The Dark Under Light (Book #2 Masters of the Dark Series)

AFTER FIVE

The day passed in a blurry mess with nothing peculiar except for the arrival of Richard Thorn. When Emily said goodbye to Sidney after closing, she decided to go elsewhere instead of heading home all tired and alone. She figured she could use a drink to relax and headed to the lively bar located three blocks from her office. Many doctors and policemen frequented that bar because it was close to a hospital and the police station; There was so much irony in the existence of an establishment dedicated to getting its diners drunk right in the middle of two places that dealt with drunks and criminals all the time. Luckily for Emily today she hadn't had to deal with either of those two cases, today her new patient had turned out to be a narcissist in capital letters.

Fifteen minutes walking in light drizzle later, Emily shrugged off her white trench coat and ruffled her hair while looking for a free seat at the bar after having pushed open the revolving doors of the bar. This afternoon the place was packed with men in suits and ties. They all looked exactly the same to her. As Emily meandered between the crowded tables, she listened to people talking and realized that the establishment had become the new place for lawyers to come and whine about their cases here.

After arriving at her destination and seeing how a woman in a rather revealing red dress stole the seat that Emily had spotted like a hawk from the entrance, she felt deflated; she would have to find a seat at any table, yet they were all taken. And now what do I do? Just when she considered leaving, she felt a little tap on her shoulder. Emily turned around smiling big and happy when Leah Sanders offered her a martini.

“Hey, you!” Leah shouted as she leaned in to kiss Emily’s cheek. “How have you been?”

Emily took the proffered drink from Leah in gratitude. I needed one of these, she thought to herself. “I’m good! How are you?” she also had to shout but apparently she wasn’t loud enough for Leah frowned and shook her head as if not understanding a single word that came out of Emily’s mouth.

Leah quickly grabbed her wrist and guided her to a booth in the back where surprisingly Richard Thorn was sitting drinking a beer and chatting with a beautiful woman; They both seemed to be around the same age number. Panic seized her and she stopped short, causing Leah to bump into a waitress who was carrying a couple of beer bottles in one hand and a jug of water in the other. Needless to say, the poor waitress ended up dropping things and crashed onto the floor, bitter amber liquid and water mixed on the ground along with pieces of glass. Obviously, a small commotion arose around the three women who froze, completely silent as the other people watched. "I'm so sorry!" Emily groaned ruefully and reached down to pick up the pieces of glass.

“Miss, don’t pick up the glass! Please leave it!” the waitress chimed in as she knelt beside an embarrassed Emily. “You will cut yourself. It’s fine.” She was so sweet to her, not an ounce of hatred or annoyance upon her gentle features. Emily made a mental note to tip this woman generously tonight. “It happens all the time, really.” She assured her.

“Dr. Vargas?” Emily froze to the ground when she heard Richard Thorn's velvety voice coming over her head. She swallowed hard and dared to look up to confirm that he was indeed here and not only was he at the bar but had also witnessed her stupidity. He helped her up off the floor and led her away from the mess - which she herself had caused - then escorted her to his table where Leah was already sitting and the other woman. “Please, join us.” He said, he seemed so different from before; more relaxed. Less… intense. “Unless you’re planning to meet someone already.”

“I don’t see patients outside of my office.” She hurried out. “It’s not professional.”

“I understand that however I’m only inviting you to sit with us and have a drink, that’s all.” She felt so stupid at the time. He was probably teasing her in his mind. What a doctor he had gotten himself. Great choice! "Besides," he added after a pause, "you know Leah, she's your friend."

“Yeah, she’s your friend.” The other woman meddled in.

Emily glanced at Leah for guidance who only smiled at her encouragingly while patting the empty space next to her in the booth. “Alright, but just one drink.” She muttered and went to sit next to her friend while Richard sat across from her and resumed his conversation with the other woman. They began speaking in another language, German it seemed to her.

“So how have you been?” Leah grabbed a beer bottle from the bucket in the middle of the table and handed it to Emily.

Before Emily could open it, Richard took it without even looking and did it for her, then handed it back to her while still talking to the woman. "Thank you." she said, and Richard smiled at her glancing at her for just a second. She took a sip then focused on Leah who was almost finished with her drink. “I’ve been good, lots of work. I needed to relax. How about you?”

“Same,” she took a sip then shrugged. “Been busy developing a project lately and I’m quite excited about it.”

“Oh! I think I haven’t seen any of your movies since we went together to that screening in Las Vegas.” How to forget that night? the screening would be in the city of sin during an exhibition where s*x and porn were the main themes. It was strange for Emily to attend such events, however she realized how much fun she had, having been part of something like this made her gain confidence in herself and her body. “I guess I have to catch up.”

“You should, her next movie will be a hit for sure.” Emily turned to face Richard who was watching her intently. “I’m looking forwards for its release.”

“Richard…” Leah chided at him. “Let’s leave those topics out of, please.” The way she spoke to him was careful… subdued. Emily frowned at the interaction between the two.

“As you like, I’m leaving anyway.”

“Oh, so soon?” The beautiful woman next to him pouted. “But we haven’t even ordered anything yet and I’m starving.”

“I have stuff to do in the morning and I’m quite tired.” He pulled out his wallet and dragged a hundred from it then handed it over to the pouty woman. “It’s on me.” As he was putting his wallet away he focused on Emily, who had been caught staring at him dumbfounded. “Did you drive here?”

“No, I walked from my office.” After giving it a thought, she decided to call it a night. She was tired as well and had appointments tomorrow morning. “I think I’m leaving too. Thank you for having me here.” She stood and waved at the too women as she pretty much sprinted towards the door. Sadly for her, the drizzle had become a nasty electric storm. “Great.” She hated nit owning a car in times like these. f**k the environment.

“Why are you running?” She heard Richard call behind her. “I don’t bite.”

"I really don't like spending time with my patients outside of work, things can be misinterpreted." Emily rummaged in her coat bag for her cell phone and looked up the Uber app. "Besides, we just agreed on a drink."

“You said you walked, right? Let me give you a drive.”

“I will be fine; besides you also drank. Wouldn’t be wise to drive with alcohol in your system.”

“I have a driver.”

She blinked up at him. He seemed quite amused at her. Was she funny to him? Of course, I am. “Would be nice but…”

“But nothing, I’ll drive you wherever you want to go. Think of it as my apology for being eccentric.”

“If you insist…”