Dark Love: A Darker Shade - Book 2

21

The following day, Zee spent time with her family. She helped her parents with typing the information regarding each of the artifacts in their collections. Then she spent time playing with her brother. She didn't receive any call from Michael and she didn't call him either. Why would she want to call him? She dreaded his call.

By sundown, she received payment from the couple whose restaurant she had named and she was so excited she decided to celebrate it by going out alone.

She went to a club and made sure she sat at the bar, drinking glass after glass of alcohol and acting all giddy at the bar side. Her phone started ringing and she managed to fumble for it in her purse. The name flashing across the screen was Inara's and she picked it up.

"Hi, Sweetness." She drawled, projecting her voice because of the music.

"Zee, where are you? Are you drunk?"

"Yes miss two goody shoes."

"Where are you? It's late."

"I'm older than you, Inny. One year is not one day."

"Shut up. Where are you?"

Zee started laughing.

"You know what? I think I'll call him right now. I can't deal with this."

"Him, who?" she slurred out.

"Your boyfriend."

Zee let out a scoff. "Nice try. You don't have his contact."

"I don't but Lemuel does."

Zee stopped laughing. She could still feel the giddiness but she knew she was still self-aware and she didn't like where Inara was going with her threat.

"Zee?"

"Leave me alone, Inny. I need to enjoy myself. Life is short."

"Where are you?"

"The Stop over Club." She announced. "You're welcome to join me." She added, laughed and ended the call.

As soon as she ended the call, she caught a guy smiling at her lewdly. He was seated right by her side at the bar.

"You're right. Life is short." He said, giving her a wink and she smiled at him.

"Now, there is a guy who understands life." She said gaily and laughed. The guy threw his head back and joined her laughter.

Inara heard the beeping on her phone and knew that Zee had ended the call. She took the phone off her ear and let her eyes dwell on the wall clock inside the bedroom. It was already 10:05pm. She had just felt like checking up on Zee because of what her friend was going through. She knew that Zee was drunk right now.

She looked at Caleb who was already asleep. On his finger was a wrapped bandage. Lemuel had started putting it on the child and it was helping with the thumb sucking.

Inara rolled off the bed and sat at the foot of it, thinking about what to do. She knew that Zee could club and her parents didn't care if she stayed out late.

Ordinarily, she wouldn't have been bothered but then, her friend was drunk which meant that anything could happen to her there. She would be vulnerable and could get into danger.

Maybe she would just ask Lemuel to go pick her up or something, she thought and as though, thoughts of Lemuel had conjured his presence, he came walking through the door, his shirt unbuttoned over dark loose pants.

"Baby girl, I thought you would be asleep." He said coming to sit beside her and pulling her onto his lap.

"No, not yet."

"You don't look too bright."

"I just called Zee."

He sighed and placed her beside him. "Something tells me there's trouble."

"Zee is drunk at the club. She's alone. I swear she was drunk. She was all...drunk and talking shit."

"Shit?" Lemuel's brows furrowed deeply.

"I mean, Nonsense."

"When did you start using swear words?"

"From some mafia movie I watched yesterday. One guy is always saying shit."

Lemuel scoffed. "Anyway, I don't want to hear it again. Your parents cannot hear it and imagine I taught you."

"Fine."

"Good, let's go back to Zee. Where exactly is she?"

"Stop Over club."

"Damn it, it's late. What is wrong with that girl?"

"Please, Lemuel. Will you help pick her up? Her parents are not exactly that caring or observant."

"Jesus. I know all that but she has her boyfriend."

"Yes but..." Inara remembered he was like Lemuel which meant if he got to know, Zee would pay for it sooner or later. She didn't want her friend to get in trouble.

"But what?"

"Lemuel please just help her, will you?"

"I'll call Michael right..."

"No no no." she said rapidly.

"Why?"

"No need. I could just go." She offered.

"You're not going anywhere this night. It's either Michael goes or I go or we both go but first..." he picked up his phone which he had laid beside him. "Her man needs to know."

"She'll get in trouble." Inara said quickly. She didn't know what else to say or how else to put it.

"What?"

"He's going to punish her."

Lemuel's mouth opened in surprise. "What?"

"He...he spanked her the other day concerning the hotel issue." She said grudgingly.

Lemuel's expression broke into a smile and grew into laughter.

"Lemmy, why are you laughing? It's not funny." She whined.

"Forgive me, Sweetheart but I think I like him more now because he suits her perfectly. Now where is that number of his?" Lemuel began going through his phone as Inara sighed resignedly.

Inside the club, Zee was currently dancing with the guy who had spoken with her at the bar and she was so drunk he was holding her closely and moving over her erotically. He pulled her close to his side and brought his mouth to her ear. "Let's get some privacy." He suggested, nibbling at her earlobe and Zee giggled.