Faith (Hades Angels #1) (8 page)

“Hey, this is Melody and Jade.” I introduced them. Melody was already sizing up with the one she was going to hit on as Jade watched.

We sat around talking and laughing. I was starting to feel bad for Nate and Adam. Melody couldn’t seem to keep her hands to herself and was flirting with both of them. Not that they seemed to mind. She was downing shot after shot, keeping up with the boys.

“Oh, man, is the room spinning or is it just me?” Melody asked as she leaned into me.

“No. I think we need to get you home, though. Are you ready to go?” I asked her, trying to hold her up.

“One more,” she slurred as she held up two fingers. I just shook my head and looked over at Jade.

“All right, Mel, let’s get you home,” she said, standing up.

“Okay.” She agreed with her. I stood up to help steady Melody.

“Here, let me help.” Bryce rose from his seat to help us get her out to the car.

“Thanks,” I said, reaching for the jacket she’d dropped.

He wrapped his arm around her waist as she leaned into him, and walked outside.

“Mmm, you smell good. Kind of like Gage.” I wondered what she’d meant by that, and made a mental note to ask her later. I could hear Melody giggling as we tried to get her seated in the back seat of my car. We finally got her situated enough that she would hopefully be okay. I shut the door and Jade climbed in.

“Thanks for helping us with Melody.”

“No problem. When can I see you again, Faith?” he asked, standing in front of me. I took a step back and leaned against the driver’s door of my car.

“I don’t know.” I grinned at him. He came closer, putting an arm on either side of me, pressing me against the car.

“How about later on this week?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe, huh?”

He stared down at me, lifting one arm off the car and using it to tilt my head up so that I was looking straight into his eyes.

“I’ll give you a call this week. Maybe we can figure something out,” he whispered before his lips touched mine. It was a soft, sweet kiss. “I’ll talk to you later, Faith.” He turned around and walked away. “Oh, and one of these days you are going to have to tell me your real name,” he said over his shoulder.

I stood there stunned, watching him as he walked back into Shelby’s. When the door closed behind him, I snapped out of it. I turned around and got into my car.

“So, that was fun.” Jade smiled.

“Yeah.” I started the car and made my way back to my apartment.

“Do you guys want to just crash at my place?” I asked as I pulled into my parking lot.

“Yeah, but how are we going to get Melody up there?” Jade asked, pointing at Melody who was now completely passed out in the back seat.

“I got an idea.” I grinned. “Wait here.” I ran up to my apartment.

Chapter Sixteen

I woke up the next morning and rolled out of bed. I slipped my feet into my zebra print slippers and pulled on a fuzzy hot pink robe. I brushed my teeth quickly before checking to see if Melody and Jade were awake yet.

“Morning.” Jade stretched her arms over her head.

Melody was lying on the floor next to the wheelchair we had used to get her inside.

“Should we wake her up?” I asked as I leaned against the couch, watching Melody snore.

“Yeah, I need to get home. I have some stuff I need to do before work tonight.”

Waking up Melody was a job in itself. She didn’t seem too thrilled to have to move when we finally managed to wake her.

“Why is it so bright?” she mumbled, trying to block the little bit of light that was shining through the windows with her arm.

“Come on, sleepyhead, time to go home,” Jade said as she helped her up. “Thanks for letting us crash here, Faith.” She pushed Melody’s feet into her shoes.

“No problem. See you guys later this week.” I told them as I walked them to the door. Once they were gone, I leaned my head up against the door.

Now that I was alone, I started to think about that kiss again. It was as if I could still feel his lips against mine. I needed to stay away from him, yet all I wanted to do was be around him. Maybe I could figure out a way to at least be his friend. I hope he didn’t want more than that. Friendship was all I could afford to give him.

I took a quick shower and dressed in my usual attire—yoga pants and a tank top with a zip-up hoodie. I grabbed my purse and made my way to Cups.

I ordered my usual and waited for it at the counter. I took my drink and made my way to the door. Just as I was pushing it open, Bryce was on the other side pulling it open.

“Hey.” He smiled as I almost walked right into him, dropping my coffee in the process.

“Shit.”

“Sorry about that. Here let me help.” He said as we both bent over at the same time.

“No, it was my fault. I should have been more careful.” I straightened, holding my now empty cup.

“Here, let me buy you a new one.”

“Thanks.” I tossed the now empty cup into the garbage.

One of the employees must have seen me drop my coffee as they were already in the process of cleaning the mess. I picked up a few napkins to clean up the drops I had gotten on myself.

We made our way to the counter and ordered. Bryce and I waited in an awkward silence for them to make our drinks. When we got our coffees, I thanked him and turned around to walk to the door.

“Where are you off to so fast?” he asked as he caught up with me.

“Uh, nowhere really.” I made sure to see if anyone was coming in the door before opening it.

“Walk with me?” he asked as he followed me out the door.

“Where to?”

“Anywhere.” He smiled.

“Anywhere, huh?”

“Yup, anywhere you want to go.”

“Okay then, follow me.” I smiled back and began walking down the sidewalk.

“So, where are we going?” He walked next to me.

“You’ll see.” I knew just the spot. A few blocks away there was a lake and a quaint overlook that most people didn’t know about, which provided a pristine view of the lake. It was a bit of a walk, but it was worth it.

We walked in silence. Instead of being awkward, it was perfect. I smiled to myself at that thought.

“What’s the smile for?”

“Nothing really.”

“Well, it has to be something if it made you smile.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It was something, just not something I want to share at the moment.”

“You are just full of secrets, aren’t you, Faith?”

I stopped at his words. “What do you mean?” I frowned.

“Nothing, really. We all have our secrets. Sometimes it’s better to let them out before they eat you alive. I’m not saying you have to tell me, just that you should tell someone.”

“Yeah.” I smiled at him before I continued walking. “We are almost there.”

We finished the walk in silence.

“Here we are.” I sat down on a huge rock atop a hill that looked over the lake.

“It’s beautiful.” He sat down next to me.

“It is, isn’t it?”

“So, Faith, tell me something about yourself.”

“What do you want to know?”

“How about your real name to start with?”

“So you want in on that little secret, huh?”

“If you wouldn’t mind, yeah.”

“Laura.”

“Laura, huh? So how did you come up with Faith?”

“I didn’t. When I went to Hades for the first time, Ella, who works the door, she said I looked like a Faith, and I have been Faith ever since.”

I looked over at him. He was staring at the view of the lake. I turned away, hoping he wouldn’t catch me staring at him.

“So it’s only fair if you tell me something about you,” I said.

“Well, Laura, what is it you want to know?”

“Anything, really. Just something that makes you who you are. Any skeletons in the closet you need to let out?” I laughed.

“Not really. I like to write. Not stories or anything like that. More like I keep a journal. It helps me relax.” He shrugged.

“That’s pretty cool.”

We sat there and talked, learning more and more about each other. The more we talked, the more comfortable I felt with him. I didn’t even know how to explain it. It was like I had known him my whole life. He made me smile, and feel normal, a normalcy I hadn’t felt in a long time. I had always felt lost, but now I didn’t feel that anymore.

“Laura, what are your plans for this weekend?”

“I don’t know. Maybe work, just depends how I’m feeling.”

“Want to go somewhere with me?”

“Where?” I looked over at him. “Wait, isn’t your friend’s wedding this weekend?”

“Yeah, want to go with me?”

“I don’t know, Bryce. I mean, won’t it be weird? I mean, showing up with a stripper?”

“No. I promise they won’t say anything, and besides…I want you to go. If you get uncomfortable, we will leave. I promise.”

“When is it?”

“It’s Saturday at The Hilltop Hotel. I won’t make you sit through the actual wedding, just come to the reception with me.”

“And if I say yes, you promise it’s not going to be weird? Won’t they mind you bringing a guest?

“Promise. I sent in my RSVP for two over eight months ago…before I realized how crazy my ex was. But that’s a story for another day.”

“Okay, then.” I smiled.
I can’t believe I just agreed to go with him.

“Is that a yes?”

“Yeah, I suppose it is.”

“Ready to walk back? I need to get some work done.” He stood up.

“Yeah, let’s head back.”

He held his hand out to help me up. “Thanks,” I said.

I stood up, brushing off the back of my pants as I stood. “So what kind of work do you do?” I asked as we walked back to Cups.

“I’m a freelance software developer.”

“What does that involve?” I wasn’t very computer savvy; I knew how to use Google and check my email, along with social media, but other than that I knew nothing about how they worked.

“I design programs based on whatever the client needs. Sometimes it’s as easy as setting up an app for the company, or developing a simpler way for them to process inventory. It depends on the client. I try to do whatever they need me to do. Sometimes it’s pretty easy and sometimes it can take weeks to months to get it done.”

“Sounds pretty complicated.”

“It can be, but I have always been pretty good working with computers. I knew early on I had a gift so I went to school and ran with it. So far, it has worked out pretty well.”

We finally made it back to Cups.

“This one’s me,” I said as we stopped by my car.

“So I will see you Saturday, and I will pick you up around four.”

“Sounds perfect.” I smiled up at him.

“One problem, though.”

“What’s that?”

“I don’t know
where
to pick you up.”

“Yeah, that might be helpful.” I pulled out my phone and sent him a text with my address. “There. Now you know.”

He moved closer to me as I stood still while holding his hand. I didn’t want to go. He pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me, dropping my hand. He kissed the top of my head. “See you Saturday, Laura,” he whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my body.

I stepped back and looked up at him. “Saturday.” I smiled as he leaned in and brushed a kiss across my lips before turning around and walking away. Again, I stood there and watched him walk away from me, smiling like an idiot the entire time.

Chapter Seventeen

The next several days went by fast. I spent most of it stressed out about Saturday. Was this a date? Oh God, it was, and I was going to meet all his friends. What if they didn’t like me? What if they said something about my job? I began to think it would be best to cancel. I kept going back and forth on it, but even more importantly, I was starting to stress out about what I was going to wear. I needed a dress. Also, I couldn’t help but wonder about his crazy ex. Should I be worried? Obviously, she was out of the picture. I tried not to think about that and focused my thoughts on finding a killer dress instead.

I spent all of Friday morning shopping, trying to find the right dress. I kept coming up with excuses on why they didn’t work—too long, too short, too low cut, wrong color, wrong cut. Nothing seemed to work. I walked through the mall looking in the store windows. I was just about to give up when I saw the most gorgeous dress on a mannequin in a window. It was perfect, black with a matching lace overlay. It was beautiful. It had one sleeve that was all lace and left the other arm bare. I tried it on and it fit as though it was made for me.

By the time I made it home with my dress, I barely had enough time to get ready for work. I hadn’t worked all week and needed a distraction so that I wasn’t sitting at home driving myself crazy with doubt about tomorrow.

I rushed to throw my clothes in my bag, and ran out the door. I sent a quick text to Jade telling her I was on my way, but might be a few minutes late.

I pulled up to Hades and rushed inside, dropping my bag next to Melody who was almost ready.

“There you are. I was starting to wonder if you were going to show up.”

“I know. I was shopping and it took longer than I thought.”

“Oh, what did you get?”

“A dress.”

“What’s the occasion?” she asked as she put on a layer of mascara.

“Oh, nothing special.”

“Not good enough. Try again.”

“Fine. I have a date, or at least I think it’s a date tomorrow.”

“Ohhhh! Details, Faith, details.”

“It’s nothing really.”

“If it was nothing you wouldn’t have bought a new dress. Don’t leave me hanging. Is it with that guy, what was his name…Bryce? He was hot.”

“Yes.” I started with my make-up.

“So, where is he taking you?”

“That’s the thing…he’s taking me to his friend’s wedding.”

“I love weddings! Oh, and all the hot guys who will be there. He had some hot friends.”

“Melody, I’m not going to hit on other guys.”

“Still, I’m kind of jealous. I want to go.” She pouted. “You are going to be hanging out with Mr. Hottie while I am stuck at work with assholes. So not fair.”

I ignored her and finished getting ready for the night. I pulled out one of my favorite outfits.

“I do have a question for you, Melody,” I said, giving her a wicked grin.

“Oh yeah?” She looked straight into the mirror.

“Yeah. So, who is Gage?”

She paused, freezing in place as she slowly turned to look at me. “What do you mean,
who is Gage?
”

“You mentioned his name the other night.”

“I did?”

“And by the way you are looking at me, I have a feeling I’m on to something.”

“He’s no one. I mean, there isn’t anything to tell, really.” She turned back to look in the mirror. If she didn’t want to tell me I wasn’t going to push her.

I would have to remember to ask her later. I continued getting ready. My first outfit of the night would be booty shorts and a tube top that was black and white plaid. It had ruffles along the edge of the top and bottom of the shorts. I slipped on a black garter. Now I just needed to put on my wig and I would be ready to go. I looked through my bag, pulling everything out and dumping it on the floor.

“Fuck,” I yelled.

“What’s wrong?” Melody asked, bending over to help me pick up my clothes.

“My wig. I left it at home.”

“Well, what’s the problem? You look great with your hair the way it is. Here, use my flat iron and everything will be fine. Promise.”

I sat there on the floor trying not to freak out.
It’s just a wig, no big deal.
I could do this. I could go out there without my wig and everything would be just fine.
No, not working.

“Come on, Faith, it will be fine. I promise.” Melody pulled me in for a hug.

“No, it won’t.”

“Yes, it will. Here, sit and let me work my magic.”

I sat down on the stool and let Melody work her so-called magic. She wouldn’t let me face the mirror.

“You can look when I’m done. Until then, try to relax.”

By the time she was done, I had relaxed as much as I could, and I was still a ball of nerves.

“It’s about time you dropped the wig, Faith. You look so much better with your natural hair.”

“Thanks, Jade.” I tried to smile.

“Okay, you can turn around now.” Melody set the flat iron down and turned it off. “See. You look great.”

“I suppose you’re right. It’s just that I’ve always worn my wig here. It’s been like my security blanket.” I stared at my reflection in the mirror.

“Okay, girls, let’s go,” Jade said. “Melody, you are up first, and then Faith follows her. You have about two songs.” Jade turned and walked out of the dressing room.

“I need to go pay my house fee.” I got up, nervous as to what the reaction would be. My hair was part of my mask at pretending to be normal. It was part of the disguise I put on. It helped me feel like I was just like the other girls. I shook it off and took a deep breath. Time to get this over with. I lifted my head high and walked out of the dressing room, straight to the bar.

“Hey, Faith. I love the hair!”

“Thanks. Can I get a water, please?”

“Better make that two redheaded sluts.” Melody came up and sat down at the bar next to me.

“Huh?”

“You need to relax. One shot won’t hurt you, but it may be just what you need to let go. We have a whole two minutes before we go on stage, and by the looks of you, you are so not ready for that. So, a shot it is.”

“Here you go, ladies.”

“Thank you,” Melody said as she took both shots off the bar and handed me one. “Cheers,” she added before she downed hers.

I lifted my glass and downed it in one swallow.

“Show time.” She hopped off the stool and walked to the stage.

I was still a ball of nerves. I waited at the bar until Melody’s song was over and my name was called. I took a deep breath before slowly walking up the three stairs to the stage. I wiped my sweaty palms on a towel before wiping down the pole. I gave myself a pep talk as I placed my hand on the pole, then I closed my eyes and tried to forget that I wasn’t wearing my wig. I let the music flow over my body as I swung my left leg around the pole. I opened my eyes and glanced around the stage. It was completely surrounded by men with folded up dollar bills sitting in front of them.

By the time I made my way around the stage collecting tips, I had completely forgotten about my insecurities. When the song ended, I collected my clothes and made my way to the other stage.