Page 20 of Twinning and Sinning

"Anyway, Maryann said the hunter hottie hit on her." My ears pricked up as I stared at Dimitri. He shook his head in panic as he glanced back at Zoey. Seraphina asked for details while she finished her hair.

"Maryann told him about the big bar party tonight and that he put his hand on hers and told her he hoped to see her tonight."

"You did what?"I growled, and Dimitri stood up, panicking."I did no such thing; that woman was hideous!"

Zoey continued with the story, elaborating on what conversation did not take place with said Maryann. "I'm going to be sick," Dimitri began dry heaving, and Seraphina's head darted right to Dimitri.

"Thumper!" Grabbing the trashcan, she shoved it under Dimitri's maw as he threw up. "My poor baby, what did you eat?" Seraphina began patting his back while Zoey continued with her hair.

"Maybe he ate a bad chipmunk?" Seraphina grunted as she sat on the floor next to Dimitri until his heaving was over.

Chapter Eleven

Seraphina

"Idon'tknowaboutthis," I gripped my handbag as we entered the bar.

Zoey continued to tell me I shouldn't wear the cardigan I had as a cover-up for this dress. The dress was a second skin and hugged my curves. It was comfortable and beyond sexy; it made me feel like a woman. When I saw it on the clothing rack in New York, I just had to have it. Since then, it had been sitting in the bottom of my suitcase because I had no other place to wear it.

"You look fantastic in it; take it off." Zoey began to pull on it for it to come off, but I pulled it back on quickly.

"No, I can't," I argued. "I like wearing the dress around the house; the people here give me the creeps." It wasn't a lie. This was the only bar in the entire town, and it was equipped with the most cliché of decorations. Road signs, hanging trophies from hunts, and even several pictures lined the wall with semi-famous people. Extremely conservative politicians decorated the nearby shelf. Several pool tables lined the far wall, and a small dance floor could barely hold forty people. Nothing like the videos I had researched on what club life was about.

This was straight out of Hicksville.

I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up; what should I expect? We were in the middle of nowhere, with the population being the majority of fifty-year-olds. Which came to my following icky conclusion of them staring at us from the bar. Liquor already invaded their mind haze as they stared at Zoey and me. Zoey paid no mind and waved down her friends near the dance floor, holding booths and tables for us.

"Fine, keep it on for now, but you are taking it off later." I winced as she dug her nails in my arm as we headed to the back. The place was already packed, and it was only 9 p.m. Hopefully, that meant I could go home early and get ready for the move tomorrow.

"Ladies, this is my friend, Seraphina," Zoey said in her sing-song voice. Several girls glanced at me, but immediately went back to their drinks or dates.

"Pleasure to meet you! I'm Maryann." I shook her hand as she guided me to sit down with her. "I heard you were leaving tomorrow; that is such a shame." Maryann twirled her drink with a small straw as she took a tiny sip. "We could have been the best of friends; Zoey talks about you all the time." There was a hint of jealousy in her voice as she stared Zoey down.

"Seraphina just likes to travel," Zoey waved over to the waitress who carried her notebook. Grabbing a few tequila shots and margaritas, I sat in silence as the girls talked. They had spent most of their lives together in the little town. All grew up in the same school that housed both elementary, middle, and high school. The graduating class was of just sixty people, and even that was a large class, or so Zoey says.

"I'm looking for my prince charming," Maryann announced. A few eyes jutted towards her as she began to elaborate. "He was such a gentleman when I rang him up. He even left the change, which was a good twenty dollars; that has to mean something." Her eyes glanced towards the door for the millionth time.

"Careful," Trey spoke up. "He might change his mind if he sees something better." Zoey jabbed Trey in the stomach as he reached his arm around Zoey. The group laughed, but Maryann scoffed.

"I doubt it; there was a… connection. I felt it. Just wait until you see him." I rolled my eyes as I threw down another shot of tequila. Two shots and a glass of wine, that's all I was going to take. Several of them scoffed when I asked for wine instead of beer. Excuse me for having more delicate taste than some off-brand, water-down shit. I was raised in Italy; we know alcohol. I've drunk it since I was fifteen.

The doors opened several times the past hour; more men and women filtered in as they filled up the bar and tables. There had already been one fight at the pool table over a bet that was not paid.

Zoey and Trey got up to dance a few slow songs together, but no one was dancing to the more vigorous-paced ones, which had me relieved. I was hoping to scoot by without having to dance.

"Excuse me?" I sat down my glass of wine with a harsh gulp of the sweet liquid. The side of the table I was sitting on had a large shadow cast on it from the lights above. Glancing upward, I see none other than Jonas.

"Fudge," I muttered under my breath. Trey stood up and scooted his chair away from Jonas while other men at the table did the same. Did they have some beef with Jonas too? And are they seriously leaving me alone to deal with this prick?

"Wrong side of the bar, man." One of Zoey's friends, Lonato, cracked his knuckles. "I mean it, we ain't playin' tonight." Lonato and two others flanked his side as Jonas backed up, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

"Easy guys, just wanting to ask the lady to dance-"

"No," I blurted out while narrowing my eyes. "And that is a no to everything else." Crossing my arms, Jonas gave a devilish grin while he pulled up his jeans, and bent down to see me eye to eye.

"I meant what I said, Seraphina," he whispered close so no one could hear. "Whether you like it or not," I snarled at him as he stood back up. I'd fight this prick if I had to, but I didn't need to get locked up in jail for the night, especially if they looked up my name. That would open a whole entire new can of worms.

"You alright?" Lonato took out his hand to pull me out of my chair. My hands were a bit shaky, blowing my cover of being relaxed and nonchalant about the ordeal. Lonato had dark hair, and his skin was as equally; his brown eyes held a concerned look while his tattoo tribal bands inched up his forearm. His friends looked similar in appearance, potent, cold, and lethal. Their distinct features lead me to believe they were Native Americans.

---