Except, it was for her.
Zora’s singular goal in life was to avoid losing herself—to stay true to the strong woman her grandmother raised her to be. It was exhausting, but worth it when she knew what being weak did to a woman.
But for one night?
For the friends who were coming to celebrate with her, tonight she could afford to let loose and lose herself.
“Fine.”
When Zora slapped on her game face, Oli cupped her shoulders and squared her body to Zora. “Okay. And just so you know I’m not ignoring you, I heard what you said. So don’t let whatever guy you choose be a distraction.”
Oli shrugged and stepped forward as they reached the door. She opened her purse for the beefy doorman, stopping to give him a sultry, sexy, batted lashes look before she tossed a considerably less indulgent look at Zora over her shoulder. “Work and play don’t have to be mutually exclusive.”
“Mike and I are friends. Nothing more. I’m fine by myself.” Zora waggled her brows, opening her small clutch. “Plus…like you said, he’s with Kate anyway. And, he’s not here.”
Michael Kennedy didn’t mind a place as cliché as a silent disco pop-up lounge, but he’d rather have come alone. When he received the phone call from Zora’s friend Olivia inviting him out to celebrate Zora landing a new book agent, he tried to tell her it wasn’t a good time to talk. Not only was he working on the building purchase proposal for the following week, which might tip the scales toward him becoming partner, the woman he was dating, Kate, was only a few feet away in his shower. Still, Olivia insisted he take the details, and by the time he jotted them down, it was too late. Kate was already out of the shower, wondering where “we” were going.
‘I can’t wait to finally meet your friends.’
Kate was fine. Physically, she could make any red-blooded, heterosexual male drool. Wild curly blonde hair framed her cool ivory skin and a pair of sunny blue eyes. Her face was Cosmo, and her body was Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.
Everything else was strictly buzzkill—all the makings of a good friendship with nothing in common and no potential for anything long-term.
Mike looked up in time to see the bartender nod in his direction. “I’ll have a jack and Coke and a vodka cranberry for the lady.”
He sat on the edge of the wooden stool, elbows propped on the bar, chin resting on his clasped hands. He watched as the bartender, a young guy with a full beard and two sleeves of tattoos, mixed, poured, and garnished their drinks. Unlike Mike, this guy not only fit in with the vintage cool décor, he looked happy—what Mike would be if it weren’t for Olivia and her big mouth.
For three days, the party was all Kate talked about. Until she found out the celebration was for Zora. So, he was both looking forward to this day and dreading it.
“Tell me again why you have to be here?” Kate asked. “You’re Everett’s friend, not Zora’s.”
Case in point.
The bartender placed their order on the edge of the bar.
“Thanks, man.” Mike laid a couple of twenties on the tab and took the opportunity to breathe through his frustrations.
For a few seconds, he pinched the bridge of his nose. He slid both of their drinks closer to them at which point, she shimmied between his legs, rendering his brain useless. His hands betrayed him as they wandered down the thin fabric of her black mini dress. Sadly, and far too cliché for his liking, if there was one thing he was a sucker for, it was a tight dress.
He sighed.
“I told you, with the high-risk pregnancy, Everett and Sophia didn’t want to be out. Zora got a book agent and everyone is going to be here to celebrate. She’s like family. I’ve known her forever.” He exhaled slowly in an attempt to hold his annoyance at bay. “You’re the one who wanted to come. I could’ve just as easily dropped in by myself. I just want to tell her congratulations, so we only have to be here for a little while. Why don’t we put these headphones on and enjoy ourselves—have a good time?”
She shrugged and forced a tight smile.
“Drink up. Let’s dance. I want to see you how you move in this dress.” Mike winked and downed his cocktail. As he waited for Kate to finish hers, he checked his phone one more time and pulled his headphones over his ears.
Before long, they were vibing to the hard beat of a rap mix, courtesy of the deejay on the right. Their headsets illuminated with blue lights. Mike preferred the green station, but Kate kept urging him toward the upbeat sounds of some new mumble rapper.
Aside from being a cheerleader for the Trailblazers, she went on tour a lot as a backup dancer. Beat for beat, she matched Mike’s moves, their bodies molded together as they grinded up against one another, groping and kissing.
The drinks and the music kept flowing and soon he lost track of the time.
A flush crept over Kate’s skin and she peeled her hair off her neck and fingered it into a ponytail. “I’m going to run to the restroom. I’ll be right back.” She was winded and smiling as she walked toward the back of the club. It seemed like she was having a good time.
Mike didn’t leave the dance floor. He closed his eyes and fell into the rhythm of the music, and he thought about Zora.
He checked his phone—still no updates on her whereabouts. So he lifted his chin and combed the room, stopping to wave at her friends Remi and Steph who were dancing off to the side with a couple other girls he met once or twice but whose names he couldn’t remember.
When they saw him alone, they all rushed over to dance with him.
“Hey guys, how are you?”
One by one, the girls greeted him with a hug.
“Oh my gosh. We thought you weren’t coming.” Remi’s brows braided in question. “Zo is going to be so stoked.”
“Yeah. Olivia invited me. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. I know how hard she’s been working toward publishing her book. Where is she?” Mike lifted his chin and searched the crowd on the dance floor.
“You know how she is. She’s over there by the bar pretending to have a good time. But she’s doing a good job of it tonight. Zo is fierce. You might not even recognize her.”
“Oh yeah?” He felt his eyebrows furrow then release as he cocked his head to the side still unsure about what Remi meant.
Why wouldn’t he recognize Zora?
“Uh…” He forgot exactly what he was about to say. Instead, he chewed his bottom lip. For some reason he couldn’t explain, a mixture of curiosity, panic, and…disbelief flooded his insides. He needed to know what she was talking about. Whatever it was, it was enough to give him pause.
He hated change. More apt, he hated the idea of Zora changing. In the back of his mind, she was sort of the sweet mainstay of his past—untouched by time. To him, she would always be Everett’s virtuous little sister who kept him tapped into the current and the cool. She wasn’t exactly a millennial but she definitely carried the undistracted drive and leaned into her goals with a fierceness he sort of envied.
“I’ve, uh…been looking for her. Will you take me to where she is?”
Mike looked over his shoulder toward the restrooms for Kate before weaving himself into the crowd behind Remi and the other girls, searching. As he worked his way toward the bar, he felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled his phone out as a Facebook notification dropped down from the top of the screen.
Zora posted something.
Or, rather Olivia tagged her in a picture.
It took Mike a second to recognize Zora. As the image filled the screen, his gaze raked lazily over her. Usually, she wore loose-fit jeans and t-shirts or some unbothered bohemian getup. He wasn’t blind. He’d seen her in shorts, so he knew she cornered the market on a great pair of legs. Every once in a while she’d show off some midriff, but not much else. Tonight though, she was wearing a tight sexy blue dress and it gave him a glimpse of everything underneath it.
Every nerve ending in his body stirred and tingled as he scrutinized her.
&nb
sp; This Zora wasn’t the friend he hung out with sometimes and played games with since they were kids. Her sleek body didn’t belong to Everett’s cute little sister either. Not the endless legs extended by a pair of clear heels. Not the delicate column of her neck or the pink-tinted pouty grin…
Mike bit his own lip remembering how he once got to taste her mouth. So long ago.
He was breathless.
And apparently, losing his mind.
It’s the same Zora. Nothing has changed.
But, as his gaze dissected every one of her lean, svelte curves, Mike felt the change. By the tightening of his cock, he knew he couldn’t unsee the woman.
In the picture, the room was dark and crowded. Zora was just on the side of the bar where he sat earlier with Kate. Just below the image there were no comments, only three hashtags. #Silentdisco #Zoragothergrooveback #Mikewho
Mike who?
His heart pounded against his chest as he wracked his mind trying to understand what the last hashtag was about. What was Olivia trying to do? What was her big plan, to make sure he got to see Zora in that…dress? To make sure he knew she was a grown woman now and not just his best friend’s kid sister?
Is this why Olivia invited me? Am I the surprise?
At the moment, he didn’t know whether to hug or strangle Zora’s friend.
His heartbeat raced as warmth flooded his body. His eyes darted over to the bar as he pushed past people. He was breathless by the time he made his way to the edge of the dance floor until he spotted her.
Zora.
There she was leaning on a barstool, arms wrapped around some guy’s neck, her lips pressed to his.
Mike’s heart plummeted.
A burning sensation took root in his chest and his stomach hardened. He felt the heat rise to his face as a flash of anger and jealousy washed over him. His breaths were coming coarser, faster.
Strangle. Definitely, strangle. What the fuck, Olivia?
He tore his gaze away, tasting the bitterness on his tongue. Mike couldn’t watch.
It was then he noticed the pinched expression on Remi’s face. But she wasn’t looking at him. Mike turned to find Kate beside him and it didn’t take a genius to register the sullen look on her face. Tears welled in her red-rimmed eyes and she swiped them one by one from her cheeks.
Kate had seen the way he watched Zora.
He knew it was the way Kate wanted him to look at her. It was the very reason Mike hadn’t made her any promises. He didn’t have the heart to pretend to love someone. He’d given it away a long time ago and never got it back.
There’s more…
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Start from the beginning with Julie and Nico’s story
Mixed Signals - Book One
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Check out Myles and Laila
It’s Got A Ring To It
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Have some fun with Claire’s steamy library tryst
The Stacks w/a Emmaline Zanthi
About Mia Heintzelman
Mia Heintzelman is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is a Chicago native who always has a book in her purse, loves to pair sweet and spicy tea with fluffy socks, and can’t go wrong with polka dots and pearls. She lives in Las Vegas with her husband and two children.
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