The Family Business: The love and war series [COMPLETED]

Chapter 7: Sapphire Eyes

 Chapter 7: Sapphire Eyes

"Aubrey Rose Hadaway, where the hell are you?" Celeste's angry voice rang over the noise of the bar, forcing Aubrey to pull her ear away from her cell.

"Calm down, mom, I'm with some friends," she slurred.

"Friends? Who?" Celeste tried to listen to Aubrey's answer, but the music was too loud. "Are you drunk without me? Where are you?" Celeste pressed her ear firmly to the phone as she listened to Aubrey ask some guy near her. After a quick goodbye and a 'stay put,' Celeste was on her way. She had no idea what had gotten into Aubrey. Her friend had been distant lately, and it all began after she started her new job.

Now she is going out without me? The thought left her slightly annoyed. Luckily, the hole in the wall bar was only a twenty-minute taxi ride from her loft.

"I hate live bands," Celeste mumbled as she stepped into Night Owl. She surveyed the room before finding Aubrey at the bar, bouncing in her seat to the music.

"Celeste!" Aubrey beamed as Celeste approached the group of strangers. "Everyone, this is Celeste! Celeste, this is everyone! Morgan and Damien. Oh, and Dalton, our amazing bartender! She will have a drink!"

Dalton chuckled and asked Celeste what she would like. As he made the martini, Celeste realized that, with the exception of her friend's new click, the preferred choice was beer.

Damien's fierce stare held Celeste's own before he amusingly asked, "So how did you guys meet?"

"Funny," Celeste countered, "I was going to ask you the same thing."

"Celeste and I were college roommates turned best friends!" Aubrey answered Damien before she cheerfully retold how she had met Morgan.

After a few rounds of shots and mindless chitchat, Celeste started to relax. She was beginning to enjoy the company of their new friends, and she couldn't help but notice the sparks that sizzled between Aubrey and Damien. Celeste liked Aiden, but it was such a long time since she saw her friend look so wildly happy.

"So what do you do for a living?" Morgan asked.

Celeste pulled her attention away from Aubrey and said, "I work for the Rockefeller Foundation. Music department, booking concerts and stuff."

She was going to ask Morgan the same when a flash caught eye. The long necklace she wore glimmered in the dim light. Celeste never saw anything as beautiful as the black stone. Tiny blue galaxies scattered over it like lightening. The contrast against Morgan's white shirt made it stand out even more. "That's gorgeous! What kind of stone is that?"

"Oh, this old thing?" Morgan twirled the stone in her hand. "My grandmother gave it to me. It's a black opal. She was always superstitious and claimed it was filled with magical powers. Some believe it brought luck. Others claimed it brought death and embodied the evil eye." Morgan took a dramatic pause before laughing it off. "I just wear to remember my grandmother. She was a bit of a free spirit."

The beautiful stone captivated Celeste. She never saw anything like it in stores. She wanted to know where to get one, but Aubrey was pulling them to the dance floor. The band started to cover the latest radio friendly hits, and Aubrey just couldn't resist. Damien was left watching intensely from the bar.

Aubrey didn't know if she wanted to hide from his gaze or strip under it. Even though their conversation was strictly casual, every deep, raspy word he spoke made Aubrey's heart beat faster. He was telling her about his latest investment in a couple of clubs when his hand had brushed hers. It felt like sparks ignited all over. She almost stopped breathing. The band's change of songs was the perfect excuse to hit little dance floor, friends in tow.