Men looked, some women did too. The dress I wore was more like a patch of material held at the front by a few straps and gave the illusion that it would fall away easily. It wasn’t a dress you wore if you didn’t want people to stare, only Robert wasn’t just staring.
There was a cough from behind the bar. My smile curved; I knew exactly what that cough was for.
“Come on, Robert, let’s find Jamie. She’s wearing that beautiful Grecian dress.” Clara turned away from me, linking her arm through Robert’s and pulled him away.
I watched them go before turning round to see Tommy standing still. Looking at me.
He knew I wasn’t Lala.
“Can I have a cocktail, please?” I smiled at him in the same way my sister would.
“What would you like?”
“What would you recommend?”
He gave me a cool nod and picked up the cherry liquor, not saying another word while he shook and stirred.
There was no show or finesse while he prepared my drink, not like there had been for others. This was base. Functional.
“Thank you.” I looked at the cocktail he’d made for me, recognising the colour.Cherry Lady.
“Enjoy.”
I couldn’t work out whether he was jealous or just pissed off with me. He knew I wasn’t Lara, otherwise he wouldn’t have served me this.
I took a sip, still looking at him, the flavour familiar, but without the kick of the other day.
“This isn’t as strong as I remember.”
“No. I didn’t add the Cointreau.”
“Any reason why?”
When he looked at me, I saw the glint of badness, shivers shooting from the top of my head right down my torso to my centre.
“Some things are better enjoyed sober.”
“Really? And what would those be?”
He picked up a glass of water and downed most of it. “Maybe you’ll find out.” He put the glass down with a bang. “Go enjoy your party. I’ll find you later.”
“Maybe. Maybe I’ll be lost somewhere else.”
I heard him laughing as I walked away.
The night crawled on by.Lala disappeared with her boy-toy and Monty, the brunette he’d been with last seen with hanging off the arm of someone twice her age with a title. I meandered around the groups of people, sometimes being mistaken for Lala, other times being recognised as myself.
I was talking to Rachael when I saw Marcus. He wasn’t wearing a mask, his clothes what he’d normally wear for a night out in Ibiza. I wasn’t surprised; even if Livi had asked him to stay away, it didn’t mean he’d pay attention to it.
But it was who he was with that made every bone in my body become fossilised. The boy from my dorm room that night, the one who’d held me down on the bed, who I’d kicked and hit and stopped.
Aubrey Chad Baker. I hadn’t said his name since I’d told the police who it was and now he was here in a place that should’ve been safe.
He was known as Chad and he saw me as I saw him, his expression turning cold. The mask and the feathers had confused everyone, the dress something Lala would wear.
I didn’t want him here.
I stood up and headed straight to Marcus, who looked blinded as I walked towards him.
