Broken Souls (11 page)

There was some truth in his words. She usually found that she felt better when her mind was occupied, and alcohol definitely seemed like the solution to her problems at the moment. It wasn’t the right choice, but it was the easiest. It was a chance for her to at least explore their relationship further while they were out. She hoped that she would be able to probe further to find out what was on his mind.

She wasn’t going to say anything about the kiss; not until he brought it up anyway.

Marco pulled out a wedge of notes from his wallet as the taxi came to a stop just outside of a popular bar in Covent Garden. Ashley watched as he paid the driver his fare, opened the passenger side door and then stepped out into the nippy evening air. He raised his hands instinctively to the lapels of his suit jacket to pull the material tighter around his body before he turned towards the open door and offered her his hand.

“
Thank you,” Ashley smiled, graciously accepting his help. “It's a little bit chilly tonight, isn't it?” She rubbed her hands over her bare arms and instantly regretted her decision to wear short sleeves.

Dressed in a pair of leather effect leggings and a black peplum top and heels, she had tried to make an effort for Marco's sake. After finding him in the living
room in a dark grey suit, white shirt and sans tie, she had quickly pushed aside her plans to wear a pair of casual jeans and ballet flats.

“
I did tell you it was going to be cold before we left,” he chuckled lightly, placing a warming arm over her shoulder.

Ashley didn't w
aste any time in snuggling into him. She was freaking cold and didn't care what he thought as she snuck her hand across his chest and into the inside of his jacket. She felt his body tense beneath her touch before he relaxed himself. 

“
Do you want to head into Eclipse?” she asked, nodding towards a barely visible doorway off to the left.

“
Is it a bar?”

“
Yes,” she laughed. “It's an underground bar. They serve cocktails and fancy mixers that have overly expensive price tags. Besides that, the atmosphere is really nice.”

“
Okay,” he nodded, steering them both towards the door.

Although Eclipse was a little out of her price bracket for a night out, Ashley wanted to take Marco to the more upmarket bars while he was in London. She knew that it was his first time in the city, so she wanted to make more of an effort for him.

“Can I see your identification please?”

A burly
bouncer greeted them just inside of the doorway. Dressed from head to toe in black, he looked as intimidating as he sounded in the narrow hall.

“
Have a good night guys,” he said, returning their IDs and gesturing towards the staircase.

Marco offered Ashley
the crook of his arm as they began their descent. “Go carefully, c
ara
,” he warned, admiring the height of the shoes she had strapped to her feet.

“
Oh please,” she scoffed. “I can walk in heels perfectly fine.”

Placing her hand on the banister, she took the stairs slowly, one step at a time until she reached the bottom. Clearing the final step, she smiled triumphantly and stuck out her tongue towards him.

“Show off,” he grinned, his eyes flashing with humour. “What would you like to drink?”

“
Oh, thank you. Can I have a green apple martini please? I'll go and find us somewhere to sit if I can,” she said, gesturing towards the opposite side of the room where clusters of people were sat snugly in large booths.

As she approached
, Ashley found that her chances of finding somewhere to sit were going to be slim. Even with it being a Tuesday night, the bar was completely packed to the rafters. There was nowhere for her to move, so she found herself in the centre of the bar surrounded by happy, smiling people clutching drinks and chatting under the black and purple mood lighting.

On the opposite side of the room there was a dance floor. O
ccasionally, she saw a few brave souls drunkenly venture over but soon find themselves unable to keep up. The dance floor was always mainly filled with clusters of young bodies grinding dirtily to an old school R&B anthem that poured from the overhead speakers. It was part of what she loved about the bar. They catered for all generations of people which made it a great night all round.

“
Woah, baby. Watch where you are going, hey?”

Ashley
startled as her face hit the front of a gentleman's chest. Immediately she panicked and started to apologise while keeping her eyes trained on the hardwood floor. Although the room was dark, she couldn't chance a stray spotlight catching her the wrong way and showcasing her face to the room.

“
Actually, I take that back. You can wander into my path anytime you want, gorgeous.” He raised his hand and trailed a finger along Ashley's bare arm.

“I...Um...” Ashley stammered as her body temperature
began to soar. She could see the guy checking her out, his eyes trailing appreciatively over her body and searching higher for her face. “T-Thank you,” she nodded, raising her hand to cover her birthmark as she looked wildly for Marco.

“
What a stuck-up cow,” she heard him mutter from behind before he jostled her with his elbow. “She can’t even turn around and look at me.”

Ashley spiralled
forward in her towering heels from the force of his push. “Ouch!” she cried, her feet twisting in her shoes as she tried to keep her balance in check.

“
I told you to be careful in those shoes.” She heard Marco’s laugh before he appeared in front of her with two drinks. “Here,” he said, handing her the martini glass after she had stopped wobbling.

“I was pushed,” she
replied quietly, taking a sip of her drink.

“By who?” Marco
raged, his now protruding eyes scanning the immediate area like a hawk. “Point him out,
bella
. What did he say to you?” His jaw clenched as his breaths turned ragged.

“
I’m fine, Marco.” She placed her hand on his forearm to reassure him. “Just forget about it. He was nothing but a silly drunk who got annoyed when I wouldn’t turn towards him. I probably provoked it by not turning around, but I just couldn’t risk him catching sight of my face up close.”

His eyes softened immediately. “
Bella...
” he sighed.

“
What are you drinking?” she asked, nodding at the glass tumbler he clutched in the vice like grip of his fingers. The change of subject was necessary to divert his attention.

Distraction.

“
I'm a whiskey and Coke type of man,” he said, swirling the liquid around in the glass before bringing it up to his lips for a taste. “I can't drink those fruity things that you women have. They are just way too sweet for me.”

“
I don't just drink cocktails,” she corrected. “I do occasionally like something a little harder to satisfy my taste buds.”

Marco quirked a surprised eyebrow at her be
fore a smirk crossed his lips. “You surprise me,
cara
. You don't strike me as the type that could withstand something
harder
.”

Moistu
re gathered on Ashley's palms at their harmless flirting. “I-I...” She stuttered as an unwelcome flush of warmth bloomed across her cheeks.

Clearly noticing her discomfort, Marco
placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. “It's funny when you get flustered. Not only do your cheeks turn red, but your arms do too,” he said, pointing at the redness spreading over her exposed skin at a rapid pace.

Ashl
ey closed her eyes and sighed. “Kill me now,” she whispered under her breath, knowing that she couldn't feel more embarrassed if she tried. “I need another drink.” She raised her glass to her lips and downed the apple liquid with a few large gulps.

Marco
nodded to the nearby bar and stepped aside to let her pass first.

As he moved,
Ashley's eyes zoomed in on a vacant space. “Over there,” she shouted, her feet carrying her as fast as they would go. Reaching the spot, she placed her hands on the bar and whooped victoriously. “Right, this is our place for the night,” she announced, plopping down onto an empty stool. “Grab a seat and let's order more drinks.”

Humming with approval, Marco slid onto the stool opposite her and placed
his empty tumbler on the bar. “I think I need another drink as well,” he said, raising his hand to signal a waiting bartender. “Do you want something a little...
harder
?” He winked at her before flipping open his wallet and pulling out a credit card.

~

Ashley threw her arms into the air and squealed after slamming her empty shot glass back onto the bar. It must have been around her fourth or fifth shot of the night, but she didn't care. Her body was coming alive and she was enjoying every single moment of it. Everything was starting to become lost in her mind as she tried to focus simply on the drinks Marco continued to place in front of her.

Shot after shot, mixer after mixer
, and cocktail after cocktail. She accepted each drink from him without complaint as they happily drowned their sorrows together.

Sitting
at the bar, on the same stool that she had been on all night, Ashley turned towards Marco with a lopsided drunken grin.

“
You know... I've always liked you,” she slurred, resting her hand on his thigh. “It's such a shame that you live, like, miles and miles and miles away. I think we could have been even closer if you lived nearer. I mean, if you lived nearer then we wouldn't be meeting for the first time like this.” She pinched his leg lightly before spinning back to face the bar. “I need another drink... Hey, can I get something please? Just throw me anything together,” she called out to the bartender who was watching her with concern.

“
I think you've had enough for one night.” He shook his head and walked away.

“
This is bullshit,” she yelled, slamming her hands down onto the counter. “I'm absolutely fine. Look...” Ashley tried to hop down from the barstool. Catching one of her shoes on the leg, she tripped and fell forwards, her face planting directly into Marco's lap.

With an amused
grin, he hooked his hands under her limp arms and helped her to stand. “I think that we should maybe get you back home,
si?
”

She heard the slur in his voice
and snorted. “You're drunk too,” she giggled, leaning her weight against him. Her face pressed against his chest and she listened to the increasing rhythm of his heartbeat.

Thump. Thump.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

“
Your heart is beating fast.” She lifted her eyes to look at him, a smile playing on her lips as his breath tickled her face. His expression was unreadable. He didn't move...not even by an inch. It was almost as if the soles of his expensive Italian shoes were welded to the ground.

“
Let's go,” he eventually sighed, wrapping an arm around her waist.

Ashley complied, allowing him to take most of her weight as they made their way towards the staircase at the end of the room. Disappointment pounded in her chest as she stole secretive glances at his face. His eyes were stony and ha
rd, a veil of darkness covering his irises completely as if to shield all of his emotions from the world.

“
Hey, man. Good luck with that bitch. The stuck-up cow wouldn't even look at me earlier.” A gentleman clapped Marco on the back as he stalked past them towards the stairs.

“
You are so rude!” Ashley yelled, recognising the man from earlier on in the evening. She clenched her fists tightly and tried to shrug from Marco's grasp. The alcohol was fuelling her courage, and she now wanted the fucker to go home breathing through a tube if she could get her hands on him.

“
You're a mouthy little bitch aren't you?” The man paused at the bottom of the staircase and spun around to face them. He swayed a little on the spot and reached out to the banister to steady himself. “The mouthy types are always the best fucks,” he chuckled, giving Marco a slight wink.

“I should have knocked yo
u out earlier.” Marco growled at him and let go of Ashley so that he could launch himself forward.

In the space of a few seconds, there were drunken fists flying
through the air from both men, but neither of them actually managing to land a blow. It was comical for the gathering crowd of inebriated individuals who were cheering and spurring both men on further.

Out of the darkness, the burly bouncer from earlier and an accomplice barrelled their way through the bodies towards both men. Wrapping his arms around Marco's shoulder
s and neck, one of the body guards pulled him back and out of the misfired line of the drunken man's punches.

“
There's always a few dickheads that like to cause a fight,” he grunted, hauling Marco off to the side.

Finding her voice, Ashley stepped towards
the bouncer. “Please, we just want to go home,” she said, placing her hand on the man's back. “Can you just let him go? They didn't land any blows, and nobody got hurt...”

Marco fo
ught against the bouncers hold at the sound of Ashley's voice. Craning his neck to catch sight of her, relief flashed over his face and he exhaled a sharp breath. “
Tesoro
, are you alright?”