Elixir Read Online Free

chuckle deep and low.
    “Oh, I’m not Obadiah,” he said on a laugh, his voice thick with a Southern drawl, out of place in New York City. He gestured with his head to the far corner of the room. “ He’s Obadiah.”
    Of course he is, was all I could think as I turned to where the bouncer had pointed.
    A man was standing with his back against the bar top, next to the velvet stage curtains. He was devastatingly handsome, but unlike the perfect bodies of the dancers, there was something rough about him, restless. His skin was a sun-weathered brown and there was a dark shadow of stubble along the square lines of his jaw. He leaned up against the shining marble, one hand cocked on his hip—seemingly relaxed, but I could see a tension in his muscles that reminded me of a jaguar poised to spring.
    He was wearing a crisp white linen shirt, like a gentleman from days of yore, rolled up at the elbows as if braced for a fight. The material was thin, and I could see the flat planes of his chest as a shaft of stage light hit him. His dark eyes sparkled with a keen intelligence as he surveyed the room—he was taking in everything, like a director watching his play being performed.
    From his body, I would have guessed he was in his late twenties or early thirties, but the expression in his eyes was much older than that. It lacked innocence. It cut right through the sparkle of the party and hinted at something dark at its core.
    The floater hovered just above his head.
    Then Obadiah turned towards me.
    I almost lost my footing as the full force of his attention landed on me, his gaze boring into my skin. He was staring right at me, not even pausing to blink. It was as if his eyes were searching me, trying to figure out who I was, what I was, what right I had to be there. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was staring—just looked straight at me with such intensity that I had to lower my eyes and turn away because I couldn’t bear it a moment longer.
    The man I’d been talking to before, the bouncer, walked over to Obadiah. As he did so, he glanced back at me from over his shoulder, and I detected nervousness in his eyes. He whispered something in Obadiah’s ear. Without taking his eyes off me, Obadiah nodded.
    Fear simmering in my stomach, I stepped closer, trying to hear what they were saying.
    “Boss, I think it’s her. Should I . . .  ?”
    “No.”
    “But you saw . . .  !”
    “I saw both. ” Obadiah held up his hand for silence. “Just wait. I’ll take care of this.”
    The big man stepped back, his head down, like a wolf submitting to its pack leader. Clearly Obadiah was the boss here. But what was he saying? Was the “her” they were talking about me? What had he seen?
    My stomach clenched. He knows, I thought, beginning to panic. He must know you’re a P.I. Why else would Obadiah be staring at you like that?
    My breath was coming faster, and I tried to slow it down, tried to think.
    But how would he know? I hadn’t done anything to give myself away. All I’d done was come through the door, walk a few steps, notice the dancers. I was being paranoid, I told myself.
    He knows you don’t belong here, the little voice in my head chastised me. How could you? Look at the people on the stage and then look at yourself.
    Maybe he doesn’t know, I thought, trying to comfort myself, trying to get my breathing back to normal. Maybe they were talking about something else? Maybe you’re just reading way too much into a stare?
    I took a deep breath, hoping for the best.
    When I looked up, Obadiah had stopped staring. But then the other man turned away and Obadiah was walking towards me. My stomach fluttered as I wondered what I should do or say.
    As he approached me, his manner totally changed. His full lips curled upwards into an amiable smile. I noticed the floater moved with him, following his every step, hovering just above his head. There was a slow, sensual confidence in the way he walked; almost a