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realized a shifter could
embody so much of his animal form in just a gaze. They held me in a
bond briefly until I broke away to scan the rest of the lousy club
and its hedonistic inhabitants, willing myself not to blush. I
admired a particularly elegant ballroom style gown until I noticed the
cackling woman wearing it. Her million dollar porcelain smile
didn't match the rest of her body and appeared plastic compared to
her face. I grimaced.
    Just out of my peripheral
vision, I noticed a figure approach. He cleared his throat.
    “ May I sit with you?” He
asked.
    I turned to respond with something
incredibly snarky until I realized it was Zack. My face flushed
with embarrassment.
    “ Oh, sure, ” I
responded quickly, turning my attention down to my beer that was
now empty.
    “ You looked a bit lonely over
here,” He smoothed his hair behind his ear. “And it was getting so
crowded at the bar. I seem to have a following.”
    His eyes were totally
focused on me. He didn't look around to scan the crowd or to search
for friends. In fact, he didn't seem very interested in anyone else
in the club. As of now, his focus was mine. Those blue arrows stung
my skin like the rays of a harsh, midday sun. They penetrated every
bit of my body right down to the particles until I was completely
stripped bare – but they never wandered below my neck. He never
broke eye contact even when I looked away. Now, I was
captivated.
    “ You don't seem
totally preoccupied by me.” He said.
    I met his gaze with confidence and
said, “Not at all. I don't find your work that
impressive.”
    He met my comment with a raised
brow and an inquisitive nod.
    “ Well, I'm quite relieved. I don't
think I could possibly handle another woman fawning over my work
just to get into my good graces.” He smiled sweetly. “I know the
guy who owns this place. It's why my party is being hosted here. He
actually gave me this watch.”
    Our eye-lock finally broke when he
looked down at his wrist, shook it with a look of fondness, and
then readjusted it to a more comfortable setting.
    “ I would have felt bad appearing
without wearing it, but it's not typically my style. It's sort of
flashy, no?” He held it up for me to look over.
    Bravely, and against all inner
intuition, I reached across the table to outline the edge of the
watch with my finger. I tapped the glass with my nail.
    “ You could have fed an entire world
with this watch.” I shrugged. “But morality first: don't offend
anyone. Right?”
    Zack met my gaze again with a
teasing smile before saying, “You are no ordinary LA woman, are
you? You care more about what's out there than what's in here.
What's your name?”
    “ Skylar Jones. I'm a
screenwriter.”
    He shook my hand.
    “ It's lovely to meet you, Skylar
Jones.”
    Oh ya, my name sounded much better
coming out of his mouth.
    I giggled, against my
better judgment , and held his gaze this time, feeling much more confident than when
he'd sat down.
    “ The world needs change, Mr. Rider.
I think that change has to start in big places like Hollywood.
Don't you think so?” I wanted to challenge his way of thinking to
see if he was more intelligent than his flashy suit.
    “ Please, call me Zack. And I think
that's a noble cause. I completely agree. People are so preoccupied
with image and they could use an awakening.”
     
    He placed his hand gently over
mine as we continued to chatter on about the status of Hollywood
and currently existing inequalities. I explained my situation with
my screenwriting and how I felt that no one was taking me seriously
as an artist. He apologized, saying that many executive producers
who were shifters simply weren't interested in changing the status
quo. Their focus was on the money that could be shoveled in and the
potential groupies that it would bring.
    “ Everything is about sex and money,
and how to market that to the rest of the world so it becomes
normal.” I couldn't break away from his eyes. I was being