“Wow.” I’m not sure what to say to that. Kace works on cars and has rebuilt several, using scrap materials from the junk yard, but I’ve not seen anything like this from him.
Kace’s cheek redden from the attention. “Marv’s one of the teachers at my school. We worked together to figure out how to run pulses through the material that counter the sound vibrations, absorbing the sound. The dark colors block out the light, making it hard to distinguish any light coming from the building.” He shrugs and leads us to another door.
“Don’t be modest, man.” Marv stops and points to the curtains covering the walls and ceilings. “Kace made it so the pulses in the screen shift as the songs change, which allows us to play multiple types of music and not just one. It’s genius.”
I reach over with my free hand and take Kace’s. “Doesn’t surprise me. Kace makes everything around us better.”
If Kace’s face wasn’t red before, it glows, now.
Marv shoulder checks Kace. “You have a fan. Should’ve brought her around sooner. She’s cute.”
He doesn’t glance at me as he says, “She’s my neighbor.”
Stinging hits my throat at his immediate dismissal. Is that all Kace thinks of me? I release his hand and tuck it close to my body.
“I don’t care if she’s your sister, not that that’s allowed.” Marv laughs and opens the door, leading me into a new world.
Dancing
White, blue, and green lights pulse in rhythm to a strong beat that comes from everywhere. Searching the area, I notice large speakers spaced throughout the ceiling and along the walls. Lights of all shapes and sizes dot the area, blinking on and off as the music changes.
I release Devon’s hand to spin around and take it all in. The long curtains in here have strings of undulating lights running vertically along the length of the cloth, making the building appear taller. Opposite where we stand, glowing bottles line a bar. Above, the old barn loft doubles as a sitting area.
Ryker’s arm drapes over my shoulders. “What do you think?”
“It’s amazing. So bright and loud. Fun!” I yell back at him so he can hear me.
“If you follow this wall down to the end, there are makeshift bathrooms and the stairs to the balcony. Over there”—Ryker points to the back corner—”is the DJ booth with the dance floor in front of it.”
Hopping, I stretch to see the booth past the mass of dancers writhing on the worn, wooden planks. The outfits on some of the dancers shine with bright colors. I look down at my clothes. Light reflects in rainbow patterns from the switching lights, but the strange neon doesn’t show up. Ryker, in denim and a light army green, cotton shirt, doesn’t glow either. Kace’s white t-shirt has a slight bluish tint to it, though. Curious, I reach out and pinch the material between my fingers.
Kace leans into me. “Blacklights. They’re hard to find, but it makes white things glow blue. There used to be paints you could buy that would glow neon colors. Those were banned because you couldn’t make the colors naturally.”
“Remind me next time so I can wear something white.” Even though Marv said I could show up anytime, I don’t picture myself coming without the guys.
“Only if the shirt is something like you have on now.” Kace runs his fingertips down my spine; shivers race through me at the touch. It confuses me after his earlier comment, leaving me unsettled.
Ryker glides his hand down my shoulder and then my side. I curl into him, clutching as his shirt as goosebumps cover my arms and legs. The temperature in this place plummeted with both of them touching me, but Ryker’s body heat warms me back up.
“That was mean.” My eyes search his light brown ones, looking for some sort of remorse for giving me the chills, but only finding mirth.
His eyes lock onto mine as he pulls me tighter against him. My breath catches as his intensity increases. My arm starts to wrap around his neck, but Devon grabs it and spins me around.
“Time to dance!” He pulls me to follow him, but Ryker grabs my other hand.
“I called first dance,” Ryker calls to him. Caught between the two, I feel like the rope in a game of tug-of-war.
“You two are going to dislocate my arms.” I twist so Kace can hear me, too. “I can dance with all three of you. Let’s go.”
Kace shakes his head. “Go ahead. I’ll catch up. Marv needs me to check on a few things.”
Before we can leave, though, he brushes my hair back away from my face. What is up with these three touching me tonight? Or even over the last couple of days? Kace confuses me the most.
My lip pouts. “Don’t take too long. We’ll have all the fun without you.”
“I’ll find you. Now, go have that fun.” He swats my ass before walking with Marv down toward the bar.
“Hey!” I yell back at him, but I’m only met with laughter as he walks away. Rubbing my stinging butt, I add, “That hurt!”
“You won’t feel that after a minute once the burn from dancing gets to you.” Devon starts his tug again, and we move to the middle of the dance floor, instantly lost in a sea of bodies.
The ratio of guys to girls is higher than what I see at school, but still not equal. Each male has two, if not more, females surrounding him. In some places, there are no guys, only females. We’re the only spot where there are more guys than girls, which makes dancing awkward because girls keep trying to join us, but the guys pivot around me. The girls end up next to me before they spin and find one of the guys again.
Ryker leans into me. “This is one of the reasons we haven’t brought you here before. Girls don’t take the hint that we don’t want to be with them. It can get uncomfortable.”
“Want me to tell them to back off?” I ask loud enough that one girl glares at me.
Ryker takes my hands and raises them over my head, swaying his hips into mine, while Devon grabs my hips and presses into me from behind.
“Ignore them. That’s what we’ve learned to do.” Ryker doesn’t take his eyes off me as he speaks, but the girl behind him glares at me from around his shoulder before she stomps off, grabbing her friend on the way.
After dancing through four more songs, Kace is still missing. I tug on Devon’s shirt to pull him closer. “We need to find Kace. Are you sure he’s all right?”
Devon’s nose skims my cheek before he whispers, “He should be fine, but I’m ready for a break. We can go find him and then get something to drink.”
His face remains near mine a second longer than needed before he steps away. He reaches for my hand and drags me behind him toward the bar. I go to grab Ryker’s hand, but he’s already with us, his hand on my back.
Worming our way through the crowd, I realize I don’t recognize most of the people in here. Many are older than me. Their faces blur as pulsing white lights flicker on and off so fast I feel a headache coming on as a dull ache resonates through my temples.
“Are you all right?” Ryker leans in as our progression slows.
“These lights are giving me a headache.” My left eye twitches slightly.
“Strobe lights will do that to some people. Let’s head toward the back. Kace should be there. You can wash your face and get out of the lights for a few minutes.” Ryker reaches over my shoulder to flick Devon in the head.
“Ow!” Devon rubs the back of his head as he turns around to face us. “What was that for?”
“The lights are getting to Bai. We need to go to the back for a minute,” Ryker explains, hiding a mischievous grin as he watches Devon massage the area that was flicked.
Immediately, Devon’s eyes swing to me. He arms wrap around my waist as he buries my face into his firm chest. “Why didn’t you say something? Let’s get you out of here.”
I nod and keep my eyes down now that I know it’s the lights that cause the pain. Legs and feet shuffle out of the way as we meander through the maze of bodies to the back of the room, behind the bar. The dim lights don’t pulse, so I’m able to look up. Other than the heavy curtains, thi
s area with its dirt floors and termite infested beams holds none of the make-shift construction of the front area.
The noise level back here is low enough that I can hear the others. Devon knocks on one of the wood beams. Dust jarred from its resting place and floats off the beam, causing me to sneeze.
“Bless you,” Marv says as he pulls the curtain back to reveal his office. Television screens, depicting different angles of the dance floor, spread out in front of a small desk.
“Thank you,” I respond as I search the small room for Kace. I spot him lying on the floor, fiddling with something out of sight.
He slides out when he hears my voice. “Hey! Are you having a good time? Sorry I haven’t made it out there sooner. I’m trying to help fix this board.” He motions to a contraption sitting on top of the desk. “Ryker, if I connect this wire into this port and then re-route this wire over to here, can I avoid swapping out the burned-out connectors? This is more your territory than mine.”
“That might work. Let me have a look at it while you get Bai some water. The strobe lights are giving her a headache.” Ryker takes a seat at the desk and picks up the box Kace was working on.
Kace pops up off the floor in a fluid move I only see in fighting movies and steps over to me. After brushing his hands on his pants, he massages tiny circles on my forehead and down into my hairline. His rough hands have the softest touch. I close my eyes to absorb the sensations and relief he offers.
Marv sounds far away as he talks to the boys. “I’ll go get her something to drink. It may be dehydration causing the headache and not the lights because we’ve had them going on and off throughout the night.”
“Thank you,” I mumble but refuse to open my eyes or move. Once I hear the swoosh of the screen, I address Kace. “That feels really good. I may hire you to do this full time.”
“Any time you need me, you know I’m here, free of charge.” Kace bops my nose and continues his work.
Devon steps in behind me, and his thumbs knead my neck and shoulders. I suppress a moan and can’t decide if I want to roll my head forward to allow Devon more room to work or tip my head back to give Kace the space he needs.
I groan as Devon hits a knot in my lower neck. “I’ll take both of you. We should make a schedule, because this is heaven.”
After a few minutes, my muscles relax, and I can’t take much more unless someone gives me a chair. Opening my eyes, fire washes through Kace’s eyes as he focuses on my face. My fingers tingle with the sudden need to touch him in the same way, and my pulse speeds up with excitement. Afraid he’ll notice, I place my hands on him to get him to stop.
“That was perfect. Thank you.” Unable to resist the urge, I reach up and brush my lips over his stubbled chin.
The move pulls Devon’s hands away from me, and I instantly miss his touch.
My throat tightens as I turn to him and whisper, “Thank you”.” I kiss him lightly on the cheek, too.
Feeling awkward for kidding both of them—something I’ve never done—I stretch my neck and shoulders a few times to avoid any more focus on me. “I’m going to run to the restroom. Where is it?”
“I’ll show you,” Kace offers, but I shake my head.
“You help Ryker finish so we can all go back out on the dance floor. Is it close?” I ask, hoping to hurry out of here and get a grip on the emotions springing up in me. After the massage, my body tightens like a spring ready to release. I have to work to contain the desire to touch each of them.
Devon opens the curtain to the hallway. “It’s around that first corner. We’ll wait here for you.”
I race out of the room and down the hall, hoping the distance will be enough to tame my cravings.
Once at the restroom, I wait in a short line with several other people I don’t recognize. Before long, the two that tried to dance with Ryker and Devon show up.
“Slut,” the brunette with short, spiky hair calls to me.
Turning to face the guy in front of me, I ignore the insult.
“My friend addressed you, bitch.” The redhead grips the curtain to the side of me, forcing me to look at her arm. “You can’t just come in here, hog all the hot guys, and then ignore everyone else when we’re trying to get some as well.”
I turn my head slightly to look at her. “I can’t claim to know why all these people are here, but I just want to dance. I’m sure you can find others that want to dance with you. My friends are free to dance with anyone they want, but they choose not to do it with you.” A dull ache hit me when I admit that the boys can be with anyone here, but I remember they’ve chosen me. I stand firm and square my shoulders to face the girls. “Move on before you embarrass yourself more.”
“No one is that good in order to keep two guys to herself.” The brunette crosses her arms under her flat chest, trying to push her breasts out some. “Most of the girls here will tag team just to get a chance at someone. You should leave, because no one wants what you’re selling.”
I bite my lip to stop from laughing, but the guy in front of me, who turned to watch the drama, has no qualms with barking out a laugh at the girls. “You two need to get a life and not expect guys to just bow at your feet because you shove your tits in our face. If they only want to dance with her, good for her. I only want to dance with my boyfriend, so I would push your scrawny ass away, too.”
I could hug this guy for coming to my rescue.
“Umm, that’s illegal. You better be prepared to be paired off with someone.” The brunette chirps a few times like she can’t believe a guy wouldn’t want to be with a girl. I’m not sure how she knows about the pairings since my dad said it wasn’t announced yet. My stomach drops at the thought of not ending up with at least one of the guys, not that I would know who to choose.
Just because the law changed a few years ago due to the low number of male births doesn’t mean that the way people love changed.
The guy steps between the girls and me. “You should leave, now. This is not the place to debate the social injustices of a world torn apart by bad decisions and—”
Marv steps up behind the girls and puts his hands on their shoulders. “What’s going on here?”
The redhead points at me. “That bitch is hogging all the guys here. And she thinks it’s okay.” Disbelief fills her voice.
“The boys shrugged them off on their own. I didn’t have anything to do with it, Marv.” I hope this ends quickly, because we’re gathering an audience.
“Of course, they did. They only want to be here with you.” Marv winks at me. His expression hardens as he stares down at the girl. “You two. Leave my place and never come back. We’re here to have fun and not fight with one another over a guy or three.” Marv raises his eyebrow at me quickly before turning the girls toward the exit.
“You can’t do this. We’ll turn you in, and you’ll have nothing.” The brunette pulls out of Marv’s grip to put her hands on her hips.
“Don’t threaten me, little girl. Do you think you’re the first person that has caused problems in my place?” Marv steps within inches of the girl, his voice a soft, sinister hiss. “You may not be as lucky as they are.”
The brunette slaps him. “You don’t threaten me. Do you know who I am?”
Two men I hadn’t noticed before step up, each taking hold of one of the girls. “We got this, boss.” The deep voice of the one holding the redhead shakes my nerves.
My hands cover my face as they cart the girls off. I don’t think I want to know what those guys have in mind, but I doubt they’ll show up here again.
Marv nods to the restroom. “Hey, go do your business. I’ll wait here for you. I’m sorry that you had to deal with that. I should have expected it since those boys are popular around here, but most girls just move on.”
The pit in my stomach grows, knowing that the guys have been here enough to be popular.
Once I finish up in the bathroom, I find Marv waiting, just like he promised. He escorts me back to the office
where Kace and Ryker work on Marv’s wiring issue.
“Hey, what happened?” Devon, who stopped spinning in the chair when we entered, pops up and strides toward me.
“It’s nothing,” I try to say as Marv answers, “Two girls were messing with her. I took care of it.”
I narrow my eyes at Marv. The others stop their work and circle around me.
“Are you hurt?” Kace asks.
“Did they touch you?” Ryker’s hands ball into fists, clenched tightly at his sides.
“I’m fine. I can take care of myself. It was just the two that wanted to dance with Ryker and Devon earlier.” Irritation flashes through me as the memory of the girls’ advances on the guys pops into my head.
Devon shudders. “Eww. Those two. I could not get the redhead to leave me alone. Thanks for helping our girl out, Marv.”
Ryker pulls me into a bear hug before releasing me to check me over. “This hasn’t been the greatest experience for you so far. Do you want to leave?”
“Can’t. I still have to dance with Kace.” I wink over at him. “I’m fine, really. Even with the stupid girls, I’m having a great time. I still need a drink, though.”
Marv places some plastic cups and two bottles on his desk. “Here, try this first.” He pours a clear brown liquid into a couple of the cups and passes it around.
Raising the glass to my nose, I sniff; spices and wood scents assault my nose. I swirl the liquid around, watching the amber libation create a whirlpool in the cup. I peek over the glass at the guys, each with their eyes trained on me. “What is it?”
“Just try it,” Marv encourages.
“Drink the entire thing at once. Don’t sip it,” Kace tells me as I delicately bring the cup up to my lips.
The scent lingers in my nose, getting stronger as I hold the glass just touching my bottom lip. I psych myself up for the drink. “One, two, three!” Knocking the drink back, most spills down my throat, but some dribbles down the side of my chin.
Coughing, I bend over, holding my burning throat. “Water.”
Falling For Them Volume 2: Reverse Harem Collection Page 57