Finding Obscurity (2 page)

This was
the final song and I made my way towards the front, dancing with several guys
as I went. The people were crowded on the dance floor and it was hard to get
through the throng of people to the front. I was almost there, and just a few
feet more I would find out if she was special. I did bump and grind against a
cute guy with dimples, reaching my arm around him to touch Stacy. I was dying
to know if she was legit.

A hand on
clamped on my arm stopping me, and I glanced up to see a tall bouncer staring
down at me. I stared at his hand in bewilderment. He was easily six foot four,
full of muscle, and had a red
mohawk
.
He had light skin and his bright green eyes were staring down angrily at me.
Using a different tactic to distract him, I slid up close, dancing, but he was
immobile, shaking his head with a scowl. I tried to pull him closer to Stacy
with a smile, but his grip tightened like steel. Son of a bitch! He began
tugging on me, and instead of leading me towards the front door like I had
expected, he went the opposite way, towards the back. That is when I noticed I
felt nothing from him. No hum, no shocks, and nothing but quiet air. What the
hell?

As I
passed by the bar, Sam spotted me with wide eyes and just about dropped a
bottle of expensive liquor. I shrugged and followed this behemoth down a
hallway towards what looked like a private office. Not that I had any choice
where we went with his grip of steel on my arm.

He stopped
in front of a red door that read “VIP” in black, tilting his head to the side
as he listened to whoever was talking to him in the earpiece and knocking in
the “Shave and a haircut” pattern at the door made me laugh. The man glowered
at me before taking out a key, opening the door, and leading me to a private
room filled with black leather benches that wrapped around the entire space.
The walls were painted black with red tribal patterns, and an occasional black
glittery curtain hung from the wall, tied back with chrome chains. The tables
were polished stainless steel, and to the left was a bar painted in a deep red.
A woman behind the bar, wearing black leather lingerie, was leaned over talking
to a customer. It’s a miracle her fake boobs didn’t show nipples behind the
costume. On the other side of the bar, a
very
sculpted
man was in nothing but black leather pants. I had no clue this club had a VIP
section, and even though it didn’t surprise me that they did, the fact that it
was behind closed doors and not on a secret balcony was unusual.

The door
closed behind, us cutting off the music, being replaced by heavy metal through
the speakers. It wasn’t loud like the dance club, and I could actually hear
people talking amongst each other. Several people at the assorted tables all
openly watched at me, and I swallowed. Did I mention I don’t like to be the
center of attention? It makes me nervous. And when I get nervous, bad things
tend to happen.

I was led
up to a large table where a man sat, his arms lounging on the back of the
booth. Beside him was a clearly pissed-off woman, who was moving her hands in
angry gestures. Her red hair was currently styled in the forties fashion you
saw in those World War photos, and her dress was a black polka-dotted frilly
thing that matched her style. I didn’t like her look, but she was probably
dressed in the latest trend. Old is new anymore.
 

The man at
the booth looked up, and my breath caught when his eyes met mine. He was
insanely gorgeous. His hair was a short, dark chocolate color, gelled up in
spikes. He had a straight nose, square jaw, masculine sharp cheekbones, and
perfect lips, currently in a frown. The most captivating eyes the color of
aquamarine stared at me from my toes to the top of my head before meeting my
eyes again. He was dressed in leather pants and a dark red button-down shirt that
was open to show a vastness of chiseled muscle and six-pack abs.

He nodded
at the bouncer and looked back at me with those stunning eyes. “What’s your
name?”

Oh, his
deep voice was pure heaven and ran over my body like honey. I was so busy
checking him out that I almost forgot to answer him with my alias name.
“Paisley Greenwood.”

“Liar,
liar.” Smirking at me, he gestured at the woman glaring at me beside him. “This
woman is Paisley Greenwood.”

Chapter Two

Sam had
picked a wonderful name to pull from that list. Since I had been caught and was
nervous, I took a few deep breaths so I wouldn’t blow the bouncer’s earpiece. I
could feel the static electric feeling starting to leak out of my fingers down
into my bones, and I tried to pull my arm loose before I busted the bouncer’s
eardrum.

Feeling
like I was cornered, I knew what was going to happen, and I tried my best to
fight it, but like I said, when I get nervous, bad things tend to happen.
 
The static electricity hummed in my blood and
began running down my arm, into my fingers, and into the bouncer holding onto
me. Even though I knew he felt something, he wouldn’t let go, even when I tried
to tug. I held my breath for a few seconds to calm the feeling because I did
not want to make a scene.

“Please let
go of my arm.” I looked at the guy, thinking kindness would get me farther than
being a bitch.

He glanced
at the man in the booth, who answered for him. “Why should he?”

I shook my
head. “Please just ask him to let go of my arm. It hurts.”

The
gorgeous man let out a laugh and shook his head. “I don’t think so. What is
your name and why should I not call the police to have you arrested?”

“Liliana,”
I said through gritted teeth, trying to hold back my power.

“Who gave
you the name of Paisley to allow you into my club without approval, Liliana? I
pride myself on knowing everyone for the safety of my staff, and the people who
gain access. To say that you were able to sneak through says there is a leak
among us. I do not tolerate that type of employee, and they do not deserve to
step a foot into Revive.”

“I made it
up.” I didn’t want to rat on Sam and they would have to pry that name from my
cold, dead lips. Maybe we were closer friends than I had thought.

Blue eyes gave
an expression of amusement as he shook his head. “Made it up? I have ways of
finding out who let you in my club without approval. Are you going to tell us
who gave you Paisley’s name, or are you going to make us find out ourselves?”

The
electrical energy was getting stronger and this huge guy would not let go of my
arm. I tried to pry his fingers from my arm, pleading, but it went ignored. The
thoughts of letting Sam down, getting caught, and being cornered was almost too
much, and being mad at myself for being so stupid was even worse. I felt it
start to zing down my arm towards my fingers and I felt like one of those
tuning forks as it vibrated through my body. This poor guy was going to get the
shock of his life. The last time I felt this way was while trying to return my
TV to the asshole customer service guy.

“Liliana,
are you going mute? You must have somebody very close to you that must work
here. Family member, perhaps? Boyfriend?”

I shook my
head at the club owner and felt my teeth grinding against each other to fight
off the sparks I could feel down in my soul. It was starting to hurt so I
started backing up, hoping the bouncer would let go. I had to get out of here.

“Well you
must be a psychic, picking names from thin air,” he said with a raised eyebrow.
“Can I have your last name at least?”

“Canton.
My last name is Canton,” I said through gritted teeth. God, the pain in my body
from the electric pulse was almost unbearable.

It was
then that the bouncer made his mistake. He yanked my arm harder than necessary,
pulling me up front and center, causing me to stumble, losing my concentration.
I couldn’t fight it anymore, and with my body on fire, I felt the electricity
shoot down my arm, through my wrist, and towards my fingertips with more power than
I have ever let into a person before. He screeched and dropped my arm,
instantly falling to his knees. I smelled burned wires about the time he yanked
out the earpiece, tossing it against the wall. It was scorched and partially
melted. I saw the other bouncer at the wall yank his out with a surprised shout
as well. Great.

“What the
fuck?” the bouncer said from his knees, looking up with shock.

I winced.
“I tried to warn you.”

The
good-looking guy was now standing and staring at me with a look of surprise.
Paisley was frozen in what looked like fear, staring at the bouncer still on
his knees. I tried to ignore everyone else in the room. I was almost sure they
were all watching me.

“Liliana,
what in hell was that?” Blue eyes said, walking towards me.

I took a
few steps back and squirmed under his gaze. I looked around for an escape route
before looking back up at the man heading my way.

“I haven’t
seen Gary on his knees from pain in a very long time. You didn’t even lift a
finger, and now my entire security system in this room is gone. I’m not sure if
the rest of the system is working yet.” He was standing in front of me looking
at me from my toes, all the way to my eyes before looking to the bouncer at the
door. “Ed, do you know if everything is out?”

Ed looked
back and nodded. “I will find out right now, Ashton. Err… I mean, sir.”

When the
bouncer left, I looked back up at Ashton and was glad to put a name to the face
I would never forget. He stood at least about six foot two, and even though he
was slightly taller than me, he seemed to be towering over my body. Something
was off about him and I couldn’t tell if he was checking me out or watching me
like a specimen under a microscope. I swallowed. He reached out, hesitantly
grabbing my hand, and I didn’t feel anything from him, either. It didn’t make
any sense that there wasn’t the normal hum I always felt. It made me
uncomfortable, so I fidgeted. This was twice in my life I had ever felt…
nothing. First the bouncer, Gary, still kneeling, and now this guy holding my
hand so gently that he seemed almost scared I would run. It was unnerving that
I couldn’t get anything from these two guys. Glancing around the room at
anywhere other than
hottie
holding my hand, I started
thinking about what everything could mean. Were they special like me, or was I
losing my touch with all my emotions all over the place tonight? It made no
sense.

I looked
down at my hand at the lack of any sort of vibration from him. Ashton absently
rubbed his thumb over my palm, and when his eyes caught mine again, the vision
hit me like an explosion.

We were
in this room; our arms were wrapped around each other in an embrace while his
aquamarine eyes locked with mine, like he could see deep into my soul. Ashton
slowly lowered his head to my mine, hesitantly letting our lips meet. Passion
hit me in the gut when the kiss quickly became deeper, his tongue mingling with
mine. I edged closer, running my fingers through his short hair. He was holding
my face gently with his hands while his lips played with mine. It was the most
romantic thing I had ever experienced, and I knew there was something in his
eyes when we embraced. I could feel my heart thud with an emotion I promised I
would never feel again.

I snatched
my hand back with a sharp intake of breath and stumbled back. No freaking way.
We stared at each other, neither of us wanting to look away. “I have to go.”

I ran
towards the door and heard him yell my name, but I wedged out the door and got
lost in with the crowd of people. Looking behind me, I saw Ashton run out of
the VIP room after me and I darted with all my strength, pushing people into
his way, while they shouted a surprise or cussed at me. Soon I was out the door
and running to my car with the clacking of my boots echoing across the cracked
concrete.

“Liliana,
please wait!”
 

His deep,
velvet voice almost had me stopping at its desperate, pleading sound. Instead,
I dug my keys out of my bra and unlocked my car with a beep. I jumped in, just
as he reached the driver’s window. I started the car, jerked it in gear, and
took off like a rocket. I couldn’t help but look in the rearview mirror, seeing
him standing with his hands in his hair watching my taillights disappear into
the night.
 

Chapter
Three

Unlocking my
apartment door, I slammed it shut, locking the three deadbolts with
determination. I leaned up against the door and slid down to the floor on my
butt with a thud. My cat, Jinx, greeted me by rubbing against my boots with a
purr and I absently reached out, running my hand across his soft black fur.

What was
wrong with me? Things had never gotten so out of hand so fast! First, I
literally shocked some poor guy, and then I had a sexy vision of this Ashton
guy. I don’t know how to explain what I felt, and if I’m being honest, I am a
virgin, but the passion I felt with that vision was more than I had ever felt
in my life. Sure, I had a boyfriend like most girls did in high school, and had
gotten close to third base with him. Once you get the premonition – in the
middle of a make out session, mind you – about your boyfriend screwing the
school slut before picking you up for prom, it kind of ruined sex for me when I
was a teenager. All my friends lost their virginity by the time our senior prom
came around, but I wasn’t willing to risk the hurt and disappointment.

On another
note, there was something different about those two at the club. I was thrown
off by not feeling anything from them. It was like they didn’t exist at all by
touch, and I partly blamed my crazy emotions. Maybe that was why I was so
struck by this Ashton guy, aside from his good looks, but not at all because of
the vision
I’d
had. The crazy part was there was
nothing I could do about the vision anyway. Based on past experiences, when I
saw these premonitions, they always came true, even if I try to fight or change
them. Even if I do try to change them, it just alters the location or
circumstances, but it still happens. Fate was a fickle bitch.

Jumping
when my phone rang from my purse, I fumbled around until I finally found it,
having dumped its entire contents on the floor.

“Hey,
Sam,” I said.

“What the
hell happened tonight? I saw you being toted to the VIP lounge by the bouncer,
and then saw you running out of there being chased by none other than Ashton
Ryder, the damned owner of Revive. I have seen him once in the two years I’ve
worked there, and have never seen him chase after somebody – let alone my best
friend!”

I smiled
at him calling me his best friend. I was treading on dangerous grounds getting
close to Sam. “Well, I got caught. It’s not your fault, because there was no
way you could have known the name you gave me would belong to some snobby
bitch.” I chuckled to myself because I had been spot-on with Paisley. “I’m not
mad about it, but I wish the night hadn’t ended on that note.”

“Holy
shit, I’m sorry!” Sam sniffed. “Things went crazy after you left. The owner
came back inside looking pissed, and the bouncers were all complaining about
their ears. The guy at the door couldn’t access his list of people to allow
into the club. It was a mess with everyone scrambling everywhere. They ended up
pulling out some ancient walkie-talkies. How old-school! What happened in the
VIP room? Heck, the bartenders aren’t even allowed in there until you get
special clearance. I have applied three times to get access. I would love to
work the VIP. Could you imagine the tips? Anyway, you still haven’t answered
why the owner of Revive was chasing you out the front door into the parking
lot.”

Sam tended
to jump around in his conversations and rambled when he was excited. I sighed
at his questions. There was no way I could tell him the full truth. “Sam, I
don’t know why he chased me. Honestly, I panicked and ran out of the room after
their security started talking about their earpieces. Maybe he was mad I snuck
into the club and lied about who I was?”

“I don’t
think so. It was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen, and it was the talk of the
night. Drama! I love it! Maybe you should come back tomorrow and see if you’re
spotted? Oh, you should totally do it, girl!”

“I am not
sure that’s a great idea. What if they call the police and I end up going to
jail? I am too pretty for jail.”

Sam
chuckled. “You would be somebody’s bitch within the first minute of being in
the cell. That is for damn sure! At least they don’t know who you are.”

“Sam, they
know my name. I panicked! What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t think up a fake
name at all.”

“Really?
My Lily, who can spout off at the mouth and lie through her teeth, couldn’t
think of a fake name?”

Sighing, I
bounced my head off the door in frustration because I was still leaning against
it. “Tell me about it. It just came out like word vomit. I even told him
Liliana instead of Lily. I never tell anyone that. What was I thinking?”

“I will
tell you what you were thinking,” he said. “Ashton Ryder is one hot piece of
ass. H-O-T. He is one of those guys written in those steamy romance novels they
sell and women dream about. Well some guys, too, like myself.”

Running my
hands over my face, I couldn’t deny what he was saying, because the man was a
very fine specimen of the male species. Sure, he was hot and pretty to look at,
but for me I could only window-shop and not actually get close enough to those
goods known as Ashton. Dating him, I would be the envy of every girl within a
hundred-mile radius for sure, but I just didn’t have the luxury of seeing those
thoughts through. I didn’t want to date him, even though my vision told me
different. I couldn’t and wouldn’t put my heart on the line.

“Okay,
he’s hot, but I don’t date, and you know it. What would a guy like him want in
somebody like me anyway?” I sighed, running my hand across my face.

He
laughed, “Lily, you are a beautiful woman with a heart of gold and any straight
man that doesn’t see that isn’t worth your time. I’m not going to lie and tell
you I don’t know that you try to stay distant to everyone. I just hope that I
can break through that brick wall you have built around yourself. Maybe you
should let people in and allow yourself to see the benefit of having people who
love you. It isn’t that bad, having people care about you.”

He was
hitting way too close to home. I never pictured him knowing me this well. “I
will think about it, Sam. It’s just not that easy for me.”

“I know it
isn’t, and all I ask is that you try. Tomorrow, a few friends of mine are
meeting me at the café down the street from the stadium at noon. You want to
go?”

I thought
about it. Maybe the trick to finding answers would be being social for once,
even if it was out of my comfort zone. Sam was getting closer to me than I ever
expected, but I needed to be sure to remember the only reason I was getting out
with a group of people was to find somebody like me.

“I think I
might do that,” I said, making up my mind.

“Seriously?
Yes! You better not back out on me or I will drag you out of that apartment
even if you’re in sweatpants. Hanging up now so you don’t change your mind.
Bye, babe!”

My phone beeped
as he disconnected the call and I finally decided to get up off the floor and
change into sweatpants. I also wanted to get this bra off more than anything.
There was no feeling in the world like taking off uncomfortable shoes and your
bra after a night like tonight. I bounced on one foot while bending over,
taking one boot off and then the other. I opened the double doors leading to my
bedroom, and I sighed as my bra came off, then my outfit, and finally, I was in
my comfortable clothes. If only I could get away with walking around like this
I would be in heaven, but I was no slob.

Making
sure my alarm clocks were off and my cell phone was on the charger, I tore the
covers back and leaped into bed. I checked my email with the laptop to see if
anyone had any work for me. I started doing consultant work for several large
companies in the area, and the pay was infrequent, but large enough for me to
live without working behind a desk all day. There was an email from a company I
worked closely with on several jobs, but that would wait until Monday.

I closed
the laptop and put it on my nightstand, clicking off the lamp. Tomorrow was
another day that hopefully would be less hectic as the experiences at the club.
Closing my eyes, I did breathing techniques to clear my mind of all thoughts.
It was a trick I learned to stop the premonition dreams because they left me
exhausted. Saying a little prayer, I fell asleep.