Together By Moonlight (Chapter One)

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Chapter One2

She felt the hands close around her neck. Blind terror swept through her as her vision blackened. Her throat was on fire, she gasped for air, trying to fill her lungs enough to scream. She clawed at the hands around her neck, nails gouging ribbons of flesh from the unprotected skin. Flailing, she kicked backwards, the stiletto heel of her boot connecting solidly with the body behind her making the hold on her loosen momentarily. In that split second she screamed for all she was worth, her very life depending on someone hearing her. 3

It was her scream that woke her. The hands on her neck turned from death to sheets. Squeezing her eyes shut, she banished the last of the dream from her mind. She was really getting tired of her subconscious bringing up such painful memories. Raking a hand through her hair, she sat up and picked up her alarm clock, and groaned realizing she had to be at work in thirty minutes. 4

Mentally cursing the dream, she figured she would just have to be late, seeing as the damn thing had left her covered in a cold sweat. Settling for a quick rinse, she hurried to the shower, turned the water on as hot as it would go and stepped in. Scrubbing the last of the bad memories from her skin, she shut the water off and toweled off, leaving her normally pale skin a nice pink color. 5

Steadily running out of time, she ran a brush through her shoulder length raven hair and pulled it back into a loose ponytail. Brushing mascara over her top lashes, she barely accentuated her green eyes. A little blush, and some red lip gloss left her almost ready to go.6

Moving to her walk in closet, she chewed her lip for a moment, trying to decide on what to wear. Finally deciding on a slinky black cocktail dress that showed off her slim figure, finished with a pair of knee high black boots with a killer heel. Stopping for one last glance in the mirror, she let herself preen for a moment, knowing what a figure she cut in the mid thigh length, backless black dress and boots. 7

She grabbed her purse and keys off the dresser and hurried out the door. Looking at her watch, she groaned when she saw she only had five minutes to get to the club where she worked. Her car whined as she sped out of her driveway and down the road. The thought of being late again drove her mad. A moment of clarity hit her and she frantically dug through her purse to find her phone. "Maybe if I call Jay, he won't be so pissed." she thought to herself. Realizing it was sitting next to her bed, right where she plugged it in, she called herself all kinds of stupid for forgetting it. Gripping the steering wheel with a vengeance, she hoped her night wasn't going to get any worse.8

She felt the bad mood descending on her like a cloud as she pulled into the parking lot. She jumped as a bolt of lightning lanced across the sky and a crack of thunder followed close behind. Glaring at the sky, she hurried across the parking lot, hoping to get inside before all hell broke loose. When she was about ten feet away from the 9

door, the sky fell. In the time it took her to reach the doorway, she was soaked to the bone. Stumbling inside, she wrung the water out of her hair, silently thanking the makeup gods for waterproof 10

mascara. 11

"Your late! "Jay yelled, walking around the bar. "Again!" 12

She groaned inwardly. She liked Jay, she really did, but his bad-ass act got really old, really fast.13

" I know Jay, I'm sorry. It won't happen again." 14

"Your damn right it won't happen again, Teaya. We're expecting a big crowd tonight, so give it your best. Mr. Palmer is going to be here also, so you had better make this one good." 15

Which one of the gods did I piss off to deserve this, she wondered to herself. 16

"I don't think this night could get any worse." she said to Jay as sge walked past him heading for her dressing room. 17

Mr. Palmer, the owner of the club and one of the bigwigs of the town had always creeped her out. Whenever he showed up for one of her shows, he stared, as if he could see through her and was trying to peel her skin from her bones. Of course, she had to humor him, he was one of the cities kingpins-upset him and you may not wake up again. 18

Jay grabbed her arm as she walked by, "You may not like him, but remember, he's the one who signs our paychecks. Make him happy, and you'll be better off for it." 19

"Let go of me Jay. Don't you think I know that?" 20

"I'm not so sure you do sometimes Teaya. You should be more 21

careful. Being so headstrong nowadays is not a virtue." He let go of her arm. 22

"I think I can take care of myself Jay, I'm a big girl." She smiled at him, letting her eyes take on a feral cast. "Now, I need to get ready. Be a good boy and make sure the stage is set for me when I come out. Last time Cindy left her props onstage and I almost tripped." 23

"Alright." he turned to walk away, " Good luck tonight, Teaya." 24

He winked at her as he walked away laughing.25

"Asshole." She muttered under her breath.26

"I heard that." 27

She glanced back at him and smiled, if it weren't for some very distinct differences between them, they might have made a good couple. Reaching her dressing room, she locked the door behind her. Glancing around her, she surveyed her home away from home. She knew what most people thought about her profession, and honestly, she could care less.