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Without waiting for a response, I turned toward Jase and slipped my hand into his. Nodding at the bouncer, who understood he was to add the heckler to the blacklist, I led us into the nightclub and through the private corridor only for us and our guests, which led to the third floor.
Once we were in our private booth, which spanned both the nightclub and the strip club and meant we could oversee the action on both sides, I eased myself onto the large, comfortable sofa while Jase went around the other side of the bar installed in it. After getting us both a drink— a mojito for me and three fingers of scotch, neat, for him—he picked up the phone and called down to the kitchen to let them know we were there.
Ten minutes later, a waitress arrived with dinner, a delicious meal of tender, juicy steak with steamed vegetables. There were also sides of mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese, which I knew he’d ordered especially for me, but I didn’t have to work hard to coax him into sharing the bowls with me.
The drinks went down easier with food in our stomachs, and we paced ourselves as we talked and watched the dancers. When we were ready, we went downstairs to the nightclub and I nodded at the DJ.
We always had our first dance to one song, and the DJ never played it unless we were there. “Planet Earth” by Duran Duran was the song we considered ours. It had been on the radio when Jase started the car after picking me up from the foster home the night we’d fled Kansas for New York.
When the first beats of the song began, a hush went out among the crowd. The room parted and the spotlight hit me first because I was standing in front of Jase.
Reaching back for his hand, I pulled him into the middle of the floor and spun around to face him. It was then that we began to dance. Everyone else watched us for about ten seconds, then they joined us on the dance floor and we were swallowed up in the crowd.
Nobody interrupted or took photos of us. That was an unspoken rule of entry into Meteor. Anyone caught photographing us was immediately thrown out and placed on the blacklist, banished from the nightclub for good. We were just two more people looking to dance the night away.
And dance we did. We left the floor several times to get a drink or rest for a bit, but we danced for hours before retreating back to our booth. I ordered some dessert, and we devoured the chocolate cake and fresh whipped cream presented to us.
The sugar rush must have given me a surge of adrenaline, because I dragged my best friend back onto the main floor and we danced for another hour or so before calling it quits. He placed his arm around my waist and guided me back to the booth before thrusting a bottle of water into my hand.
Once we’d hydrated and cooled down a little, I checked the time. It was just after one in the morning and I didn’t want to wake Stuart, especially when we’d told him we’d be there all night, so I called the head of security on duty and he arranged a ride home for us.
I was laughing and stumbling all over the place by the time we got back to the penthouse, and Jase ended up carrying me into my bedroom. By now, I was close to falling asleep, so I didn’t protest as he removed my dress, even though I wasn’t wearing a bra.
It wasn’t a big deal. He’d seen my breasts before, on more than one occasion, and it wasn’t as though he was trying to take advantage of me. I stood still and raised my arms as he slipped the nightgown over my head and tucked me into bed.
Leaning over me, his hands on either side of my body, he smiled. “Did you have fun tonight?”
I lifted one hand and placed it on his cheek. “I sure did. You’re the best best friend a girl could ask for.” I stopped and thought about what I’d just said. “Get it? You’re the best best friend.”
It made me giggle, and his warm laugh made my insides feel all funny. “Yes, I get it, Em. Time for sleep now, sweetheart. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He leaned down and kissed my cheek, and I wound my arms around his neck. “Love you, Jase,” I murmured sleepily.
It was true. I did love him, more than anyone else in the world.
Couldn’t imagine my life without him in it.
