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“We did. Tonight is about remembering who we used to be. I need this.” Cali sighed and pouted playfully at her sister. “We both do.”
“I agree. Let’s have some fun. One more of these and we’re hitting the dance floor.”
The dramatic way Cali threw her arms in the air and almost spilled what was left of her drink had Conner grinning in amusement.
“Maybe no more of those for you.”
“Shut up. I’m fine,” Cali assured and finished what was left of her drink. The rush of taking it down so fast warmed her stomach and settled her nerves. The music thumped and pulsed loudly around them. Cali would swear to feeling the bass vibrating through her body. It sparked a feeling she hadn’t experienced in a while. Being alive, happy, and carefree. “Let’s dance,” she shouted, smiling so widely that she offered Conner a visual of her pretty teeth.
Conner matched her sister’s enthusiasm, turning up her glass and swallowing the bright blue sugary drink. She tugged on Cali’s hand until the sisters collided, which sent them into a fit of giggles. “Let’s go. It’s time to dance.”
After a few songs, Cali was lost to everything around her. Half an hour after being on the dance floor, the sisters exited for a bathroom break and stopped by the bar for two shots each then returned to the sea of bodies that moved like a blur of limbs under the flashing strobe lights illuminating the dance floor.
The rapid succession of their blinking and shifted sequences scrambled Cali’s mind a bit too much so as she threw her arms loosely above her head, swaying and rolling her body beneath them, she kept her eyes closed. The carefree party girl she had been years ago resurfaced and it felt so damn good to dance and blend into the swaying bodies guided by the music.
Occasionally she managed to peel her eyes open to search for Conner. It was just as important that she was safe and she enjoyed herself. When she found her baby sister, body to body with a blur of a man who had his hands at her hips moving the two in sync, Cali grinned and allowed her eyes to fall closed again.
The pleasing hum of liquor thrumming through her veins allowed Cali to escape in plain sight until she felt additional warmth at her waist. A pair of large, strong hands pulled from behind until she landed awkwardly against a firm chest.
She glanced over her shoulder to find a determined smile and hooded eyes peering down at her. She tensed briefly but relaxed when his grip loosened a little.
It’s just a dance.
She settled back into swaying her body, but this time he followed her motion. He smelled of smoke and a cologne that was nice but not the one she had grown familiar with over the past month or so. The reality had her mind drifting to War.
Her hips moved in time with the music and her dance partner ground against her. She felt the firmness of his arousal and pulled away.
Space. I need space.
“Hey, where you going?”
“Bathroom.”
It was a lie.
“Hang on, what’s your name?”
“Not interested in anything but a dance.”
“I don’t believe that, sexy. You want what I’m offering. I know you feel that, don’t you?”
“I need to go.”
His fingers dug into her hip, spiking a warning through Cali’s system. She immediately looked around to see if anyone noticed their interaction. They hadn’t. Just like she had been, the other patrons were more or less in their own worlds, enjoying the moment.
“You’re out here in this dress, dancing like this. That says interested, beautiful. I’m just giving what you’re asking for.”
Cali froze. Fight or flight kicked in and she used all of her force to move away from the guy. “How I’m dancing and the way I’m dressed does not mean I want you disrespecting me or my personal space. Excuse me.”
Thankfully when she walked away he didn’t follow. In a panic she searched for Conner once more and didn’t see her. It wasn’t until she pushed through most of the crowd and reached the bar that she caught a glimpse of Conner and the man who was dragging her toward the exit.
Maurice.
What the fuck is he doing here?
Cali moved as fast as she could to get to the door. There was a crowd hovering, waiting to gain approval to enter, and they delayed her exit by blocking the door. By the time Cali managed to step out into the night air, all she caught was the taillights of a car she recognized pulling away from the valet stand.
“Shit.”
