Free Rapture by Perri Forrest Page A

a scar longer than a few days, and being a tomboy, that really came in handy because my light brown hue showed everything!
     
    About two hours later, Gigi and I emerged from Sun Valley Mall in Concord. I was smiling big on the inside. The excitement was overwhelming. Never in a million years did I think that something so horrible could turn into anything so marvelous! In the trunk we loaded several bags of clothing, shoes, accessories, a really chic jacket, some Bright Crystal by Versace, and my obsession, Dark Crimson MAC lip gloss. Twenty minutes later we pulled into Target so that I could load up on Cocoa Butter Dove, Keri Lotion, and a bunch of toiletries. Thirty minutes after that we arrived at the beauty supply so that I could get some much-needed hair stuff: comb/brush, blow dryer, shampoo, silk scarf, and a curling iron. And forty-five minutes after that, we were pulling up to a large, attractive stucco building, in a swanky neighborhood, with Chaos written on the front of it. I took in th e allure of the outside.
    Chaos was nice. It looked like at a point it might have been home to a large restaurant or something. It had two levels from the street. There was an awning that went the length of the front of the building, and there was smoked glass around an enclosed seating area. It was complete with turquoise-illuminated heating lamps. It was very nice, sexy even. There was a building to the left of it with a banner that read, “ Coming Soon ! Home of Temptation ”. It looked like a glass tunnel had been built to bridge the two buildings together. I couldn’t see through the glass from outside, but I was sure it was the connector, and purposely made so that you could see outside, but not in. I had to give credit where it was due, and it was beautifully done. But being at Rush’s home, I can’t say that I expected anything less. I glanced over at Gigi. “This is fancy, Gigi. So, this is Chaos, huh? What exactly is this place?”
    “You’ll see soon enough. In the meantime, I’m going to take your stuff to the house. I think you’ll be riding back with Hunter.”
    “Oh…okay,” I agreed.
    She looked down at her cell phone, read the screen then relayed: “Hunter is running a little behind, but he’ll be here soon. He said Bart should be inside though.”
    I gave her a look of concern, and she rubbed her hand across my back for reassurance. “Good people all around, Alika. You’re good.”
    “Okay.”
    “I’ll have a cell phone for you when you get back later as well,” she informed me. “Just head to the doors to the right of the smoked glass, and it should be unlocked.”
    “Got ya.”
    I felt a total sense of freedom, and that was something very new to me. It was like I didn’t have a care in the world. It for sure made me separate from what had taken place with Curtis. It was the new beginning I had been seeking for quite some time, and I was going to embrace it as such. Maybe Atlanta will have to wait now .
    Once I pulled the door towards me to enter, I waved Gigi off, and she drove from the parking lot. Immediately inside, a tall, blonde-haired, green-eyed guy approached me, with a big smile on his face.
    “Can I help you?” he asked.
    “I’m here to see Rush,” I offered. “I know he’s running a little late.”
    “Oh, okay. I’m Bart,” he said, extending his hand to me.
    “It’s nice to meet you Bart. I’m Alika. A…uhh…friend of Rush’s.”
    “Ohhh, okay,” he expressed, looking me up and down. “Pretty girl,” he smiled.
    “Thank you,” I said to him, simultaneously gasping at the sight of everything. Great care had been taken in putting Chaos together. Looking around, I knew immediately that it was a sports bar. But it was more than that. It was a man’s cave of luxury. The place was amazing. I hadn’t even seen anything as plush in Vegas, and Vegas had a lot of luxury to lure in the big spenders. I had just never experienced any of the glitz. I couldn’t afford