The Secrets of Lore Seymour

35. Playing Partners

Lore drives us to the bar, which is a terrifying enough event to make me forget about earlier. Draven has been ordered to keep an eye on things from the outside. He'll let us know if ikehn arrives so we can avoid him or anything else comes up.

Rather than being a butler, Draven should look into spy work. He has the experience for it, seeing as that's basically what he does right now. He's also creepy and intimidating enough to force information out of people. I bet he'd do better with an undercover op than Lore and I... or I'm simply saying that as an excuse to escape the inescapable.

Lore pulls around to the front of the bar that's lit up like the night sky. Most of the street is, in fact. Lore did mention this is party central for Nosa. There's multiple bars, brothels, and gambling houses on every street, if not right next to each other for the entire street. This particular establishment is on a more ritzy side of the area where chauffeurs park cars around back and people strut around with gold tipped canes and jewels around their necks.

A chauffeur takes Lore's keys to drive the car around. My eyes blink rapidly in an attempt to adjust to the lights. I've never been to a club like this. Hell, even bars are a rare occurrence for me.

Suddenly, an arm drapes around my shoulders. I stiffen when Lore leans in to whisper against my ear, "Put your arm around my waist."

"H-Huh?"

"We're partners, remember?" He tilts his head slightly so I feel his soft lips grazing my cheek. His attempt to make others think he is actually kissing my cheek. I fear what he'll do next if I don't listen so I grasp his waist while hating that he seems to fit perfectly against me. Hating that I like the feeling of his muscles beneath my fingertips. What is wrong with me?

Inside the club, I do my best to scan the area for any kind of suspicious activity. That's harder to do than expected because not only is this place nuts, but I'm also nuts for enjoying the touch of Lore's arm and his waist in my grasp.

Focus, Seren. Focus. You're just... pent up and frustrated and Lore is doing this to tease you. Don't let him. Don't fall for his temptation. You're going on a date with an absolutely adorable guy in a week or so. He'll get your mind off troubling things.

Shaking my head, I attempt to focus on what's happening around us. There's a gambling station to the left, a dancefloor ahead, a bar to the right, and private quarters upstairs, which Lore requests. The man at the front desk smiles like he's going to say no or claim we can't afford it when Lore pulls out a hefty wad of cash. One look at the cash and the man laughs, "Please, follow me."

We're led up two flights of stairs to a dimly lit hallway where the man opens a thick black door. Inside, the room's decorated in deep purples and dark leather. A chandelier hangs from the ceiling, also letting off dim light. A sofa loops around one side of the room where a mini-bar rests against the opposing wall. To the far left, there's a bed and who knows what inside the long bedside drawers.

"Here's a menu of our finest items. Please take your time considering what you would like to order," the man explains, then points to a button on the wall by the sofa, then another by the bed. "To call for a staff member, you need only push one of these buttons. We'll arrive momentarily."

Lore thanks the man while locking the door behind him.

"Not bad," Lore says. He observes the room, checking the bar then heading to the bedside drawers. I take a seat on the couch, refusing to look when Lore laughs. "Hehehe, they really do have quite a lot of options for a pleasant and surprisingly creative evening. Come see, my love."

"I'd rather not, Honey," I spit only to regret it immediately.

"Honey, how drab. I'd rather be called something cute and mildly cringy, like snookums or ducky."