Bright rays from a new day shone powerful through the open blinds. It glared through Hale's closed lids, gradually pulling him away from his slumber. Slowly, he opened his eyes, squinting at the sudden brightness. His pupils constricted, exposing more of his shimmering eyes. He groaned, turning his body over.

He re-positioned his head on the firm-soft pillow and shut his eyes. His arm snaked out to the side of him, then he patted his hand against the sheet as if looking for something or someone. His eyes reopened, staring into an empty space. He drowsily rose up, using his elbow for support and scanned the master room. The walls were smeared black all around except for the ceiling which was a pure white. Both seemed to be made from some type of wood.

He leaned half his body back, turning his head towards the window, squinting his eyes again until his pupils adjusted. He noticed a long balcony with a thin glass railing. He peered his head to get a better view, wondering if maybe she'd be out there. No one.

He sighed, then pushed himself up and swung his legs over the bed. He placed his feet firmly on the fluffy white rug and pressed his hands into the mattress. He skimmed the room over again, noticing there wasn't much in it.

There were two rectangular lights screwed into the wall above the bed, similar lights scattered all along the ceiling. A white cylinder nightstand stood to the right of the bed with a single potted plant laid upon it. There were two doors, one he assumed was the way out, and the other a bathroom or perhaps a closet. At the far end of the room opposite of the bed, was a black dresser with a wide large mirror above it placed against the wall.

Hale stared at himself from afar. His hair was no longer the neatly gelled back style he began the night with, but a sweated out curly scuffled mess. He rose from the bed and sleepily sauntered towards to the mirror.

He stood before it, his eyes grazing over his naked body. Darkened marks shown around his neck, chest and shoulders. A grin formed at his mouth while his mind trailed back to how those marks got there in the first place.

The memories of her hands exploring his body and sweet kisses that she left behind started to make him grow with lust. He swiped his tongue across his lower lip, the saccharine taste of her still present. If Ichor were real, he imagined this was what it tasted like.

Feeling himself growing swell, he stepped away from the mirror and headed towards one of the doors, hoping to find her. He just so happened to open the right door that led out of the bedroom and into a small hallway that overlooked the large main room below. All the curtains were pulled apart completely illuminating the entire room. The empty room.

He trotted down the wooden staircase, feeling his member bouncing with each step, and found himself back where it all began. Everything looked different in daylight but it still felt the same. He looked around expecting to find a note or some kind of message. Nothing. In his search he noticed a familiar set of clothing that sat upon one of the couches: trousers, shirts, vest, and a jacket, his entire getup rested neatly with his shoes sitting on the floor in front of them.

He chuckled to himself. Her words were true and she made sure he would retrieve that jacket of his. He reached for his pants pocket in search for his phone, quickly feeling the square device and pulling it out, checking for the time. 11:17.

"Shit," he hissed. He assumed it would've been earlier. He shook his head and placed his phone back in his pocket.

Coming to terms with her presence being nowhere in sight, he sighed and dressed himself, leaving his jacket off. He found a nearby mirror, much smaller than the one upstairs and attempted to fix his hair as best as he could. His fingers rubbed through his short curls at the top, giving it some kind of solace but not enough to fix without a comb. He dropped his hand in surrender and proceeded to straighten his collar. His eyes noticed another dark tanned mark and he smirked before covering it.

Before leaving, he suddenly had the strong urge to urinate. Not sure if there was a bathroom on this floor he quickly jogged back upstairs and into the same room as before. He opened the other door and was right about it being a bathroom. It matched the decor as the bedroom, modern, solid colors, and neat. He was careful to keep it that way. After relieving himself he made his way back downstairs.

He headed for the elevator, grabbing his vest and jacket along the way. He noticed there was no kind of scanner on the door like the one downstairs. He figured it must've only been for coming up. He tapped the button on the bottom and waited.

Seconds later a soft ding sounded and large doors separated. He stepped inside and studied the buttons. They were all blank, lined up horizontally just like last night. He pondered for a moment. He recalled her pressing the second to last button last night, which said the latter buttons were the higher floors. He took a gamble and hit the second button, assuming the first may be for the basement if there was a basement.  

He stood forward, taking in the modern room for the last time as the doors closed before him. Soon after, the doors reopened and welcomed him into the same corridor from last night. It too looked different, much brighter even with dark walls. The lights were white now and not a dim violet and cyan.  

He strolled down the hall and out onto the main floor. Everything seemed so much brighter and bigger to him without hundreds of people all about. His eyes grazed the room, wondering if maybe she would be here. But again, nothing. It was almost silent except there was a song playing, with volume so low it'd be impossible to hear unless one were standing still.

He eyed the exit and began making his way, coming to terms that she was no longer here.

"Morning!" A light, energetic voice called out, stopping him in his tracks. He looked around, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"Enjoy your night?" the voice asked again, this time sounding closer. He glanced up and saw a fiery haired woman leaning against the railing with large curls dangling before her. She had a grin on her face while she stared down at Hale.

"Well?" she asked once more. He cleared his throat.

"Um...I, I did," he said sheepishly, and she couldn't help but giggle at his embarrassment.

"Listen, do you know where I can find..." his voice trailed off before he finished. Her name, he never got her name. He looked away from the woman, pondering, and damning himself for never getting her name. The one and only thing he'd asked for but was unfortunately denied until further notice. Then something came to him, a voice in his head, a memory. It formed in his mind, hazy but there. He shut his eyes trying to decipher the thought that was at the top of his recollection but just out of reach. But he would not give up and a ponder later, the memory revealed itself. "Astraea..." he whispered, a smile forming.

"What was that?" the woman asked. Hale glanced up at her, almost forgetting she was there.

"Astraea. Do you know where she is?" he asked, saying her her name with confidence.

"Ohh, so you're a special one." Her eyes widened with fascination.

"Excuse me, special?" He raised his brow.

"She's not in." she replied, ignoring his question. "She left an hour and a half ago."

Hale sighed. He knew she could be anywhere by now.

"Is there a number I could reach her?" he wondered, unsure if he should even be asking. The woman laughed.

"Well, seems like you're not that special," she snickered. She moved from the railing and made her way downstairs, her curls bouncing with life. She wore a royal blue halter top maxi dress with a train that trailed behind her. She was slightly taller than Astraea, and a lighter complexion with pink undertones.

"Where'd you park?" she asked.

"The garage," he replied. She nodded.

"I'll show you out." She moved past him and began walking towards two side doors that was concealed at another side of the vast room.

He got the feeling of pleasantry along with seriousness from her. She was friendly, but did not seem in the mood for small talk, as if he was interrupting something. 

He obediently followed her to the set of double doors. She pressed her index against a small black screen, similar to the scanner near the elevator. A green light sparked and the doors unlocked, allowing her to open.

She pointed to another metal door. "That one's unlocked from the inside, leads right to the garage," she explained.

"Thank you." He nodded and stepped past her. Sharp emerald eyes scanned him up and down with a small smirk.

He opened the other door and sure enough there was the garage. Just as he stepped out he heard her speak.

"You should be proud. Not everyone gets a night with the head woman in charge," she said. Before he could muster a reply she shut the large doors. 

Head woman in charge? He questioned himself. That's when it befell him. Astraea. The glowing name out front reads Raestra. The spelling was different, not quite backwards but with the same letters. He remembered noticing it was an unfamiliar name for a club but unique in its own right. He chucked to himself. Astraea. She was...is the owner.

He looked around for his car, easily spotting the polished black sedan in the nearly empty lot. He strode away with a prideful smile.

She'd definitely be back, and so would he.

***

Thoughts, comments, concerns are always welcomed!