Out of Oblivion Read Free Page B

depends on my workload at school."
    Kurt folded his arms in front of him and leaned back in the chair, looking eerily triumphant. "What are you studying?"
    "Graphic design, although I'm not sure if I'll stick with it."
    "Why?" he asked.
    "I'm a decent enough artist, but graphic design isn't what I expected. I'm not as good at it as I thought I would be, so I'm considering focusing on my art."
    "I would love to see your work."
    I smiled. Once he got off the subject of BDSM, he didn't seem so bad, and few people showed interest in my art. Not even Alexis. She wasn't into art. It would be kind of nice to show it to someone.
    "So what about you?"
    He glanced at his watch. "While I'd love to tell you about myself, I need to meet with a client."
    It was eleven at night. What kind of client would he be meeting so late?
    "Would you like to continue this conversation over coffee tomorrow evening?" Kurt asked.
    "I'm not sure that would be a good idea." Even if I was more comfortable with him, he had to be at least ten years older than me. I wasn't into older guys.
    "Why?"
    "I don't want to date while I'm in school. It's too much of a distraction." That sounded like a plausible excuse.
    "Well, what if it's not a date. Would it be okay to go out with a friend?"
    "If it's just as friends, you wouldn't mind if I brought Alexis along?"
    He stiffened, but the smile never left his face. "Sure, that would be fine. There's a cafe on the corner of Bancks Street and Mortin Drive. Why don't you meet me there at seven?"
    "Okay, I'm familiar the place." My friends and I went there often.
    "It was nice to meet you, Haleigh," he said and left.
    Dominic walked in as Kurt left. He watched until I heard the front door close, then joined me on the sofa.
    "I hope you don't think badly of me, Haleigh, but I overheard some of your conversation with Kurt."
    "You should be a spy instead of a web designer," I suggested. "Or maybe you are a spy and that's your cover."
    Dominic's lips pressed into a tight grin, and I wondered if I had offended him.
    "I'm kidding."
    "It's not that. We've just met, and I have no right to say this, but I'm concerned."
    "About what?"
    "I don't think you should go out with Kurt, Haleigh."
    Was this concern or jealousy? Dominic showed little interest in me until he realized Kurt had asked me to go to coffee with him. But if he had been listening to the conversation, he'd know we were only going out as friends to talk.
    "Alexis is coming with me. It's not even a date."
    "I know, but he's new to the area, and I've heard stories about him."
    I rolled my eyes. "Hasn't anyone told you, you shouldn't believe everything you hear?"
    "I know. I'm sorry, but he gives me a bad feeling. I saw the way you looked at him at first. You can't deny you sensed it too."
    How could he see that? "It'll be fine. We probably won't see each other again after that anyway. I'm not interested in him. I'm just being polite."
    Dominic sighed. "Being polite does not require you to go out to coffee with someone, or to do anything for them at all, Haleigh."
    Why did he care so much? If he asked me out, I would reconsider seeing Kurt, but Dominic had no interest in me. At least Kurt had shown interest in me and set aside the BDSM stuff for me. I doubted Dominic would do the same. No. I wasn't being fair. He had offered me an out when he saw I was uncomfortable, and he wasn't forcing the BDSM topic down my throat, but still. It made little sense he'd care who I went out with. Like he said, he didn't know me. We weren't even friends. It could have been his need to boss people around.
    "Look, Dominic. I appreciate the warning, but I can take care of myself. I have no interest in getting involved with Kurt."
    Dominic nodded. "Just be careful, okay?"
    "Yeah, I will."

Chapter 3
    Alexis looked awful when she woke the next morning. Her face was pale with dark circles around her eyes and a red nose like Rudolph. Every time she spoke she had a coughing fit, and when she did