Chapter 7
STEPHANIE
Squeezing my way through what felt like a million people to get off the dance floor, I took a deep breath when the crowd finally deposited me near the bar. My cheeks were so hot I was pretty sure I was glowing, and it felt like oxygen wouldn’t reach my lungs.
Some of it was probably because of the crush getting off the dance floor, the rest was definitely only attributable to that guy who came to dance with me. When I looked up to see the hot guy from outside in front of me, I thought I was hallucinating. Then I remembered I hadn’t even finished my second cocktail before going out onto the floor and I wasn’t sick, so the likelihood of it being a hallucination was low.
I nearly fucking fainted when I came to that realization. He, Mr. Cool, Calm and Unaffected, came to dance with me. And then he definitely got affected. I felt his massive… affection sticking into my stomach.
He wanted me to feel it, judging by the way he hauled me up against him. Okay, hauled was a strong word. Pulled? Besides, I wasn’t objecting.
The guy was hotter up close than he had been when I saw him outside from afar. Like, next level hot. Warm, chocolatey eyes that became heated when he looked down at me. His dark hair was soft and silky when I briefly let my hands tangle into it while we were dancing. A light tan, or maybe it was just the way the lights made him look.
And his body… Jeez. When he went to the gym, he didn’t muck around like I did. Clearly. I needed an ice-cold drink, possibly followed by an ice-cold shower or a date with my trusty vibrator after that damn dance.
Weaving my way past tall, round tables and people swaying to the music as they tried to make conversation, I spotted Tiana at the bar.
She wasn’t alone. No surprise there. She was talking to a guy who looked vaguely familiar, but then the hot guy from outside also sparked some recognition. I just couldn’t place either of them.
School, probably.
Laughing her head off, Tiana was bent slightly over with one arm resting on the bar counter, while the guy she was talking to had his head thrown back and was wiping the corner of his eye.
I sidled up to them, sliding into a space next to Tiana. She turned when she saw me, catching her breath before motioning to the guy and leaning over to plug my ear with her thumb so she could talk to me.
“This is Tanner. We had English class together years ago back at NYU.”
Tanner extended a hand. His palm was slightly calloused against mine. Grinning, he leaned in as well. “Tiana was just learning English then. Man, we had some fun with her.”
“Stephanie,” I replied. “Tell me more.”
Tanner ordered a round of drinks and once they were delivered, jerked his head for us to follow him. We made our way to the back of the club, where he nodded at another beefy bouncer who dropped another velvet rope.
Off to the side of the club, behind the rope, was a lounge area. It had plush couches and beanbag chairs, and unlike in the main hubbub, you could talk in here. I could still see the main floor behind us before we set off to find a table.
Sneaking a glance over my shoulder, I saw the hot guy from earlier still on the dancefloor. He was surrounded by a pack of women. Wrapped up between three of them. That didn’t take long.
I shrugged it off. It was probably for the best. Boys like him were trouble. They were too good looking, provided excellent distractions, but them and their ding-dongs would always end up ditching. And girls like me, who had trouble with completely no strings attached sex, would always be left wondering why.
No. I had goals. I couldn’t afford any distractions right now.
Squaring my shoulders, I put him behind me and grabbed a seat with Tanner and Tiana. They were squashed up together on a loveseat, still laughing and acting like long lost BFFs.
“On our first day,” Tanner told me, a beer hanging loosely between his fingers, “Tiana here came into class and asked me if I was a douche.”
“I did not say douche.” Tiana giggled, rolling her eyes.
“Oh yeah?” Tanner raised a brow and took a pull of his beer, never breaking eye contact with her. “What did you say then?”
“I can’t remember,” she said flippantly. A flush spread on her neck, telling me she did remember, and she probably did ask him if he knew he was a douche.
Tanner’s eyes sparkled with amusement as he fought back a laugh. “You totally did, but let’s move on then. How about that class about colloquialisms? You asked the lecturer for a rubber.”
Tiana laughed and hung her head, wagging her pointer finger up and down. “Now that, I can’t deny. I did do that.”
“Do you remember when we went out for coffee and the waitress asked if we were going Dutch? You were so offended.” Tanner’s hand crept onto Tiana’s knee, and I saw him give it a squeeze.
“I thought she was insinuating I didn’t shave or something.” Tiana shrugged, pressing the corners of her lips together to keep from smiling. “You guys were really no help at all.”