Siren's Mark

Chapter 7

𝔸𝕧𝕒

"Uhhh..." Jen says with wide eyes. "Nothing."

Yep. This is reeaaally awkward.

"Have a theory you care to share?" Zane asks.

Jen seems to be internally debating how to handle this.

"Just talking about this lame-ass guy who made out with Ava and then panicked and bailed on her. Gotta be gay, right?"

She must be drunk enough to have hit the 'particularly bold' threshold. My cheeks feel hot with embarrassment. Zane raises his eyebrows and smirks.

"Fair dues," he says, taking a seat next to me at the bar. "That guy does sound like a lame arse."

He smiles at me and I instantly melt.

"What do you think, Ava? You think you might give this bloke a second chance?"

I can't even think straight when this man is talking to me, let alone smiling at me.

"Um... I guess we'll see."

In a moment, Kieran appears and slings his arm around Zane's shoulder.

"What's up, ladies?" he asks. "This guy giving you a hard time?"

"Hey Kieran!" Jen says. "How's it going?"

"Better now," he says, smiling at us both. "We weren't planning on staying long, I was just grabbing my paycheck, but if you gals are here I could be persuaded to stick around."

This guy is such a smooth talker. Kieran looks at me for a moment and touches a loose strand of my hair.

"You know," he says. "This purple is quickly becoming my favorite color."

Zane's eyes narrow and I see that same green shade in them that I saw the other night.

"Hey, mate," he says, with a hand to Kieran's chest. "Pretty sure nobody asked."

"Touchy touchy!" Kieran says, taking a step back. "It's nice seeing you, Ava."

Kieran smiles then leans in to me and whispers, "I'd love to get to know you better, but my friend here is literally crazy about you, so I better not." He walks away toward the bar's back office.

Zane is crazy about me? Is that what he means? My chest fills with warmth and butterflies.

"What was that about?" Zane asks.

"Nothing," I say. I can tell it's already driving him nuts not knowing, but after he ducked out on me so suddenly last weekend I'm happy to get a little revenge. He shifts uneasily in his seat.

"Do you want to go somewhere?" he asks. "I feel like it's impossible to talk in here."

I don't know why I feel like agreeing to this, but I'm drawn to him.

"Where?" I ask.

"I know a place."

****

Zane pulls his car into the Powell Center parking structure. His cobalt-blue Challenger with racing stripes along its hood was out of place in the Pike's parking lot, but in this area of town it's just one of many flashy cars.

The Powell Center is the tallest building in the city and houses the big financial offices and law firms. He hops out and makes his way over to the lot attendant. By the time I reach them, the attendant is scanning a card at the elevator.

What are we doing here?

We step inside the elevator and my mind is lost as to why we're here. Does he work here? Did he say what he does for a living? I can't remember. The floor numbers continue to climb. 22... 23... 24...