{Music Recommendation: Gimme Love ~ Sia}
Mila finally got to the club Ashley had told her about. According to Ashley, she was supposed to stand in a dark corner, blend in, and wait for a few minutes before Zyran stepped out of his car and into the lobby. That was her chance to grab him!
Mila knocked herself on the head. Why would she grab him? That was her chance to meet and calmly talk to him.
Calmly? Her hands were going to betray her first. They wouldn't stop moving like she had dipped them into cold water.
Securing a good spot was going to aid her mission so she could watch closely. That was the most important part of the—
Mila's stomach made a rumbling sound, and her steps came to a halt. She lied. The most important part of the mission was to eat. She dipped her hand inside her pocket and fished out the few blue notes Ashley had given her.
Looking around for where to buy something cheap, Mila found a yellow food truck parked just a few steps away. She turned to look at the clubhouse, then hastened her steps. She didn't want to miss her baby's daddy.
Getting to the food truck, Mila checked out the delicacies that were lined up, looking mouth-watering. She wanted to point at the large cup being handed to a customer, filled with slim, long pasta and sauce with chicken cutlets. It made Mila salivate.
"That would be fifty aurdia."
Mila gulped. She wasn't going to select that. She turned to search for something cheaper or even smaller. She just had twenty aurdia to spare at the moment.
"Welcome, ma'am," the young man in an apron with a bandana tied around his head greeted Mila. He changed his white gloves, which were stained with oil, then returned his attention to his new customer. "What should I get ready for you?"
Mila pressed her lips, then pointed at the smallest thing she found in the store. "I'll take the cornbread with honey butter."
The man nodded with a smile, picked out one of the sticky breads, and placed it inside, getting it ready to look appetizing for his customer. Then he asked, "Taking iced cola?"
"Mm, how much is the cornbread?" Mila asked.
The man smiled. "It's fifteen aurdia," he replied. Seeing the shock on his customer's face, he continued, "Looks like it's your first time. Cola will be on us," he said with a friendly nod.
Mila was more than excited to accept it. She couldn't wait to get her hands on her meal.
After packing the meal in a small brown paper bag, the man handed it to Mila, and she paid.
"Thanks. Please come again," he waved, watching as the young woman left his store.
Mila couldn't wait to sit down. She opened the package, and the fresh aroma of honey butter with hot cornbread filled her nose. She quickly brought it out and devoured the pastry. When it melted on her tongue, she closed her eyes and groaned.
"This is so good," Mila cried out, having a street food orgasm. She reached for the iced cola and slurped it while walking back to her hiding place. Now she felt even better, more optimistic than before.
Done with eating, Mila licked up the honey on her fingertips while searching for a place to trash the paper bag. When she turned, she bumped into someone, pushing their bag down.
"I'm so sorry," Mila apologized immediately, rubbing her hand on her shirt before bending down to pick up the bag. She noticed the contents were a camera and a big envelope.
The stranger quickly grabbed their bag without saying a word and left.
Mila twitched her lips, watching as the stranger crossed to the other side of the road. "A tourist? Or maybe… a photographer?" It wasn't any of her business at the moment. With a dismissive shrug, Mila returned to her position.
It was getting late already, and her experiences staying out late ever since Ken left had been anything but pleasant. She wanted to go home already.
As she waited for seconds that turned to minutes, different cars drove in and parked in front of the club. Mila stood up every time, thinking it was who she came for, but every time, she was disappointed.
An hour later, a black Rolls-Royce Ghost pulled up in front of the club. A man in black rushed down and quickly opened the door. Crested on the car plate number was 'Montclair.'
"Yes!" Mila grinned. Finally, her wait was over. She waited for the person to step down from the car. The first thing she noticed was his black leather classic derby shoes. Then, when he stepped down, she saw the grey trousers that were a straight-leg fit, his black turtleneck, and the brown suede jacket he donned over it. He had a high taste in fashion.
Mila admired him as he walked down to the club door, his hands dipped inside his pockets, and the security around him watching the area.
Could a man this sophisticated and classic really be the one she slept with that night? Mila asked herself. What if she walked up to him only to end up embarrassing herself? She was still lost in thought when Zyran stopped walking and turned to look in her direction.
Mila gasped and hid her face. She crawled to a darker place, hoping he wouldn't notice.
After a few seconds of staring at the same spot, Zyran turned his eyes away and continued walking.
Mila stood up quickly. She knew it was time for business. If she was going to follow him, then she would need to evade his bodyguards successfully. And that was tricky because they were everywhere… except!
"The back door!" Mila's eyes lit up with her new idea. If all the bodyguards were here in front, nobody would be at the back door. She sneaked away from there, her destination, the back door.
Mila was almost at the back door when she saw someone's shadow walking casually in the dark. She would have assumed it was anyone random, but she had seen that same suede jacket just a while ago.
It was Zyran!
What was he doing all alone on a lonely dark road? Shouldn't he be worried about his safety? There was nobody here! Mila clapped her hands. She couldn't believe she had made a smart move. The last thing she hoped for was Zyran casually passing through the—
"Holy cow!" Mila gasped in a low voice. It was really her lucky night. Without waiting, Mila trotted behind him, looking behind before she moved. She covered her head with a hoodie and ran through the path she saw him enter.
Things were going easier than she had thought, Mila said to herself. She hid behind a car when Zyran stopped walking, and then she resumed following him when he continued. The next corner was a sharp turn. Mila took a quick glance before taking the turn. She tried to walk silently so nobody would notice.
Mila walked down the path with many doors on the side. She wasn't sure what the doors were for, but one minute, she heard loud music, and the next, silence. She assumed it was a part of the club. That was when she realized something, she had missed Zyran. He was here one minute, and the next, he wasn't.
"Use your brain… use your brain," Mila said to herself. She closed her eyes, trying to guess which door or path he might have used. What's the worst that could happen? Enter a wrong room and apologize? But what if she got kicked out? Or maybe walked deeper into the dark night? It was scary.
"Mila… think… think," she looked around, trying to retrace where she had lost him when a finger tapped on her shoulder. Mila brushed it off at first.
"Are you stalking me?"
Mila's blood chilled when she heard the voice behind her. She slowly turned her neck, and when she met the face of the same man she was following, her soul left her body for a moment.
Zyran stared down. Mila had her eyes looking up.
"When will you ever use your brain?" Zyran asked in an annoyed tone as he stared at the girl in front of him. He took a step forward, and she moved back. He took another one. Repeat.
"I-I… I wasn't using?" Mila's voice was wobbly. This wasn't how she expected to meet him. When her back hit a door and it opened, she swallowed hard.
"You have a knack for stepping into a man's room casually, no?" he asked, taking another step forward.
Mila shook her head. This wasn't what she had planned, and she didn't want to move back and enter the room. But his gaze was too intimidating, and she wanted to stay far away from him, so she moved back and entered the room.
Zyran followed her, his neck slightly bent to meet her face. "Why? Did you come for the second installment of that night?" he asked, locking the door with a click that made Mila turn pale.