Face the Music (6 page)

He rested the side of his chin against my sweaty temple.  “Are you having
fun
?”

“Yes,” I said, feeling dazed.  It felt like warm, smooth honey was circulating through my veins.

“Good.”  He tilted his head down and focused on me and me alone, despite all the other people around us.  Moving slowly and purposefully, as if he were looking for some excuse to touch me, he reached up and swept a damp curl off my forehead.

I was speechless, rendered in a dreamlike state, when, out of nowhere, a crowd of people- adoring fans, most likely- advanced towards him and pushed me off to the side.

And just like that, I was released
from whatever trance he had put me in
.  Leaving him to his fans, I went back to my table and thought about what had just happened.  It was like he’d ta
ken complete control of my mind,
put me under some sort of spell.  Never before had I felt so powerless.

Chris Knots wasn’t just some r
andom cute guy off the street
.  He
knew exactly what he was doing. 
I wondered how many women had fallen victim to his charms, found themselves defenseless against that smile
.  I was
really
going to
have to keep my guard up
with this one
.

Emily was by my side in no time.  “Please tell me you were just dancing with Chris Knots.  I thought I saw it, but I just can’t believe it.”

“Yes, Emily, I was just dancing with Chris Knots.”  I was struggling to wrap my mind around it myself. 

She squealed.  “
T
hat calls for another round.  I’ll be right back.” 

Within minutes she returned, juggling a couple of wine coolers and two shot glasses filled with a red liquid.

We downed the shots, and I grimaced as the
sharp
alcohol burned my insides.  “Who were you dancing with?”

She shrugged
and glanced in his direction
.  “I have no idea
.  Although h
e is kind of cute.”

About an hour and who knows how many drinks later, Emily and I went back out onto the dance floor.  Somehow we ended up next to Chris’s group.  I glared at Emily, but she just gave me an innocent smile.

“Where did you go?”  Chris shouted over the music, looking genuinely surprised to see me.  “I’ve
been looking all over for you. 
I thought you’d left!”

“Nope, just hangin’ out.”  I nodded towards the corner where we had been sitting.  “This is my sister, Emily.  Emily, Chris Knots.”

“Chris!  It’s so n
ice to meet you in person!  We’
re all big fans!”  She covered his hand with both of hers and shook it forcefully.

“Sisters, huh?”  He looked at
me and then back at Emily.  “
I
never
would
have guessed
.”

The leggy blonde from
earlier
wrapped a possessive arm around Chris’s waist. 
“Hi, I’m Cynthia,” she said in a sing
-song voice
.  “But
you probably already knew that.
”

I nodded and held out my hand. 
“Allison Banks.”  She squeezed my fingers and then put her h
and on Chris’s chest
.

I’d seen Cynthia’s performances on the show and always thought her to be extremely pretty, but she was even more striking in person.  She was tall and athletic and looked like a supermodel in her short skirt and sequined
,
scoop-necked top.  Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head, but a few strands had fallen loose and hung in her face, giving her a sexy, tousled look. 

She was like a goddess, Aphrodite herself sent down from the heavens above to humble the rest of us ordinary people.  Her complexion was flawless, and there wasn’t an ounce of flab on her toned and slender figure.  I wasn’t overweight by anyone’s standards, but my soft and curvy body s
eemed
plump
compared to hers.

“How do you two know each other?”  She looked at Chris and then back at me. 

“Allie works for the
show.  She
tutors
the kids.” 

Cyn
thia didn’t seem too interested. 
The way she glared at me from under her long mascara-coated lashes told me that she wanted his attention all to herself.  I was more than happy to oblige.

“
I need
another drink.  You want anything, Em?” 

“We should probably get going
, actually
.”  She turned to Chris.  “We’ve been hitting it hard all night, and she’s a lightweight.”

Cynthia laughed.  It was a hollow, fake sound; a belittling sneer that someone would make at another, lesser person’s expense.  I decided I didn’t like her.

But
Chris’s smile only widened.  “Maybe we should get you some water.”  He took my arm and led me away from the dance floor.  “Wouldn’t want that pretty little head of yours to hurt too much in the morning.”

“I’m fine.  Really,” I added when he gave me a sideways glance.  “Don’t worry about…”  I tripped over my own foot and nearly ran into a table.

“Whoa, careful,” he said, helping me to regain my balance.  He
raised an eyebrow
and flash
ed me a shameless grin.  “W
hat was that you were saying?”

I pressed my palm
s
firmly against his chest.  It was solid beneath my hand
s
, and I stood on my tiptoes and tipped my head back to look
up into his face. 
“I think you’re trouble.”

His lips curved into a playful smile.  “You say it like it’s a bad thing.”

“
I bet you don’t get told ‘no’ very often.”  The alcohol must have really taken over because there is no way I would have been so bold had I been sober. 

He stepped forward, closing the gap between us.  Our bodies were so close that I could feel the heat radiating off him.  He cocked his head when he spoke.  “You did
.
  You thought you could get out of dancing with me.”

I
gawked,
not knowing
what to say.
  My thoughts were getting fuzzy.

His grin widened.  “It wasn’t hard to get you to change your mind.  I bet I could do it again.”

I swallowed hard, feeling that sense of powerlessness, like I was under some kind of spell.  The strange thing was that I didn’t mind.  I kind of liked it.  “I’ll have no problem sticking to it next time.”  The words came out with more confidence than I felt.

He asked the bartender for a bottle of water and then turned to me.  “How are you and your sister getting home tonight?”

I stared at him awhile before answering.  The gears were spinning
slowly.  “I don’t know.  A taxi, I guess.
”

“
Good. 
I don’t think either of you need to be drivi
ng.  I’ve got
a
rental
;
I could give you a ride.  Where do you live?”

I blinked hard a few times, trying to regain my center of balance as the room started to spin.  “Emily and I share an apartment in the West End Complex.  A few blocks from the studio.”

“Yeah, I know that place.”  He glanced at his watch.  “It’s almost two.  Are you ready to go?”

“
It’s that late?  Really?
”  I reached for his wrist and tried to
focus on the hands of his watch, but I couldn’t decide which of the four hands I should be focusing on.

He put his arm around my shoulders.  “So?  How about a ride?”

“
You’re sweet, but no need to trouble yourself.  I don’t mind
catch
ing
a cab.”

“I wouldn’t offer if I thought it was trouble.  It would give me peace of mind knowing you get home safely.  There are a lot of crazies out this time of night, you know?  What woul
d the kids say if you were a no-
show on Monday?”

The thought made me laugh.  “They would probably throw a party.”  I held up my water bottle and pretended to preach.  “Miss Banks is allowed to live a life outside the classroom too, you know.” 

“Touché!”  He waved his hand in salute as he took a few steps back, bowed, and walked away. 

I wondered what Cynthia would
have said
about him taking Emil
y and me home.  T
he thought was quickly replaced with a sense of panic as the
room took on a violent whirl. 
I plopped down on a stool and, feeling sick, leaned forward and rested a cheek on the bar.

Chapter 4

When I woke up my head was pounding.  My mouth tasted
like something
that had been pulled from a clogged drain
.  I was
in my bed wearing my old White Sox
shirt
. 
Odd
.  I had no memory of coming home
or changing my clothes.

Emily was still asleep, so after washing my face and brushing my teeth
,
twice
, I went across the hall to gather Molly
from Mrs. Johnson.  As usual, she
refused to take any money. 
I think she enjoyed her time with Molly just as much as
Emily and I
had
enjoyed our night out. 

It wasn’t too much longer before
Emily
stumbled into the kitchen.  She
put a slice of bread in the toaste
r.  “Morning,” she said,
propping
her elbows on
the counter.  “I had
fun
last night.  Thanks.”

I poured a glass of orange juice and popped a couple Advil
in my mouth
.  “Yeah, me too.  I sure am paying for it this morning though.” 

“Ah, well, what’s the fun without the morning after?  It was worth it.”

“Do you think so?”  I wasn’t sure I agreed.
 
The way my
pul
se was pounding in my temples made me think
my whole head might just explode.

“Chris sure seemed to enjoy your company.”  She
raised her eyebrows
.  “Much more than he did Cynthia’s.  Did you
notice
how she was hanging all over him?
  It was so obvious he wanted nothing to do with her.
”