The Client

chapter 7

"Want to get out of here?"

"No." But he had already hauled me out of the party, now darting me down the exit.

Where was he taking me?

We sprinted through an empty hallway. I felt my heart throb inside of me. The guards gawked at us. Why wouldn't they? We looked like maniacs running to defuse a bomb of some kind.

"Where are we going?" I panted.

"Trust me, you're going to love this." His tight grip on my wrist grew lose and he let it go. I stumbled behind him as our pounding feet faded away. I bobbed my head trying to catch my breath. It slowed down when my brain started connecting the dots.

My brain stuttered for a moment and my eyes took in the majestic sports bike parked in front of me. He leapt on the bike. Every part of me went on a pause while my thoughts caught up. The sports bike was designed like a monster, ready for anything. The tires were knobby and rugged, it boasted its power and money just like its owner. It looked like a traditional sports bike, yet scary, asking me to run for my life.

He flung a helmet at me.

My hands, in a reflex, stretched itself to catch it.

"Are you ready?"

He was offering me a ride on this monster.

I was totally stunned and the fact still bounced around inside my skull. "You got to be kidding me." It looked dangerous like it would hurl me in the air and toss my bones into the garbage if I got anywhere near it.

"Hop on," he urged.

"No way, I'm not getting anywhere near that thing."

"Why?"

"It looks dangerous. What if I die?"

"You won't, I'm pretty good at it."

"But-"

"We can still get back to the party if you want to."

"No, I'll come." Anything was better than the party where I felt like an alien in an alternate universe.

I took a few timid steps to the shadow of the bike. I slipped the helmet on secured it around my head as tight as it can get. I double checked it.

"You didn't drink, right? Do you have a licence?"

He dissolved into laughter, "I didn't drink. I have a licence, trust me. We're going to be safe."

"Alright." I scooped my dress up a little, grasped his shoulders for a grip, threw my leg to the other side of the bike and plonked on the seat. The suspensions of the seat felt warm and snug. Thank god for the flares in my dress at least I didn't fall off the bike before it even got going.

"Are we ready?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"We still have the party."

"I'm ready," I said.

He chuckled, "here we go," he turned the ignition on and accelerated the bike, it rumbled, vibrating. I felt it reach my bones. The adrenaline cruised through my body.

"Hold on tight," he warned me. My hands latched on to his shoulders.

The powerful machine shot out from between my legs, and we were halfway down the street. The coldness in the air wicked the heat away from my body and replaced it faster than it can. Abhimanyu disregarded speed limits, opening the throttle wide. The wind pushed my hair away from my face, letting it dance over my shoulders. I grinned through my now chapped lips. In the last three days, I've had a number of 'first-times' than what I've had all my life. Out of them all, this was the best.