by Elodie Colt
“Let’s sit at a table,” Sarah suggested, and we all walked over to a free one near the back wall. Sarah was the first to get to the end of the couch, Haylie taking a seat next to her.
Did I want to sit next to Haylie, or should I let Chris sit there? Both options didn’t sit well with me. Damn, since when did I need to worry about such things?
My decision was taken from me when Chris hustled me forward, giving me no other choice but to drop down next to Haylie. Cassie tried hastily to catch the last free seat on the bench next to me, but Chris beat her to it, quickly snuggling in before she could, a smug smile on his face. I threw him a scrutinized look, but he just shrugged in response. What was he up to?
Josh and Phil took the chairs, and Cassie didn’t have a choice except to do the same. Her face turned sour as if she’d just bitten into the lemon in her cocktail.
Haylie shifted a little bit, scooting over to Sarah’s side and trying to give us some space, but the extremely saggy leather couch glued us together, flattening her upper arm with mine.
“Guys, it feels so good to be out again,” Sarah said before facing Haylie. “You’ll join me on the dance floor later, right? The guys are boring. They sit and drink most of the time, doing nothing but ogling the bartenders.” She threw us all a scolding look.
“Sure, I’ll just wait for Lauren. By the way, why didn’t Scott come with us?”
“Tracers don’t feel comfortable in places like this, as you can certainly imagine.”
“Oh. Right.”
A dark haired, familiar girl appeared, approaching our table. She grinned from ear to ear when she spotted us, and Haylie stood up to greet her.
“Lauren,” she exclaimed, her happiness audible.
“Oh, honey, I missed you so much,” Lauren cried, and they both hugged tightly.
Haylie didn’t do it on purpose, but her butt was suddenly hovering at my eye level. What a sight… Jeez, this was getting out of control.
I willed my head to the other side, only to get caught in Chris’ gaze as he wiggled his eyebrows at me. He knew exactly what was going on in my head. I threw him a don’t-go-there look, which Chris countered with a wink.
“Let me introduce you,” Haylie said after they separated. “Phil, Josh, and Cassie,” she introduced the ones sitting in the seats, and Lauren shook hands with all of them, earning a bored look from Cassie. “This is Sarah. My… life saver.”
“Haylie told me a lot about you.” Sarah sweetly smiled when greeting Lauren.
“Over there is Chris.”
“Hi, Lauren,” he greeted her with a charming smile, and Lauren waved back as they were too far apart to shake hands.
“And this is… Dylan,” Haylie finished her introduction with a much lower voice than before. I hid my grin. She was horrible at keeping her façade.
“Ah, Officer Dwight. I need to learn how to distinguish fake IDs from real ones,” Lauren mocked, half amused and half accusing, referring to the night Jimmy and I disguised ourselves as detectives to find information about Dorian and his plans.
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that.” I harrumphed.
“I’m sure you are,” Lauren said with a knowing smile. “As long as you found what you were looking for…” she drawled, and I didn’t miss the hint as her eyes trailed to Haylie who looked rather uncomfortable.
“Here, take a seat and drink this,” Phil offered, pushing a cocktail into Lauren’s hands.
“Thanks. Let me just hand in my jacket first,” Lauren said and walked over to the coat check.
“Dammit. She will ask me about my new life. I don’t know what to tell her,” Haylie worried, watching Lauren disappear.
“We’ll help you,” Chris reassured her.
“You don’t know Lauren. You can’t lie to her. She sees right through you.”
Lauren returned, took the free seat next to Phil, and thanked him for the drink. “So, I’m dying to know where you’re living right now to be surrounded by so many handsome men,” she said. Haylie cleared her throat in embarrassment. “What? It’s true.” Lauren eyed Chris who winked at her. I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. Was there one girl who didn’t fall for his attitude?
“Handsome they may be, but they can still be as annoying as all the other guys,” Sarah proclaimed, and the two girls quickly lost themselves in easy chatter.
“Why are you wearing contacts?” Lauren suddenly asked, taking Haylie clearly off guard. I was surprised Lauren even noticed, considering the dark atmosphere and beaming spotlights. For me, of course, the difference couldn’t be more obvious.
“I… um… my sight got worse.” Yep, Haylie was a bad liar. Something I tended to be very good at.
Lauren snorted. “You’ve got the sight of an eagle.”
“We all agreed to use gray contacts tonight. Partner-look, you know?” Sarah came to Haylie’s rescue, causing Lauren to eye us all closely to confirm Sarah’s statement.
“Don’t buy it, but never mind,” Lauren said after pouting her lips. Haylie turned her head to Chris and gave him an I-told-you-so look.
“You’ve changed,” Lauren observed, eyeing Haylie closely.
“What do you mean?” Haylie’s head whipped back to Lauren, alarm underlying her tone.
“I don’t know. You look… different. Stronger. There are more muscles on your arms. And you look like someone who had some life-changing experiences.” Haylie hadn’t been exaggerating when she explained about Lauren’s talent for seeing straight to the core. Chris snorted in response, clearly amused.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Haylie conceded, tugging nervously at the bracelets on her wrist. For a second, I felt the urge to take her hand in mine to ease her anxiety. Thankfully, I was sane enough to grab my cocktail instead.
“Finish your drinks, ladies, the next one is waiting,” Sarah announced to distract Lauren from asking more questions, and we emptied our cocktails before taking a second one.
After some time, we were all shouting at each other to be heard over the loud music. Phil and Josh were busy flirting with one of the female waitresses. Chris talked with Lauren about her job at Joey’s, and Haylie laughed with Sarah over a joke I missed. I found myself getting distracted by her voice, so I only half-listened to what Cassie said to me.
I declined the third drink Phil offered me, wanting to keep a clear head. I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice and get sauced while a Natural was under my protection.
“So, as you are both bartenders, can you do some cool moves, too?” Sarah asked and earned a grin from Lauren.
“Haylie?” Lauren directed at her with wiggling eyebrows, and Haylie nodded in agreement. They both quickly finished their cocktails and took a slice of lemon from the platter on the table.
“Watch,” Lauren announced, and they both began to move in synch.
They squeezed some lemon juice in their glasses, spun them once on their palm, mysteriously without spilling any liquor, and threw them up behind their backs to catch them in front. Then the lemon followed the same way, and they caught the slices with their glasses. It didn’t last more than three seconds.
My attention switched between Haylie’s hands handling the cocktail glasses like a pro and her boots as she folded one leg over the other. A sudden image of her in plain, black underwear, wearing these boots while she wound her thighs around my hips, flashed in front of my mental eye, and it was all I could do to steer my thoughts away from naughty-land.
“Wow, that was crazy! How did you do that?” Sarah exclaimed in astonishment, and they all started talking at once.
Lauren showed Phil and Josh how to spin the glass on their palms, but they both struggled with getting their thumbs out of the way and only managed one eighties.
“Astounding,” Cassie muttered in annoyance.
“Would it kill you to swallow your witty comments for one night?” Chris snapped.
Suddenly, something flew through the air, landing directly on Cassie’s neckline. She gasped in surprise, only
to pull out a lemon slice from between her breasts. The entire table laughed. She lifted her head, trying to find the one responsible and glared open-mouthed at Haylie. Of course, she’d suspect her to be the attacker.
“Oops,” Lauren gave herself away, not sounding apologetic, and before Cassie could say anything, Lauren stood up. “Haylie. Dance floor. Now,” she commanded, and Haylie nodded eagerly.
“I’m coming, too,” Sarah shouted, already a little bit slurry.
“Yeah, let’s go down,” Chris said and followed the girls.
As soon as the four of them took off to descend the stairs to the main floor, Cassie seated her butt next to me. Josh and Phil were again flirting with the bartender. Great.
My gaze wandered over the crowd below, ignoring Cassie’s wandering hand on my thigh, and I spotted Sarah, Chris, Haylie, and Lauren in the middle. The DJs switched, and the music morphed into rocky electronic mixes, the strobes flashing to the fast beat.
“What about that dance?” Cassie hopefully asked. I was about to decline, but then I saw Chris leaning closer to Haylie. He whispered something into her ear, his hand skimming over her hips, and Haylie laughed wholeheartedly. That quickly made my decision.
“Okay, let’s go.”
~~~
Although I enjoyed the music while Cassie rubbed her butt against my groin, I found myself searching for the others every few seconds—or rather, a certain Natural with killer boots. Chris had finally detached himself from Haylie and was now flirting with Lauren instead.
While Cassie’s dancing style was aggressive, like the one of a naughty pole dancer desperate to earn some cash, Haylie’s was way more sensual. She only moved her hips and legs to the beat, but in such an elegant way, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I felt sorry for Cassie. She was trying so hard to get my attention every chance she got, but I had no space in my mind for her at that moment.
When I scanned the dance floor again, Haylie was nowhere in sight. Chris was busy dancing with Lauren and Sarah, one attached on each side. Taking a nervous look around, I found Haylie at the bar, her elbows propped against the counter. A guy was talking to her. His face was covered in piercings, wide flash tunnels boring his ears, and his sleeveless jacket was full of metal spikes. When Haylie didn’t look, he eyed her neckline hungrily, rolling the metal bar in his tongue around his teeth in anticipation. A wicked grin crossed his face, and I knew he was up to no good.
He leaned closer, whispering something into her ear, but she turned her head away—a clear message. He didn’t back off, though, and his hand circled her waist, moving lower. Haylie’s hand shot behind, grabbing his wrist before he could move to her butt, and shook her head. The guy somehow didn’t get the message and brushed his hand over her bare arm, stepping into her personal space—too close for my taste.
“I’ll be right back,” I shouted over the music to Cassie and strode toward the bar, ignoring her protests.
Before the bastard had a chance to touch Haylie again, my hand made a vice around his wrist. His eyes shot to mine high above him as I was at least one head taller. The wicked smile quickly vanished from his face, replaced by confusion and a glint of fear.
“You touch her again, and I’ll make sure to break every single bone in that hand,” I growled, my eyes speaking in spiteful, unspoken warnings. I could feel Haylie shift uncomfortably next to me, clearly anticipating a fight. “It will take twenty-seven seconds. One second for each.”
Punk boy swallowed hard, his eyes darting from me to Haylie and back again. He pivoted on his heels without another word and left quickly, probably assuming I was the jealous boyfriend. I watched him with caution until he disappeared into the crowd.
“Are you okay?”
“Um… yeah, thanks, but there was really no need to intervene,” Haylie mumbled, sounding embarrassed. “I’m used to handling guys like him.”
“That may be true, but my tactic was more efficient than your pathetic attempts to get rid of him,” I muttered back, causing her to give me a wicked grin.
“You will probably appear in his nightmares from now on,” Haylie joked, referring to the guy who was lucky to still have all his limbs intact.
“Good for him.”
A light smile curled her lips. She faced the bar again, waiting for the waitress to take her order. We didn’t talk for a while and seemed to be stuck in an awkward situation. What now?
“Want something to drink?” I asked. Her eyes darted up to mine, astonishment clear on her face. I held her gaze.
“Yeah. A beer, please,” she said after she was convinced I wasn’t joking about asking her.
Now it was my time to shoot her a disbelieving look. “Really? You didn’t strike me as a beer type of girl.”
She laughed, stroking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I hope you didn’t expect me to be the Cosmopolitan type of girl.”
I chuckled. “No, that classification would apply to Cassie.” I ordered two beers and handed one to Haylie.
“Thanks,” she said, and we clinked the bottoms of our bottles.
“There you are!” came a high-pitched voice from behind me. I closed my eyes briefly, praying for patience, and turned reluctantly to face Cassie. “I could use some fresh air. Why don’t we go outside for a few?” she suggested with the intention to get me away from where I currently was next to Haylie.
“I’d rather stay here and finish my beer,” I declined.
“I’ll join you. I could use some fresh air, too,” Phil, who suddenly appeared behind Cassie, chimed in.
I hid my grin behind my beer bottle. You had to give it to him to use every chance he got. Cassie looked lost for a second, but she quickly put on a defying expression.
“I like that song.” She turned to Phil. “Let’s go for a dance,” she suggested, grabbing a shocked Phil by the arm and dragging him onto the dance floor.
“You don’t have to stay with me,” Haylie said, bringing my attention back to her.
“I don’t mind.”
“You’re annoyed.”
“Cassie annoys me.”
She inclined her head, giving me an analyzing look. “She doesn’t seem to know that.”
“No, she just ignores it and is completely oblivious to my rejections.”
Haylie sipped her beer and turned to face the crowd, propping her elbows behind her on the counter. “You should talk to her.”
I huffed a dry laugh. “I can’t count how many times I have told her I wasn’t interested, but she won’t listen. We’ve already had dozens of heated debates. Chris is my witness. It’s useless.”
Haylie just nodded and kept silent. I tried to read her face to see what she was thinking, but her expression gave nothing away.
“What do you think about the club? Do you like it?”
“Totally, but I feel a little out of style in my outfit,” she mused, eyeing a woman with a sharp side cut, yellow contact lenses similar to cat eyes, and skull tattoos all over her neck and shoulders. If you asked me, Haylie couldn’t have chosen a better outfit, and every guy in the club would have agreed. “I don’t even have a tattoo. You have one, right?”
I nodded. “On my back.”
“When did you get it?”
I should have known that question was about to come. “In jail.”
“Oh. Shit, sorry, I didn’t want to…”
“It’s no big deal.” I guess she already knew why I had landed in prison in the first place, so I didn’t bother explaining.
Jail had been bearable. As a Fighter, I’d quickly claimed a higher status. I’d had it better than every other inmate and enough time to steel my body. Also, enough time to get out my aggressions.
I couldn’t help myself but study Haylie again from under my lashes. Her foot was propped against the counter behind her, moving lightly to the beat. A stupid idea formed in my head, and I acted before I found the time to think it through. Taking the beer bottle from her hands, I put it on the counter before grabbing her wrist.
>
“Follow me.”
Not waiting for an answer, I dragged her to the dance floor to a crowded spot where the others wouldn’t find us so easily.
I spun around and took in Haylie’s shocked face. Granted, I wasn’t making it easy for her. But I needed this… just one dance, one opportunity to be close to her, one opportunity to touch her, and one night where I could forget about the mountain-high barriers looming between us.
My hand moved to her waist, pulling her closer, our bodies nearly touching—nearly. If I pulled her any closer, her nipples would graze my chest, and I wouldn’t survive such an assault.
I started to move to the hypnotizing beat, waiting for her to catch up. She stared at my chest, unsure what to do, and finally began to sway her body from side to side. When the song reached its high and the strobes kicked in, her movements became stronger, the tension between us slowly subsiding.
She let her arms hang loosely at her sides instead of wrapping them around my neck, but I didn’t mind. Cassie was always groping me, desperate to feel my muscles, and it somehow weakened the effect. With her not touching me, she gave me control over her with my hand on her waist, guiding her.
Someone bumped into Haylie from behind, and I was close to showing the idiot what a Fighter like me was capable of, but Haylie’s stumble brought her body flush with mine. I took advantage of the situation and glided my hand over the small of her back until resting it on the other hip, allowing me to feel the soft skin above her waistband. My leg was sandwiched between hers as our bodies moved in sync. I tried hard to pry my eyes away from the plump breasts a few inches under my chin but failed miserably.
Haylie didn’t notice, as she still couldn’t meet my gaze, and finally closed her eyes, letting me take the lead. I’d never been so lost in dancing than at that moment. I simply couldn’t take my eyes off her face as if I was under control of a magnetic force, not allowing me to look anywhere else. We were so close, I could count the freckles dotting her honey-colored skin, her long, thick lashes nearly grazing my nose, her sweet breath skimming my throat.