Scars of the Present (5 page)

Chapter Seven

I didn’t go into a bathroom stall, but instead just stared at myself in the mirror. The woman looking back at me looked very irritated and I spent a few minutes trying to get my expression back to passive.

The door swung open and Ashley walked through, her tacky heels clicking on the floor.

“Oh Whore-is, there you are. I didn’t see you and I just assumed you’d taken your old date into the broom closet.” The grin that curled on her face was very unattractive, but I didn’t tell her that.

“The years since high school have obviously been kind to you, Ashley. It’s too bad your vocabulary hasn’t gotten any bigger, but I see your obviously fake breasts did.” I moved by her to walk out the door, but before I could reach it she let out a high laugh.

“Well, when David has his hands all over my breasts tonight I’ll probably be more thankful for them than a vocabulary, won’t I?”

I should have just walked out, but I hated her. I turned and brought my lips into a small smile. “Always chasing after what I’ve already had, aren’t you, Ashley?” It took her a moment to get what I meant and her face morphed into a scowl.

I didn’t give her a chance to respond, but walked out the bathroom door and headed back to my table. Both mom and dad were sitting back with Kerry and I decided it was time for me to excuse myself from this party. As I approached, I went to open my mouth but someone had stood at the podium and called everyone to attention.

I slumped in my chair and was thankful when Kerry didn’t attempt to feel me up anymore. I listened to the mayor talk about how important our emergency personnel were and he thanked everyone for coming. Someone else walked to the podium and announced it was time for the traditional “Dance with a Public Servant” auction. Ten Firefighters and Ten Police Officers of both genders approached the stage, some looking cocky and others looking embarrassed. I saw David blush as he was pulled onto the stage by another office, and I smiled at his dislike for the spotlight.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer winked to the crowd.  “Bid for your chance to dance with one of these fine officials.  Each winning bid includes two dances and one dessert with the emergency personnel of your choosing. Let’s start with John, shall we?” The announcer described how John had been a firefighter for over fifteen years and listed off a few more attributes.

John was sold to a lady who looked like she was probably his wife for $1,200 and he immediately joined her at their table laughing.

The rest of the contenders were announced, alternating between Fire and Police, until the announcer got to David.

“Gather ‘round, ladies! Meet our very own Detective David! He’s 26-years-old and been with the department for over seven years. He first made detective about two years ago and has been an unstoppable force since! Can I get a bid of $100 for him?”

Several ladies hands flew in the air and soon the bid was at a thousand dollars.

I watched in amusement as David attempted to keep his eyes down, the blush deepening on his cheeks.

“I have $1,300 over there, do I have $1,400? Fourteen to the lady in the red dress!” I turned and saw Ashley with her hand up, a triumphant smile on her face.

“Do I have fifteen? Will anyone give me $1,500 for this fine detective?”

No one responded and without thinking I threw my hand into the air. “$1,500.” Both my mom and dad snapped their heads around, a smile touching my father’s lips. My mom rolled her eyes and turned back to the auction.

Ashley scowled at me. “Sixteen!”

I just grinned again and looked back at the stage. David had lifted his head at the sound of my voice and was just staring at me. “$1,700.”

Ashley and I went back and forth for a few minutes, but I was getting bored. She called out, “$2,500” and I decided it was time to end it.

“$10,000.” The crowd gasped and Ashley’s angry face turned so red that it almost matched her dress.

“Wow, we have a ten
thousand
dollar bid for Detective David here. Anyone want to top that?” The announcer glanced around, and when no one responded he laughed. “Well, okay. Going once… Going twice… Sold to the pretty lady in peach.”

David started to walk down the stage stairs when my mom turned and hissed at me. “You are here with a date, Sydney Rae.”

“It’s for charity, mother. How could I say no?” I smiled at her sweetly before standing to meet David. My father grabbed my hand as I was walking past and he pulled me to him.

“Enjoy your dance with him, Sydney. I’ll pick up the tab on our way out.”

“Thanks dad.” I squeezed his hand before continuing to walk away. I chanced a glance back, both Kerry and Ashley were wearing seething looks, and I was instantly glad I stayed.

David and I met a few tables down and he gave me a lopsided grin as someone else was auctioned off in the background.

“Ten thousand dollars, Sydney?”

I shrugged. “It’s for a good cause, right? Besides, my dad told me he wanted to drop a few thousand on the event tonight. Tax write offs and all.” I winked at him with a smile before looking back at the stage. We stood next to each other in silence and watched as the others were all auctioned off.

“What a great success that was! Thank you to everyone who participated. Now winners, grab your prizes and meet us on the dance floor for the first dance. We’ll dance, step outside into the garden for dessert, and meet back up here for the second dance in thirty minutes!”

The orchestra began playing a soft song and David held his hand out to me. “Shall we?”

I placed mine in his and immediately I felt like my body was whole again. Something about David’s touch was exactly what I always needed, and I could tell he felt it too because his eyes closed briefly before we moved towards the dance floor.

He wrapped his hand around my waist and held one of my own in his other. My arm curled around his neck and we began to move slowly to the music. He twirled me a few times as we laughed at each other’s awkward dance moves.  David pulled me close and I breathed in the smell of mint that lingered on him. When the song ended, he didn’t release my hand and instead pulled me towards the doors that led to the garden.

A long table was set up with various sweets covering it and David led me to where the refreshments were. I took a glass of champagne he handed to me and declined when he asked me if I wanted anything.

“You don’t want dessert?” He looked at me questioningly.

I moved closer to him, glancing up at his face and running my finger across the scruff that was on his chin. “I could use some dessert, just not any that’s on that table.”

A noise escaped his throat and he tugged on my hand, moving us over to a secluded part of the garden.

“Jesus, Tink. You can’t just say shit like that to me.” He ran a hand through his hair and stared down at me.

“Why not, Ralph?” I asked, using the nickname I’d given him nine months prior. A thought occurred to me and I raised my eyebrows. “Unless that idiot, Ashley, is your girlfriend. In that case I’ll back off.” I finished off my champagne and set the glass on the edge of a stone decoration.

A small laugh escaped David’s lips and he shook his head. “My partner set me up with her for tonight. She knew I needed a date and so here we are.” He pressed his lips together in a line and gave me a hard look. “Let’s talk about your date, Sydney.”

“Oh God,” I sighed, rolling my eyes. “He is not my date. My mom is just an evil troll. She told me not to bring a date only to ambush me with him at her house. He’s a total pig and if he tries to paw at me again I’ll probably lose my dinner.”

“Nice mother.” His voice was quiet and he dipped his head, bringing his face towards mine.

“The best,” I whispered before our lips met, and a content sighed escaped my mouth to be swallowed by his.

David’s arm was around my middle, keeping me close, and the fingertips of his other hand skimmed my bare back slowly. One of my hands rested at the base of his neck while my other plunged into his soft hair, letting it fall between my fingers.

I savored the feeling of his soft tongue against mine and I tried to memorize everything about his mouth. Too soon, he pulled back and pressed our foreheads together.

“I don’t know what it is about you, Sydney, but you can make me feel incredibly alive at the very same time you’re making me absolutely crazy.”

I struggled to catch my breath and opened my eyes slowly. “Ditto, detective.”

I didn’t move, afraid to break the spell that was between us, but suddenly a voice rang out through the garden. “Second dance commencing in five minutes!”

I picked up my champagne glass and grabbed David’s hand as we followed the other couples back inside. I placed my glass onto an empty tray, and we moved back to the dance floor. The new tune was a bit quicker and we laughed as we danced to the beat. When the song ended the rest of the room applauded and David pulled me in for a hug. We walked off the dance floor together and Ashley was there to intercept him almost immediately.

“David, let’s get out of here.” She wore a pout on her lips, attempting to look as sexy as possible.

He sighed and gave her a quick nod. “Yeah, let’s just go say goodbye to some of my friends first.” He turned back to me and smiled. “Thanks for the fun tonight, Sydney.”

I just grinned back, determined not to let Ashley spoil the past thirty minutes for me. “My pleasure, Ralph.” I moved closer and gave him a kiss on the cheek before taking a step back.

I wasn’t sure how I did it, but somehow I was able to turn away from him and head to my table without looking back. I made it back to my parents and nodded to them both.

“I’m going to go ahead and take off, if that’s okay. I’m exhausted.”

My mom started to shake her head, but my dad stood up. “Of course, Sydney. Thank you for coming.” I thought for a moment he was going to hug me, but changed his mind at the last moment and settled for a shoulder pat instead.

“Yeah, it was interesting.” I turned to Kerry and did my best to keep my sarcasm out of my tone. “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Morgan. I hope you all have a great evening.”

I grabbed my wrap and wristlet and walked towards the exit quickly. I asked the valet to call me a cab and stood off to the side, leaning against a concrete column as I waited. I reached into my wristlet and pulled out my phone to read Facebook to pass the time.

“Sydney,” a voice said and I looked up from my phone. I let out a little groan when I saw Kerry standing there.

“Mr. Morgan.”

“Kerry, please.” He glanced around. “Can I give you a ride home? My driver is here somewhere.”

“No, that’s okay.” I shook my head. “Thanks though.”

He took a step forward, a smile on his face. “Oh please, I insist.” He reached a hand out and ran his fingers down my bare arm.

I narrowed my eyes at him before brushing his hand off my arm. “Please don’t touch me. I’ve already called a cab, so thanks, but no.”

Kerry laughed, as if I had just told him something very funny, and he took another step towards me. He smelled strongly of whiskey and I scrunched up my nose. “Sydney, you look like your wound a little tight. After an hour with me you’d be nice and relaxed.”

I forced myself not to gag at the thought. “I have a vibrator at home that could get the job done in five minutes. I’m good, thanks.”

He opened his mouth to say something else when our conversation was interrupted.

“The lady declined several times. I suggest you back off now, sir.” I turned my head to the left and saw David standing there with Ashley, an angry expression on his face. Ashley shot me an annoyed look.

Kerry looked to David and scowled before turning back to me. “You’re missing out, kid.” He turned on his heel and walked back inside the venue.

“Ma’am, your cab is here.” The valet called from his podium.

I smiled at David. “Thanks. I’m pretty sure he’s hammered. You guys have a good evening.” I moved towards where the valet was holding the door to the cab open for me.

“Wait,” David called as he moved towards us. He turned to Ashley and gave her a small smile. “Thanks for coming with me, Ashley. I had a lot of fun and appreciate you coming last minute. I know we just met, but I hope we can be friends.”

Her face turned red again and I could tell she was ready to explode on him, but he didn’t stop talking.

“Would you mind taking the cab home so I can talk to Sydney about something? I don’t want you to have to wait around and be bored while I do.” David didn’t wait for her to answer, but he leaned in the cab and handed the driver some money. “Can you please make sure this pretty lady gets home safely?”

The driver accepted the cash and nodded his head. “Of course.”

David guided Ashley in the cab and bent down to kiss her cheek once she was in. “Thanks Ashley.” He shut the door and tapped the top of the cab, watching as it drove away.

I stood where I was and burst out laughing. David turned back to me with a huge smile on his face and soon he was laughing too.

My laughter died down and I wiped a couple of tears that had fallen down my cheeks. “That was amazing. That last time I saw her that pissed is when Maddie shoved her to her ass in seventh grade.”

“Maddie shoved someone? I find that hard to believe.” David handed the valet a ticket before looking back at me.

“She did. Probably the strangest thing I’ve seen in my life and I’ve seen some weird things.”

We didn’t speak, but instead just stood in companionable silence. The wind kicked up and I wrapped my shawl around my shoulders to keep the chilly air off my bare skin. David shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over my shoulders without saying a word. The jacket smelled minty, like him, and it was extremely warm. He stood behind me, rubbing his hands up and down my arms until a silver Subaru SUV pulled up in front of us. David grabbed me by the hand and pulled me to the car. He opened the passenger door and waited for me to step in before he closed it. Tipping the valet, he sat down in the driver’s seat and gave me a grin.

“Okay, let’s get you home.”