Page 25 of Mayhem
Erin grabbed her body lotion and went into her bedroom. It was one of her favorites, sold by a small business she'd happened upon when she'd gone to a tattoo convention in Seattle while visiting her father. She'd need to get some more soon.
Once she had finished moisturizing, she went to her closet and looked through her clothes. It was warm during the day, but Erin knew the temperature had dropped some and would drop even more when the sun had fully gone down.
She pulled out a pair of high-waisted jeans that flared slightly at the bottom. She knew the shirt and shoes she wanted to wear were in the closet in the second bedroom.
She retrieved the long-sleeved white button-up shirt that would contour perfectly to her body.She also grabbed a pair of black booties, though,withthe length of her jeans, she knew theymore than likely wouldn'tbe seen.
Erin returned to her bedroom, laying the shirt across the bed with thejeans,and placing the shoes at the foot of it. She slipped into her bra and panties.
She did her hair and makeup before getting dressed. She kept her makeup light and chose dusty rose lipstick.
The cooler Denver weather was nicer to her silk press than Gainesville’s humidity ever was, and she pulled her hair into a ponytail on top of her head, laying down her baby hairs.
Returning to her bedroom, Erin dressed, slipping her feet into her shoes before grabbing one of her favorite perfumes and spraying some. She was headed out of the bedroom when her phone rang. It was an unknown number, and she figured it was the same telemarketer that called a few days prior. She sent them to voicemail and grabbed the gift bag from the table where she'd left it for the past two and half weeks. Erin set the alarm before leaving and locking the door behind her.
She slid into her car and entered Nik's address, which Chayse had texted her, into her GPS. She'd been to his—or, she should say, their—condo a few times, but she hadn't driven either time or paid attention to how to get there.
Over the past few weeks in the city, Erin made it a point to drive around now and then and ensure she knew how to get to particular places. Though she'd visited plenty of times, and she knew where the attractions they tended to go to when she did were, she wanted to learn the more everyday locations.
There wasa wreck with traffic backed up, whichcaused Erin to be over half an hour late, but she figured she wouldn't be the only one.She knew that Chayse had invited a few people she worked with, as had Nik. So, it wouldn't just be their regularsmall group, though Chayse stated there wouldn't be more than thirty people.
Once she pulled up to the condo building, Erin grabbed her purse and the gift bag and went inside. She stepped onto the elevator and rode it to the top floor.
There wasn't any loud music, but she hadn't expected there to be. The night was supposed to be relaxed. Erin would say it would have a slow saxophone jazz vibe if she had to put a feel to it.
As she approached the door, she could hear soft music playing. She knocked and waited several long seconds before she realized they may not have been able to hear her since the music would have been a bit louder inside. Erin tried the handle, finding the door unlocked, and she let herself in.
The first people she saw were a couple of women she knew worked with Chayse. Erin had met them on one occasion. They waved at her, and she waved back. She was surveying the room for Chayse and Alijah but didn't see either. She did, however, see Nik, Paetyn, and Cruz talking to one another by the former's bar.
Erin approached, and Cruz's eyes turned to her. She was aware that he was taking her in and appreciating her assets before his eyes fell on the gift bag. When they did, they returned to meet Erin's as he nudged Paetyn and nodded in her direction.
Those green eyes turned to her, and he smiled before noticing the bag in her hand. Erin was sure she wasn't supposed to see the slight falter in his smile, but she had, though he recovered well. She stopped before them, and Nik turned to her.
"Erin, hey. I'm glad you could make it,"he stated.
"I wasn't going to miss it. This is my first we live together now warming,"she responded with a smile, and Nik laughed. "You're missing one,"she told the men, her eyes shifting between them.
"We are, but he should be here soon,"Paetyn responded. "Alijah ordered a cake for the gathering and they were picking it up on their way."
"They should have been here by now,"Cruz stated.
"Well, I got stuck behind a wreck, and it is Saturday night, so people are probably going out,"Erin responded.
She wasn't surprised that Alijah ordered a cake. Let her friend tell it: no celebration was complete without one or cupcakes in the event of something at the last minute.
"Speaking of celebrating. I brought you a housewarming gift,"Erin informed Nik. "Well, it's more for Chayse, but I'm sure you'll like it,"she told him, holding up the gift bag and handing it to Nik.
Her eyes slid to Paetyn and Cruz briefly as Nik took the bag from her, but her attention quickly returned to him.
"Thank you. Speaking of Chayse, I'm going to check on her. Taila called her a few minutes ago, and she went into the office to take it."
Erin watched Nik leave, aware that two sets of eyes were on her the entire time. When she turned her attention back to them, she knew what they wanted to ask her, but Erin decided it wasn't a conversation she wanted to have in a room full of other people. While she'd used the gift bag they'd given her for Chayse's gift, Erin knew what they would take it to mean.
So, she didn't give them a chance to ask her; she just asked if they'd come onto the balcony with her. To which they agreed. Erin placed her purse behind the bar on the bottom shelf before leading the way out.
It was quiet between them for a moment, and she wasn't sure if they were waiting for her to start the conversation or if one of them would break the silence.
She took a moment to take Paetyn and Cruz in as she waited. Cruz was wearing a pair of jeans, lighter in tone in some places,rolled at his ankles. He'd paired them with a simple, white crew-neck t-shirt and sneakers, which were likely overly expensive. The shirt hugged his biceps, and Erin wondered if the way it did so, should be illegal.
