I leaned back to look at her face, assessing her to make sure she was okay. She seemed fine, just like she’d had enough. I nodded slightly taking her hand in mine I lead her down the hallway to the flashing EXIT sign at the end. I pushed the metal door open not giving a fuck if I set off the fire alarm and ushered her out of the club into the fresh air.
We walked around the back of the club to the main street in silence, leaving the stale air of the nightclub and the vibrations of the music behind us. She dropped my hand somewhere along the way, forcing me to shove my hands in my pockets so I wouldn’t reach for her again. She reached into her purse, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. I bit the inside of my cheek as she lit it and took her first drag. She released the smoke from her lips before sighing.
“I’m sorry I asked you to leave. I know you asked me to come with you tonight so you’d get a feel for what you’re getting into.” She took another pull of her cigarette. “It just gets old every now and then.”
“What does?” I asked as we made our way to the curb to hail a taxi.
“This whole scene.” She motioned to the club with her free hand. “Don’t get me wrong, I love to go out. I like being social and I love to dance, but a part of me just wanted to go to a dive bar in the middle of nowhere. I want to drink beer and dance to some bullshit on a juke box.”
I smiled at her picturing her in the bar I used to go night after night in Pennsylvania. She’d stick out like a sore thumb.
“The social butterfly I saw when we got here tonight would be lost like a fish out of water.”
She turned around abruptly, almost as if I had slapped her. There was a fury in her eyes as she flicked the cigarette into the street and set her icy eyes on mine.
“People only look at me and act the way they do towards me because of who my father is and who Rico is. These people don’t know me they don’t know anything about me. They don’t take the time to see who I am and that’s just fine. Half of them are too high on God knows what to remember me even if they did take the time to get to know me to really know me Nikki Pastore not Vic’s daughter or Rico’s girl. Me. Just me. And for the record, I’d fit in just fine.”
Something flashed in her eyes and she closed her mouth quickly. Her hand covered her lips instantly as if she had just blurted out a secret. She turned around, her back to me as she stuck her arm out trying to flag down a taxi. I grabbed her hand and spun her around to look at me. I didn’t know where that little outburst came from but she was bothered by something and that didn’t sit well with me.
“Hey…” I said softly. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to offend you.” She tried to pull away as her eyes softened but I kept my hold on her. “Fuck those people.”
She laughed at my crudeness and relaxed a bit, causing me to loosen the grip I held on her arm.
“You want to tell me what set you off back there?” I asked, letting my fingers graze her bare arm.
Nikki shook her head. “It’s stupid.” She sighed, waiting for me to drop it, but I wasn’t going to I didn’t like seeing her like this. I had already made a vow to both of us to get to know her to know the real Nikki and I wasn’t about to shy away now.
“Do you do drugs Mikey?” She asked me throwing me off guard.
“No.” I replied, confused as to why she had asked me wondering if it ran parallel to why Victor was so anti-drug himself.
“Good.” She said releasing the tiniest sigh of relief. “There was a girl in the bathroom, ripping lines. It just made me so mad. I have no idea why, it’s not like she was forcing me to join her even though she did ask. It’s her life so why should I give a fuck?” She shrugged her shoulders. “I guess after that whole shit went down with Anthony and Adrianna I’m against anything that has to do with drugs.”
“What happened with Anthony and Adrianna?” I asked curiously. Since I’ve been back home everyone seems to dance around the topic of those two. It’s obvious that something happened between them and whatever it was had left them both broken.
A taxi pulled alongside the curb right in front of us. I opened the door for Nikki watching as she slid across the leather seat before I followed her lead.
“Where to?” the cab driver asked.
“I’m starving.” Nikki said. Her eyes widened and she laced her arm with mine leaning her head on my shoulder. We looked like a couple, especially the way she looked up at me. “I know the perfect ending to this night.”
“So do I…,” I winced. Did I just fucking say that out loud?
“Ladies first!” She said with a flirty grin.
Don’t worry princess I’m a firm believer in ladies first.
“Roll N’ Roaster in Sheepshead Bay.” She told the driver before turning around to look at me. “Was that what you were thinking too?”
“Not quite.” I said as every question I had about my old friends flew out of my mind. That was it. My dick was back in working order thanks to Nikki.
Just Nikki.
Chapter Eight