The Night Has Teeth by Kat Kruger Page A

a
tone of amusement, “Angry boyfriend?”
    I glance quickly back. “Yeah, but not mine.”
    “For a moment I thought I was barking up the wrong
tree.”
    She slips her free hand into mine and guides me
toward the dance floor, where I freeze as the bodies of strangers
press up against me. I watch her sway rhythmically. All I want to
do is tell her that I don’t dance, have only ever failed at
dancing, and have no idea what I’m doing. As everything around us
undulates like a living organism, the realization that I’m actually
here with this beautiful girl somehow makes me lose my inhibitions.
I start to move with her. But my lack of coordination causes me to
almost stumble into someone: Madison.
    “Hey,” I greet with a nod.
    “I thought you didn’t dance.” Her tone is light
yet accusatory.
    “I don’t.”
    “Clearly, player,” she teases, her tone turning
whimsical.
    From behind, I feel a presence and am surprised to
find Amara has moved in to sensuously dance between me and the girl
whose name I don’t yet know. If I thought Arden was out to get me
before, this situation certainly isn’t helping. At the same time, I
make a mental note to wear this shirt more often. I shimmy past
Amara to get close to the mysterious girl again. She appears to be
taking it all in stride.
    “Well, I suppose I ought to leave you to it then,”
she tells me, removing something from her purse. “But, my lamb,
will you give me a ring sometime?”
    I feel her press a card into my hand, and I glance
down to scan it quickly and ensure this whole scenario hasn’t been
some kind of elaborate joke at my expense:
    Boadicea Faelen
    Associate, Boguet Biotechnology
    1 place des Saisons
    E-mail: [email protected]
    “How do I pronounce your name?”
    “Bode-ih-SEE-ah,” she says silkily, her tongue
rolling playfully over every syllable.
    I repeat the name, thinking how clumsy my accent
sounds around the syllables.
    “And what shall I call you, Mr.?”
    “Lewis. Connor Lewis.” I most certainly did not
intend to sound like James Bond.
    “Ta, Connor Lewis.”
    I stand dumbfounded as she disappears into the
crowd. Gone as quickly as she came. While I watch her leave, I
catch sight of Arden striding toward me, and I slip the business
card into my shirt pocket. Here comes the moment I’ve been
anticipating. When he gets to me, I flinch at his raised hand. As
quick as a fox darting across a road, his fingers lift the card
from my possession.
    “Hey!”
    While playing keep-away, he reads the print aloud.
When he’s done, he exchanges a brief look with Amara. Then, with
his eyes fixed on mine, he flicks the card out into the dance
floor, where it’s instantly lost among the throng. I can’t hide my
disappointment. Instead, I down my drink and make a move toward
him.
    “What the hell?”
    “Boguet Biotech?” he growls. “That name reeks of
trouble.”
    “So, what’s it to you?”
    In the instant that my foot crosses the invisible
line of his personal space, his palm pushes back against my chest.
I fly back against the wall, just a few feet away. The force of the
blow as my torso makes impact winds me instantly, and I lean back
into the cool surface to keep myself from collapsing. Amara moves
between us protectively — as though I would even think of
challenging him at this point. Meanwhile, Madison gives Arden her
deadliest stare yet as Josh stands by me, clenching his fists and
ready to settle a score. As much as I appreciate the loyalty of my
new friends, I force myself to swallow my pride (and my pain).
    “Forget it,” I wheeze. “I was out of
line.”
    We stay at Club Cin-Cin until closing time in the
early hours, during which time I try to overcome my extreme
discomfort with dancing by looking around for simple cues on how to
move. Amara reins in her boyfriend enough that I don’t see him for
the rest of the after-party, and I put the incident behind us — for
now. At the end of the night, we make our way out of