by L. L. Ash
Can you even drive motorcycles in the rain?
Hm… I’d have to ask Roman later.
When we finally stopped, we were in the Industrial District, parking in a swanky, exclusive dance club.
I released my deathgrip around Roman’s waist and, using the chrome peg again, I let myself down before taking off my helmet.
“What’s this place?” I asked him, watching raptly as he pulled his helmet off, his hair a mess and oh-so sexy.
He ran his fingers through it, tucking some strands back into the topknot he was rocking and sighed.
“A buddy of mine just opened the place. He’s been begging me to come. I figured if I had to, I should at least bring you and it would turn out to be a good night.”
Aww! My insides melted a little.
He grinned up at me and touched my hair, running his fingers through my hair now.
“Damn that thing gave you static.” He chuckled, running his fingers through it for a second longer before removing his hand and swinging off the bike.
“Really?” My eyes went wide as I tried to press down my hair.
“It’s good,” he told me, setting his helmet on the seat before pressing both hands into my hair at my scalp and shifting it a little, fluffing and settling it. “There. All good.”
Where did he learn to do that?
“Are you secretly a hairdresser, too?” I asked, sort of winking in that facial-spasm sort of way.
He laughed.
“No. But I freshened my sister up enough to learn it.”
“You have a sister?” I almost gasped.
How did I not know that?
“I did,” was all he said before taking my hand and bringing me toward the front door of the club, his helmet in his hands.
He seemed like he didn’t want to talk about it, so I let it slide, focusing instead on the throbbing beat radiating from the doors we were walking toward.
“So...a friend of yours owns this place?” I asked as he took my hand, his palm brushing against mine before he entwined our fingers.
“Yeah,” he shrugged, as if it was no big deal. “I helped him put the business plan together and hire staff.”
Roman bypassed the lines, people looking at us behind their velvet ropes as we made our way toward the two bouncers at the door.
One of them nodded at Roman, not even saying anything as they lifted the rope and opened the door to the club, ‘Good Girls Go Bad’ by Cobra Starship playing in the huge space.
I almost snorted at how fitting the song was in that moment.
Red and yellow lights flashed around the place as people moved all over the dance floor, grinding and humping each other as we made our way through the crowd. Our hands linked us so we didn’t lose each other.
We got rid of our helmets and jackets by the door, then bypassed the bar before he led me up to a staircase all encased in chrome and mirrors. Another bouncer stood there, arms crossed and scowling.
VIP.
The bouncer nodded at Roman and lifted the rope again, no words said between the two as we ascended up the steps that led to a lounge. It was also covered in chrome, mirrors, and couches in a deep, blood-red velvet. Black leather chairs studded the room here and there, but the bar on the end of the balcony was the focal point.
“Want something to drink?” he asked me.
“Uh, sure.”
He waited a beat, then smiled.
“What do you want?”
Feeling like a first class idiot, I told him, “Gin and tonic.”
A half smile tipped his lips as he made his way to the bar, slipping between a couple people already there.
The bartender nodded and Roman waited, leaning against the bar and looking back at me with a wicked smile.
Oh how I loved that smile. So many suggestions...so many promises.
He took the drinks from the bartender and made his way to me.
“Here’s your Christmas tree water,” he handed me my drink and sipped on his amber colored liquid.
Whiskey. It had to be. Of course he drank whiskey. The man didn’t know how not to be hot.
“Thank you very much!” I took my glass, ignoring his quip.
I liked my Christmas tree water.
And it was a lady’s drink according to my mom. Either this or wine, and it didn’t seem like a wine kind of moment.
“I get to pick your drink next time,” he told me, sipping his as he looked over the rim at me.
“Ok,” I agreed a little too easy.
He bounced his eyebrows, relieving the sexual tension that was beginning to build between us and looked around.
“Are we in the VIP section?” I asked him.
“One of them.” He nodded. “Ryan is probably in level two.”
“Your friend?”
He nodded again, sipping.
“Am I going to meet him?” I asked, almost nervous at the prospect of meeting one of his friends on our first real date.
“You want to?” he asked back, one eyebrow quirked.
I looked into his stunning blue eyes for a moment longer than I meant, getting a little caught up before nodding, just so I didn’t look like a crazy stalker person, staring at him.
He turned, talking my hand again and moving to the next staircase toward the back of the lounge.
Again the bouncer nodded at Roman, then let us up.
The music began to fade in the background as we ascended, emerging in a second balcony, probably twenty-five feet above the dance floor below. Only a handful of people were there, most of them being women in short, tight dresses.
One of the few guys glanced toward us, then turned again and grinned.
“Fuck me! You came? You never actually come!” he said, moving toward Roman with that grin plastered all over his face, arms outstretched.
Roman chuckled and gave the man a one armed hug, still not letting go of my hand.
“I found a reason to come,” he said, motioning toward me with his head after they’d separated.
The guy looked over at me and his face lit up.
“Damn, lucky bastard,” was all he said, shaking his head before turning back to Roman. “I hate you a little right now.”
Roman laughed.
That said, the man turned back to me and put out his hand to shake.
“I’m Ryan. Rome’s other half.”
Roman rolled his eyes.
Ah, this is the friend who owned the club.
“Oh, it’s nice to meet you, other half,” I told him, taking his hand.
Ryan grinned again, his smile turning wicked.
“Yep, I get it.” He nodded at Roman as he shook my hand. “Hate you a little more now.”
“I’m Fae,” I added, realizing I forgot that in my snippy comment.
“Fae...” He tried my name out in his mouth like a lot of people do. “Cool. I like it.”
“I’m so glad I have your approval, Ryan.” I smiled sweetly, feeling my usual sweet charm seeping away into this strange, sassy attitude of which I didn’t understand the origin.
He laughed and nudged Roman.
“I like you, Fae. We can be friends. Although I’m not about to start calling us each other’s thirds. Sorry. Not going to happen.”
I had to laugh at that, feeling Roman’s hand squeezing mine as he smiled at the two of us.
“It’s a really nice club you have here. Well done.”
“Since I’m a gentleman I won’t repeat your comment back to you.” He bounced his eyebrows just like Roman tended to do.
They must be best friends or something, if they shared expressions and tendencies.
“Ryan and I have been friends since high school,” Roman told me, his hand leaving mine before slipping around my waist in a whisper of a touch.
“Middle school, you ass,” Ryan gave him a stink eye.
“We knew each other in middle school. We weren’t friends,” Roman lobbed at his friend.
“Glad you’re showing your asshole
in front of your girlfriend.” Ryan huffed. “We were totally friends.”
“I didn’t want to be friends with your skinny, nerdy ass, Ry.”
Ryan pouted, then looked at me with his thumb pointing at Roman.
“How do you put up with this guy?” he asked me, all sincerity in his eyes.
“He’s nice to me.” I shrugged, feeling his hand slip around me tighter.
Flames tangled up my spine at the warmth of his fingers on me.
“Figures.” He rolled his eyes then turned toward the small group over by the couches. “Sydney is here, and Ballard.”
Roman rolled his eyes now.
“This is why I don’t come to your shit,” he told Ryan with a frown. “I hate hanging out with those assholes.”
“Just be nice. Say ‘hi’.” Ryan shrugged, their banter and smiles disappearing.
We took a few steps toward the group and I got a better look at the people gathered there. A woman, looking more like a Barbie doll than a real-life woman turned toward us, glancing over me with a frown before landing on Roman. Her red painted lips rolled up into a smile.
“Rome! Darling!” she said, taking a step toward him in her sky high heels and kissing him on the cheek.
He immediately started rubbing at the spot she'd left her lipstick before giving a halfhearted, “Hey Syd.”
“Well if it isn’t Roman Smith. Thought you were done with the likes of us,” the guy on the couch said.
Ballard, I think Ryan called him.
“Dude, don’t go there.” Roman’s frown grew more severe before Ballard glanced at me.
All eyes turned to me then.
Well, all but Barbie’s.
“And who’s this?” Ballard asked.
“Fae,” I answered. “Fae Weston.”
Ballard opened his mouth, then narrowed his eyes on me.
“Any relation to Howard Weston?” he asked me suddenly.
I frowned, suddenly feeling overexposed.
To lie or not to lie? If this man knew my father, chances are I’d eventually be caught in the lie, if he didn't know the truth already.
“Yes,” was what I eventually said.
Truth, but not too much information.
“Yeah, you look just like your mom,” he nodded, a dirty smile slowly appearing on his face as he eyed me from head to toe. “The apple falls very far from the tree, evidently.”
Oh dammit!
“You know her, Bal?” Barbie asked him, eyeing me with disgust now.
“I know of her parents. I don’t know her. Obviously.”
“Which is exactly why she’s my date,” Roman popped in now, anger on his face, his hand squeezing me almost mercilessly. “If she was part of your asshole group, I wouldn’t touch her with a ten foot pole.”
“You’re friends with Ryan,” Ballard rolled his eyes smugly. “Besides, you didn’t think we were too bad in law school.”
“Yeah, then you had to go and cover everything with all...that,” Barbie waved her finger toward Roman and his tattoos.
“Hey, I have ink, too,” Ryan was frowning too now, rolling up the sleeves of his button up shirt, showing off two sleeves of tattoos.
“I know. And it’s disgusting.” Barbie frowned and rolled her eyes.
I hoped they all got headaches from rolling their eyes so much.
Or if we were lucky, someone would slap their backs and they’d get stuck that way.
Crossing fingers.
“I can’t believe mommy and daddy let you out of the house like that.” Ballard was wiggling his finger at me now, just like Barbie had done to Roman.
My mouth popped open in shock.
Oh my God...would he tell my parents? Would he mention my tattoo?
Horror flushed through me just as Ryan’s back straightened and he said with a scowl, his voice dipping deep, “You two can show yourselves out of my club. Now.”
“Don’t bother, Ry. We’re leaving,” Roman told him, touching his shoulder. “Catch up with you later.”
Ryan gave us both sad, apologetic eyes.
“Can I come with you?” He whispered loud enough for the others to hear.
“No.” Roman quirked a little smile at him as if to say he forgave him, so Ryan sighed and turned back to the others, putting his hands on his hips as if he was about to lecture them.
We got to the stairs when Roman paused, turning me to look at him.
“I’m sorry about that… They’re assholes. I shouldn’t have let Ryan introduce you to them.”
“I introduced myself.” I gave a weak shrug. “Besides, you can’t control people and the mean things they say.”
He nodded slowly.
“True. Still doesn’t make it ok.”
I shrugged now.
It didn’t make it ok, but it was life, and I was, unfortunately, used to it.
“Don’t worry about it,” I told him. “I’m a big girl.”
He frowned some more, his full lips pouting as he looked at me, unsure.
“Want to leave?” he asked instead, changing the subject.
“We’re here. We should at least dance a little,” I told him, hoping he would.
I wanted to feel his hands on my body again.
“Sure,” he agreed and took my hand again, moving with me down the rest of the stairs and to the bar on the balcony below. “But drink first.”
I laughed, sipping from my drink, mostly finished by now.
He went back to the bar and ordered a couple more, not meeting my eyes again like he had the first time before he got the drinks and returned to me.
“My choice. Enjoy,” he told me, handing me a fizzy, dark drink.
“Whiskey and Coke,” he told me, sipping a refilled whiskey of his own.
I took it, then stared at it for a minute.
In all my life, all the way through college and...everything else in between, I’d never once touched whiskey. Mom always said it was a man’s drink. It’s not suitable for a fine lady.
Screw that.
I tossed back my first gulp, the carbonation burning my throat on the way down, the sharp whiskey dampened with the soda.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“Next time, forget the Coke,” was all I told him, downing the rest of the drink like my life depended on it.
Roman chuckled at my comment and downed his drink before pressing his palms against my bare sides.
“Let’s go dance,” he told me, turning me and leading me down the next set of stairs.
We emerged near the dance floor, the heavy music pulsing with the lights as we wandered into the crowd, our bodies pressed together as we walked.
Finding a mostly large enough spot to dance, we stopped and awkwardly started moving.
I didn’t have much experience with clubs and dancing like this. Give me a waltz and I’d dance the pants off a person, but this intimate, throbbing beat… My feet were foreign to it.
“You ok?” Roman asked, leaning forward to yell into my ear.
Mortification waved through me at my inadequacy on the dance floor.
“I’m...not good at this.” I admitted, a rosy blush glowing all over me at this point.
“This was your idea!” He laughed.
It was almost worth the humiliation to see him smiling again.
I smiled back and covered my face with my hands.
“C’mere.” He motioned me forward, so I went.
His body caved forward, surrounding mine as he turned me, my back pressed into his chest just as a deep, thumping bass line started, the lights glowing a flickering dark red throughout the club.
‘I O U’ by You Me At Six started playing as Roman’s hands found my hips with his hands, swaying them side to side with his, my butt firmly planted into his crotch.
I felt the soft scratch of his short beard against my cheek as his head dipped, his body encasing mine as we moved together.
As the beat pumped through me and my drinks sank into me, I loosene
d and closed my eyes, letting my hands rise and sink into the short hair at the nape of his neck behind me.
Body stretched like an all-you-can-eat buffet for him, it was an invitation that he obviously recognized, because his hands began to move, too.
Slowly his fingers grazed up my sides, taking the gauzy black fabric with them. His touch rounded forward towards my flat belly, brushing the skin there, leaving a trail of heat as they raised to sit just below my breasts, over my tattoo.
One of his hands sank a little and pressed just below my belly button as we moved, not touching anything crazy, but suggesting that by just moving an inch, he could have me burning up completely.
Grinding my butt back into him, I felt his erection pressing back into me and I savored the feeling of power, to do that to such a sexy, incredible man.
The song ended and another slid into place, but my mind emerged from the fog just at the same time his must have, because his hands moved back to my sides.
“Let’s get out of here,” he whispered into my ear and I nodded eagerly.
I was so ready for him, throbbing and wet already with just one dance.
I needed him...now.
Chapter Eight
Roman
Holy fucking shit. I needed some cold air and some space between me and her sexy body.
Her ass grinding into me had me hard in seconds, and that song lasted full minutes. I’d have to endure bad blue balls by the end of the night, but I wasn’t going to take her home. I had to prove to this girl that I didn’t want her for her body.
Well, not just for her body.
Getting onto the bike again, Fae’s hands dipped dangerously low on my waist, inches from my cock as I drove.
Didn’t girls know that’s a dangerous place to have their hands while a dude is trying to drive? Like, seriously. The point was to not crash.
I gulped down my intense arousal and focused on the lines on the road, positive that I’d die by the end of the night from my balls exploding. I wanted my dick in her so fucking bad, but it was just our first date, and I didn’t want to fuck this up. She deserved more than a guy using her for her body.
I know, I know… but it was a one night stand. We both used each other.
Pulling into the mostly empty parking lot of my favorite little all-day breakfast diner, I parked and cut the engine.