Taking a sip of my drink, I look towards the dance floor, trying to find Laurie and Brett among the people dancing. After a few moments, I spot Laurie giving Brett some mini twerking action while he grins from ear to ear.
“Mind if I join you?”
I look up at the good-looking guy in front of me. He’s tall and fit, dark-haired, and confident in the manner of a guy who knows how good-looking he is. Something about him reminds me of Jack, and that alone is enough to make me shake my head and smile apologetically.
He shrugs and walks away, leaving the raised VIP area for the bar, where a couple of women are sitting alone. I down the rest of my drink and resume watching Laurie and Brett. I know I can’t spend the whole night watching them, and I can’t leave early and ruin the night for them either. Maybe I shouldn’t have sent away the guy who approached me.
“You want another one of the same?”
I look up at the waiter standing by the table, leaning towards me. I should have another drink, get a little buzzed and let it loose on the dance floor. If I party till I’m exhausted, then maybe I’ll fall asleep as soon as I get home, and not lie awake thinking of Landon Court.
Just the thought of his name and my body awakens, demanding for more of the pleasure from that night.
I shake my head. It’s a good thing I’m never going to see him again. Letting him get into my head is nothing but a recipe for disaster. What’s the point of thinking about someone who’s so hot, obviously rich, and probably not available?
“Why are you still sitting here?” I hear Laurie exclaim. I was too deep in my thoughts to see her approach the table. “Come on Rach, you have to dance.”
She collapses on the seat beside me, breathing deeply, exhilarated from her dancing, with a light sheen of sweat glistening on her skin, just enough to make her look soft and dewy. “Where’s Brett?” I ask.
“He’s getting some water at the bar,” she replies. “Come on. You know you love to dance.”
“I’ll be right back,” I tell the waiter, getting up to follow Laurie to the floor. Down there, the music is loud and pumping, and the beat is almost impossible to resist. Laurie starts to dance and I join her, grinning as the DJ plays hit after hit. After a while, I completely lose myself in the music, forgetting about work, the fact that I’m only going to get a few hours of sleep before work tomorrow… I forget it all, except for Landon Court.
I pretend that I’m dancing for him. That with every move of my body I’m reeling him deeper and deeper into my spell, like a dancing siren, or Salome with her seven veils. I pretend that I’m seducing him with my dancing, teasing him, tempting him to take me somewhere and drive my body to madness again.
When a pair of male hands settle on my hips, I want to close my eyes and pretend that it’s him, his hands, and I almost do, but I’m not uninhibited enough for that, so I tap the hands away. I hear Laurie shout “go girl.” as I dip it really low, then shimmy back up. The guy behind me lets out a whistle, and I look up with a smile. Then for some reason, my eyes go towards the VIP area, and I see a man seated alone at a table, drink in his hand as he watches me.
The man is Landon Court.
All the air escapes from my lungs, leaving me frozen. What is he doing here?
Even from the distance, I can feel his eyes on my body, like heat burning into my skin. The expression in them is sensual, carnal even, as if he’s thinking exactly what he wants to do to me, or remembering the things he has done to me.
He looks away, his eyes dropping to the glass he’s holding. I manage to drag in a deep breath before he tosses back the contents of his glass and spears me with his gaze again.
He’s too far away to say anything to me. But like someone compelled, I go towards him, leaving the dance floor as I’m drawn to him by some deep desire in me I can’t control. I’m already standing in front of him before I realize how awkward it is. We’re strangers, strangers who’ve had sex, but still, as far as he’s concerned I’m a hooker.
He’s wearing dark pants and deep blue sweater, looking effortlessly handsome, sexy, and sophisticated. His hair is tousled, gleaming gold in the lights, and he’s still looking at me with that sensual gaze that makes me wish that instead of this public place, we were back in his apartment, tangled up in his bed.
He smiles, almost as if he can see what I’m thinking in my eyes.
“You’re a great dancer,” he says lightly, looking up at me through lashes that are much too long for a guy. Why is everything about him so sexy? It’s unfair to everyone else.
“Thanks,” I shift on my feet, wondering what the hell I’m doing standing in front of him like I’m being inspected. I should say something and go back to my table. But even as I struggle to find something, anything to say, it feels as if my body is reaching towards him, wanting to relive the contact of that first night.
He reaches out a hand to me. “Come on,” he requests. “Join me.”
I take his hand, feeling my body pulse as soon as my skin comes in contact with his. He pulls me down to sit beside him on the soft leather seat, and my nose fills with the scent of him - body wash and a faint whiff of spicy cologne.
He doesn’t let go of my hand, keeping it on his thigh as he beckons a waiter to bring us both drinks.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
He inclines his head towards me. We’re so close I can feel the heat from his skin. When he speaks. His warm breath fans my neck. “I was in the area.”
r /> Trembling, I take a shallow breath and move back a little, turning to face him. It seems like too much of a coincidence that he’s here, at the same lounge, on the same night. “Really?”
“Really.” he replies. There’s a gleam in his eyes that I don’t quite understand. I want to flatter myself that somehow, he’s here to find me, but how is that even possible? He leans closer to me and I lose the ability to think of anything but how much I’d like him to kiss me now. My lips part, almost involuntarily, and he lowers his eyes, his fingers tightening around mine.