To Die For - Davidson King Page 0,8

of slip-n-slide Twister?” I could hear Shane laugh as he passed behind me to get a beer to someone.

“No,” Ciro answered, “but Sparkles just walked in.”

I’d asked Atlas and Toby if they’d heard from him. Toby said he spoke to him briefly, that he was going through a work thing but would pop in soon. Seemed like tonight was the night.

“How’s he look?”

There was a beat of silence, and Ciro was either rolling his eyes slowly at me or there was reason to worry. “He is all dolled up and looks ready to dance.” Rolling his eyes it was.

“Thanks.”

I moved to the next person, then the next, eyes scanning the club, hoping to spot hot-pink hair. Why was it that when you were looking for something, it seemed everyone had it? I turned to tell Shane I was taking fifteen, when Sparkles slipped between two guys waiting for a drink.

“Hey, stranger, haven’t seen you in a while.” I couldn’t hold back how happy I was to see him, and judging by the creeped-out expression on his face, I wasn’t hiding it well.

“I do have a life outside of this place.” He hopped onto a stool.

“Yeah, I know. But I had no one to annoy. It felt like ages.” Smiling, I leaned against the bar. Sparkles arched an eyebrow. “What can I get you, gorgeous?”

“Sometimes I wonder if you say things like ‘sweetheart, honey, babe, gorgeous’ because you can’t remember the person’s name.” Sparkles narrowed his eyes. “I’ll have a watermelon margarita, dumpling.”

God, he drove me crazy. “You got it.” I went to work making him the best watermelon margarita he’d ever had. Shane smiled as he passed me again. It was no secret that I wanted Sparkles. But everyone, including Sparkles, thought it was to just fuck him. But the more I was around him, the more I wanted to know everything about him. What was his real name? What did he do for a living? I knew nothing, yet I saw him all the time. Outside of Ciro, he was the most secretive person I’d ever known.

“Here you go.” I slid the drink to him and watched as he took a sip. His shoulders eased and he closed his eyes as if that sip took away tightly knotted stress. “Good?”

“You’re still here?” he asked sarcastically. I usually had to keep moving, but I was also the boss behind the bar, so I chose to stay.

“Funny thing about me, Sparkles. I’m always here; you can never get rid of me.”

He smiled and took another sip before leaning a little closer to me. I moved in to meet him, and just when I thought he might kiss me, or do something sweet he said, “Like herpes.”

“One of these days, Sparkles, you’ll come here wanting me, maybe even needing me, but someone will have swooped me away.” He hadn’t pulled back, and neither had I. His eyes were the most beautiful color—cyan, if I had to guess. I hadn’t ever been this close to him, so I took all of him in.

“I guess we shall see.” Then he did push away with his drink. He didn’t leave; instead he made himself at home on the stool.

“Excuse me, some service please?” It was rude, and when I turned to tell the person to hold on, I realized it was one of the suits from the other night. This time they were dressed more casual, but I remembered the face.

“I was with a patron, sir,” I snapped, but the guy simply smirked.

“Great, now that I have your attention, I’d like a Heineken, two of them.” He never dropped eye contact, as if he were trying to play chicken with me or something. I had no time for this.

“Here.” Two Heinekens were set on the countertop by Shane.

“Thanks.” He dropped a fifty down—far too much money—took the beers, and left.

“Oh, he was charming,” Sparkles said with a roll of the eyes.

“You’re not much nicer to me, you know.” I wiped off the bar before the next person moved in to take the place of the rude guy.

“Oh, please. When I do that, it’s charming.” Sparkles laughed and yeah, something about the cat and mouse with Sparkles never angered me. It was familiar.

“Then you should defend your title. That guy beat you in meanness.”

Sparkles chuckled. “He was an amateur. He didn’t like you though, that’s for sure. Maybe he was one of your conquests, and he’s scorned because you don’t remember him.” He held his hand