Page 23
Without warning, he swept me sideways. “Chassé,” he rasped in my ear.
I absolutely lost it, laughing hysterically.
Every time I looked at his stupid face, I started up again. I ended up with the hiccups and had to breathe deeply to get myself under control. Palm on my chest. Eyes watering. I love his sense of humor.
When I was breathing almost normally again, I took a sip of my drink, daring him to try something over the rim of the glass. And when he smiled at me with that fucking lime wedge covering his teeth like a jackass, I snorted margarita out of my nose and down the front of my dress.
All the leftover bubbles that had settled only a moment before came rolling through me again. He was smiling ear to ear, and his chest was vibrating with satisfaction when he took my glass out of my hand and untucked his shirt so I could use the bottom to wipe off my face and the tears from my eyes.
“This smells like it touched your balls,” I huffed into his shirttails. He threw an arm around my neck and kissed my head affectionately.
“I tuck all my shirts into my underwear, so that tracks.”
I snickered as he steered me down a rainbow-lit hallway to the restroom.
He pushed me into the ladies’ room, “You look like the Joker in the middle of an existential crisis. Go clean up.” I playfully resisted, but as soon as I saw myself in the mirror, I dissolved into a fit of giggles again.
His description was perfect. My mascara was smeared down my cheeks, and my red lipstick was smudged in the corner.
I splashed water on my face, wiped away my makeup, and was about to reapply my lipstick when I looked at my reflection again. Cheeks flushed, eyes shining. I looked happy as fuck.
11
Zero Stars
New York City, NY
Will
The overhead LEDs were doing their whole rainbow mood-swing, mirroring my own feelings about the woman walking down the hall toward me. Barefaced, laughing, a little bit messy—every color that hit her looked like an exhibit just for me. In green, she was Isa, sultry and mysterious. Then the lights flipped and she was coated in sunshine yellow like Lou always seemed to be, funny and unguarded. Then purple lights cast in lavender the smart, sexy version of her I fell in love with tonight, la Rosa de Bayahibe.
And I just stood there like an idiot, watching the show.
Louisa stopped in front of me, smile faltering. “Everything okay?”
I’m in love with you.
“Of course… all good.” I didn’t sound convincing at all.
Thankfully, Bear Guy saved the day.
“You call this place The Wilderness?” Our heads snapped toward the familiar voice. Bouncers were hustling him down the hallway toward a door marked with an exit sign. “Don’t worry, I won’t be back. Zero stars for atmosphere.”
I needed a little mischief to help me reset.
“Dude, yes!” I said in solidarity, raising my fist for him to bump as he passed. “They’ve been pushing the mountain man angle for weeks, and I looked at my girl when we got here like…” I left it open-ended for him, feigning incredulity.
He spun around to face the bouncers, backing out of the exit with arms wide, double deuces engaged, and took the bait: “No. Fucking. Bears!”
Lou looked up at me, beaming. Have I ever had this much fun with a woman?
She slipped her arm in mine and squeezed my bicep. I resisted the urge to flex and turned to walk her back to the club floor, but she stayed rooted and dropped her hold on me. I searched her eyes, unsure of what was going through her head. She looked uncharacteristically nervous under red lights. I called her my girl. Fuck!
Her brow furrowed, and I was struck with a sense of foreboding.
“Do you think you and I would be friends without Hassi in the middle?” she asked.
Hardest part of bein’ a man, lad, is bein’ an honest one.
