Shatter Me (5 page)

             
I sigh, knowing that I am being unfair. “Whatever. I’ll be out in a little while.”

             
I take my time getting ready. Being extra careful with my makeup
;
spending a little extra time with the styling tools on my long blond hair. My legs are silky smooth and
I skip thigh highs as I slip on my red briefs and the
n
step into my ultra-expensive designer heels. If there is one weakness that I will ever admit to having it is shoes. After slipping into the barely there dress I step back to
glare at myself in my floor length mirror.

             
I look hot. My gold eyes are huge, my smile secretive. My breasts aren’t overly large and a bra is not necessary to keep them under control. The dress ends an inch below my butt and I shake my head at how glamorous I appear.

             
As I leave my room I grab a matching red clutch and the bracelet that my father gave me at lunch earlier. As I’m snapping it on my cell buzzes and I pause long enough to peek at the caller ID. It’s Hunter, but I’m upset with him for reserving the VIP of the club and conspiring with Bianca when he knows good and well that I hate clubbing. So I let it go to voice mail without a second thought.

             
Anything he has to tell me can wait until I get to the club.


      
 

             
We take a cab to the club. There is a line outside of
Club 101
that is all the way down the side walk and wraps around the side of the building. But Bianca goes straight up to the bounce
r
with the clip board and smiles her most seductive smile. “Hello, Marcus.”

             
The big man gives her a welcoming smile. “Bianca.” He steps back and releases the rope so that she can enter the club. When he sees me behind her his eyes light up. “Whoa!!! Hot!” He whistles and I can’t help but giggle.

             
“Thank you Marcus.” I am blushing, but seriously enjoying his blatant appreciation.

             
“Happy Birthday, Kari!”
He calls after us as we enter the dimly
lit
building.

             
I wave at him. “Thanks!”

             
As soon as we enter the building Bianca turns to me. “I want you to promise me something.” She is taking off her wrap and giving it over to the girl behind the desk. It is the middle of May but there is a storm in the air making it chilly out.

             
I raise a perfectly shaped blond brow. She looks completely serious and I don’t know if I should be worried or not.
“What?”

             
She shakes her dark head. “I want you to just let go tonight. No heavy thinking.”

             
That’s what I do, I over think everything. Even when I was getting into trouble back in boarding school I was always over thinking things.
But tonight is my birthday, and I can see from the look in my bestie’s eyes that she is really excited
f
or me. And I…Well I haven’t been all that appreciative about any of this.

             
“Okay, Bee.” I give in gracefully.

             
She claps her hands and squeals with delight. I get a quick, tight hug before she grabs my hand and starts pulling me through the club. The VIP section is all the way in the back and then up a set of roped off stairs to the second floor. But half way to the stairs Bianca turns to me again, looking hesitant.

             
“What now?” I demand.

             
She bites her bottom lip. “Well…”

             
“Bianca! What is it?” She has me worried and that is never a good sign when it comes to Bianca Carrington.

             
She blows out a long sigh.
“I kind of asked Christian if he would bring a few guys with him.”
My eyes grow huge and I know my face is turning red with both embarrassment and rage. “You never date!” She quickly defends herself. “And I know why just as well as you do if you would just admit it to yourself!”

             
I glare at her. I have already admitted to myself. But it
has
n’t
change
anything. I don’t date because no one can make me burn with just a look like Keith does. My heart, my body, my very
soul
wants Keith Winthrop and it refuses to accept anyone else.

             
“Please, Kari!” Bianca is looking concerned now. “Just give these guys a chance.
Put that fucker out of your mind for tonight and get to know some of them.”

             
“Whatever!” I brush by her and glare at the bouncer who is standing guard at the VIP stairway. “I’m the
lucky
birthday girl.” I tell him and he gives me an appreciative once over before stepping aside and holding the rope for me.

             
But by the time I reach the top of the stairs my rage has evaporated and I realize that my friend is completely right. I vow to myself then and there to keep an open mind…And to lose my virginity by the end of the night. I cannot let Keith’s hold over me keep me from moving on with my life.
Especially when it seemed as if I had no hold what-so-ever over him and he had no problem jumping into multiple beds in the same month.

             
February being just one example!

             
No! I am not going to do that to myself tonight! It is time I exorcise him from my life once and for all.

             
Bianca grasps my elbow when she reaches me. “Please don’t be mad.” She murmurs.

             
I shake my head. “I’m not.” I promise. “And I will give them a chance. But first I need some tequila rushing through my blood.”

             
“Hell yeah!”
She shouts.
“Margaritas baby!”

             
Giggling we turn to find three large
table
s full of
our
friends. They are all talking among
st
themselves but stop and turn when Bianca shouts. Everyone jumps up and I am hugged for the next fifteen minutes. Happy Birthdays ring in my ears.

             
The last to pull me into his arms is Hunter.
“Happy Birthday, Kari.”
He kisses my cheek and holds me close for a long moment.
When he steps back he pulls a present out of the breast pocket of his dinner jacket. “This is for you.”

             
I beam at him as I take the jewelry box from him and carefully open it. There is a platinum locket hanging from a long silver chain. With a slightly unsteady hand I open the beautiful locket and find a picture of my mother and his father smiling lovingly back at me.

             
It takes me a minute to get myself under control enough to raise my eyes to smile at him. “Thank you.” I whisper.

             
“Welcome.” He gives me another kiss on my cheek. “Now, I want to buy the birthday girl her first
legally
obtained drink!”

             
“Hell yeah!”
I shout, just as Bianca did earlier and link my arm through his.

             
It isn’t until I have
two margaritas in me and several shots
in me
that I r
emember my step
brother
had
attempted to call me earlier. I am standing beside of him at the balcony overlooking the lower part of the club. There are friends all around us and he seems deep in conversation with Christian. So I bump his shoulder to get his attention.

             
He turns with a grin for me. “Are you drunk already?” He asks loud enough to be heard
over
the music.

             
“No.”
Just a little tipsy and feeling way to good.
“Why did you call me earlier? Was it important?”

             
His blue eyes darkened. “No, it wasn’t important. I just wanted to tell you I invited a few other people.”

             
“Oh. Okay. That’s cool.” I drain the rest of my margarita. “I want to dance.”

             
The man to my left, whom I have been ‘keeping an open mind’ about
and has been dragged into a conversation with two other guys, is instantly alert. He wraps his strong arm around my waist. “That’s my cue!” He winks down at me and tugs me toward the stairs.

             
Giggling I wave at Bianca on my way downstairs and she gives me a beaming smile and a thumb’s up.
             

             
Out on the dance floor I take a minute to give my dance partner a once over.
Short brown hair, nice smile.
Cute, in a boyish kind of way.
And big! As in my father would have loved to spend
an afternoon lifting weights
with him. His name is Blake something-or-other and he seems nice. Of all the guys Christian has brought tonight Blake is the one that I have found I have the most in common with.

             
And I find, as I let myself go to the
music, that
he is an excellent dance and can easily keep up with me. I laugh happily
—
and yes tipsily
—
as he swings me around. Giggling I hold on to his wide, hard shoulders and just let go.

             
The music ends and I convince Blake to dance one more with me. But before the music is even over I am thirsty and ready for something cold and refreshing. So we return to the VIP area and I drop down beside of Bianca and Christian at one of the
table
s. I take my bestie’s frozen daiquiri from her hand and take two
gulps
of it before offering it back to her. 

             
“Having fun?” She asks, resting her back against Christian’s strong front.

             
“A blast.”
I assure her. “And don’t you dare say ‘I told you so’ Bee or I will never speak to you again.”

             
She holds up her slender hands. “Now would I ever do that?”
             

             
I share a grin with Christian over her head and we both say “Yes!” and the exact same time. Blake, having been busy acquiring me another drink drops down across from me. “Ah! I love you!” I exclaim as I take a long swallow of the
lemon-
lime soda he has put before me.

             
“Damn it!”

             
I frown over at Bianca and the sudden fierceness of her tone. “What?” I ask, wiping my lips with a cocktail napkin.

             
Bianca isn’t looking at me, however. Her glacier blue eyes are glaring over my head and I turn to see what, or more who, has put such a cold look on my friend’s normally happy-go-lucky face.

             
Of course I regret it as soon as I turn my head and find Keith Winthrop standing a few feet away speaking to his brother. I make a quick survey of the roo
m but cannot spot any other newcomers and realize that my step
brother appears to be dateless.

My heart clenches. I have just promised myself that I am going to forget about this sexy as sin man and he choices now to voluntarily appear her
e
tonight? I want to shout and scream and slap his sardonically raised eye-browed face!

             
As I watched the two devastatingly sexy brothers talk I couldn’t help but notice that there was a difference in Keith. Even in the dim lighting and from my distance I could see that he wasn’t nearly as tense as normal. The set of shoulders weren’t as ridged and the lines around his eyes and mouth that were usually wrinkled with stress
h
as
eased. It made him look younger, more carefree.
And so, so much more appealing to my senses.

             
Of course I c
annot
help but wonder what had brought this new change to him.
A new woman perhaps?
After the scandal he had stirred up back around Valentine’s Day my step-brother has surprisingly been out of the gossip tabloids. And I haven’t heard
about any new girl-friends in just as long. So I was pretty sure that he had someone special in his life and he was just keeping it quiet.

             
My heart contracted at the thought.

             
“Let’s dan
ce!” Bianca hollers and I force
a smile to my lips. She st
ands
and pull
s
me to my feet before turning to Blake. “Let’s go, lover boy. Don’t want someone still the girl do ya?”