a group effort which thankfully RJ understood and got in between us as much as she could. I would have to remember to thank her later. Unfortunately though it didn't last long enough to warrant thanks as she was quickly distracted by a tall Goth in army boots and a hacked off look. She went in for the kill and left me and Justin to dance with the couple, Lanie and Drew, who were currently making out.

"So, how did I do?" He leaned in to ask, sending a whiff of aftershave, mixed with salt water that smelt so fresh you could have almost swam in it.

"Huh!" I said looking round only half listening.

"You know... earlier, when I covered up my age."

"Oh that, yeah that was great...I'm mean really great. I guess I should have warned you that no one here really knows about me...well apart from Jack that is." His smile quickly turned sour at the mention of his new nemesis.

"Oh, that surprises me." He tried to play it cool but I was having none of it.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked with a distinct protective tone that made my voice deeper.

"Just that he doesn't strike me as the type you could trust, but it could be his ulterior motive keeping him quiet." This actually made me stamp my foot and the look he gave me, made me feel like I was an endearing spoilt little girl, which didn't help my mood!

"You don't know anything about him! And while we're on ulterior motives, what exactly are yours, why are you playing this game? I just don't understand!"

"Isn't it obvious? I don't want to upset you Keira, I really don't, but it's so frustrating being around you when all I want to do is..." He never got to finish his sentence because every person in the room was now staring at us, making his words die away into the club's atmosphere. Even the music had ceased, making the only noise gasps from excited onlookers.