Enchantress

Chapter 2

My head was pounding and the light pouring through the tiny window in my dorm room wasn’t helping. The door burst open and Viv came strolling in holding coffee.

“Here’s some aspirin. I brought you coffee. I heard someone disappeared from the party last night with a certain stranger on a street bike. Care to tell?”

I remembered only a few details from last night's escapade, but I wasn’t ready to kiss and tell so to speak.

“Well I don’t really remember anything. Who can think with all this pounding in my head!”

“Take some more aspirin. You better get up your brother is outside the door waiting on you.”

I completely ditched him last night. He is going to be pissed. I climbed out of bed and grabbed my black skinny jeans out of the closet. Through my black tank top on and pulled my grey knit sweater over top of it. I slipped on my black flats and pulled my hair into a ponytail. No time for a shower. I said goodbye to Viv as I grabbed my sunglasses, wallet, and keys. I headed out the door to face the music.

“You look rough!”

“Thanks! I feel it! Sorry about last night. You were busy and I had plans. I didn’t think you would mind.”

“I don’t mind. What I mind is you getting yourself in trouble.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I had Dom keep an eye on you last night.”

“I don’t need a babysitter. I’m an adult Malachi.”

“Kieran is the master of trouble and you managed to find him your first night on campus. I’d say you do need a sitter.”

“Well I don’t. See you later. I have errands to run.”

I turned on my heel and headed out into the warm September sunshine.

I had a list of things to do and I told Viv this would be a party weekend, so I knew what was on the list for tonight. Today on the other hand I was on the hunt. I found a coffee shop on the corner of Center and Main street. I quickly grabbed a coffee and set off to the boutiques throughout town.

The first few weren’t interesting. They looked more like they dealt in secondhand clothing. I did score a couple of cute tops though. So, I decided to go into the last one on my list next. It was the furthest out and located in the oldest part of town. The store front looked as if it had seen better days. The red bricks of the walls were missing chunks here and there. I pulled on the glass door and a bell chimed as I stepped in. A dark-haired woman with soft features and glasses smiled at me as I walked in.

“Can I help you?”

“I came to browse your selection. I’m hoping to find the perfect dress for tonight.”

“Let me know if you’d like to try anything on or if I can help with anything.”

I gave her a quick smile and she returned to her book that was on the counter.

There were rows of dresses and I started rifling through them. I was halfway through a rack when a black silk dress caught my eye. It was strapless and smooth to the touch. I took it to the front where the lady at the desk led me to the dressing rooms. I put it on and stared at the mirror. The hemline was short, but it went well against my tan skin. It hugged all my curves. This was it. This was the dress I was wearing tonight.

I changed back into my clothes and took the dress to the front to check out. The sales lady looked it over and rang it up.

“Beautiful dress! You have excellent taste. You might want these to go with it. We just got them in.”

She reached under the counter and pulled out a pair of black leather stilettos. She handed them to me to look over. They were a size six. Just my size. It must be my lucky day.

“I’ll take them.”

I cashed out and was quickly on my way back to the dorm shooting Viv a quick text to meet me there. I made it back to the dorm in about thirty minutes due to practically running. I can’t wait for Viv to see my finds. I walk through the door and head for the shower. Tonight's about to get interesting!

The next few hours passed by quickly while Viv and I played dress up. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun.

“What’s on the agenda for tonight?”

“We’re going to the club!”

“Then let’s get moving! I’m ready to dance!”

We pulled up outside of Club 108 and paid for the taxi. The line was wrapped around the building.

“Follow me”

I didn’t question her. I just followed. She walked up to the door man.

“Our names are on the list.”

He looked at the list and took our names.

“Ah… Guests of Mr. Saint James. Go right in.”

He opened the door and we slid into the darkness of a hallway. Opening the door at the end of the hallway led us into an enormous room filled with music and flashing colored lights. In the center of the room was a crowded dance floor and off to our left was a crowded bar. Off to the right of us was a darkened stage with a lit-up DJ booth at the end of it. On the other side of the room opposite us were booths and tables filled with people enjoying drinks and conversation.

“Where to first?”

“The bar of course. Then we have to stop by Matti’s booth.”

“Were not even old enough to drink! How do you expect to get the bartenders to serve us?”

“The perks of being friends with Matti. You can’t get in here unless you're twenty-one. We’re inside so they won’t question our age. They don’t check VIP’s ID’s.”

“Score! Nice one. So, who is Matti?”

“Only the hottest guy to attend our college. His family is old money like mine. It comes with a ton of perks.”

“Nice,”

We got our drinks and headed to a large back booth that was dimly lit. There were five people seated in it. A red headed girl in a blue dress and a dark-haired guy with brown eyes. Opposite them sat a sandy blonde-haired guy with green eyes and another dark-haired guy with green eyes. In the back of the booth sat a light blonde-haired guy with blue eyes. As we approached, he smiled widely showing off his perfectly straight white teeth. He had a chiseled jaw and underneath his tight cotton shirt revealed a chiseled chest. Viv was right. He was by far one of the hottest guys I’ve seen so far.

“Matti dear. A moment?”

He shooed everyone out of the booth. Viv motioned for me to have a seat.

“Matti thank you for the invite! This is my roommate Taryn. I believe you know her brother Malachi.”

“Malachi is a good friend of mine. It’s a pleasure to meet you Taryn. I look forward to getting to know you better.”

We finished our drinks with light conversation and headed for the dance floor. We hit it hard. We danced for so long our legs began to cramp. Just when I thought about sitting down, I felt a pair of hands on my hips. I could smell his cologne and I knew instantly that it was Matti. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck, and I could feel his chiseled chest against my back. He pulled me back tighter against him.

Just then he began to whisper in my ear.

“I would like to take you out on a proper date tomorrow evening if you would have my company?”

“I would like that.”

“Would you like to grab a coffee with me now? I’m having an after party at my apartment after the club closes. I’m sure Viv wouldn’t mind meeting us there.”

“I would love to. Let me tell Viv.”

“I’ll meet you at the door.”

With a kiss on the cheek, he was gone. I watched him disappear into the crowd. I quickly told Viv where I was going. She gave me a nod and wink and started to dance off into the crowded dance floor.

I was on my way to the door when a familiar face in the crowd caught my eye. Oh, great my babysitter is apparently on duty. Dom made his way to me.

“Leaving so soon?”

“Yeah, I’m off to have coffee with Matti. Make sure you tell Malachi that one.”

“Why would I tell him?”

“Because you're my babysitter. “

“I was only asked to keep you safe and out of trouble. Not to report on what or who you are doing.”

“I’m not doing anybody. Yet. But that isn’t any of your business. You can tell my brother I’m a big girl and I can handle myself. I don’t need a bodyguard nor a babysitter.”

He pulled me off into the small hallway off to the right that led to the door that let you behind the bar. He acted like he wanted to say something but didn’t. He stared at me for a moment and began to speak.

“Not everyone in this town is as they appear. Just be careful and take care of yourself. Matti is a good guy. You can trust him.”

“What is it with you? One minute your cold as ice towards me and the next minute you’re rescuing me from Kieran. Now you're pulling me off into a hallway to tell me Matti is trustworthy. Why are you so wishy washy?”

Without another word his hand was on the back of my neck and his lips were pressing against mine. I felt a spark. A fluttering in my stomach, a yearning for more. He pulled my hips into his with his other hand. A small moan left my mouth. With that he stopped kissing me and I felt his mouth turn into a smile.

He whispered into my ear,” You don’t know how bad I want to take you out of that dress. It looks amazing on you but I’m sure it looks even better off. Your brother would have my skin if I did. Go find Matti.”

Without another word he was down the hallway and disappearing into the crowd. All I could think was, what the hell?

I stumbled out of the hallway towards the door. I looked through the crowd and didn’t see Dom or Viv anywhere. I did see Matti standing by the main door with his back to me. So, I made my way towards him.

“You ready?”

“I sure am,” he said as he slid his arm around my waist and let me out of the club to a black sports car that was waiting out front.

I slid in on the leather interior that felt cool against my skin. I still couldn’t get that kiss out of my head. Why was he toying with me? He knew I liked him and the moment I started talking to someone else he shows up again and reels me back in. Why?

“Are you cold?” Matti asked pulling me from my thoughts.

“No, I’m ok. Just thinking about how you read my mind with coffee,” I said with a little laugh.

“Well you’ll be happy to know the best coffee in town is only a few minutes away.”

We pulled up outside a heavily lighted building downtown. I wasn’t familiar with it. It had glass doors in the front with a door man. As we pulled up a young kid came running out and Matti exited the car tossing him the keys. Matti then came over and opened my door and helped me out of the car. As we walked towards the double glass doors the doorman held one of the doors open for us. He and Matti gave each other a small nod and we stepped inside. Matti led me to another set of glass doors immediately off to the right. The words in the doors scrawled out “The café at Belmont”.

“Why don’t you go find us a seat and I'll get our coffee. How do you take it?”

“Two cream four sugar.”

With that he turned on his heel and headed for the counter. I headed for a small booth at the back of a restaurant. He joined me with two cups in his hands. He took a seat beside me handing me my cup.

We chatted for a while. I learned about his parents and his older sister. We talked about my brother and his younger brother. I told him about my parents and what life was like back home. He was charming and easy to talk to. It was just so easy being around him. No drama. No trouble. We had a lot in common. We both liked football and going bowling. We both liked playing pool and The Walking Dead. We both had the same favorite TV show, American Horror Story. We both loved the beach and the smell of the ocean. His favorite color is blue, and he loves horses and going riding. I felt like I’ve known him all my life. I looked at my phone. It was nearly two a.m.; I didn’t want this to end. I looked up and he was staring at me.

“I’m supposed to host the after party, but I’d really like to spend more time getting to know you. What do you say to skipping the after party and just watch an American Horror Story marathon and hang out with some popcorn?”

“That sounds awesome. I’d like that very much.”

“Let me make a quick call and I’m all yours.”

He made a call and came back to the table.

“I have a friend taking care of the party. My apartment is now all ours.”

We got up and he led me back through the double glass doors and out into the building lobby. He put his arm around my waist leading me over to the elevator. We made small talk while the elevator went up to the penthouse apartment. The doors opened to a pristine apartment. A whole wall of windows was on the far side of the room. There was a living room off to the left and kitchen to the right with a winding staircase that I'm sure led to a bedroom.

“Make yourself at home. Would you like a drink or perhaps a glass of wine?”

“A glass of wine sounds nice. Thank you.”

I sat my clutch on the coffee table and walked to the windows. He had an amazing view. I could see every nook and cranny of the city. All the night owls hustling and bustling below looked like little ants from up here. The city was all lit up.

“The view is breathtaking is it not?” he whispered in my ear as he handed me the glass of wine.

“It’s amazing! We don’t have anything like this back home.”

“I have American Horror Story queued up at the latest season. I have popcorn on the stove. Any other requests?”

“Just your company!”

“Then let’s get this marathon started!”

I took a seat on the couch, slipping my stilettos off and placing them under the coffee table. He brought the popcorn in a bowl and took a seat beside me. We watched the latest season in high definition with the surround sound. It felt like we were in the show. Halfway through the third episode I was practically on his lap, shielding my eyes as horrific sights played out on the screen in front of me. We were at one of the most horrific scenes yet when Matti asked me if I would like a refill on my wine. He startled me and I probably jumped ten feet off the couch.

“Did I startle you?” he asked with a little laugh.

“Yes. Yes, you did.” I remarked joining in on his laugh.

“You are so amazing! I’ve never met anyone that I could be this relaxed with. You’re so easy to talk to and your smile lights up the room. Laughing comes so easily with you. You know, I’ve never sat with anyone and watched a marathon. Every date I’ve ever been on was pretty much a black-tie event. This feels amazing and so right. I really like you Taryn.” He was staring at me now, waiting for me to respond. When I didn’t, his lips found mine. They were soft and gentle but there was a hunger behind it. The kiss was so passionate and intense I allowed it to consume me. The next thing I know he’s on top of me on the couch. I’ve never wanted anything so bad in my life. I undid his belt and pulled his shirt over his head. This was it. I was about to go all in. I pushed him over. We rolled front the couch to the floor. I was in control now. He pushed the tight silk fabric of my dress up to my hips. Then he stopped. And lifted me off him. He stood up and held out his hand to me.

“You don’t deserve to be ravished on the floor like a dog. You deserved to be ravished in between silk sheets.”

He grabbed my hand and led me up the stairs to a waiting and ready king size bed. He unzipped my dress and let it slide to the floor. I stepped out of it as he picked me up and tossed me on the bed. His belt being pulled off sounded like a whip cracking. Matti climbed onto the bed with hunger in his eyes. He was about to make my night.