The Missing Link

Chapter 1

    I was perfectly content to stay home that night. I had just endured a rough breakup and was not feeling up to going out with my roommate, Kara. However, she is one of the most persistent people I have met and I soon found myself being dragged into her room and onto her vanity seat.

    “...you know?” Kara asked while dragging a brush through my knotted hair.

    “Know what?” I winced as she caught a knot.

    I saw her roll her eyes in the mirror. “As I was saying, Ryan definitely doesn’t deserve you, you know?”

    I frowned. Ryan and I had been together since high school and we were the quintessential “first love” relationship. He was my first for everything, and I was his first for everything. Four months ago he broke up with me and I was left to move in with my now roommate.

    Kara and I did not know each other well when I needed to move but, she welcomed me as a roommate. Her and I met through a gig we both temped at a few years ago. Ryan and I had just had a fight about something that seems so minuscule now and I needed to vent. Kara happened to invite me out with some of the other temps and I went, only to get so drunk with her that I don’t even remember how I ended up home later. I noticed later on that she had added me on f*******:; even though we never talked after that, when I posted a status to see if anyone needed a roommate she responded that she had an extra bedroom. Although that involved moving to a different city, I was more than happy for the fresh start.

    “Well it doesn’t matter, does it? I mean, he broke up with me,” I state bluntly.

    “You two were fighting two years ago about something as simple as travelling. I couldn’t imagine any guy even trying to get me to stop travelling,” Kara said as she began to straighten my long brown hair. “I couldn’t believe it when you told me you had only been to the city like, twice in your life. Also, stop frowning at me; you’re going to give yourself wrinkles.”

    I laughed as she gave me an exasperated look. “Seriously Morgan. Aren’t you close to thirty now?”

    It was my turn to roll my eyes. “I haven’t changed since high school. Still short, still look like I’m a teenager. I wish I looked older.”

    “Well, let’s change that then...,” Kara trailed off as she moved on to my makeup.

    “Kara, I am more than capable of putting on my makeup,” I protest.

    “You only do natural makeup looks. I’m going to give you a some edge like I know you have,” she winked at me.

    I mustered a small smile. It would be nice to get some makeup tips from Kara. She was a beautician at a salon close to where we lived, after all. I’ve seen her i********: posts – she definitely has a gift for makeup.

    “Fine,” I concede with a fake sigh. “Give it your best shot.”

    “Be careful what you wish for,” she said with a smug smile.

                                                                                      *

    An hour later I found myself in a cab headed to a nightclub. Clad in a white bustier dress that accentuated my curves and way too uncomfortable high heels, I shifted awkwardly in my seat.

    “Stop it,” Kara groaned next to me. “I made you look hot.”

    Of course she did; the eye shadow and cat-eye combination she used made my green eyes pop. The false lashes, while the perfect way to accentuate the look, were mildly uncomfortable but, that was my only complaint. Meanwhile my lips she kept to my favourite nude shade since it complimented my skin tone so well.

    “Yes, you definitely did. Thanks, girl,” I smile at her. I begin absentmindedly twirling the flower locket on my necklace, dreading having to walk in these heels.

    “You should nix the necklace tonight, or give it to me. It matches my outfit more. Plus I want to see if you exist without it on,” Kara joked at my never taking it off.

    “I think I’ll hold on to it.” I try to not be as visibly uncomfortable as I feel at the request. Ryan gave it to me back when we were fifteen and it felt wrong to take it off.

    Of course, Kara didn’t know of the origin of the necklace. Ryan had given it to me after he told me he loved me the first time. I remember him putting it on me and feeling so absolutely loved in that moment. With my luck, I became pretty sick for a few weeks after but, that’s neither her nor there.

    “Suit yourself.” Kara shrugged as the cab pulled to the side of the street to let us out at the nightclub.

    We both grabbed our clutches and paid our half of the fair before getting out into the hot Summer night. Kara grabbed my hand and led me to the back of the line.

    After about twenty minutes we were on the inside of the club.

    “Hey, let’s get this started,” Kara declared loudly over the music, while signalling the bartender. “Two tequila shots please.”

    “f**k no.” I shook my head but, it was too late as the bartender began pouring the shots.

    “You have to, they’re already ordered,” Kara stated, flipping her hand nonchalantly before she dug in her clutch for her phone. “Ugh, Danny is texting me.”

    “Speaking of people who don’t deserve you,” I say, referring to our earlier discussion regarding Ryan.

    Kara rolled her eyes. “I never said he did. Now, drink up!”

    I gave in, which I find I do easily around this girl. I licked the back of my hand and poured a little bit of salt on it, handing over the salt shaker to Kara. She mimicked me, signalling she was ready. We both lick our hands at the same time, downed the shot, and bit into the lemon wedge immediately after. The familiar burn of the tequila going down my throat and settling into my stomach caused me to shake my head in disgust.

    “Hey, bartender! Two more please!”

    I groan as Kara gets her way another time. I’m not usually a pushover, but something about her disposition makes me give in to her whims. She was the kind of free-spirited person I wanted to be but something, or someone, seemed to always get in the way of that want. I couldn’t blame Ryan fully for keeping me back in terms of travelling or leaving our hometown; I am my own person, after all. However, the seeds of doubt Ryan and my grandmother planted in my head early in my life did not help.

    “The city is so dangerous.”

    “Why go anywhere else when everything we need is here?”

    Sure, they made some valid points. The city is statistically more dangerous than our hometown was; a lot more people went missing in the city or were murdered. My hometown had about 150,000 people living there, whereas the city I moved to had about 1,000,000 people. Of course there were a lot more disappearances compared to the smaller city I had come from – come to think of it, my hometown seemed a lot more safe in terms of solved cases. The city had numerous unsolved cases. I shook my head to rid myself of these dark thoughts to bring myself to the present.

    “...and I texted him saying ‘not tonight, it’s a girls’ night’,” Kara proudly declares.

    I’m assuming she is talking about Danny, so I raise my shot glass up to clink hers. “Here’s to that!”

    We both downed our second shot. I let Kara talk me in to a third one before she dragged me on to the dance floor, absolutely packed with people. Thankfully, Kara is so determined that she is able to pull me close into the middle of the room before turning around and dancing. I swayed my hips in response to the music, allowing the liquid courage to course through me and allow me to be more comfortable with being in such close proximity to people.

    Usually being this close to so many people would have my sense of smell go haywire. Back when my grandmother was alive, she told me that our family has a history of strong sense of smell. A pretty lame superpower but, it is what it is. At least with tequila in my system I didn’t seem to care as much about the body odour exuding from this many sweaty bodies rubbing against one another to the beat. Instead, I allow the inebriation to wash over me and allow me to enjoy this moment.

    A man approached Kara from behind and she let out an inaudible squeal as he expertly grinds his hips with hers. She smiles at me, gives me a thumbs up and a turns to face him as she continues to sway her hips to the music.

    I survey the room, not because I really want to, but because of what I was taught. Never let your guard down. Memorize all exits and have an escape plan always.

    f*****g Ryan. Life was not this elusive movie plot; sometimes bad things happen but, not always. I was at a club surrounded by like-minded people who just wanted to let go for the night. I shake my head but still allow myself to continue to scan out of habit.

    There were two exits. The main entrance, obviously, and the back door with a red “exit” sign above it. In case I needed to escape from any unwanted attention from anyone, the ladies’ washroom was towards the back door on the left side, behind where the lower bar was. My eyes scan to a staircase, where people are either making out or dancing somewhat dangerously close to the stairs, which leads to an upper level that seems to have much of the same going on.

    I look back at Kara only to find she has gone; probably swayed away by that man.

    “So much for girls’ night,” I mutter to myself and turn around to try and spot her. She was tall, black haired, and wearing a bright red dress. You would think she would be easy to spot but, here I was at a loss.

    I stopped swaying my hips and look around more diligently. She is nowhere to be found. I turn towards the staircase once more and wonder if she has gone up there, or at the very least figure I could see her if I got some height advantage.

    My short stature doesn’t let me move as gracefully through the throng of dancers as Kara does but I manage to push myself through. I get to the staircase landing and avoid a cluster of people coming downstairs. Rolling my eyes at how unnecessary this is, I make my way up the stairs, silently cussing at Kara in my head. Tequila makes me irritable it would seem.

    I get upstairs and began to survey the dancers downstairs. Holding on to the railing, I peer over and squint as the flashing lights make it difficult to see. I spot Kara heading in the direction of where we were earlier; oh good, she didn’t forget about me. I turn to head back and notice the VIP area towards the front of the club on the upper level.

    I normally wouldn’t have stared, but this damn tequila made me more brazen. The VIP lounge was currently occupied by a handful of people in a deep discussion; the one male, however, is the one my eyes were fixated on.

    His dark hair was styled up towards the front, like he had been running his hand through his hair multiple times today. His straight eyebrows, furrowed in concentration, framed his intense dark eyes. His stubble beard was shaped to perfectly highlight his chiseled chin and his thin lips were pulled back into a polite, but warning, smile.

    His dark eyes locked onto mine as if he felt I were watching him. I turned away quickly, embarrassed, and hurried back down the stairs.

    “Morgan!,” a familiar voice called as I reached the last step.

    “Kara! You left me,” I accused her, crossing my arms in a huff. My previous irritation had returned and I stood there wearing a scowl on my face. “So much for Girl’s night.”

    “Okay, you’re right; I’m sorry,” Kara tried to put her hands up defensively, but with her holding on two more shots it was difficult. “I promise no more guys.”

    “Thank you,” I replied, uncrossing my arms. 

    “You look hot though. I don’t get why you haven’t been swept away,” Kara declared while handing me a shot. I automatically took it, just grateful that it wasn’t tequila. It barely made me cringe; I’m not sure if that was due to my being inebriated already or if it was a fruitier shot. Regardless, Kara grabbed my hand and began to lead me back into the crowd. “There’s lots of guys here, one of them has to be your type.”

    I couldn’t help but to look back towards the VIP area as she finished her sentence. The dark and handsome man had relocated to the railing area and seemed to be looking for someone. His hands clenched the railing as his eyes scanned the dance floor, looking both irritated and confused.

    By this point I was fully submerged into the sea of dancers and lost my visual on him.

     “I’d really rather hang out with friends than a guy,” I said over the music.

    Kara turned around once she found a spot she deemed appropriate for our dancing with a smirk evident on her face. “Yeah, yeah. Just dance!”

    I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop my hips from swaying to the beat. Kara grabbed my hand and spun me around in an attempt to be playful but, it went horribly wrong.

    My spin was a little too aggressive and I was spun into the woman behind me. She began to fall as I collided with her and let out a little scream that would be inaudible to anyone other than the few people around us, Kara included. We fell on the ground becoming quickly entangled with one another.

   “I am so sorry!” I scrambled to get to my feet, but the high heels caused me to fall again in my haste to return to an upright position. “Oh-God, I am so sorry!”

  The woman laughed. “Not quite how I wanted someone to end up on top of me tonight, but I guess I will take it.”

    The woman went to get up as Kara tried to help me up. What we didn’t realize at the time was that our necklaces had become intertwined with one another. As the woman quickly and strategically rose to her feet whereas I remained on the floor thanks to these high heels ultimately causing my necklace came off my neck with a quick snap.

    I felt the necklace come off and tried desperately to grab for it but, it landed somewhere on the dark floor. “Kara, my necklace!”

    I don’t think she heard me, though, as I began to raise to my feet against my will. Damn, when did Kara get this strong?

    Turning around in a huff, I expected to see Kara with their hand on my wrist, but instead was met with the same dark eyes that locked onto mine earlier. Oh good, the mysterious VIP man was now involved. I probably bumped into his girlfriend or something.

    “I am so sorry!,” I stammered through my tequila haze. “It was an accident, we were dancing and-”

    “Quiet,” the dark stranger demanded quietly, yet it seemed to pierce through the blasting music with ease. His grip on my wrist was firm, but the pressure did seem to have relaxed a small amount.

    I gulped. Okay, this guy seemed a little intense. What’s his problem?

    His brows were furrowed in concentration as he looked me over. This was so strange; I felt like I was being both checked out and studied. I suddenly recalled the dress I was wearing; the tight bustier top with a tulle mini skirt that accentuated my curves in a supposedly “hot” way (as Kara would say). I felt very naked under this man’s gaze and shivered at the prospect.

    Feeling warm and embarrassed at my inner thoughts, I looked around for Kara, but it seemed like she had disappeared again. I sighed; why on Earth is she gone all the time? I returned my attention back to the matter at hand; this man.

    “Excuse me,” I tried to pull my hand away but was instead pulled into the man’s chest. Oh, he smelled so good...

    “Mate,” he growled into my ear.

    “What?,” I couldn’t help but to laugh. Who proposes s*x by asking to mate? Although the thought of it did seem appealing...

    Why was this man’s smell so intoxicating? Why am I acting like I’m in heat all of the sudden?

    I realized he had let go of me. Embarrassed, I took a step back from him to find him looking at me with a quizzical look on his face. 

    “Do you not feel it? The pull?,” he asked.

    “The pull...?,” I responded in confusion. All I felt was that primal urge to f**k this man’s brains out.

    “You know...,” He trailed off while stepping forward to close the distance between us. He grabbed my hips and pulled me in close. “That urge-”

    “Morgan!,” a familiar voice broke through. “I got your necklace!”

    Kara cut through us while mouthing “are you okay?” to me. I blinked, not sure if I was okay or not. His smell was still swirling around in my brain, taking over the sane aspects. I nodded in reply.

    “Thanks, Kara,” I replied. I looked past her to see the man had disappeared.

    “Hey, where did he go?,” Kara asked, looking around. “He was hot. Sorry if I interrupted anything.”

    “Don’t worry,” I said while in a daze. “I’m okay.”

    I felt a need to go looking for this man. I felt it everywhere in my body that I needed to be near him.

    “Hey, do you mind going and grabbing us a water?,” I asked. I had been complaining all night that she kept abandoning me, yet here we were with me asking to be left alone.

    “You sure?,” Kara asked, c*****g one eyebrow up. When I nodded in response, she said, “Okay, I’ll be back; don’t move.”

    I waited until Kara was out of sight before embarking on my mission. I pushed through the sea of dancers, trying to follow his scent. Where was the man? My senses were going haywire, making it difficult to find the source. It seemed to be everywhere and nowhere.

    As if on cue, I felt a hand grasp my wrist and pull back me into them. That delicious smell was back in close proximity; I couldn’t exactly pinpoint what his scent smelled like but, it was driving me absolutely insane. That and mixed with my drunken state, I was not able to think straight. Maybe I should have waited for that water before going on my mission.

    “Not able to stay away?,” he breathed in my ear as I leaned back into him. He took his free hand and gripped my hip while still grasping my wrist, almost in a possessive nature.

    “...no,” I manage to gasp out a response as he began to run his fingers down from my hip to the top of my thigh, grabbing at my thin clothing that separated me from him. I noticed my skirt was becoming bunched up, on the verge of becoming too revealing. Thankfully, the room was dark and the other people in the club seemed too consumed with their own s****l tension-filled dancing to really give a damn about what me and this man were doing.

    My skin turned hot as he brought his other hand up my arm and swept the hair away from my neck. All I could concentrate on was the electricity that I was feeling with every touch this man grazed over my skin.

    “Mmm...you smell so good,” he murmured into my neck.

    Suddenly, he spun me around to face him while grabbing my waist to hold me close. My hands landed on his chest and I looked into those dark eyes. He barely let me get a good look of him close up before his head became buried in my neck again while his hands began exploring around my body. I closed my eyes and fully gave in to this man, secretly enjoying the salacious nature of these events; being in such close proximity with these other people without them noticing what we were doing.

    His lips attacked my neck, causing me to shiver with excitement. Every one of his breaths near my ear made me increasingly want him. It was like he knew every turn on I had and was exploiting them for his benefit.

    He stopped quickly and suddenly, thereby leaving me wanting more. I opened my eyes to see him looking around the club. I kept my hands on his chest, not wanting him to move. What was he doing?

    He grabbed my hand once more and began pulling me towards the back of the club, towards the red exit sign. I followed obediently, feeling like I was a proverbial b***h in heat. Just like Kara, he moved gracefully through the crowd or, more like, most of the dancers seemed to move out of his way.

    The man pulled me through the door into an empty stairwell and pushed me against the door. It wasn’t long before his lips crashed on to mine and his hands explored me more freely. I grabbed on to his shoulders as he lifted me up by my ass and put my legs around his waist. Gripping me with one hand, the other made it’s way up to my top and exposed my breasts. His lips abandoned mine and made their way down to my n****e while his hand grabbed the other and began massaging and pinching the area. I moaned in response, digging my fingernails into his shoulder.

    His hand travelled down to my thigh wrapped around his waist. He roughly pulled my skirt up and ripped my underwear to gain access to my p***y. I felt him get hard against his pants: one of the only things separating me from him. I squirmed at the thought, feeling instantly wet at the idea. His mouth returned to my neck, nipping and sucking at my skin while he manoeuvred me to expose my v****a. His fingers found themselves rubbing my c**t and his mouth curled into a smirk against my neck.

    “Already ready for me, huh?,” he whispered seductively in my ear.

    I didn’t need to say anything, however, as I heard his belt coming undone. He hitched his pants and boxers down to expose his hard d**k. Guiding his d**k slowly in, I gasped as I took in the full length and he groaned in response as he felt my tightness. He moved until I was fully pressed against the door before lifting me up from his d**k before thrusting into me roughly. I moaned, not prepared for the aggressiveness but not minding either. I felt like I needed him in the most primal way.

    He began to pump me repeatedly and I moaned loudly in response. I pulled him in closer and exposed my neck to him, making him look at me with an inherent desire. He smirked and leaned in to bite at my neck. I held him close, my own hand on his head and the other on his shoulder. I dug my fingernails into his shoulder and he groaned with pleasure as he continued to thrust into me. I was getting into a horny frenzy as I got closer to my climax.

    I felt his teeth against my neck becoming a little more aggressive with the biting and nipping, especially considering how sharp his teeth were. Although I felt like it would normally hurt, it wasn’t; it actually felt very good. If possible, he was f*****g me even harder, pounding me against the door as the club music raged on the other side. I could feel he was getting more frantic, about to reach his limit soon.

    He pulled back from me and that’s when I saw his eyes. They were a golden colour and were glossed over in primal lust. Weren’t they dark before? His lips opened to expose his teeth as he continued to f**k me into oblivion. Wait-were his canines always so long?

    My eyes rolled back into my head as I began to c*m, my p***y tightening around his c**k and my fingernails digging harder into his skin. I lulled my head forward as he brought his mouth to my neck once more and bite down. Hard.