Alexi pats his shoulder coolly, in an over-friendly way, harshly enough that he knocks him over slightly and smooths down the little imp’s jacket with a calm demeanour. No hints of the veiled psycho he just spat out at this man now.
‘Nice suit … My driver has one just like it.’ He smiles at him evilly, overkill of nice tone, another slap on the shoulder that sends Tyler reeling sideways to scarper out of the way properly. Alexi towers over him by more than a head and makes him look like the weaselly little shithead he is.
‘Yeah, thanks, Mr Carrero.’ Tyler starts trying to get away by pressing himself to the wall and sliding past me, in a bid to keep distance and get away from Satan. There’s real fear on that rancid face and I swell with a sense of good mood and smug satisfaction; warming a little to my dickhead hero for sometimes being a complete psycho. First time I guess I have seen the benefit of it. Well, maybe not the first.
I can’t help but smile genuinely at Alexi when he turns back to me, hands sliding away from him now the drama is over and letting all my tension follow Tyler back to where he came from. Alexi, however, seems momentarily uneasy and smiles back with a hint of strangeness in his expression—Unreadable again.
‘Don’t take any shit from minions … You’re a part of my empire. If he bothers you, tell Jackson to shoot him in the face.’ I know it’s a joke, maybe, but it’s the way he says it which makes me giggle stupidly. Completely out of place, and for a moment I forget that he’s an evil succubus that drains me of happiness at every turn and shake my head at him.
‘I shall … With pleasure.’ It’s a genuine warm tone and a warmer smile from me. We do a weird silent look at one another, and then away type of thing, awkwardness stiflingly heavy between us suddenly. A strange tension in the air that crackles, and my insides loop de loop in response. It’s hard to decipher the emotion in how he looks at me, before his face falls completely serious and all ounces of softness disappear in the blink of an eye.
‘Get back to work; I don’t pay you to stand about.’ He snaps it, almost angrily.
Just like that, the bubble bursts and I remember that Alexi IS and always will be a complete wanker. I glare at him in response to the complete U-turn in his mood.
‘Charming … Go choke on your brunettes,’ I snap back and turn on my heel to walk away from him. Refusing to stand here and have another insult tossing battle when I am trying to remain composed as queen of the club. I don’t need this right now.
Scolded by the change and bruised that he just went from hero to idiot in under zero point five seconds.
‘I will thanks.’ Alexi throws back and walks off towards his little party once more. Oozing hostility and I just don’t get why he had to turn back into a prick after a moment of genuine something between us.
I know I am the one who threw the insult, but it bites when I watch him slide down into a seat and two girls immediately flank him to try their luck at pawing and clawing him. I look away and shake my head, swallowing down the lump that hits my throat; Eyes instantly stinging with immediate tears, cutting my soul to pieces, and just try to not let him see that it still gets to me. The longer I am around him in this place the more it bothers me, even though I shouldn’t care. He can still hurt me so easily.
I tell myself to turn around and look. One, to show him it doesn’t get to me, and two, to show myself what a slut he is and remind myself why I should never fall for him again. Mentally strengthen my resolve to get over him once and for all.
I turn slowly, cautiously, heart pounding through my chest and steel myself ready for the eye assault of him and his half-naked escorts. Knowing it is going to hurt.
Except Alexi is women free, and two smack faced looking wenches are sulking and walking away from him moodily as though they just got their marching orders and I blanch; Surprised, considering he is the one who asked for these hoes all night.
I catch his eyes for a second, glancing at me, and we meet across the room. It’s a long pause of intensity that makes me tingle all the way down to my toes and I swear, for a second, I see a flicker of mirrored pain in his expression. Alexi is the first to look away. He picks up his drink and then moves back to turn towards the man beside him and blanks my presence.
I pull myself back together, mentally shaking the stupid out of me that’s trying to dissect what it meant.
I need to stop torturing myself over this man, go back to walking the floor, and do my best to ignore him for the rest of the night. Otherwise, I will lose the hold I have over my sanity once more.