The Arrangement

Chapter Twenty-Four

Blair

Any kind of self consciousness or awkwardness I had felt with Henley and Lennox has completely dissipated now.

We spent the whole of the next day lounging around the penthouse utterly hungover, watching films and crap TV, stuffing our faces with junk food. The atmosphere between us all so relaxed it felt as if we'd all known each other for years.

Although it felt strange without Ashton and Carter around, I can't deny that their absence definitely made it easier for me to get to know Henley and Lennox better.

They're so easy to be around, bringing a light-hearted kind of atmosphere with them that is somewhat intoxicating. So much so, when the owner of Lumineer, a club I work at on occasion called me and asked me to work tonight, I actually hesitated.

Usually I would jump at the chance because it would mean that I'd be one step closer to paying off some of my father's debt but this time I kind of didn't want to work. The thought of staying at home a lot more appealing.

Even as I walk around the club I can't push away the feeling that I'd rather be anywhere other than here right now. Usually I'm able to push away the tinge of pain in my feet from my heels but tonight the pain is an agonising reminder.

The pulsating bass of the music vibrates through the floor, flashing light irritating my eyes as I push my way through the crowd back to the bar. Everyone around me laughing, dancing and generally enjoying their night as I count down the minutes until I can actually get out of here and away from the sleezebags on the table I've been assigned to.

So far tonight I've had my ass groped more times than I can count and despite politely asking them to stop and purposely slamming my heel into one of their feet they haven't seemed to of got the message.

The bar looms ahead like a beacon, and I quicken my pace, desperate for a moment of reprieve. The crowd seems to swell and pulse like a living entity, a sea of bodies lost in the rhythm, yet here I am, an island of discomfort in an ocean of ecstasy.

As I finally reach the bar I glance back toward the tables and my stomach churns. The group I'm assigned to, three overconfident men with lecherous grins, seem oblivious to my discomfort. I can still feel the ghost of their hands lingering on my skin, invasive and unwanted. I had made my boundaries clear, yet they only laughed it off, their entitlement palpable.

I hate men like that and unfortunately this place is always filled with them. Rich entitled assholes that think because they pay a ridiculous price for their table and the bottles they consume, it means they can do whatever they want.

Sighing I turn back to the bar but as I do someone catches my sight. Standing at the other end of the bar is Ashton. Looking all dark and brooding with his gaze fixed on me.

I'm suddenly filled with a wave of unease, one that had my heart rate sky rocketing and a chill running down my spine.

There's something about him that both terrifies me and thrills me at the same time. Which is probably why when he starts to advance on me I stay completely rooted in place.

Before I left earlier Henley had said Ashton and Carter would be back tonight but I was hoping I could hold off on having to see either of them until tomorrow morning.

Coming face to face with Ashton now wasn't what I was expecting at all.

As he closes the distance, I catch glimpses of his expression. There's a flicker of something there in his eyes, like a storm brewing just beneath the surface. The lights around us making his eyes seem so much more intense. Is it intrigue I see in them? Frustration? I can't quite place it, and that uncertainty only heightens everything. I'm acutely aware of the way my heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing in my ears like a drum, drowning out the surrounding noise.