5 Blind Date

2543 Words
“You aren’t seriously going out on this blind date, right? You said you would think about not going.” Alex looked at me disapprovingly from my bedroom door. He’s been following me around all day trying to talk me out of going. I’d think it was weird, but most of his protective behavior towards me is weird. He’s like the nagging big brother I never wanted or asked for. When I got back last night, he had the lease agreement with my signature laid out on the counter, showing me that I had no legal right to move. When I tried to argue, he bribed me with exclusive rights to his car for the rest of the month, and I ended up caving, agreeing to stay. For now. As long as he and Tara kept it their f*****g in their room. Why he is nagging about a date that is absolutely none of his business, I have no idea. Maybe he just likes having someone to argue with, and gawd knows it’s not going to be Tara. He treats Tara like a pampered princess. “Why would I not go?” I asked distractedly as I modeled two different heels in my full-length mirror. One is a wedge and the other classic stilettos. One makes the fitted black dress I’m wearing look young and flirty, the other, classic and elegant. I’m not entirely sure about either yet. I turned and modeled the shoes for Alex. “Which one?” He narrows his eyes at me, then folds his arms across his chest. “Neither. I don’t think you should be going.” I ignored him with an eye roll, then turned to model for myself again. He’s right, though. Neither of these is just right. I kick them both off then start digging through my closet floor again for something else. “Mariana. You don’t even know this guy,” Alex continues to nag. “I wish I didn’t know you,” I grumbled, finding my thigh-high boots, grinning happily. These are perfect. “What if he’s a serial killer? He could have body parts in his fridge.” “I’ll be sure to ask him if he does over drinks,” I replied dryly. “Leave her alone,” Tara came into my room in a huff. “It’s Abel’s brother. He is a sweet guy.” “You met him?” I asked her skeptically as I struggled with the zipper on the boots. “Yeah, you met him?” Alex turned his glare at his mate. His possessiveness and jealousy were no joke. She has his mate mark on her neck for all to see. No one would dare try to make a pass at her. “He was just leaving Abel’s studio when I went to meet him for lunch a few weeks ago and he introduced us. I’m the one who suggested that you two should date. He saw you at Abel’s last showcase and thought you were pretty.” “You didn’t tell me that,” I said accusingly. “You wouldn’t have gone if I said anything. You would have said it was mixing business and pleasure. Abel and I knew you wouldn’t say no to him.” “You can’t say no to Abel,” I huffed, pulling simple stud earrings in my ears. I hold out the matching necklace to Tara, and she comes over to put it on me. “No you can’t,” she giggles. “Is he hot?” I asked, making Alex roll his eyes towards the ceiling and scoff. He runs his hand through his hair like I’m stressing him out. He needs to chill. You would think with how much he and Tara do it he would be more relaxed and mellow. “Very,” Tara gushes, “He’s totally your type.” “And what’s my type?” “Hot. Rich. Six pack and biceps,” she smirks. “You’re right,” I grinned, “That is exactly my type.” “How the hell do you know he has a six pack and biceps?” Alex growls. Tara shrugs. “I can only guess, but he did fill out his shirt really well. He owns a chain of gyms around the district too.” “I’m going to fill something on you really well later,” Alex grumbles, making me gag. “I could own a gym.” “Oh, sweetie,” Tara went up on her tiptoes to give his pouty face a kiss on the lips. “We are talking about Mari’s type. Not mine. I only have one type, and he’s right in front of me. His biceps don't compare to yours.” “Oh my gosh, if you start having s*x in my room I really am moving out,” I warn them, making Tara giggle and Alex smirk, grabbing Tara’s ass and squeezing it as he kisses her back. “Gross,” I grimaced. I spray myself with perfume, then slip on a long, beige cardigan, making my outfit look a little less hookerish and more casual. “You look like a prostitute,” Alex comments, earning him a chest slap from his mate and my brush launched at his head from me. He dodges it, to my disappointment. “Good,” I sighed, giving myself one last glance over. “I need to get laid anyway.” “That’s it. You’re not going.” “Alex,” Tara hits his chest again. “What is wrong with you? Why can’t she go on a simple date?” “She just said she was going to sleep with him!” he argues, throwing his hand accusingly in my direction. “SO!” Tara and I said together. Alex flinches back. “She should wait to do that with someone special.” “I’m not a f*****g virgin,” I narrowed my eyes at him. “And you two f**k constantly where I can see you. If you’re worried about my innocence, shouldn’t you stop doing that before you hypocritically tell me to keep it in my pants?” “That’s different. She’s my mate.” “You had s*x before Tara. Don’t try to act like you didn’t.” Tara looks horrified at the thought, and guilt rests on my face. I mouthed “sorry” to her, but she kicked Alex for the offense anyway, even if it was irrational. She was a virgin before him, and he most definitely wasn’t. She gets self-conscious about it often. I don’t know why. He loves that he was her first. She can be just as possessive towards him as he is towards her sometimes. “Go away,” Tara pushed him out of the room. “She’s going, and you need to leave her alone. She deserves this.” “She deserves more than this,” he argued. “That’s what I’m trying to say. And if Lord V….I mean, lord knows she can do better than a gym owner.” Tara crossed her arms, her hip popped to the side, ready to face off with him. I sighed, shaking my head, then picked up my small bag from the bed, putting my phone and lipstick in it. “You two have fun arguing and having make-up s*x. Just not in my room please. And please be done before I get back if you use my couch again.” “No chance of that,” Tara murmured coldly, trying her hardest to look fierce as she glared at her mate. “Sure there's not,” I pat her back, mentally giving them 10 minutes before they’re rolling around together naked. “Mari, just stay home,” Alex tries one last time to urge me to stay home, Tara moving her body to block him from walking after me. “We can order pizza and have a movie night.” “Bye,” I lifted my hand in the air, giving them a brief wave without turning back. “You, mister, are on thin ice,” I heard Tara tell him as I opened the front door. “That’s because my mate is so hot,” he replied. Gag. Maybe I can start sleeping at the gallery until our lease is up. Dylan offered to pick me up at the apartment, but when Alex started being a nag earlier today, I texted him saying I would just meet him at the restaurant. I didn’t want Alex to use his authority as a guard or a hybrid to intimidate the poor guy before we even had a chance to meet. Alex would have had him running before I made it out of my room. The restaurant is a steakhouse nearby that Tara and I go to sometimes when Alex works late and we don't want to cook. I could walk, but decided to flag down a taxi for the 5 minute drive anyway. The thigh-high boots I picked are cute, but not practical for walking long distances. Most of my shoes aren’t. One of the things that Sebastian forbade when he came back to the district 3 mansion was clothing not meant for work. I had only 2 pairs of heels back then, much more comfortable and sensible than these, but he berated me for trying to seduce men instead of focusing on work because of them. When we got settled here and after Alex helped us to find and purchase the gallery, he took us on a shopping spree to get work attire, and my heel collecting started. I have one pair of running shoes, a pair of flats, a few cozy boots and fur-lined slippers, and maybe about 30-35 pairs of heels in an array of styles. The more sexy or insensible, the better. I guess it’s a small way for me to remain defiant to Sebastian, even though he has no authority over me anymore. Tara told Alex all about Sebastian and his cousin, and all the reasons why we fled the third district. Maybe that is why he insists on being protective of me now. Not really for my sake, but Tara’s, since I was the one who took the worst of Sebastian and Charlene’s abuse. Whatever the reason, he needs to give it a f*****g rest. I never needed someone to protect me before. I sure as hell don’t need an intrusive, overbearing big brother now. When I got to the restaurant, there was a tall, handsome man with an impressive upper body straining the fabric of an expensive designer shirt waiting outside, leaning casually against the wall. Abel is thin and feminine, but this man has the same eyes and nose as Abel. He must be Dylan. His smile at me as I exited the cab confirms this. He pushes off the wall, walking over to greet me as I close the taxi door. “Mariana,” he says, not in question but as a greeting. He held his hand out to me. “I’m Abel’s brother, Dylan. I was worried you wouldn’t make it when you said you would meet me here.” I place my hand in his, smiling flirtatiously when he brings my hand to his lips instead of shaking it. Tara was right. He is my type. “Hello, Dylan,” I pressed my lips together, taking a second to appreciate his very toned arms and radiant smile. “I heard a lot about you.” “Hopefully all good things considering you didn’t stand me up?” His smile spread. I shrug, making him laugh as he places a hand on my lower back, guiding me into the restaurant. He holds open the door for me, then tells the hostess his name for our reservation. We wait as she checks to make sure our table is ready. “You look beautiful. I knew you were from seeing you that one time at the gallery, but up close….Wow.” “Aren’t you sweet,” I giggled. “I wasn’t expecting someone quite so….impressive myself,” I told him honestly. “Abel isn’t exactly my type, and I pictured you looking similar to him.” “I hope you aren’t disappointed?” He raised an eyebrow. “Definitely not,” I smirked, making him laugh shyly. “Good,” he rubs the back of his neck nervously. “I was worried for nothing then.” The hostess comes back and politely asks us to follow her. “Do you like steak? Your friend suggested this restaurant.” I smile reassuringly. “I do. I hope you don’t mind a girl with an appetite,” my eyes roamed his body suggestively. “I can be quite carnivorous myself,” he winks at me, making me giggle again. Thank you Abel and Tara. Dylan is great. He looks great. He’s funny. And he obviously doesn’t mind me being a bit crude. This should be a great first date. Maybe even end in a great first night. The hostess leads us back to a separate dining room with only a few tables overlooking the river running behind the building. I’m busy appreciating the view, enamored with the romantic setting for several seconds and it takes me a while to register that something is off. That scent…. I looked around the room, then my eyes land on him. Lord Verlice. Dion. He is sitting alone at a table next to the large casement window, looking every bit the intimidating Lord that he is as he stares at us. Dylan’s hand is resting on the small of my back, and Dion’s eyes seem to zero in on the contact for a moment before his eyes tighten, his face becoming more severe. To my horror, the hostess seats us at the table right next to his. “Enjoy your meal,” she smiles at us before departing for the front of the house. Yeah. Fat chance. I gulp anxiously as Dylan pulls my chair out for me, then helps me to scoot it in. His body pressed briefly on my back, and I swear I heard a soft growl coming from the table beside us when it happened. “The view here is so great,” Dylan smiled as he took his seat across from me. “No wonder your friend suggested it. I don’t think it could get any better than this. Your beauty with this backdrop. It’s perfect.” Lord Verlice definitely growled, because he does it again now. I chanced a nervous glance at him and saw his orange eyes trained on me, his beast shining through them. His expression is menacing and cold. Why the hell is he here? “Thank you,” I smiled nervously back at Dylan. Dylan must have noticed our neighbor staring at me, because he was watching him with an uncomfortable expression. Suddenly, his expression changes to one of recognition. “You’re Lord Verlice?!” Dylan’s eyes went wide and his voice rose excitedly. Lord Verlice looks away from me and offers my date a tight smile. Holy hell. How the f**k am I going to get through this date now?
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