Ecstasy! was packed.
Opening Night was a huge hit and as I sat all the way up in the VIP lounge my heart thumped away at the thought of finally speaking to her again.
The top floor had been reserved for the crème de la crème of society while the ground floor was covered with swarming bodies and gyrating hips.
Neon lights, sweat, alcohol and a Justin Bieber song attacked my senses but that wasn't what had my attention.
From my place on top I was watching her. I was aware how slightly serial killer-y I was being right now but I couldn't stop myself.
Every little action she made — from the bouncing of her rainbow-colored ponytail as she shook her head to the way she gripped her pink headphones — drew me closer to her to the point where I almost drooled. She affected me so much even from afar. It was just too bad that that darned mask prevented me from fully seeing her angelic face.
Casper was in a booth a few feet down and every once in a while his deep laughter traveled over the music to reach me were I stood in the hall. I guessed the two scantily clad women who entered a couple of minutes ago were showing him a good time.
I took a gulp of my Chardonnay and winced. I didn't know why I accepted the glass when the passing waiter presented it, I was more of a whisky neat kind of guy.
My eyes drifted over to Butterfly. She was taking a gulp of water and I wondered who drank water in a club.
I really needed to go down and talk to her but I forced myself to wait till she finished up. I didn't want to risk her freaking out and making a scene. I realized that cornering her in the absence of people was even worse but honestly it was better than the first option.
It was startling how progressively creepy I was being this night. It made me wonder if I'd been a serial killer in my other life.
I decided to not be antisocial and entered the lounge. That decision didn't last long as I found a seat at a table devoid of humans.
Pulling my phone out I found that it was only 8. I groaned. It would be a while before I got Butterfly alone.
As if I wasn't nervous enough I had to wait too.
The nervousness was new to me. I could walk into a room with perfect strangers and walk out millions of dollars richer, I could probably charm a nun into my bed and not break a sweat but the prospect of talking to an unbelievably beautiful woman turned my insides into mush.
God, this was going to be a long night.
The universe was apparently not done torturing me because as I was scrolling through my phone someone called my name.
I raised my head to find who called.
I stiffened when I finally located the source.
“Carson? Is that you?” An elegant woman in a sultry green dress stepped forward.
“Artemis!” My voice was tight.
“Oh my God! It's good to see you!”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and my nose was assaulted by her coffee and roses perfume. It brought back memories of lying under the stars, the Parisian skyline before me, naked and with only her body as covering from the night breeze.
I thought that would be the last time I would see supermodel Artemis Markus but as usual I was proven wrong.
She removed her arms and planted a long kiss on my cheek.
When she pulled out the alluring black eyes of the Greek beauty shimmered against her olive skin. I was momentarily distracted by her.
“I wondered why you never called back, handsome.”
And just like that I was reminded of why I moved heaven and earth to stay away from her.
I schooled my features into a scowl. “I was busy.”
She laughed as the teardrop diamonds on her ears sparkled. “And so am I, yet here I am at a friend's supposedly elite club smiling at peasants.”
She bent to my ear and whispered, “We make time for the important stuff.”
Usually as soon as she moved her plump pink lips it'd be a struggle not to take her up against the wall but tonight I was annoyed by her hackneyed seductive tricks.
“I guess you're not that important.”
She drew her hand under my chin. “It was good to see you, my love. I'll be in Miami for a while so I'll be seeing you again.”
She pressed her lithe body against mine as she kissed me goodbye.
After she sauntered away I knew Artemis would be a problem. She was more clingy than any of her million dollar designer dresses.
If I had known this was what I was getting myself into I'd have forgone the contract with her father, the steel magnate Gerard Markus.
I shook my head clear and opened the text app.
Me: Would i be a horrible person if i said i wish your sister wasn't born?
I sent the text to Diana.
Before long her reply came in.
Di: careful what you wish for, toyota. if she wasn't born neither would i and can you imagine your life without me?
Diana never failed to amuse me. Only one good thing came out of meeting Artemis: her twin. And of course the precious contract I was able to secure from her father through charming his precious daughter.
Diana and I became fast friends through our mutual hatred for her sister. She was probably the only person immune to me and that added to what made her a great friend.
I turned off my phone and went out to check on the real reason I'd come to this shitty bar chock-full of humans.
Fate smiled on me as I saw her talk to a man with a green mohawk and relinquish her place behind the turntable.
Finally.
Tucking into my phone into the pocket of my blazer, I took the stairs down and the first thing I felt was the heat that all the people were generating.
The dancefloor was illuminated from underneath by strobe lights and that added to the heat. I was surprised that none of the sweat covered humans that were dancing felt it.
It was quite a journey through moving people to get to the DJ stand to follow her. I wasn't about to have random people rub up against me so I turned right and started down a semi-dark hallway.
It ended in front of what looked like the men's bathroom. She was nowhere in sight and I quickly left because there were questionable sucking sounds coming from beyond the door.
I ended up right where I started below the stairs but this time I turned left and went down another hallway.
The noise from the dancefloor became dimmer and dimmer the further down I got until finally the only sound I could hear was my sneakers on the tiled floor.
The end of the hall brought the women's bathroom and I threw my hands up in exasperation.
There was another long corridor to the right of the bathroom and currently a guy and his girl were making out on one of the walls.
I was about turning around to leave when the rainbow lace of the girl's skirt caught my eye.
Giving the couple a good look I recognized the multicolored hair of Butterfly. She did not seem to be enjoying the way the man groped her.
With disgust and rage filling every cell of my body I raced up to her aid.
“Hey!” I yelled as I got to them. I pushed the guy off of her. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Butterfly flinched at my outburst but other than that she didn't move, just stared ahead, unseeing.
The bastard hissed at me and I could smell the fumes of alcohol in his breath. His dull brown eyes were red-rimmed and I knew he was high too. He was dressed in jeans that had seen better days and a vomit green T-shirt I wouldn't give to the homeless.
“Piss off dude, we were just . . .”
I cut off his slurred words with a punch to the face. I didn't let him recover before I grabbed him by the collar. I was a good foot taller than him so I managed to lift him off his feet.
“The next time you touch another woman without her consent, sober or drunk, remember my fist.”
I relished the fact that blood was dripping down his nose and his eye was getting more swollen by the second.
That should remind him when he was in a better state to never touch up another woman. Especially not my Butterfly.
I threw him to the floor.
“Get the fuck out of my face! You disgust me.”
He scrambled unto his feet and fled.
After watching him run away I turned to her. The only animated thing on her person was the tear that escaped the constraint of her pink embellished mask.
She was so still that I worried she was in shock.
I had half the mind to track down that idiot and punch him some more but Butterfly needed my help.
Looking into her iridescent eyes I gently grabbed her by the shoulders.
“Hey,” I said to her. “Are you ok?”
She flinched and tried to shy away.
“It's ok. I won't hurt you,” I assured her in a soothing voice.
Finally she blinked and her eyes took in my face.
She gripped my arms and I again told her that she was safe.
Before I knew it she wrapped her arms around my torso and rested her head on my chest.
I couldn't get over how well she fit into my arms and how much I wanted her to stay like this forever.
I returned the hug and stroked her head. I dipped my head in her hair and unintentionally took in a lungful of her shampoo. Today it was a lovely jasmine with undertones of lilac.
God, this woman always smelt like the rainbows she wore.
It made me double infuriated that someone tried to take advantage of her.
“Thank you,” she murmured as she let me go and adjusted her mask.
“Did that bastard hurt you?”
She looked up at me with wide eyes and shook her head.
I noticed the red spots on her exposed neck and I tried my best to quell my anger.
“Should I get you some ice for that?”
I pointed to it and she raised her hand and felt it.
“You know what I really want right now?” She asked in the most adorable voice I'd ever heard.
I shook my head.
“Ice cream. Would you like to get some ice cream with me?”
The way her innocent eyes looked up at me I couldn't say no. Plus the last thing I wanted was to leave her alone after what just transpired.
“Of course. I'd love some ice cream.”
She beamed and I almost went blind at the brightness.
“Come on then, we'll take Baby,” she grabbed my hand and led me down the corridor.
At the end was a door that led to the back of the club. We walked down at little bit before finding where she parked Baby.
After she arranged her gear I got into her pink minivan and we started off.
“You know, my horoscope told me I'd see you again.”
I turned to her. She'd shaken off whatever that was back at the club and now she was bubbly and lively. It was almost like it never happened.
“You don't say.”
“Yes, it said, and I quote ‘the strange stalker in your life will turn to your savior’. I particularly liked the alliteration on that one.”
I laughed. “I'm sorry, I just had to see you.”
She side-eyed me. “You hear the things that come out of your mouth, right?”
I folded my arms and looked out of the window.
“Anyway, I'm glad you did.”
I looked back at her as she gave me a smile before focusing on the road.
I liked the comfortable creak and sounds of the minivan as it forged ahead.
Soon we stopped in front of a pink neon light that said Scoopy-Doo!
I turned to her.
“I realize it's a bit cringeworthy but their peanut butter-granola is to die for and ice cream is kinda my comfort food.”
She shrugged a shoulder.
“Fine, let's go.”
I got out of the car and to my surprise she linked her arm with mine.
“What's your favorite ice cream flavor?”
I shrugged. “Vanilla?”
She scruched her face. “Nope! Too basic. You're more sophisticated than that, Carson. You're having orange with chocolate chips and sprinkles.”
I looked at her. “Is that even possible?”
“At Scoopy-Doo, anything is possible.”
She winked and I was amazed at how even though I couldn't see half of her face, she was still so fucking perfect.
Inside it was like a fairy and a unicorn had a baby and that baby met a pixie and decided to go around the world spreading happiness.
The walls were covered in pictures of fluffy clouds and even though it was almost 9.30 the place had a good number of customers.
All the color annoyed me to no end. I wasn't surprised it was Butterfly's happy place.
Getting to the counter Butterfly ordered for both of us and she didn't once seem to be conscious of her mask even though the skinny guy working behind it wouldn't stop staring at her.
I glared at him and he immediately redirected his gaze.
Turning she handed me an ice cream cone and led me to a baby blue booth.
I didn't even have time to offer to pay.
“Eating ice cream out of a bowl should be a felony. You can't enjoy ice cream unless it's in its proper home. An ice cream cone.”
She licked hers and I chuckled and bit into mine.
Orange-chocolate chip was strangely a very good combination.
When I saw she was relaxed I decided to ask.
“What happened back there? In the club? Why didn't you fight back?”
She stopped eating her ice cream and shrugged.
“I don't know, I shut down when it matters the most. I didn't want him to hurt me even more if I protested. After fighting back gets you nowhere you kinda wanna try other routes.”
It made no sense to me but I could see that this wasn't just a one-time thing.
Jesus, had someone hurt her before?
I wanted to ask but before I could her attention was attracted to a little girl who'd tripped and whose ice cream now lay on the floor.
Her mother left the suitcase she was guarding and ran up to her daughter.
I turned back to Butterfly to continue our conversation but I found she wasn't seated in front of me anymore.
A quick look around showed she was bent before the little girl offering her hand to help her up.
When the girl was finally upright I watched as Butterfly talked to her for a bit before cleaning her eyes.
I was curious as to what was happening as I watched Butterfly talk to her mother before carrying up the girl and walking her to the counter.
The little girl in a blue dress and tulle tights pointed to something.
Before I knew it another ice cream cone was handed to Butterfly who handed it to the girl.
Taking her back to her mother they spoke a while before waving goodbye.
Very soon I had my seat partner back in front of me.
“That was very sweet of you,” I licked my melting ice cream. “You didn't have to do that, you know.”
She frowned like I'd just tried to explain quantum physics to her. “Of course I did. No one leaves Scoopy-Doo sad. That's absurd!”
She went back to her ice cream and somewhere in my mind I heard Eddie's words again and I knew he was right.
I'd be an idiot to let this woman go.