Chapter 5: A Night Out

Clarissa's P.O.V.

I was glad that it was Saturday, but there was no glimmer of hope of getting sleep once again. This time, it wasn't nightmares that plagued my mind, though. It was the image of the strange man and the event I saw unfold that bothered me.

Claws. Claws. Claws.

At least, that is what my mind tried to tell me I witnessed. Perhaps work was causing me to lose my edge. Too many shifter novels, and late night sessions of binge reading. Letting out a sigh, my eyes cast towards the clock on my nightstand, watching the flashing red lights read half-past four in the evening.

I was well aware of who had been blowing up my phone earlier in the evening. Deciding not to avoid the situation any longer, I picked up my phone and dialed Alyssa's number. The phone rang once as I heard the screeching voice on the other end, "Where the hell have you been?!"

"I was asleep. Jesus, what was so important you had to blow my phone up thirty-two times?" The annoyance was clear in my voice as I heard her give a soft snort.

Making my way from the bed, I headed towards the kitchen, preparing a cup of coffee. My obsession was evident as a sigh left my lips when the aroma wafted around the room.

"Are you seriously making coffee right now? It's like almost five in the evening." She replied with a sound of amusement. She and I had been friends forever, and she knew me better than anyone.

"I am making coffee."

"No... no. We are going out. Get in the shower, woman. I will be over in twenty minutes." Before I could protest her statement, she ended the call, leaving me speechless.

There was no way I was going out. With the amount of work I had to complete for Mr. Robbins and the peculiar events I witnessed, I needed my sanity checked.

Regardless of my protesting, Alyssa showed up exactly twenty minutes later. She was mesmerizing as always—the light shimmering off her blue dress and dancing through her blond locks.

"Are you serious right now?" I asked, staring at her with hope that she had been joking.

"Deadly." She replied with a smirk, "now get your ass in the bathroom. We have work to do."

Having no choice but to allow her to make me into her Barbie doll. I moved towards the bathroom, ready for her to get to work. It didn't take long for Alyssa to turn me into a 'masterpiece' as she called it. My normal unruly hair was curled in loose ringlets, and my make-up was perfected to match the black dress she put me in.

"Impressed?" Alyssa began with a sultry smile. Shifting to her, I couldn't help but roll my eyes as a laugh escaped me.

"Actually, yes. I look damn good, don't I."

Moving towards the door, Alyssa picked up her purse. "Let's go before the town bicycles take all the sex gods."

I couldn't stop the bubble of laughter that erupted from me. "Town bicycles?" I questioned, staring at her.

"Well, yes, I am trying not to swear as much. I figured you had caught on when every other word out of my mouth wasn't the F word." Alyssa shrugged as she slid into the back seat of the blacked-out Uber.

It was true about her, though. She was beautiful and elegant, but she swore like a sailor.

Alyssa smiled at me as the car pulled onto a street lined with people waiting to enter the prestigious club.

Slowly exiting the Uber, I admired the neon sign labeled Club Surreal and the long line of people waiting to get in. Making my way towards the end of the line when Alyssa stopped and looked towards me, confused. "Where are you going?"

"To get in line?" I replied with slight confusion.

Laughing she grabbed my arm, pulling me with her towards the bouncer. "Girl, I never wait in lines."

Sometimes Alyssa was over the top. First, the gorgeous makeover, and now she was Disney Fast-tracked to the front of the line like a celebrity. I wondered how much more extravagant the evening was going to be.

"Hey, Mikey!" Alyssa squealed, kissing his cheek. "How's Mandy doing? I heard she finally kicked ass in her defense class." The man chuckled, nodding his head at her statement.

"Thanks to you, Blondie." He said with a smile and lifted the red rope. "Have fun, ladies, and stay out of trouble, Alyssa."

I watched as Alyssa smirked and gave the man a devious wink. I could not help the awkward smile that graced my lips as we passed him, drifting into the darkness filled with music and alcohol. It was heavenly toxic.

I was captivated by the mix of alcohol and techno music. My body felt as if it had been hypnotized by the rhythms from the D.J. My hair sticking to me as sweat beaded down, glistening my skin. I didn't care; the erotic feeling was nothing I had ever experienced before.

Alyssa smiled at me, pulling me close, her hands gripping my hips as she began grinding herself against me in a sexual manner. I felt as if my skin was on fire and if eyes were boring into my soul.

Alyssa looked off into the distance, a smile falling on her face with recognition. Finding myself curious, I followed her gaze and locked eyes with a captivating man's dark brown ones. The man stole my breath away.

How could a man be so beautiful and yet look so dangerous at the same time?

You could tell he was tall from the way he sat reclined in his booth. A sense of danger surrounding him pulling me in closer. Slowly he stood; the ripple of muscles cascading on his body sent a shiver to my core, making me ache to touch him.

A soft gasp was caught in my throat as he walked towards us.

I couldn't help but suddenly feel nervous.

Alyssa pulled at my hand, and I realized she was pulling me from the dance floor towards the man. The closer we approached him, the more he seemed familiar. I just could not place where I had met or seen this man before.

"Toni!" Alyssa smiled, wrapping her arms around him as he embraced her with a smile of his own. I felt slightly awkward. It seemed everywhere we went, she knew someone. Perhaps there was still a lot about her that I didn't know.

Pulling from his embrace, she looked at me and smiled before looking back towards him. "Toni, this is my girl, Clarissa. She needed a night out after dealing with an asshole at her job." She replied smoothly.

He quirked a brow at her response. His face seemed to hide some hidden emotion, almost like an annoyance to what she had said.

"Assholes, huh?" His dark sultry voice said, wrapping around my soul and drawing me closer.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" I asked, the words falling from my lips. I just couldn't help myself. The question pounded at the back of my head, telling me that I knew him.

But where did I know him from?

His eyes lit up for the slightest of moments before going back to their hidden meaning. "I don't think so."

"Well, nice to meet you." Was the only response I could quietly get out. A soft smirk came across his face as he turned back to Alyssa.

"Come join us. I am just here with Brantley." He replied, as Alyssa looked over towards their booth and saw Brantley surrounded by two nasty vixens and smiled deviously.

I could not help but choke on my drink as I heard the name Brantley. Did he mean Brantley as in Brantley Robbins, my boss?

My gaze caught onto Alyssa's as I drew into the area she was watching. Sure enough, there was Brantley Robbins, wrapped tightly by two beautiful women. "So much for being well preserved."

Heat pooled in my cheeks as I realized I said that aloud and took in the questionable looks from Toni and Alyssa. "The asshole.. In question." I replied, causing Toni's lips to tighten into a straight line.

Shaking her head, Alyssa smiled, "Seems he has been overrun by the club whores and a taken man at that." Her words got a chuckle from Toni, and she smiled in satisfaction. "I can't just let a damsel in distress go unattended. Let's go take a break and get a drink, Clarissa."

Confusion set upon me as I followed behind her, unsure of what was going on and how well Alyssa seemed to know Brantley. I never thought she had been acquainted with him, but perhaps I was wrong. The only thing I knew for sure was the man next to me was increasingly addictive, and his scent was driving my senses wild.

That, and I knew without a doubt I knew him from somewhere.