Conquer

  She looked at the speakers for a second before making her way towards me. I looked away, attempting to appear as if I wasn’t mentally undressing her in my head. When I looked back down, I noticed she had taken up a spot directly in front of me, just far enough away so as not to get kicked in the temple. I chuckled. Smart girl.

  I kept scanning over the crowd, noticing it was becoming a hell of a lot rougher as it got closer to start time. My eyes kept glancing down to check on blondie. She looked pretty content standing by her lonesome, knocking back the cold one in her hand. Just as the band started coming on stage I saw a large son of a bitch take a short cut over the top railing, jumping down into the pit. The asshole almost landed on top of her and I wanted to grab her and pull her up with me where it was safe. I was growing nervous as shit as I watched the crowd swell, pushing out into the back portion of the pit. Blondie took a few steps back to separate herself from the crowd, looking over her shoulder once to make sure she wasn’t in direct line of any swinging feet.

  “Hey everybody, how are you all doing tonight?!” Mind Crime’s singer spoke into the mic, his voice was grating to me, but everybody else seemed to enjoy it. He took a minute allowing the crowd to quiet down before shoving his face back in front of the mic to say, “For those of you who love us, we’re glad you are here tonight. For those of you who don’t know us, we’re Mind Crime and I hope you like what you’re about to hear.”

  The guitars started in and I noticed that the ever growing crowd in the pit was starting to move against each other. As the singer came in to add the unintelligible words, those idiots were slamming in to each other, forcing strays out at the sidelines, only to envelope them back within the mass as it shifted in beat with the music. I looked down at blondie and noticed that her head was moving back and forth, taking in the ever roughening crowd as it surged forward, then back again. When bodies started slamming against her, she shoved back, not doing much damage in the process, but certainly keeping herself from being dragged into the middle of that mess. The tempo of the song increased, causing the movement of the crowd to accelerate further. I watched as she pushed out with her arms and it appeared as if she was starting to panic. I looked at the crowd around her and noticed there was no way she was able to get around the mess that was quickly forming. When her actions became frantic as she dodged a few elbows and knees, I’d had enough.

  She was being forced back against the speaker and I took the opportunity to reach down and wrap my arms around her waist. I immediately pulled her up, depositing her on the speaker, before shoving my arm in front of her to keep her from falling forward. She steadied herself and then turned her head to look at me from over her shoulder. Her eyes widened when she looked at me, and I sat there stunned as her eyes slowly traversed my body. It was obvious this girl was beautiful when looking at her from a distance, but close up? Fuck, this girl was a knock out. My pants tightened again and I made up my mind that her head would be gracing my pillow this evening. Shit. I might actually call her the next day.

  She kept looking at me, but didn’t say anything. I couldn’t take the silence any longer, so I leaned forward to start the conversation. As I moved closer in to her, the scent of her perfume hit me. It was a musk scent, possibly sandalwood. Fuck. She was different, alright. Most girls like to smell like flowers, fruit or food. But not this one. I was definitely intrigued.

  “Sorry to manhandle you without permission, but you looked like you could use some help down there.” A blush spread over her cheeks as I spoke to her and I decided to employ my full smile to reel this one in.

  Her eyes looked over me one more time before she said, “Uh, yeah, thanks for that. It normally doesn’t get that bad down there and I wasn’t expecting to get trapped.” I smiled brighter, satisfied that I engaged her in conversation. I should have her number by the end of the show. When she turned back, leaving me with a view of the back of her head, my smile faltered.

  What the fuck?!

  I needed to get this girl talking if I wanted to make sure I’d be buried deep inside within the next couple of hours. I leaned forward to speak in her ear, my lips brushing over the outer rim. “No problem, beautiful, I’m always happy to assist a fair damsel in her time of distress.”

  Her head shot back around. Bingo. I had my eyes trained on her pouty, full lips as she said, “Please don’t say that.”

  My confusion must have been apparent. Why was this girl not plastered to me already? I couldn’t keep other women’s hands off me on the nights I bounced, but this one didn’t seem to want anything to do with me. “What?”

  Her eyes narrowed and a look of annoyance played over her features. “Don’t call me a damsel in distress. It’s degrading and I don’t appreciate being classified by use of a demeaning stereotype.” After saying that, she once again turned back to look at the stage.

  Well…damn. I was just put in my place. I have no idea why I suddenly felt an almost overwhelming desire to throw her ass down and teach her that I would call her anything I damn well pleased. The only words coming from her lips then would be my name as she was naked and writhing underneath me. I was at a loss as to whether I should keep trying to talk to her. It was apparent she wasn’t interested, only increasing my interest in her. I noticed that her long hair flowed gracefully down her back, the ends damn near brushing up against her hips. She appeared thoroughly engrossed in the music as I sat back feeling defeated. I decided to leave it alone, but I couldn’t stop paying attention to her. My hands itched to reach up into that thick mane of hers, gripping it and pulling her face to mine. I suddenly felt like a fucking caveman and I made an effort to shake myself from this obsession I was developing for her.

  The band eventually finished their set, and I realized I’d memorized every small detail of her back, her hair, those hips that moved in beat with the music. I had to separate myself from her…fast. I jumped down, happy to escape what I knew would end up becoming a headache later on. The last thing I needed was a relationship and this girl was obviously not the best choice for a cheap thrill.

  I should have walked away as soon as my feet met the floor, but I couldn’t help but look back up at her. Her butt was scooted all the way to the edge of the speaker, but she appeared hesitant to jump down. Her head swung left and right, most likely looking for a means to climb. I smiled up at her when I realized the little spit-fire was stuck.

  She noticed me staring up at her, her face instantly contorting into a scowl. I don’t know why, but she was even more appealing when she was mad. I reached up to assist, deciding to stir the pot a little more. Just because I most likely wouldn’t be taking her home, it didn’t mean I couldn’t have some fun pissing her off. “From where I’m standing, ‘damsel in distress’ might be an adequate category for you. This is the second time I’ve had to come to your rescue in the last hour.”

  That did it. Her face took on a deep shade of pink as her blue eyes glared down at me. It was amusing, to say the least. She reached out and I thought she was going to accept my help, but when she slapped my hand away, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “No thanks on that rescue attempt. I can get down perfectly fine by myself. Just step back so I don’t land on top of you.”

  I laughed again at the mental imagery that statement created in my head. I wouldn’t mind if this girl landed on me or under me, just as long as she was touching me. “Oh, the threat of you on top of me is supposed to make me move? Because I can promise you, Damsel, I’m not feeling real motivated to budge even an inch.”

  It was obvious she hated the term ‘Damsel’ just making me want to use it more and more. I had no idea why aggravating this chick was so amusing, but I couldn’t stop.

  “I’ll tell you this one more time, Do. Not. Call. Me. Damsel.”

  I bit my tongue to keep from calling her that again. Stepping back I held my hands out to my sides signaling my resignation. It was going to be fun watching her find her way down. She turned her body, I guess having decided
to lower herself down the side. When she dropped over, the bottom hem of her shirt crept up, revealing two small indentations on her lower back. She appeared stuck and I couldn’t peel my eyes off the heart shaped ass swinging directly in front of my face.

  Fuck. I wanted to leave it alone, but I couldn’t resist egging her on. “This is a delightful view. I almost wish I had a camera. Are you sure I can’t help?”

  Her head turned to shoot me a nasty glare over her shoulder, before she released the speaker and dropped the last foot to the ground. My eyes were glued to that perfect ass, but I forced myself to look up, not wanting to appear as crude as I was. Her hair had fallen over her right shoulder while she was climbing down and I noticed a tattoo on the back of her left.

  Holy…fuck.

  There is no fucking way.

  I recognized the tattoo. It was a dragonfly necklace identical to the one given to me so many years before. I wore that fucking necklace for years, desperate to return to a friend who did nothing but show me what it meant to be loved. It was a necklace that represented a dream, a fantasy that I feared would never be realized.

  There had to be some other explanation. She couldn’t be who I thought she was.

  Without even thinking about it, I grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face me. The minute those eyes met mine, a jolt of recognition shot through me. I remembered those eyes.

  “What is your name?!”

  When she didn’t respond I shook her, trying to speed her along in her response. She just stared at me.

  “Your name. What is it?”

  She jerked her shoulders out of my grasp and stepped back, still continuing to glare in my direction. “Now why the hell would I want to tell YOU my name?! Thanks for the earlier assistance but you can forget that you know me now.”

  She attempted to walk away, but I couldn’t let her leave without finding out who she was. “That’s fine if you don’t want to tell me your name. I’ll take your refusal as a clear indication that you wish for me to continue calling you Damsel.”

  She spun back around. Somehow I knew she couldn’t resist yelling at me for the use of my new favorite name for her. “If you really think I’m dumb enough to fall for that crappy manipulation tactic, then I should be upfront and honest with you now. You are clearly confused about the type of woman that I am. I am not the type that needs rescuing and I am not the type that swoons over a beautiful face and a deep rumbly voice...”

  I smiled when it appeared my attraction was not one-sided.

  “…and it is pathetic for any person, male or female, to refuse information about themselves in order to continue some type of crappy pet name.”

  I wanted to keep taunting her, but I knew she’d never give up her name if I kept pissing her off. Not knowing what else to say, I tried to entice her into just telling me who she was. “I’ll make a pact with you; you tell me your name, and I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the night.”

  She thought about my statement before responding. “I’m not enough of an imbecile to believe that you mean that. How do I know you will stick to that agreement?”

  “You don’t.”

  She rolled her eyes as she finally admitted, “Paige. My name is Paige.”

  She turned to walk up the stairs leading to the upper level dance floor and I remained motionless where she left me. My entire world felt like it just dropped out from under me. Paige. Holy shit. It is her. Memories of pigtails, climbing trees and days spent in the sun invaded my mind and I just stood there watching as she walked away. What the fuck was I going to do about this? I wanted to run after her to explain who I was. I didn’t know if she’d want to talk to me, or if she would even remember me. She was only six when I last spoke to her.

  I watched her as she headed over to Logan’s bar. She disappeared from my sight so I climbed the opposite stairs to go stand on the other side of the club. My eyes were glued to her when, Marcy, one of my other bartenders approached me to let me know we were running low on some alcohol, asking if I would grab her a few bottles from storage. I half listened, not being able to remove my eyes from Paige. Holy shit, she’d grown up to be beautiful. My mom had been right about that one. Paige was discussing something with Logan and it became clear that he must know something about her. As soon as I got the chance, I would make sure to ask him. Their heads both turned in my direction briefly before turning back to look at each other. Logan looked irritated. What the hell was she saying to him?

  After a little while, she walked away from the bar and took a seat at one of the tables. She just sat there, drinking water while watching the crowd. I needed to get closer. I wanted to walk up to her to tell her who I was, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Truth is, after the way I treated her as a kid, I feared she would want nothing to do with me, but I couldn’t stay away from her, even if it meant I only had a few more minutes to look her over.

  I quickly crossed through the pit and took a position near the area where she was sitting. My eyes scanned the crowd, but kept finding their way back to her. I caught her eye briefly, when three women were suddenly in front of me, laughing and giggling while taking the liberty of running their hands all over me. Annoyed, I looked down to tell the women to take a fucking hike. I tried to play nice at first, but they weren’t taking the hint that I wasn’t interested. I couldn’t exactly shove them away, and it appeared they didn’t care much that I should have been working instead of standing around talking to them. When I gave up trying to convince them nicely to leave, I looked up to find that Paige had left the table. I quickly searched out over the crowd and found her seating herself at the bar on the opposite side of the club.

  Paige kept looking over in my direction, apparently disgusted by something she saw. Maybe she did know who I was. I tried smiling at her when I caught her eye, but she just scowled and turned to face the bar. The women in front of me began dancing, but I wasn’t really paying attention. Eventually the red head slid her hand up my chest and forced a piece of paper into my hand. I took it and excused myself. Maybe Paige had told Logan she recognized me. Paige looked over as I walked towards Logan, so I winked, only to be met by another deep scowl. Man, she really fucking hated me.

  Logan looked up from the drink he was pouring as I approached. I leaned across the bar and tilted my head in Paige’s direction. “What’s her story?”

  Logan’s eyebrow arched and he looked annoyed to be asked about her. “No offense, Daemon, but leave that one alone. She’s an awesome girl and she doesn’t need to be made into another easy fuck for you. Not to mention, she has a boyfriend. You might as well give up and move along to someone else for tonight.”

  I glanced back in her direction. A boyfriend. She had a fucking boyfriend. Never before had I hated someone who I’d never met, much less seen. Lucky sonofabitch.

  I turned back to Logan. “Did she say something about me? Why are you being so fucking defensive?”

  Logan squared his shoulders, obviously pissed that I was asking about her. “Yeah, she said something. She told me you were a chauvinistic prick that couldn’t keep his hands to himself. What the fuck, Daemon?! I mean, we know you are a ladies man and all, but I’ve never heard about you being so disrespectful towards a woman.”

  My jaw clenched while Logan basically accused me of molesting her. I shook it off, realizing this is the reason I trust the guy. He says what he thinks and I know I can believe what he tells me. “I didn’t do anything wrong. She was about to get crushed by the crowd in the pit so I pulled her out of the way. Other than that, I didn’t touch her.”

  Logan backed down. “Listen, just leave her alone, will ya? She’s not your type.”

  That caught my interest. “What type would that be?”

  “The type that will follow you home for the night and leave quietly the next morning. Paige is a good person, Daemon, just let it go.”

  Let it go. I wanted to fucking lay him out right where he stood, but I had to remind myself he was just trying to
protect her. “Listen man, I think I might know her from somewhere. I’m not trying to get in her pants.” Okay, I was at first, but now that I knew who she was, my intentions had changed…maybe. “Just tell me what you know about her.”

  Logan huffed out a breath. “All I know about her is that she works for some private investigation company in town. She comes in here once or twice a week, but she’s only interested in the music. Sometimes she comes alone and sometimes she has her friends or her boyfriend with her.”

  “What’s the story with her boyfriend?”

  “Couldn’t tell you, man. He’s a big sonofabitch, I’ll tell you that.”

  Well….good. At least she had someone around that could take care of her. I laughed a little at the fact that she’d become an investigator. I remembered her being nosy as shit when she was little, it didn’t surprise me that she carried that into her adult life. My heart fucking dropped though. It would be pointless for me to approach her after what Logan told me. The fact that she had a boyfriend was one thing, but she thought I was trying to cop a feel. Not good. I didn’t want to let her go, but I couldn’t think of any good reason why I should approach her again. It was obvious she’d made a life for herself and I wasn’t about to interject myself into it, only to screw everything up that she had going.

  I looked over to see that Logan had moved to take some drink orders and left me standing alone by the bar. My eyes found their way back to Paige and I noticed someone approaching her from behind. Must be the boyfriend. He put his arms around her and she turned around to face him. Standing up suddenly, she was saying something to him. He leaned in and I closed my eyes so as not to have to watch him kiss those perfect fucking lips of hers. I opened my eyes again to find that she appeared to be struggling against him. When she started screaming at him, I quickly realized she was in need of help.