Nero(64)
She threw off her shirt and put it on. Elle looked at herself in the mirror, loving her reflection. It was a tight, V-neck sweater that was almost meant as a dress. It hugged all her curves and the color looked fantastic next to her hair and skin coloring. Elle knew it would match perfectly with her black leggings at home.
Elle opened the door so Chloe could see the outfit.
“Oh, my gosh, you have to get that. I would wear that. Well, if it was black.”
Elle laughed at her friend. Chloe only wore one color and that was black. She could barely remember Chloe in bright and cheery clothes so long ago. Honestly, Chloe looked good in anything. Her clothes might be black, but they were expensive. Her father forced her to dress in the nicest ones, and even though he didn’t approve of the color that much, he at least didn’t force her to wear a different one, like pink.
Elle shook her head at the thought of Chloe wearing the color pink.
“Thank God. I was beginning to think I wouldn’t find anything. At least this will replace my white sweater Bimbo Number One destroyed.” Elle had loved that sweater, but this one was definitely going to make up for it.
“Me, too. Maybe the person who donated that brought more. We better hurry up and look through the rest of the racks. It’s late and they close soon.”
Elle nodded and turned around to head back in the dressing room. She heard Chloe laughing behind her, making her stop to look at her before she closed the door.
“What is so funny?” Elle inquired.
“I was just thinking about what Nero’s face is going to look like when he sees you in that.”
* * *
Nero listened to the obnoxiously-loud music playing. It was very dark with almost-neon lighting all around. They sat at an uncomfortable, high table as they ordered some drinks and appetizers.
Nero looked around the full table. Amo and Vincent looked like they were at home, sitting beside two public school girls who were wearing glitzy, tight dresses. Unfortunately, the girl beside him was dressed the same way and there was not a shy one out of the group.
Nero hadn’t even caught their names when they’d introduced themselves. Before Elle, he would have had all their names in one second and their dresses off the next. Looking at Amo and Vincent, he could tell they clearly liked that Nero was out of the game.
Nero’s eyes had wandered the whole night, looking for Cassandra. I find her, get what I want, and then I’m out of this fucking place.
He could sense the girl he was with was getting a little wounded that Nero wasn’t paying her any attention, especially with his friends all hands-on and frisky in front of them. At first, he did feel a little bad, but then, when she started to get a little hands-on and frisky herself, he didn’t care that he was rude, pushing her hands off him. This girl was far from Elle, and that was who both of his heads wanted.
Nero turned his attention to the dance floor. That part of the lounge was crazy, and he had no intention of going near it. Everyone was barely two inches apart, dancing on top of each other. Get a bunch of horny teenagers together and you get an orgy.
As Nero saw a fake blonde appear on the dance floor, he turned toward Amo and Vincent and waved his head toward the mass of dancers. Nero stood with Amo and Vincent, them telling the girls to wait there.
Nero kept his eyes on the back of the fake-ass blonde hair. I fucking got you.
He and his crew pushed through the teenagers, who desperately needed to get laid already, until he finally reached the girl. Nero spun her around, and his control started to shake.
* * *
“Ugh, today is not my day, is it?” Elle said as she finished up with the last rack.
“I cannot believe we only found one thing.” Chloe was now sitting on the floor.
Elle looked over at her friend, who was exhausted from trying to help her find clothes. “I know. Let’s pay and get the hell out of here. I’m starving.”
“Thank God. My stomach has been growling for the last hour,” Chloe confessed.
Elle and Chloe walked to the checkout and handed over the green sweater.
“It’ll be three dollars,” the older woman said from behind the counter.
God, I love Goodwill. Elle handed over the three dollars, and the woman handed her a grocery bag with her sweater inside. She and Chloe then headed for the door.
Dinng.
Elle pulled out her phone as they headed toward Chloe’s BMW. Her phone displayed there was a new text message from Asshole, making Elle smile.
“Who was that?” Chloe asked once they were seated in her car.
Elle knew she was asking because only Chloe usually texted her.
“Nero. Let me see what he said.”
Elle went to her messages and read, Meet me at Poison, urgent. Elle stared at the words, confused.