The Beautiful People Read Online Free PDF Page A

it didn’t keep my eyes from seeking him out.  I
purposefully avoided his bar, even if it meant a longer trip to fill my drink
orders. The other bartenders weren’t as captivating. At the end of the night, however
tempted I was to wind down at Blue after work, I knew I needed to behave and be
prepared for class. Grant dropped me off and seemed more at ease. I think he
was pleased I was being responsible.
    Adrenaline from the
busy night still coursed through my veins and I wasn’t ready to sleep when I
got home, so I pulled out grad school applications for a couple of the schools
I was interested in attending. The Art Institute of Chicago, Cal Arts and the
Rhode Island School of Design rounded out the top three. I managed to fill out
all the necessary forms and made a list of what I needed to include from the
school such as a transcripts, recommendations and my digital portfolio. It felt
good to make progress and I slept peacefully.
    The next night I wasn’t
as successful at avoiding Dominic. After the club closed, all of the other
employees gathered around Dominic’s bar to count out. It would have been too
obvious if I didn’t join them so I walked over. Dominic saw me approach and
smiled. “Hey you, it’s about time you came over. I thought you were avoiding me
or something.”
    “No,
just busy. You were pretty busy tonight too.”
    “I
would have made time for you,” he admitted. I smiled in response. Damn, he was
making it hard for me to resist him.
    Grant walked up to us
with Miranda at his side. “Miranda is having a little after work gathering at
her place, Nat, care to join us?”
    “Sure!”
I was still pretty wound up from the night and not ready for sleep, plus since
it was Friday night, I didn’t have to worry about classes the next day.
    “I’m
in too,” Dominic announced. Grant glared at Dominic, but didn’t say anything.
    Grant and Miranda
walked ahead to her car. Dominic and I followed close behind until he slowed to
a stop and I stopped with him.
    “Did
you forget something?”
    “No,
I wanted to talk to you while we’re alone.”
    “Um,
ok?”
    “Were
you avoiding me last night and tonight?
    I looked into his eyes
prepared to lie, but found it impossible. “Sort of,” I laughed and stared down
at the tops of my shoes. He waited for me to continue. “I don’t want things to
get weird or complicated and –“
    Placing a finger under
my chin, he raised my head, and silenced me with a kiss. The kiss was anything
but weird and it certainly complicated things. My knees went weak and I fell
against him. He held me up, pulling me closer. His lips on mine felt so natural
and way too good for me to try to stop.
    He pulled away and I
caught my breath. “You were saying?” he prompted me.
    “What
was I saying?” I joked. He smiled and moved in for another one. I put my hands
on his chest and pushed away. “Grant is probably watching and I’m really not in
the mood to deal with him. Besides, I need some time to think about this, about
us. Okay?”
    He nodded. “That sounds
reasonable, but you don’t have to avoid me.” I was beginning to think I
wouldn’t be able to avoid him, especially if he kept kissing me like that.

Chapter 6
    Crimson was packed. The
celebrity NBA event drew a crowd. A line of people, desperate to get in,
wrapped around the building. They stood there patiently dressed like it was
summer, oblivious to the sub-zero temperatures. Inside the club felt tropical, the
air was thick, moist and uncomfortably warm. Bodies writhed together on the
dance floor and couples were entwined on large plush sofas that lined the
walls. Each of the three bars had crowds of people waiting to get drinks. I
didn’t have to wait. Dominic gave me priority when he filled my orders.
    It only took me a week
to get used to making my way through the throngs of people, but I was not
getting used to being grabbed by strangers. If my brother had his way, he’d
throw out every guy who touched