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“Okay, want to dance in a bit?” she asked, and I nodded. “Grab that seat by the wall.” She pointed.
“It’s glass, hardly a wall.” I chuckled.
“Drink if you want to drink, babe, because getting you home won’t be a problem. I’ll arrange a pickup for your car tomorrow,” Cassie said, sitting on the arm of the chair that I was in.
“I’m fine,” I replied, crossing my legs. I leaned over the arm of the chair, watching the crowd below move to the beat of the music. Watching the people dance made me thing of Matt and all the places we used to go to. Places where I was recognized at the door. Thinking of him filled me with sadness. I blinked the tears away before anyone noticed.
Cassie then pulled me out of my thoughts with her comments. “I love your dress, by the way. Very sexy.” She flipped my hair over my shoulder to get a better look. “The black belt is a classy touch, makes you look thinner than you already are.” Her lips pursed.
“I don’t feel sexy.” I shrugged and sighed.
“Oh, stop—” She stopped mid-sentence and stood. “Oh, my God!” She screeched, stood and started toward the door. My head slowly turned as I watched her run down the stairs gracefully, not even tripping once. I lost her in the crowd for a moment, and then found her when I saw two people hugging. As I focused, I realized she was hugging Nick. The jerk I met tonight. Then she grabbed him by the hand and dragged him through the crowd. My heart started to race. What if he was as callous as Mason was and told everyone about how we had met earlier? Panic rose in my chest. I quickly gulped my drink down.
“Charlie!” She practically ran across the room to him. “I want you to meet my cousin Nick.” She gave Nick a side hug. Charlie stood, holding out his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Nick.” He smiled, and then sat down again. Nick nodded at everyone, stopping when his eyes fell on me and then he smiled.
“Oh, Nick, this is my best friend, Lauren,” Cassie said, smiling. “I told you about her.” Cassie put her hand on my shoulder.
“Yes, I remember.” He smirked and held out his hand. With a shaky hand, I reached over, taking his hand in mine. “Pleasure, I’m sure.” He smirked. I sunk in the chair, turning away. If I didn’t talk and avoided unwanted stares, the night might go by faster. “I actually met Lauren outside,” he stated. My head spun around so fast it could have detached. His eyes remained on my widening and pleading eyes. “She failed to mention she was your friend.” His stare was now directed at Cassie.
I got up from the chair and walked over to the bar. “Martini, please,” I said, breathy. When I turned around, Nick was standing behind me. “Boundaries dude?” I scoffed.
“I understand his fascination with you,” he said, leaning against the wooden bar top.
I gulped. “I beg your pardon.” Nick’s dragged his tongue along the top of his lip.
“Mason . . . I see why he likes you.”
I stammered, “I—I doubt that, and besides, I wouldn’t care.” Looking away, I cursed under my breath. The bartender handed over my drink.
“Oh, you care,” he said and then stole the olive from my drink. I stared as he popped it in his mouth. I watched as the muscles in his jaw tightened as he chewed. “You make it too easy, though.”
I cleared my throat, pulling my eyes away from his perfectly set jaw. “You know, there’s only room for one asshole in Portland,” I said, biting my tongue afterwards.
His lips stretched wide; then he leaned in close. “Sweetheart, we’re all assholes here. You’re the one that doesn’t fit in,” he snidely replied.
My cheeks flared red. “Wow,” I gasped, watching him walk away. My jaw remained unhinged. He returned to mingling with Cassie and her friends as if they had known each other for years.
Maybe he was right; I didn’t fit in here.
At that moment, I hoped he felt the burn of my stare on the back of his head. My anger had taken over, and I was already on my third martini. I didn’t even notice Cassie walk up and stand next to me.
“I thought you said you were driving,” she asked, laughing.
“I needed another.” I shrugged, gulping the remainder of my drink. “It’s a bit stuffy in here. I need to dance,” I said, hopping off the bar stool. “I’ll take a shot of tequila too, please,” I said turning to the bartender.
“Slow down.” Cassie laughed. “Charlie babe, we’re going to dance,” she hollered. Charlie waved her off.
Nick watched us leave.
The closer to the dance floor, the louder the music got. The pulse in the bass shook the floor. Darkness filled the open space. Strobes lights and lasers danced across the sweaty, moving bodies. A popular song that was on the top ten of every radio station began, and the crowd stopped and cheered. I laughed and wiggled my way through the crowd. Cassie was in front of me, and we both started singing and dancing. Arms waving in the air, hips bouncing back and forth, the R&B beats taking over. The floor was so crowded that everyone had no choice but to bump into each other. Heat from all the bodies made me hot, beads of sweat sliding down my skin. Another song mixed in, matching the beat of the previo
us song, and the crowd bounced with their arms in the air. When the chorus hit, the DJ turned the volume down and the crowd all sang. I laughed, remembering how fun this was. As I turned around dancing, the girls in front of me parted, revealing Nick made his way towards me. I stopped short his seductive eyes locked on mine. The style of song changed, as did the dancing. It was the kind of song that demanded seduction. Arms strung around necks and legs wrapped around waists. It was sex on the dance floor, and the one guy heading towards me made me utterly nervous. He smiled as he slipped his arms around my waist, pulling me tight against his hard body. Our bodies melted together as we danced rhythmically. His expensive cologne filled my senses, forcing my eyes shut, and I released a gasp. His sensual touch and arousing scent was doing something to my insides. I wasn’t sure I’d stay in control. Even the words in the song were enough to set the mood. His eyes burned through mine, his stare taking me away, his face so close that his lips hovered over mine. I wanted to kiss him, desperately. Then he leaned in and I felt his lips caress my neck sending chills through me as his made his way to my ear. He caught me off guard with his directness.
“You’re so fuckin’ hot.” I felt his fingers tickle the nape of my neck. Now, normally, cursing didn’t turn me on, but with his touch and the way he was devouring me with his eyes, I would have stripped for him right there on the dance floor. Instead, in the heat of the moment, I opted for a kiss. The passion in his lips was enough to spike my arousal. I think I surprised him, but he didn’t pull away. “Wanna get out of here?” he whispered through our lips. I broke free, cutting all connection with him.
What did he think I was a slut like his brother ’s dates? What was I thinking, acting like this? This was not me. Clearly, Nick had the wrong impression of me. I shook my head
