A New Meaning to the Night

Chapter Nine: Family Secrets

"I thought we hated him." At a complete loss and more than a little irritated, Cori stood in the doorway to Sam's bathroom with her arms crossed. "When exactly did that change?"

"I never said I hated him," Sam replied over the sound of her hair dryer. "Called him a jerk, sure, but I never said I hated him. Besides, I'm still mad at him, but," she moved the hair dryer away from her hair and gave Cori a mischievous grin, "wouldn't it be much better to be mad at him while he watches me dance with some other guys who aren't going to insist that they're not interested?"

If she was still feeling a little shaken after the incident in the woods, Sam would never have let on, although she was planning another trip to The Black Cat, so she was at least intelligent enough to take precautions.

Cori didn't look nearly as convinced at the idea of inviting William and Damien, but before she could protest further, the doorbell rang. With a scowl, she slammed the door to Sam's bathroom to indicate her discontent and went to let them in. She opened the door and greeted the two men with her meanest glare. "You're here."

"It's very nice to see you as well, Cori," William greeted with a smile, stepping through the threshold. "You look lovely."

She felt herself blushing at the compliment and closed the door with a little more force than necessary. "Yeah, that would be the point."

Shooting Damien a look that could kill, she fought the urge to punch him simply on principle. "You'd better stop messing around with her."

"I assure you, he will be on his best behavior," William drawled, not bothering to hide his amusement.

"I don't think there's any need for silent threats," Sam laughed, walking into the room, her hair frizz-free and perfectly curled. She wore a flowy green halter top and a pair of dark jeans with silver heels. Her mischievous gaze settled on Damien with a bright smile. "We're all just going out to have fun, right?" 

The temptation to look into her head and see what she was thinking was there, but Damien found he regretted that invasion more often than not when it came to her, so he looked away with a scowl. "Yeah."

"Great, then let's get going." She sailed right past the lot of them, grabbed her purse from the table by the door, and walked out. Damien followed her out the door with something akin to dread. He had the distinct impression that he was far from forgiven.

Cori walked down the hall back to her room to grab her own purse and nearly screamed when she turned around to find William standing in the doorway. "What are you doing?"

"Samantha had a run-in today while she was wandering through the woods. She seems to have taken care of it on her own and there was no need for us to step in, however, we are here now to ensure that nothing else untoward happens tonight."

Surprise and concern showed on her face and she studied William warily. "You're not going to let anything happen to her, are you?"

"Or you."

That surprised her, and she found herself studying him consideringly before shouldering her purse and giving him a short nod, adding a small and hesitant smile. "Alright, well then we'd better get to the car, but," she shot him a look over her shoulder, "I still don't like Damien."

"Damien means well, he would never do anything to jeopardize Samantha's welfare," William said as they walked toward the front door.

Cori found herself blocking him before they could both step out of the house, and her expression was no longer hostile, but serious. "Sam keeps to herself. People like her; she has no trouble being liked. It's just something that comes naturally to her, they rarely mean anything to her. She likes him. I've known her almost my entire life, and she has never looked at a guy the way she looks at him. If he hurts her, it's not going to be physical."