Page 4 of Ruby Red Sky

A moment of insecurity prickled through me when the reality of my solitude sank in. Everyone had someone with them, be it friend or partner.

A tall man with long, black hair and intensely pale skin brushed past me, his lips dark and black makeup painted around his eyes. His eyes. They seemed to change colors while I stared at them. Red, brown, and blue. It had to have been a trick of light. He was beautifully dressed; his suit probably cost thousands of dollars. The blond woman holding his hand was just as gorgeous with honey-toned locks and a heart-shaped face.

Others appeared to have just come from work; their drab-colored and plain clothing suggesting this was their first stop before going home.

Mingling amongst the ordinary and the insanely beautiful were others just like me, those who glanced about in wonder, trying to find their place in a curious and sophisticated world.

I stepped in front of the bar, following the flow of the counter while my head swiveled, still searching for my boyfriend.

My perusal stopped when I spotted a platinum-haired man fondling a woman across the room. His long hair reflected the meager light, swinging as he moved. He looked up suddenly, his green eyes piercing me with a single glance, and I froze. He was familiar; I’d seen him before.

It took me a brief second, but then I remembered the coffee shop this morning. He’d been behind me in line. I’d been too distracted to give him much thought at the time, but I’d noticed him. Enough to remember him, now.

Preternaturally beautiful, he almost looked like something from heaven, although the way he was watching me was anything but holy. He’d trapped me in place with his eyes, and I stilled, unable to look away.

My body reacted before my rational mind, with that deep inner knowing that something predatory had you set firmly in its sights. Suddenly, he shoved the lady off his lap, and my lungs filled with air. I jumped a little when a hand clapped my back.

“There you are, I’ve been waiting for you. What took so long?” Bryan came around in front of me, a tumbler of whisky in hand.

“I just got here.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re late. Come. I want you to meet the guys.”

I wasn’t, but whatever. Glancing over my shoulder, I found the green-eyed man still watching, though his gaze had narrowed to a slit.

“You cold?” Bryan asked. “Why didn’t you dress warmer. Stop shivering.”

There was no point in arguing, so I kept my mouth shut. Besides, this was the most he’d said to me at one time in at least a week. For now, I’d take what I could get. Later, I was going to have a serious talk with him because unless things improved, I was more than done.

Bryan introduced me to his friends, a man named Kenneth and two others—Bob and Marty. There were a few women with them, and I was introduced to them as well. Lucy, Miriam, and Deanna.

We settled around the bar and made small talk before I turned to the women, looking them over one by one. They were pretty and seemed cool and friendly, but I’d just met them.

“You guys all work with them?” I nodded towards the men.

Lucy spoke up, “We do. We work in the same building at least.”

Miriam stirred her martini and stabbed an olive, popping it into her mouth while staring at Bryan. “I work in the office with Bryan, Bob and Marty work for Allorum,” she remarked.

“Isn’t that a medical company?” I asked.

Deanna replied for her, “Yeah but they invest, too. Everything’s kinda connected.”

All of this was beyond my knowledge. Bryan never gave me the fine details of what he did other than to say he helped people and companies with their money. “Okay.”

I stared at the contents of my glass, the deep, etched grooves in the crystal refracting the light and making the liquid sparkle. Even my drink appeared magical.

When I glanced up, Bryan was gone, and so was Miriam. “Where’d they go?”

Lucy and Deanna peeked at each other. Deanna took a sip of her drink. Lucy shrugged her shoulder. “I don’t know. More drinks maybe?”

I glanced at Deanna again. She was fiddling with the short straw in her glass and looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here. Her eyes met mine, and her gaze softened, giving me a small, tight-lipped smile. In that instant, I decided I liked her.

Leaning back in my seat, I lifted my glass, draining the contents. “I have to find the restroom, I’ll be back.”

I slid through the crowd, weaving between bodies until the short hallway separating the two areas of the club was in front of me. I wasn’t certain where my destination was, but I suspected it was toward the front of the building.

When I turned down another corridor, there was a small brass plaque that assured me I was heading in the right direction.