Chapter Ten
Car Jumped
KISS, one of the most exclusive clubs in the Meatpacking District, was a little hard to get into—but Marko promised Jen a night out she wouldn’t forget. Nothing could stop him from laying out the red carpet for his love.
Gag.
The club was fairly empty when we arrived, allowing an appreciation of the surroundings. The place had a very eccentric décor. It spewed Roman and Renaissance overindulgence, but the chandeliers, painted ceilings, and colorful lighting made it somewhat whimsical.
Scheduled as the main event later that evening, DJ Tito was slated to lead the party with house music. For now, soft jazzy tunes filled the atmosphere. Our table was close to the dance floor, and bottle service began with two bottles of champagne and a top shelf bottle of tequila. We dove into our glasses and toasted to a fantastic evening. After another four glasses of sparkling wine and a few shots of tequila, my vixen completely took over and thoughts of Tom became dormant. Taylor proved to be quite the distraction. I didn’t know how liberating it would be to shed my anxious skin and finally let loose.
An hour later, the place buzzed with people, the young and beautiful, the hip and trendy. From your new-money-rolling Wall Street bankers to the supermodel wannabees trying to score their cash cow—everyone had an agenda. The soft jazzy tunes transitioned to loud house music. Electronic symphonies swam through my ears, and bass pounded through my chest. My body wanted to burn through the dance floor, it yearned to absorb the sound—if only to silence the longing tearing at me to come out and be unleashed. I uncurled myself from under Taylor’s arm and stood up, holding his hand.
“Come dance with me,” I pleaded.
“Now?”
I tugged on him a bit impatiently. “Yes, now please. I want to dance,” I implored.
He conceded and I dragged him to the dance floor, bobbing and weaving until we pushed to the center of the crowd. We began to sway and I closed my eyes, letting the music guide my muscles. I opened them up again and saw Taylor looking lost. He didn’t know how to dance. His movements were so uncoordinated, he was a fish out of water. While many girls wouldn’t have cared and instead be dumbfounded by his good looks, his inability to dance turned me off completely. At the same time, I needed him there so I could, at least, be close to someone.
I needed to feel the hardness and warmth of a body against mine. Stepping closer, I put one arm around his neck and guided his other arm right below my waist, trying to get him to match my moves. Slowly, I gyrated against him, inviting a reciprocating response. I needed the connection. Look at me, Taylor, I yelled in my mind. With my hand, I tilted his head down toward mine. My eyes searched his for that something, a familiar gaze, but I saw nothing.
I felt nothing.
While my vixen put on her best moves and felt victory slowly rising against her hip, my real self stared blankly at my partner who was more concerned about his rising erection. For a moment, I thought I could lose myself entirely to this night and simply let my alter ego fly, but I yearned for more than this. I wanted to give in to the music, yet I couldn’t succumb. I was on autopilot until the song ended along with the lame dry hump.
As we broke from our hold, Taylor coldly turned around and headed for our table.
I need something stronger…vodka perhaps.
As I trailed after him, a strong hand entwined its fingers through mine, and I was slowly swallowed up again by the crowd.
What the?
I nearly tripped a couple of times as I was dragged across the dance floor, not being able to see who was in front of me pulling my arm. Seeing double, and deaf to human sound, my confusion intensified with the constant flash of strobe lights. Finally, synchronized with a break in the music, my kidnapper came to a halt. The crowd loosened, and when I thought I could identify my abductor, an icy smoke enveloped us.
It woke me out of my clouded state. The sweat on my body crystallized, cooling my senses. When the smoke cleared, I saw him and instantly heated up.
My knight came to rescue me once more.
Was it the alcohol? The music? All the emotions consuming me since Wednesday? I didn’t know, but I wanted to collapse into him. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to hug him. I wanted to hit him and scream at him and tear at him, then maybe kiss him again. Most of all, I wanted to cry because even though I was so ravaged by emotions, the only true emotion I felt was happiness.
All night, I lied to myself, letting my vixen run crazy, believing all was right with the world, that I couldn’t care less he wasn’t there, or didn’t need him so I could be content and alive. I was terribly wrong. I needed him more than I could dare imagine.
One single thought ran wild in my mind—he came for me.
Paralyzed, we waited, our gazes anchored to one another. The rumbling sounds of a new song began to thrum. Still holding my hand, he leaned forward, brushing his stubble across my face before reaching my ear. “Dance with me, Sara,” he whispered.
On cue, the club mix erupted. He brought my hand up to his neck and I caressed the back with my fingernails. He pulled me closer, sliding his other hand down my back, ultimately resting it below my waist. Our bodies attuned, harmoniously becoming one with the music. I surrendered to his touch and let him guide me, matching move for move. His familiar scent mixed with sweat drugged me. The feel of his back muscles moving through his gray shirt was tantalizing. With both my arms around his neck, he tilted his head down, our gazes locking.
This was the moment I’d waited for—the connection, the rhythm of our bodies pulsating to the beats. We moved faster and stronger. Not being able to contain my depravity, I brought my lips close to his and inhaled his sweet breath. We ignited as his taste hit my mouth. Our lips voraciously feasted on each other and our tongues impatiently bid for a turn, my hormones drenching me in bliss.
With a final bite to my lower lip, Tom halted his feast as if gorged on meat. He took me by the hand and hauled me through the crowd before emptying me out a back door. My ears rang as the deep hum of bass coming from the building echoed in my chest. We were out on a small terrace where clubbers snuck out to grab a smoke. Tom released my hand and I stumbled a little as my head spun, the alcohol about to win.
“What’s going on, Sara?” he asked in a stern voice.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Why did you ask me out here?” His tone remained firm.
“You’re the one who dragged me through the crowd.”
“I mean to the club,” he nearly snarled. “You texted me earlier, telling me you’d be here.”
Inadvertently, I giggled. “Aw…and you came. How sweet of you.”
Oh, God, my drunken vixen is a serious disaster.
“What are you playing at?” he continued to press.
“Playing at? I thought we were perfectly fine in there. In fact, I’d like to go back inside,” I replied playfully, still giggling.
“Why did you ask me here?” he said more pointedly.
With a frown and possibly a fake pout, I answered back, “You know what, I’m really not digging this…this…whatever it is, Mr. Twenty Questions. I don’t understand what the big deal is. You didn’t have to come.”
“Did you ask me here so I could watch you slather yourself all over blondie?”
My eyes narrowed. “You mean…Taylor?”
“I don’t care what his name is,” Tom blurted out.
“Well, I wasn’t slathering myself all over anybody. And, how long were you watching me anyway?”
“Long enough.”
“What the hell is your problem?”
“I think you should let me take you home.” He grabbed me by the hand and tried to pull me inside the club, but I yanked my hand back in protest.
My conscious self was briefly thrust back into this world. “Whoa, what makes you think you can waltz in here and drag me out? You know what, after not calling for three days, you have some fucking nerve showing up here, demanding explanations.”
“This was a mistake.” He turned to leave.
“Wait.’’ I grabbed him by the arm, and feeling his strength, realized my hand was not what stopped him. “We’re not finished, Tom. One moment you’re hot for me, the next you’re an icebox, then you send me flirty texts only to go dark for three days. What gives?”
“It’s complicated.”
“There’s somebody else.”
“I may be a lot of things, but I’m not that guy.”
“Then what is it?”
Before Tom could answer, Jen came crashing through the door. “What happened? We’ve been looking all over the place for you.”
I briefly looked at Tom before responding to Jen. “Needed some air.”
Not knowing what Tom looked like, she eyed him with caution. “This guy giving you shit?”
Marko appeared through the door, zeroing in on Tom. “Everything okay, Sara?” he asked, his eyes still on Tom.
Tom lowered his lips to my ear and whispered he’d be by the bar, then he pushed past Marko and back into the club.
“What’s going on, hon? Who was that?”
I gave her a nod toward Marko.
She turned toward her man. “Babe, can you please give me and Sara a moment?”
Marko’s eyes flashed with concern. “That dude do something to you, Sara?”
“Nothing to worry about.”
He looked unconvinced. “See you back at the table.” Then he went back into the club.
After Marko left, Jen pulled me to the side. “What’s going on?”
“That was Tom.”
Eyes wide, she yelped, “OMG. Mr. Iced Double?”
“Shush.”
“Shit,” she whispered, “Girl, he’s fucking hot.”
I shook my head at her, trying to bring her back to focus. “Uh, yeah. Haven’t I been telling you this all along?”
“Yes, but he’s like dangerously hot. The type that can get you in serious trouble.”
“No kidding, Jen.”
“I wasn’t prepared for…that,” she uttered, as her gaze trailed into the club’s entrance seeking my Iced Double. “Anyway, what’s he doing here?” she asked, turning back toward me.
“I texted him earlier, telling him we’d be here.”
“What happened to not wanting to sound desperate?”
“I’m kind of wasted, remember? He saw me dancing with Taylor and now he’s pissed.”
“You were a bit close with Taylor.”
“C’mon. I was only having fun. And what right does he have to be mad, anyway?”
“You did text him to meet you.”
“You on my side or his?”
“It’s not about sides, Sara. You can be impulsive. It doesn’t help that you’re drunk.”
“What now?”
“Go find him.”
“Then what?”
She grabbed me by the shoulders and shoved me toward the club entrance. “Figure it out. Now, go.”
As I slithered through the thick crowd, I spotted Tom standing by the bar. Hair mussed up and decked out in a fitted gray button down accompanied by faded, ripped jeans, he looked every bit as sexy as the day I first set eyes on him. My vision went in and out of focus, my mind spinning from all the alcohol. I did my best to balance my weight and not fall.
I squeezed next to him and spoke loudly into his ear, “Buy me a drink.”
He looked back at me, confused.
I raised my voice. “Absolute Cranberry.”
He turned to the bartender and placed my order.
A minute later, I downed my drink as I thought about what I wanted to say. The alcohol pleasantly circulated through me. The club was loud and obnoxious, but the silence between us was louder than the music blasting off the walls. I couldn’t talk to him with words, so this time, taking his hand and entwining my fingers through his, I placed my empty glass on the counter then guided him where I could show him how I felt, the only way I knew best—on the dance floor.
He followed without resistance.
When we reached the dance floor, I turned my back to him and nestled close. He buried his face in my neck as he gently guided my hips with his hands. The sound fusion melded us together, the crowd ceasing to exist. My heart and soul were imprisoned by the music, every muscle now governed by Tom.
We were encased in each other, dancing until we lost all sense of time.
When the cocktail won and my mind and body were no longer coordinated, I whispered in Tom’s ear, “Take me home.”
Hands trapped in each other, he guided my wobbling body to Jen’s table. Marko was nuzzling her nose while she drowned in his eyes. Her two med friends were nowhere to be found, Lisa and Derrick looked like they’d had a fight, and Taylor was nearby on the dance floor, awkwardly dry-humping some bimbo. I waved to Jen, trying to get her attention. Scooting over, she leaned her ear toward me. “Not feeling so hot. Tom’s taking me home.”
She gave me the eye, and I knew exactly what she was thinking.
“It’s not like that.”
She reached for my neck and brought her lips to my ear. “Seize the day, baby.” Jen erupted into laughter.
“I’m sorry for leaving you on your birthday.”
She pulled me close again. “No worries. Just get home safe, or I’ll have to kill him.”
****
Outside the club, my feet beat against the concrete, eyes at half-mast. A car door opened and Tom helped me in. He leaned over to buckle my seatbelt, his chest lightly brushing against my breasts, sparking a tingle in my body.
Whoa.
He quickly popped into the driver seat and the Rover jumped to life. I wanted to reach out and caress his neck to make him feel more at ease. I wanted more of the hungry beast—heart racing, chest heaving. My drunken vixen was desperate to make one last appearance. She’d been listening to my very secret thoughts, and unlike me, had no inhibition.
“Pull over,” I whispered.
Here she goes…
He turned toward me, a puzzled look etched on his face. “Where?”
“I don’t care.”
“Are you sick?”
“Not planning on ruining your leather seats. Don’t worry.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about.”
“Just pull over. Now.”
He made a quick turn down a dark and lonely street then parked the car, the engine idling.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Tom, why are you always so serious? You need to lighten up a bit.” I laughed.
“You mean like you?”
“Wouldn’t be a bad idea.” I raised an eyebrow at him, trying to hint at my intentions.
He leaned in closer, staring me down, lips twitching at the corners. “That would be a very, bad idea.”
Well, there’s an invitation.
I parted my legs as I unbuckled my seatbelt, showing off bare flesh. “What’s on your playlist?” Leaning over the console, I played with the sound system and fiddled through different songs until I finally found what I’d hoped for—loud, deep, electric beats. I closed my eyes and jived to the music, gyrating my hips on the seat, lightly swaying my arms over my head. “Now, this is more like it.”
When I opened my eyes, Tom was staring, a devilish smirk carved on his face.
My vixen smiled. “Ready?” I whispered.
He raised an eyebrow. “For what?”
I leaned in closer. “Do you really have to ask?”
My inner vixen escaped before I had a chance to snare her. I crawled onto him, his eyes blinking with shock. I straddled him then crashed my mouth into his, devouring his lips with hunger. He accepted with caution before fully succumbing to my seduction. I pressed my body into him, running my fingers through his hair. He tensed underneath me as he wrapped his arms around my body. Drowning in his hot and heavy breath, I writhed on his lap, sensing his erection under the soft fabric of his jeans as it brushed against the moist center between my legs.
Oh…
Slippery with desire, I was overwhelmed with need.
I’d wanted to be this close since I first met him. To know the feeling of being held in his arms, dominated by his hands. I tried to reach below his belt, but he took my chin in his fingers and forced me to look at him. His eyes full of lust turned me to butter. It was evident he thirsted for my lips as I hungered for his touch. His thumb caressed my bottom lip, slowly parting my mouth. I died every time he brushed my lips in that manner.
“What are you doing to me?” he panted.
My tongue touched the inside of his thumb, slowly guiding it inside my mouth, giving it a slow and wet suckle before releasing it with a sloppy kiss. His mouth opened wider with an aroused groan, demanding my submission to quench his greedy need for me.
His mouth dove for my neck, savoring me while one of his hands rode up my thigh and cupped my ass. His other hand forced me to tilt my head back then he slid it down my sternum. I glided my hips back and forth to the rhythm of the song, pushing further into ecstasy. My breasts tingled with eagerness, wanting to break free from the confines of my dress, my body aching for his manhood. I reached for his belt buckle and raced to release his tension, but he put his hand over mine, stopping me in my tracks.
I peered up, but couldn’t read his eyes.
Doesn’t he want me?
The short pause was all I needed to realize the mistake we were about to make. I dropped the net over my vixen and dragged her back to her cage as she clawed and screamed.
What the hell was I about to do?
I unclenched my thighs from his lap and sank back into my seat, pulling my dress down, heart beating fire through my veins.
Tom was speechless. I watched him tug at his groin as he breathed heavy.
He is still aroused. Shit.
That thought did insane things to my vixen, and she continued to claw at me through her cage.
Down, girl. Not tonight. At least not now.
“Drive, Tom.”
Without hesitation, he pushed the car into drive, and we glided home through Manhattan.
I fell into a dreamless alcohol-induced coma. When we arrived at my apartment, an eternity seemed to have passed. I heard distant sounds but could only see blurry figures through slitted eyes. My legs were unresponsive. Hard hands gripped my body, and I felt weightless. My mind faded in and out of consciousness, and hushed voices made broken appearances. All I deciphered was Pedro telling Tom my apartment was on the fifth floor.
Still floating, I heard the obscure sounds of jiggling keys followed by a meow and a hiss. Then, soft pillows clashed against my body. It was heaven.
Until I realized why. “No. Don’t go…” I clamored.
“I’m not leaving you, baby.”
“Lay with me.”
“I can’t.”
His words pricked my heart. “You don’t want me.”
“Christ, Sara. I want you more than you know. But not like this. If I lay down with you I won’t have the strength to restrain myself. Close your eyes, baby. Sleep. I’m not going anywhere.”
The soft touch of fingers cascading down my hair calmed my anxiety. He caressed my forehead, my cheeks. I slipped into deep sleep as a tender kiss descended on my lips.