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.“And this.” He’s holding out his suit jacket.I hesitate, but his calm voice takes on an edge of firm insistence.“I’ll trade you.For the one you took from our table.The one you’re wearing.I’m afraid that one belongs to my associate.”“I.oh.Right.Sorry,” I offer lamely, as I remove what I now realize is a black suit jacket from around my shoulders.I take the coat he offers in return, wrapping it snugly around me.The luxuriant feel of the expensive fabric against my skin fills me with an immediate comfort.It’s still warm from his body.I now need to look at those eyes again, and it’s a need strong enough to make me ready to emerge from my hiding place.I step out of the shadows, and I am greeted by a face of perfect and unspeakable calm.He has the incomparable features of a self-made nobility — a remarkable unification of mature self-assurance and timeless youth.His face contains all the frustrated aspirations of the great artistic masters.a masculine perfection of sculpture so complete that it would make a Michelangelo curse his hands as unworthy to attempt their counterfeit.His breeze-blown waves of sandy hair catch all the scattered lights of the night and halo his features, silver and immaculate, as if he were kin to some wayward angel.His intelligent and calculating eyes meeting mine hint at a storehouse of subtle mysteries.but where I’d expect pity, or even judgement tonight, there is only an air of peace and concern beyond words.He’s older than me by a bit, but he clearly takes as much care with his body as he does with his wardrobe.His stance is athletic, tall and high and proud.Dancers don’t fall into his lap every day, obviously, but he has the demeanor of someone who is entirely able to deal with this sort of unexpected circumstance.or any other that might chance to come along.It is as if I am looking at the leading man of my silver screen debut — and the theater curtain has just risen up into the sky.He holds out a hand.“Xavier Black.”I pull a strand of hair out of my mascara-runny eyes and hold out my own hand in return.“Veronica Kane.Well.Alice White, actually.”He cocks an eyebrow.“I assume one of those is a stage name.”“The first one,” I say, clasping his suit coat more snugly around me.“I’m back to being plain old Alice for now, though.”He nods, then checks the moon-shiny wristwatch on his wrist.“Good to meet you.So — it is currently.11:43.The way I see it, you have two options.We can go in there together, Xavier and Veronica, and laugh off what happened.I rejoin my clients, and you can spruce up and finish your night’s work.”I feel my gaze break from his and drop.That just can’t happen.“What’s the other option?” I ask with a sigh.He reaches into his pocket and takes out a thin black shiny thing.“The other option, Alice, is that I make a quick phone call to my friends inside.I drop this coat at the front door with the bouncer, and then I drive you home.We say goodnight.You get some sleep.”I think about Jayla, who for all I know is on stage right now, halfway into Lady Marmalade.My head begins to shake of its own accord.“My friend is still in there.My bag, my phone.”“Well, there you are,” says Xavier.“Your friend will simply bring your bag when you’re in a condition to see her.You have some way of getting into your home? Someone who can let you in?”There’s a spare key hidden underneath a stone frog in the patch of garden in front of my apartment building.I take another deep breath and nod, my reddened eyes not wanting to meet his.“Good.Just a moment.” He taps the phone with his thumb and raises it briefly to his ear, speaking a quick flurry of syllables that I can’t comprehend.Is this man actually speaking Chinese?A few moments later he slides it back into his pocket.“Done.I’ll arrange a taxi to take them back to their hotel when they’ve finished enjoying themselves.”“You don’t mind?” I ask.“Not at all.Honestly, gentlemen’s clubs aren’t exactly my cup of tea, but.well, you’d be amazed at how much business gets finalized at this type of establishment.Best place in the world to get a signed contract, sometimes.But forgetting all that for a moment.”Xavier holds a finger out and places it lightly under my chin.He then lifts my face gently but firmly, until my eyes are in view of his own again.I forget for a moment how I must look for my crying, and I lose myself in the grim but comforting shadow of his steely eyes.“Wait here, out of sight,” he says.“I’ll bring the car.”He lets his finger slip from my chin, and then he’s gone.I feel a sudden worry that he might not be coming back — that he may vanish as magically as he appeared.I hug his coat around me again, trying to guard against the thought.After an achingly long minute, a car pulls up in front of me.It’s expensive and solid-looking; dark, large.It looks fast [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]