“Oh, whatever. I’m getting another drink. You want one?”
“Yeah, I’ll have a beer, thanks.”
She shuffles out of the seat and walks across the dancefloor toward the bar. I have to confess I can’t help but watch her go. Her hips are like poetry in motion, swaying with a natural flick to the side with each step. She really is—
“Excuse me?”
Distracted, I look to my right and see two women standing there, smiling at me. Both are gorgeous. They’re not in Lily’s league, but they’re undeniably attractive all the same. They could be twins — they both have long blonde hair, and are both wearing very tight black dresses that leave little to the imagination. They’re holding small handbags and standing very close together.
I raise an eyebrow. “Can I… help you?”
They look at each other and giggle. The one on the left steps forward and leans against the table. “We’ve… ah… we’ve seen you around here before. What’s your name?”
I take a sip of my beer and try to remain casual. I’m doing my best to stay optimistic, but sadly, I’m too old and too experienced to avoid being cynical. I’ve been coming to this club, on average, maybe twice a week for the last three weeks. I come here for the atmosphere, and for the beer. I don’t come here to dance, socialize, or pick up women. And while I don’t consider myself to be bad looking, I wouldn’t ever assume I can attract any woman I want. So, when two stunning, seemingly eager, women approach me and start flirting — which I think is what this is — I’m immediately skeptical.
I look at each woman in turn and smile courteously. “The name’s Brad. Brad Foley.”
The one leaning on the table moves to my side, and her friend sits down and slides across the seat so she’s next to me. Both of them link my arms, laughing.
“Nice to meet you, Brad,” says the one on my left. “I’m Nicki. That’s Hannah.”
Her friend squeezes my arm. “Hi, Brad!”
I smile politely. “Hi… Hannah. So what are you two doing in Abu Dhabi?”
Nicki shrugs. “We’re on vacation. We wanted to see the world, y’know. After everything that’s been happening, we decided life’s too short, so we should seize the moment. Hannah, what’s that saying?”
Her friend frowns. “Crap a dime, or something…?”
I smile, trying not to laugh. “You mean carpe diem?”
“That’s it!” squeals Nicki.
Crap a dime? Seriously…
“You’re so smart!” gushes Hannah. “And handsome… Oh my God, that watch is gorge! Can I try it on? It looks heavy…”
And my skepticism prevails!
I admit I may have been a little indulgent with my newfound wealth. I bought some nice sunglasses — Oakley, gold-rimmed, tinted lenses — and this watch, which is a gold Rolex, complemented with diamond and platinum highlights on the hands and face. It’s a bit extravagant, I know, but I thought I should allow myself a few luxuries, to go along with my new life.
I gently remove her hand from my arm. “I don’t think my watch is really your style, sorry.”
She looks a little deflated, but quickly bounces back. “So, me and Nicki are going to hit another couple of bars before going back to our hotel. Do you wanna join us? You would have a wicked time, promise!”
Nicki leans in close. “You so would, Brad!”
I annoy myself sometimes. Put me in a room full of guys armed to the teeth, all trying to kill me, and I’m fine. I’ll either talk my way out, or shoot my way out, every time. But give me two young, scantily-clad, willing women with dollar signs in their eyes, and I turn into an over-polite, apprehensive teenager who doesn’t have a clue!
“Friends of yours?”
I look up and see Lily standing here, holding our drinks.
Oh, thank God!
“Hey. So, Nicki, Hannah — this is my… ah… this is Lily.”
The girls turn to look at her. I see their faces change in an instant. The territorial instincts of the wild woman in her natural habitat instantly take over. These two can’t be older than twenty-five. They must know they’re attractive, but they’ll know that neither of them can hold a candle to Lily. She’s stunning on a whole other level, and it’s effortless. She doesn’t need short dresses and make-up… she’s just that hot. And she’s probably aware of it, too, but she doesn’t let it influence her behavior in any way.
Lily’s staring at each of them, challengingly. I don’t know if it’s just because I know she’s an assassin, but she looks really fucking scary right now! Hot… but scary.
Hannah slides out of the booth and moves to stand beside Nicki. Both of them are a little taller than Lily, but that’s likely to do with their heels. Not that it matters — Lily’s not exactly going to back down from them.
They’re standing with their backs to me. I take a sip of my beer and watch. Even I know it’s best to stay quiet when women are doing… whatever this is that they’re doing.
Without a word, Lily pushes between them and stands next to me. She holds my gaze for a brief moment, and then leans forward, places one hand behind my head and—
…
…
…
…
…
— kisses me.
Sorry — I was always taught it’s rude to talk with your mouth full…
Holy crap, that was incredible! Her lips were soft, her tongue was warm, and I could feel the passion in her touch.
She pulls away and smiles at me, and then turns to face Nicki and Hannah. “Beat it, you pair of whores. And if you come near my man again, I’ll shoot you.”
Their eyes nearly pop out of their heads, and they both turn and run across the dancefloor and out through the main doors. Well, I say run… it’s more of an awkward totter, in those shoes. Without saying anything, Lily slides my beer across the table to me and shuffles in beside me. She gets comfortable and has a sip of her drink.
I’m not entirely sure what just happened there. Or why. Not that I’m complaining, I just feel… guilty — like I’ve been unfaithful or something. I think back to my session with Kaitlyn earlier, and the things she said about misplaced guilt and how people react differently to loss. In a split-second, I summarize a month’s worth of therapy and decide that, right now, I need a drink.
I take a large gulp of my beer and turn to look at her. “So… that was new.”
She shrugs, stares at her drink, and waves a hand dismissively. “They were only here for your money. I was just doing you a favor.”
“I know they were. I had it handled…”
She looks up at me. “Sure you did… ‘I don’t think my watch is really your style…’ Please!”
I frown. “How do you—?”
“I can lip-read. I was watching from the bar. You’re hopeless, d’you know that?”
I nod and stare at the table. “I do.”
Out the corner of my eye, I see her smiling at me. “Okay, Adrian, I… I do need your help. I’m sorry for randomly interrupting your new life like this, but—”
“Hey, if this is your idea of interrupting me, don’t feel bad — I can learn to live with it!”
We both laugh, and she goes a little flushed. “Listen, can we get out of here? Go somewhere quieter? I can fill you in on the details of my contract.”
“Sounds good. Come on.”
We both stand and head across the dancefloor, navigating our way through a growing sea of people, all jumping up and down to the music. We step out into the humid evening and take a right, walking side by side in the direction of the coast. Lily slides her arm around mine and leans in slightly.
“Tonight’s been nice, thank you. It was just what I needed to unwind.”
I smile. “I’m glad it helped. So, are you gonna tell me what happened?”