The Bartender (Sanguine Hearts Book 1)

9 A SimpleTouch

Grayson looked away before it was noticed that he was even glancing in Michael’s direction. It was never his intention to draw attention to himself. He preferred anonymity and solitude, yet he watched Ariel with a keen interest in his heart and mind. As he let his focus drop from Maeve and Michael it shifted inward and then inadvertently to Ariel, Ari, as Maeve had called her. He found that it made him feel, was that happy, to think of her and to watch her work. He hadn't known happy in such a long time that he had almost lost the name of the emotion. He was grateful that Ariel never had to work the upper levels. He was happy that she ran the bar he could sit at. In a club with three bars, this one was his. It was his bar. It was Ariel's bar and that made him happy.

Michael and Maeve shared a bar and enjoyed, if you could call it that sharing the space with each other. The uppermost level of the club had become their dominion. Anya's bar. They were two of the most elegant and beautiful creatures alive on that level, she was the third.

The third bar in the multilevel club was actually on the second level. It was Alex's domain. He was too vain and too in love with himself to share it with anyone else, so he didn't. Frank ran the bar on the mezzanine. Frank, handsome by every standard, yet not standout handsome, was less competition for Alex, not that a superiorly beautiful woman such as Anya would be a problem. It just kept the women away from the bar and that was not good for Alex. Frank was more than handsome enough of a draw to bring the women to the bar, but Alex would never admit that he needed any help drawing women. Frank was no competition at all really, not in Alex’s mind. Alex preferred it that way, but wouldn't see it that way at all.

Grayson turned some of his attention, just a small portion of it, to the bodies that were all around him. He could see beautiful women all about him, handsome men, and feel genuinely good people having a good time. One couple was sitting in a booth snuggled close together. They mistakenly assumed a relative amount of privacy, secured in that booth, but it was clear to anyone who might have glanced in their direction for more than a moment, that what they were doing to each other was quite a bit more than just kissing. The state of undress the woman had the man in under the table bordered on the line of indecent exposure. What they were doing was sexually deviant. Grayson turned away disgusted and closed off the part of him that was drawn to such powerful energy. The energy that s****l acts put into the world was astronomical. Grayson felt the shift acutely. He didn't need those thoughts or feelings flowing through him at the moment.

Grayson picked up his highball with more than half the golden liquid still in it and drained the glass. He set the glass down on the bar loud enough for Ariel to hear but not too loudly so as not to make it sound like he had slammed it down in an entitled display and thus summoned her to him.

"Are you alright, Grayson?"

He smiled into her eyes and lied. It wasn’t easy to lie to her. He wanted to tell her the absolute truth; his truth. But he didn’t want to scare her away. "I'm fine, thank you. You can call me Gray if it's easier." She placed her hand on his as she spoke. Her hand was hot on his skin when she placed it on his wrist and over his hand. Her eyes locked with his. They were filled with honest concern. She was voluntarily touching him. He was trying not to freak out. Was it that unusual for him to finish his glass in such a manner and since when did she pay so much attention to him? His mind became a swirling mess of “what ifs”. He had long since forgotten that there was nothing more powerful than the power of touch. When those warm fingers met his skin, he felt an odd pull. How long had it been since he allowed someone to touch his skin? Had it been that long? It must have been. The feeling was foreign yet eerily familiar to him like he was meant to know her touch. As her fingertips graced his skin he felt her energy slowly begin to move and pulse through his body combining with his own. That had never happened before. Pulled energy did not combine with his own. Besides, he wasn’t pulling her energy. It was flowing into him swirling around and pulling some of his energy in before flowing back into her. It was a warm and soft sensation. It was soothing and arousing.

He had been avoiding physical contact with others for a very, very long time, fearing exactly the reaction he was experiencing. It was always hard for him. Ariel’s brilliant green eyes, pulling at his very soul. He wasn’t so sure if he had one anymore. They were not helping his situation at all. She continued to invade his body and mind with hers. He was certain that she wasn’t even aware of what was happening. He struggled to put up the barriers to block her from seeing him but found that he didn’t really want to stop it from happening. That was alarming. He had many secrets to protect and yet here he was ready to bear his soul to her.

Should he let her in, give into her pull, maybe push back just a little, and see what he could see of her? She was powerful? Was she powerful enough to break the barriers he put up? Was she one of those people? She had to be. Did she know that she was? So many people just had no idea. He offered her no resistance and she slowly slipped deeper into his mind.

Though he could have locked her out, put up his barriers and walls, and refused her access to him. Instead, Grayson simply opened his mind to her. He kept his secrets locked away deep in his mind. Letting her in was more than a whim. He needed to connect to her. Everything in him was crying out to her. It was time. He’d held back long enough. He had missed and longed to feel connected to someone again. He missed the feeling and sensation of being open and honest with another person on a level that could not be described. He wanted to tell her so many things. He wanted to tell her everything there was to know about him, he wanted to show her, share with her, and only her. He wanted to tell her who he was, what he was. But he didn’t want her to just go gallivanting through his thoughts and memories, so many of them were dark and scary, so, he pushed forward his most recent memories for her to see.

A tall and blond woman with legs to her eyes, that smelled of lilac and vanilla sat next to him. Her eyes were blue, her lips perfectly pouty, and her nose cute and charming. She had a warm smile and a dark secret that she was dying to share with him. She talked to him for a while. For a while, he listened, amused at her bold foolishness. She asked him a question. His answer was no, but he’d see her to her car. That memory faded and another took its place.

A fiery redhead sat next to him. She smelled of spice and honey. His curiosity burned for a second. She was truly a redhead, then died away as his gaze shifted to raven hair, long pale arms, and a smile that caused everything to go white for a moment. The red-haired woman had a question for him too. His answer was no, but he’d see her to her car. The memories played one after another.

Another woman, this one a brunette, sat near him. She smelled of magnolias and roses. She had bright kind eyes, a warm smile, a charming demeanor, and the same cold, empty question. His answer was no, but he walked her to her car.

Green eyes like emeralds flecked and flawed in all the right places pierced the veil of darkness that surrounded him and then faded from view as Grayson pushed back against the welcome intrusion into his memories. It was his turn to explore her mind just a little. He met no resistance as he let his energy wrap itself around hers. It wove itself into her, surrounded and pushed her back into her own mind. He was careful not to push himself too far, careful not to dominate Ariel’s will with his own. He was a predator at heart, though it was against the nature of his person, he could hurt her. He didn’t ever want to hurt her, so he pushed gently, easing into her mind, following her as she retreated into it. Her memories were fresh and raw. Fear and anger confronted him as the first of her memories invaded his mind. It was dark, and cool for a summer night as she walked to her car after work. She heard a sound, a rock skipping on the pavement. Then she heard her name called by a voice she wished she didn’t recognize. Alex moved out of the shadows tall and ominous. She wasn’t prepared for the look in his eyes. He looked hungry.

“Now, where are you running off to, Precious? Leaving without saying goodbye?” Though she was frightened, she held her ground. His eyes did not look desperate, just menacing.

“Goodbye.” She spoke plainly but did not turn her back to Alex, so she could unlock her car. Luckily, it was already unlocked. She slipped her keys into her hand, leaving the longest key on the small ring sticking between her fingers as she closed her small fist over them. Her fear was mounting. She opened her car door and got in her car. Alex remained where he had been standing. His smile was almost a leer as he waved her away. The memory triggered her emotions, igniting the fear and anxiety she felt that night. They tore at Grayson, forcing him to close the connection before he was overwhelmed and hurt her.

He could feel micro vibrations at their point of contact and wondered if he was shaking or she was. Slight tremors raced through him and stirred those old familiar feelings he had hidden deep within his soul. Her energy was powerful and strong. Feeling it course through him left him feeling a touch dizzy. Her eyes filled with more concern the longer they remained connected as his feelings were pulled into her.

She had no clue why she responded to him that way, why she chose to touch him. Him of all people. She just had to touch him. She was forced to admit to herself that she had always wanted to touch him and that he fascinated her and excited her in ways she wasn’t sure were healthy. A curious warmth spread from her fingertips and hand then started up her arm. It spread and grew the longer he held her eyes with his.

Emotions strange and unfamiliar flowed through her at the careless touch. She found herself briefly lost in memories, thoughts, and ideas that she was positive were not her own. It wasn’t the first time that something like that had happened to her. It happened a lot when she touched some people, but only when she felt strongly about the person she touched, or the person’s emotions were high. She must have strong feelings for him. His memories slipped into her mind softly as their minds touched. Her eyes almost widened at the realization that he never took anyone home with him, he just walked them to their cars. She felt guilty. She had misjudged him. He was a gentleman, not a player.

Somehow, the coin reversed. She could feel his mind and his energy inside her moving slowly through her entangling and entwining her in him until he gently touched her mind. She felt helpless to stop him but somehow safe in the knowledge that telling him no was all that was needed to stop him. The thought of saying no didn’t honestly cross her mind as Grayson’s mind touched hers. She let him have whatever memory he chanced upon. She was suddenly scared and worried. She knew what memory he had tapped. He pulled back. She let go of his hand, rubbed her hand on her thigh, and looked down at the bar.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude." She cleared her throat. "Can I get you anything else,” she paused and lifted her eyes to his, “Grayson?"

"You didn’t.” He smiled a genuine smile as his emotions settled back into place within him. "Can I know your name?"

"Ariel, Ari." She didn't hesitate. She just answered.

"One more please, Ari."