Free Blackbird by Nicole Salmond Page B

gift.”
    “Okay. Well, thanks then. I’ll see you around.”
    Nate smiled, turned and walked away.
    “He likes you,” Layla murmured.
    Claire grabbed Layla’s hand and pulled her towards the door. “Yeah well Dave likes me as well,” she
said conclusively.
     
    Claire’s attention focused back on Nate. He was
looking at her, different emotions crossing his face as he remembered how they
had met.
    His eyes moved to her hips and his hands quickly
moved to her denim pants. He pulled them down just enough to expose her tattoo.
    “I did this on you… You’d lost a bet…Why didn’t
you tell me?” He looked back at her, anger filling his eyes.
    “I…I was going to, but then I thought it was the
best way to keep our relationship professional.”
    He stepped back from her on his strong leg,
creating distance between them. His eyes looked around the room, searching for
answers. He looked back at Claire now. “How dare you! You had no fucking right
to keep that from me!”
    Claire couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “How
dare I? You’re the one who knew I had a boyfriend! You’re the one who kissed me
at the club!”
    Nate looked at her, his face stunned. “What…”
    Claire watched as Nate remembered what had
happened that night after she got a tattoo. His face changed as he remembered everything .
    “That’s the thanks I get for saving you?” Nate
asked bitterly.
    Claire’s mouth dropped open, as she thought back
to that night.
     
    Claire tried to push herself
through the crowd to her sister.
    Tonight was meant to be a great night. Stella
hadn’t been out with Claire in forever and she’d finally agreed to come out.
    Claire knew the night wasn’t going well when
Stella seemed to down as many drinks as she could get her hands on. By the time
Tristan turned up, Stella was almost passed out and Tristan had to carry her
out of the club. Claire had tried to follow them, but the crowd was too big and
she ended up being pushed into the corner of an alleyway with no way out.
    “You look so sexy in those heels,” a deep voice
called. Claire turned quickly to see a man watching her closely.
    “Do I know you?”
    The man smiled at her. “No. But you will,” he
said, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her close.
    Claire tried to push him off with her arms.
“Get off me!”
    But the man wasn’t listening. Instead he pushed
Claire hard against the brick wall.  His grip on her wrists was strong as
he held her hands behind her back. “There, there, I promise to be nice,” the
man whispered into her ear. She could smell the alcohol and cigarettes on his
breath.
    Claire frantically looked around for anyone
nearby, but the crowd that had been there only moments ago
was now far down the street. This situation was quickly getting out of
her control and she needed to get out of it now!
    “Look, you need to get off me right now or…or
I’m calling the cops.” Claire said weakly.
    The man laughed at her. “By the time they get
here, I’ll already be done.”
    If Claire hadn’t been panicking before, she was
now. Without any further hesitation she bought her knee up fast and hard into
the man’s groin. He leant forward moaning and she felt the grip on her hands
loosen. She quickly lurched forward, trying her best to escape when she felt a
sharp pull on her hair.
     “You think you can get away that easy!”
the man growled at her.
    “Get off me! Somebody, please help!” Claire
screamed at the top of her lungs, desperately calling for someone, anyone to
help her. There was no way this dick was going to do anything to her, she sure as hell wouldn’t let him.
    “She said get off her!” a familiar voice
called.
    The grip on Claire’s hair vanished. She turned
to see Nate’s fist connecting firmly with the man’s jaw. Grabbing the man by
the collar of his shirt, Nate pulled the man’s face close. “What the fuck were
doing!” he asked menacingly.
    Nate didn’t see the man’s fist come up to