Looks Can Be Deceiving

Austin’s POV-
We rushed down the highway, keeping up with downtown’s traffic. I held Pandora’s hand over the cup holders between us and gently squeezed it.
“You look beautiful tonight, by the way,” I smiled over at her as she blushed in the darkness of my car. The orange glow that lit the bridges and overpasses cast shadows that danced on her lightly complexed skin. She looked down, letting a bit of hair fall down and brush against her cheek.
“Thanks, Austin,” she said softly, catching my gaze before I turned back to the road. She cleared her throat and ran her thumb over her bare thigh. “Will your friends accept me?”
“Of course they will,” I laughed a little. “You’re with me, and you’re a nice girl. They shouldn’t have a reason to not like you.”
“Okay…”
“Don’t worry, we’ll have fun tonight. Tally and Ryan are both excited to see you.”
“They told you that?” she asked, surprised. Again I laughed.
“Yeah, they’re pretty stoked to introduce you to our circle of friends.”
“I’m excited to meet them,” she smiled and gave her attention to the sky above us. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” I turned on my blinker and switched lanes.
“If I got drunk would you take care of me and make sure I got home alright?” she wondered, not looking at me. I raised an eyebrow.
“What makes you ask?” She shrugged after a moment of silence. I sighed and switched lanes once more so we could get off the highway. “Please don’t feel like you have to drink because of my friends.”
“No, no, that’s not the reason… I was just thinking about my dad.” My body tensed up at the thought of him.
“Have you talked to him or your mother?”
“No,” she looked down and played with her fingers. “I have no reason to.”
“Fair enough, I don’t blame you.” I sensed that the thought of her father set her into a panic. “Don’t worry about it though, okay? You’re with me now.” She looked over to me and smiled.
“If there’s one person in the world who I feel safe with, it’s you.”
“Good,” I pulled into Warwick’s parking lot and shut off the car. “Now, are you ready to go inside?”
“I think so,” she nodded. I smiled and got out of the driver’s side, closing the door and locking it before going over to her side, to open the door for her. She grabbed onto my hand and made her way across the parking lot, staying close to me with her head tucked into my chest. She distanced herself a bit as we approached the crowd of people showing their ID’s to get in. We joined the end of the line and patiently waited to get up to the front. I watched while Pandora sifted through all the people, getting comfortable with her surroundings. I recognized a few people that were friends with Danny, and even a few women who came from the Playboy Mansion. I knew most of the girls there, but never connected with any enough to be in a relationship. It all worked out in the end, because it would make Pandora feel insecure to know that one of my ex’s was a Playboy bunny. I smiled down at her, admiring the way that her sleek, black hair shined in the dim lighting. I also took note of how alert she was, not planning on letting her guard down at any point of the night. I wrapped my arm around her small hips and pulled her close to me, nestling my nose in her sweet smelling hair. I gently kissed the soft skin on her temple as she closed her eyes and smiled contently.
“Out of all these women, you’re the best looking,” I whispered, keeping my lips pressed to her skin. She giggled, her body softly shaking under my arm.
“Thank you,” she looked up to me and smiled as we approached the club bouncer.
“Carlile,” I grinned, knowing that he recognized my face from all the other times I’d been here. “I believe Tally put me and my lady on the VIP list.” He ran his pencil down the list of names and flipped a few sheets of paper.
“Ah, yes,” he smiled, looking to the both of us. “Go right in and take a left. Take the elevator up to floor three and there you’ll find the Gentleman’s Floor.” I nodded.
“Thanks, sir.” I grabbed onto Pandora’s hand and pulled her into the elevator which we found empty. I pressed the button for floor three and patiently waited beside Pandora as it carried us up. There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to enjoy ourselves tonight.

Notes

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