Behind the Mask

Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

“LET’S HIT THAT upstairs club at City Market,” Brandy Wallace suggested, tucking a strand of her ash-blond hair behind her ear as she walked beside Emma, the two of them winding their way through the crowd on River Street. She had been Emma’s partner in crime since high school, and together they earned the reputations they now wore like badges of honor, sometimes while in the same car. Emma believed in living life to its fullest, because you never knew when it would be over, and Brandy jumped on that bandwagon as fast as she could. Neither had a problem admitting they enjoyed s*x. Enjoyed it a lot actually.

Emma glanced around at the nightlife that accumulated on the cobblestoned street, not really seeing too many prospects for excitement. At least, not the excitement she craved. True, it was still early, and the party crowd usually didn’t pry themselves from their coffins before nine or ten, but still, she expected some sign of life. “Tree Top?” She shrugged, glancing around once more. “We might as well. Nothing seems to be happening here except tourists.”

“And they’re shopping for souvenirs, not hook-ups.” Brandy sighed dramatically as she looped her arm around Emma’s, heading toward the elevator at the Chamber of Commerce building, the cool crisp air brushing at her bangs.

Emma laughed. “We’re doing our own type of shopping, and tonight, I’m looking for tall, dark, and packing something between his legs that will make me wince when I wake up in the morning.”

“Oh, girl, I know that hunger. Now to find the dish that will fill us up.” They both laughed. “God, is it bad that we’re so slutty?” Brandy asked, still laughing.

Emma shrugged. “I like to think of it as exercise. With the right partner, it can definitely be a workout.”

They crossed over West Bay Avenue, circling the public parking garage, and headed for City Market. There were a couple of bars there, one on top of a restaurant overlooking the surrounding streets and Ellis Square. A live band played while drunken men and women ground against each other, hoping someone would get the hint and take them home to satisfy their itch, the same itch Emma and Brandy needed scratched tonight. The girls ordered their drinks—Emma a Mojito and Brandy a rum and Coke—and found a spot near the balcony where they could lean against the wall and scope out tonight’s menu. Worn wooden chairs scraped against the wooden floor as glasses clinked along scarred tables. While to the more sensitive palate, the place seemed as if it needed an overhaul, it was the scratched and weathered appearance that gave the bar its appeal.

“You would think with tonight being Hump Day, there would be more people looking to get their freak on,” Brandy said before taking a sip of her rum and Coke.

Emma laughed as she held her drink in both hands, scanning the dance floor. “You, my dear friend, are bad.”

Brandy shrugged. “I’m just honest, and if we can’t be honest about our horniness in this day and age, we’re in trouble.”

Emma shook her head as she laughed harder. Her friend was right, though. Too many people denied what made them happy in life or what they enjoyed, choosing instead to conform to what the rest of the world thought of as proper behavior. Society was past the age where men could be whores while women pretended to be nuns. It was ridiculous. Emma fought when she first came into this world just to live, and she refused to surrender who she was or what she enjoyed just because other people weren’t comfortable with it, and in the end, that’s what it all boiled down to; others wanted you to be like them, because your choices made them uncomfortable. People liked to play it safe, with everyone fitting into the same box. They didn’t mind you expressing yourself or following your dreams as long as those things fell within their accepted parameters. Emma shoved past those boundaries a long time ago, and Brandy tagged along for the ride.

As Brandy neared the end of her rum and Coke, a dark-haired man with a slick smile finally drummed up the courage to venture over and ask her to dance. She made a point of looking him up and down, which only made Emma shake her head as she rolled her eyes, before Brandy set her glass on the table beside them and offered her hand to the brave soul. “Why not?” she said, as she turned and gave Emma a wink.

Emma shook her head again and then took a sip of her Mojito. It surprised her that Brandy ever managed to receive second dates considering how obnoxious she could be on the first one. She failed at playing hard to get and just came across as rude. She said it was all in the course of trying to set standards for herself, but Emma already knew her friend had no standards.

She watched Brandy sashay her ass across the floor in front of the guy, enticing him with promises of what could happen if he could keep up on the dance floor. Emma felt sorry for the poor guy. He had no clue about the beast he just escorted out onto the floor. Ah well, he’d soon find out and either love every minute of it or run off scared. Most ran off scared.

Emma took another sip of her Mojito as she scanned the crowd again looking for someone who piqued her interest. She was glad Brandy received the first offer to dance. Her friend didn’t play the wallflower well and usually muscled her way in on Emma’s night. Not that it hadn’t led to a few titillating threesomes once in a while, but tonight, Emma hoped for a solo adventure.

Over the next hour, the place picked up until it filled with clusters of people, men huddled together, trying to look cool while concealing their hard-ons as they glanced around at the available women, and women who did their best to ignore the men and not look too easy. It was fun to watch sometimes, because they all knew why they were there, even though they all said they were just out to have fun with their friends. When they went out, everyone wanted to meet The One who would change their lives forever. Emma knew that person for her would never be found in a bar. She went out for one thing and one thing only, to find Mr. One Night, and tonight, she seemed to be out of luck.

As she started her second scan of the area, she noticed one lone person off to the side, watching the crowd while sipping a beer. She shook her head as she recognized Jacob just as he jerked his gaze away from her when he noticed her looking his way. You have got to be kidding me. This borders along the lines of stalking. She shoved herself off the wall and started crossing the floor, making no pretense about where she headed. Jacob Hendricks was out of hand, and she was going to put a stop to it once and for all.

His eyes widened in panic when he noticed her approaching him, darting his gaze suddenly to the left and right, as if begging for a quick escape. There was none, and he had nowhere to hide, unless of course, he crawled under the table, and Emma wouldn’t put it past him to try. She stormed up to his table, plopping her glass in the middle, liquid splashing up the sides, both hands wrapped around it as she glared at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Um…um…it’s, well, it’s a bar, and…um…I’m just here having a drink,” he mumbled. She could see him swallow the fear that bottlenecked his throat.

“Yeah. I know it’s a bar, smart man. But why are you here? In this bar?” She tried to keep her voice down and not cause a scene, but between his freakish stares at work and now showing up at the same bar—staring at her no less—leaned more toward the creepster vibe he put out. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you constantly staring at me at work. It’s weird. Stop it. Did you follow me here, as well?”

“Wow, someone is feeling pretty arrogant and paranoid tonight,” Lenny said, as he walked around Emma, a whiskey in his hand. “Jacob, here, had no idea you would be here. I picked the place, and before you ask, I didn’t know you would be here, either.” He laughed as he slid around the table opposite Emma. “Do you have a claim to this bar I didn’t know about it? I know you don’t like fooling around with coworkers, but really, banning them from the same bar is a little overkill, don’t you think?”

She gave Lenny a skeptical look, choosing to ignore his jibes. “I thought you were going to O’Neal’s.”

He shrugged one shoulder. “We did. Now we’re here.”

Embarrassment heated her cheeks and neck. “Oh. Well, then…” She could think of no dignified way to climb out of the hole she just dug for herself, so instead, she just nodded and said, “Enjoy your night,” and made as if to walk away.

Lenny’s laughter stopped her, however. “Relax, girl. Hangout and have a drink with us. No harm; no foul. I’m sure Jacob’s not offended by your accusations. Although,” Lenny leaned on the table, his voice taking on a more taunting tone, “I’d love to know why you seem so obsessed with him. You don’t date people at work, right?” He gave her a wink.

Emma took a deep breath, choosing to ignore him. What in the world does his wife see in him? I really feel sorry for her. She took a deep breath, steadying herself for what she knew she must say next. “Look, I’m sorry. It just surprised me to see you here, is all.”

Jacob gave her a sheepish smile and was about to say something, but Lenny cut him off. “And you just automatically assumed he was here to stalk you? You couldn’t come over here and say, ‘Hey, how’s it going. Fancy meeting you here’?” Lenny laughed. “You crack me up.”

“Yeah, well, I’m glad I’m good for a laugh or two,” she said. She glanced over at Jacob. “Look, I’m sorry. It just feels like you stare at me a lot at work, and it gave me the shivers. I was wrong for jumping you like that.”

Jacob shrugged as he ducked his head, smiling. “It’s no big deal. I probably do stare at you a lot. You’re pretty to look at.”

She smiled back at him, surprised at his bluntness. For the first time, he didn’t appear so timid. Maybe he had a set of balls after all. “Thanks.” She tapped the table. “I’ll let the two of you get back to your evening. Again, I’m sorry for the outburst.”

“You could stay,” Jacob said, almost too soft for her to hear. “If you want that is,” he blurted out to qualify the request, giving her an out if he overstepped the line. “We’re just having a drink and making fun of how people dance.”

She couldn’t help herself; she laughed. Making fun of people was something she would do. Since she already made a fool out of herself, she decided she might as well hang out and make it better. “Sounds like fun. Thanks.”

Lenny arched an eyebrow at her. “Hanging out with people at work? Careful, you’re about to break a rule of yours.”

“Shut up, Lenny,” she said, as she motioned for the waitress shuffling around trying to take care of everyone too lazy to go to the bar for their drinks. Emma was that lazy. She preferred to be waited on by others. “Jacob, we should really talk about your taste of wing men. He’s hurting you, not helping you.”

Jacob smiled at her. “I don’t know about that. You’re here, aren’t you? Seems like it worked out pretty well from where I’m standing.”

She felt herself blush again at the sincerity of his comment. They need to hurry up with that drink.