Twist Into Me

by Devon Ashley

  “You see?” Sarah said with a smile. “He does like you. You just need to encourage him a bit when we go.”

  I huffed, then took a sip of cola. “I’m not throwing myself at him, if that’s what you’re suggesting. It certainly hasn’t gotten Matt anywhere,” I added, jabbing her one last time, getting narrowed eyes in return.

  “Shit. You both need to stop screwing around and just give the guys a reason to ask you out already.”

  Sarah turned to Rory. “And what exactly are you implying we do here, huh?”

  “Claws down, drama queen,” she replied, putting her hand up to block the glare Sarah was sending her way. “I’m just suggesting the two of you dress really sexy Thursday night. Maybe even dance with a few strangers. Light a fire under their asses, get ‘em to step up.”

  Sarah and I stared at each other for a moment, both of us contemplating the idea. I wasn’t opposed to dressing up a bit, but I hadn’t been playing any games with Brady. Not like the dance Sarah and Matt had apparently been doing for a while. Lighting a fire might be necessary to get him to act, but I was pretty sure Brady didn’t have self-esteem issues when it came to women. He was smart enough to use Nana to his advantage just to get his way. I had no doubt he’d make a move so long as I didn’t discourage it.

  “I’m game,” I said anyway, just to encourage my counterpart.

  “Why not?” she finally said. “But if he hasn’t done a damn thing by the end of the night, I’m done. And you two can’t give me shit about moving on. Capiche?”

  Rory put her hands up. “I will gracefully bow out of hassling you further.”

  Sarah turned to me next, and I copied Rory’s stance. “I didn’t even know there was an issue to begin with, so I’m good.”

  “Good,” she parroted. Her demeanor quickly changed, and she leaned over the counter and rested her chin on her hands. She flashed me a smile I knew was nothing but trouble. “So…tell me. What are you going to wear to turn Brady’s eye?”

  Thursday felt like it was never going to come. Before I was simply looking forward to hanging out with friends I wanted to reconnect with. Now I was just going stir-crazy waiting for the minutes to pass away until it was go-time for the get-together Brady planned just to see me again.

  Yeah, no pressure there.

  I didn’t feel it necessary to overdress in the sexy department, but I did step up my game a bit. I wore tight-fitted jeans just so I could wear a pair of heels that would diminish another three inches between my five-foot-eight frame and his six-foot-three.

  Okay…so I wasn’t against getting my lips a little closer to the possibility of reaching his.

  The shirt was borrowed from Rory’s closet – which I thought for sure was going to be a bad thing when she offered. But what she returned with that night was a shirt I was actually willing to wear. It was a sleeveless satin blue top with a slightly plunging neckline. It didn’t go so far down I felt uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t be able to wear a bra with it, that was for sure.

  “Oh, my,” Nana said when I came into the living room dressed and ready to go. My hair was twisted and pinned in the back, but in a way that let my long curls still fall past my shoulders. The only jewelry I wore was a pair of beaded dangle earrings. She dropped her reading glasses to the tip of her nose to really take me in. With the tiniest smile, she asked, “Tell me. Do I need to cover the birds and the bees with you before you go?”

  “You’re a little late in the Sex Ed department. I figured it out on my own a long time ago.”

  Her face saddened, and I realized my mistake. She was thinking of something entirely different than what I was referring to. “I meant high school, Nana. I figured out what boys wanted just by overhearing conversations in the locker room.”

  The grief across her features softened. But clearly, she didn’t want to dredge up the memories of the past any more than I did. “Well, I think you look nice, honey. So long as you have your friends there to watch over you, I won’t worry about you.”

  “You don’t need to worry either way. I can take care of myself.”

  “I know you can. You’ve proven that through and through. Have fun.”

  I kissed her on the cheek and wished her goodnight, then headed down to the shop. I was riding in Sarah’s SUV with her and Rory, but was completely surprised when I found Lis waiting in the back seat too. She was wearing an incredibly sexy – and short – burgundy dress that hugged her every curve. Her smoky eye makeup was way heavier than she needed and her long hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. I smiled and innocently told her hey. “Is Owen coming with the boys too then?”

  Her expression immediately soured. “Ugh. No. I’ve never been able to get him to go clubbing. I’ve told him he didn’t have to dance. That we could just drink and find a spot by ourselves.” With a mocking demeanor, she snarked, “But his reply every time is that we could do that at home.” She rolled her eyes over her own complaint. “He just doesn’t get it. I want us to spend time together outside of our homes too.” Her smile found a way to curl again, energy sparking back to life in eyes that were as just as bright as mine, but blue like Caribbean waters. “But fuck it. Sometimes a girl just needs to get out and have some fun, ya’ know?”

  The compartment’s dome lights faded and Sarah began the thirty minute drive it would take to get to Britches. Surely Sarah and Rory were aching just as much as I was to talk about the guys, but they stayed silent up front, only engaging in conversation over miniscule things, like when we all complimented each other on what we were wearing. Lis kept her head buried in her phone. It all made me wonder why Lis was in the car with us at all. I guessed Sarah really did go out of her way to appear friendly to her for Owen’s sake.

  Apparently Rory knew the bouncer controlling entry, so we were able to bypass the line using her flirtations – or quite possibly the revealing lace corset she was wearing as a top. The way the club was lit made it seem like it was never-ending, with random pockets of darkness that made me feel like I was inside a black coral, particular routes lit up in a way to force the flow of traffic through them. The music was fast and ear-splitting, the bass so strong I could feel the rumble in my feet. Rory reached back for my hand and I turned to reach for Lis, ensuring no one would get lost as Sarah led the way.

  And the first thing she did was line us up at the bar and order something, but the music was so deafening I couldn’t make out what it was. “All right ladies,” Sarah said, passing a shot to each of us. “Down the hatch.”

  I lifted the glass in the air to inspect the creamy brown concoction. “What is this?”

  Rory shot hers down, her face puckering tightly. After blowing out a puff of air that made me think her mouth was on fire, she turned to me and said, “Doesn’t matter. Just get it down. It’ll totally loosen you up without making you sick.”

  I sniffed the drink, not sure what it was I was smelling. I just didn’t have enough experience with liquors to know the difference. “Alright,” I said courageously, then I closed my eyes and pinched my face, preparing for the worst. It tasted of crème and toffee, but it burned like pure alcohol all the way down. “Gah!” I shook my body as if I could expel its effects. Not make me sick?!! Not! My mouth, my throat, my stomach…I felt fire continuously lick and singe my membranes, and that wasn’t half as bad as the sudden pain behind my eyes.

  I aggressively slid the shot glass away from me. Beer me any day. Sarah could keep her shots.

  Rory grasped my wrist and dragged my somewhat unwilling butt to the dance floor, pulling me amongst the endless sea of thriving, gyrating bodies that already had a gleam of sweat on their skin. I only had eyes for one, yet no matter where I looked, I didn’t see him glancing back at me. It was just too dark, too many bodies to analyze. After a few minutes of fruitless searching my mind began to pay more attention to the music and those grinding around me, my body moving on its own with theirs.

  I danced with several guys and even a couple of girls as the musical ha
ze overcame me. I forgot all about Brady. As time went on, it seemed more bodies filled the crowd, and more smoke filled the room, making the air less breathable. More and more bodies pressed me into a tight space, bumping and grazing my skin as they lost themselves too. The club felt darker, the flashing strobe lights brighter as they continually blinded me.

  I lost track of Sarah and Rory, but Lis was right beside me. She was my dance partner half the time, bumping guys off left and right, though we both let a few stay between us just a little longer.

  It wasn’t until another shot appeared before my face that Sarah reappeared. “Oh, come on! Another?” I whined.

  “Oh, come on!” she parroted. “You’ve only had one and that was an hour ago! You’re not going to get drunk off this.”

  I blew a puff of air past my lips, then winced as I threw it back. This one was clear with little golden flakes slowly swaying towards the bottom. It was crisp and sharp and left a coolness behind that burned worse than the first. Bleh! What the hell was she feeding me? Straight up poison?

  “Oh, my God, I need to pee!” I cried out, suddenly realizing how very true that was. Sarah pointed me off in the right direction. I had to wait ten freaking minutes, practically dancing on tippy-toes before I got to go. Coming out, I took another direction, scanning the crowds again. And right there, at a table on the second level with a perfect view of the dance floor, sat the guy I had completely forgotten to look for this past hour.

  I went up the back stairs so he and Matt never saw me coming. They were at a tall bar table that sat two, and both had their attention on the first level. Brady was even standing at this point, leaning over the railing to look straight down. The music was too loud to hear what they were saying without shouting, so I just scooped up Brady’s beer and helped myself, hoping it would help dilute the acid on fire in my stomach. That shot might not have been enough to get me officially drunk, but I was definitely feeling buzzed.

  Matt saw me first – jumped even. “Shit!” Brady soon followed his attention, sitting down once he spotted me. “What’cha looking for?” I teased, my grin reaching full capacity when he realized I had hijacked his drink.

  Matt played it off like it was nothing, but his cheeks were beginning to blush, which was really obvious against his pale skin. Brady just gazed my way, the corner of his mouth slowly shifting upward. To Brady, I said, “Thought you were going to come dance with me tonight.”

  “You said that the dancing was still up in the air,” he playfully argued. Motioning to his partner in crime, he added, “And we love to people watch.”

  “So you’re just going to stay up here and watch as other guys rub up against me all night instead of doing it yourself?” I was pretty sure he wanted to respond to that, but I turned to Matt next. “And you.” I scooted his beer closer to his hand. “Drink your liquid courage and make your move already, because if you don’t do it before she leaves here tonight, Sarah’s going to permanently write you off. Then you’ll have nothing but people watching to fall back on.”

  I flashed them both a smile, pushed myself off the table and made my way to the stairs that dropped directly onto the side of the dance floor. I heard Matt yell, “Hey! Wait!” but I kept on going, spinning my hand in the air so he knew I was intentionally ignoring him. He just got all the help he was going to get from me. If he couldn’t work up the courage to approach her now, he deserved to be alone.

  I didn’t bother looking back at Brady. He wanted to spend the night just watching me? Fine. Then he could spend it watching me feel up every hot guy I could find. I made a pit stop at the bar and bought two large lime Jell-O shots that I could only assume had vodka in it the way they burst my stomach into splashing drops of acid. All those shots combined might’ve burned a hole in my insides, but I did feel rather free. Light. Carefree. And dare I say courageous as I made the first move on a guy I spun into, who was more than happy to return the hands-on attention.

  After a few minutes with him, I danced my way closer to the middle, where I last left the girls. Rory was dancing with another girl. Lis was dancing with a guy with busy hands, and she surprised me by not hesitating to send him packing. Sarah was dancing with…Matt!

  My body came to a dead stop. When the hell did he get down here? I blinked hard, thinking I was surely mistaken, but he remained right behind her, his arms like octopi the way they were everywhere at once. My eyes immediately drifted to their table up top, but a different couple sat in it now. Warm hands found my bare shoulders and stroked their way down my arms. There was something familiar about this touch, so I didn’t feel the need to brush it off.

  “Since you extended the invitation, I thought I’d take you up on it.”

  I rolled my head back onto Brady’s shoulder and smiled, letting his body rock mine into motion. He had us moving a lot slower than the music, but I didn’t care. I preferred it even, feeling the sensual way his hips and torso moved as they pressed up against me. I closed my eyes and got lost in the motion, flashes of flickering light still brightening up my eyelids. That last Jell-O shot finally made its way to my head, making me feel like I was swimming on air, and my hands gripped more tightly against his body to keep me grounded.

  The song changed to something sultrier, seductive even, giving us a legitimate reason for the lack of speed to our sway. The dizzying lights above us slowed their pace, leisurely sweeping the room with nothing but a red glow. Brady’s touch felt deeper, rougher, needier, his fiery breath grazing the skin of my neck. Everything was suddenly hot. My flesh was warm despite the way my insides fired up vibrations that chilled me, and the hot air in the room lightly suffocated my lungs. But the way his body moved with mine was mesmerizing, electrifying as tingles within my belly exploded, making me ache to let him do so much more. I opened my eyes to mostly darkness, shadows sensually moving all around me – and if I couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see me. My hands slithered northward and looped behind his head, my fingers combing through and tugging his hair. My body curled outward as he didn’t hesitate to feel his way up my front, even daring to run both hands over my breasts before stroking my sides back down to take hold of my hips, pressing his stiffness against me.

  I turned inside his embrace, snaking my hands down his neck, settling on his pecks before finally exploring the muscular bumps that led to his jeans. He definitely had a lot more going on under his shirt since the last time I’d seen him go without.

  Brady’s hands made their way up my sides again, capturing my neck, tipping it toward him. My thumbs caught the belt loops around his hips just as his mouth pressed hard against mine. My desire had grown exponentially the longer he touched me, and his kiss was no different. It was fierce and demanding. The way he held me possessively, every sweep of his lips, made me feel desired. Like he couldn’t get enough. And suddenly neither could I.

  Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the sudden heat, but the intense kissing made me dizzy. My body felt heavy, like I was sinking toward the floor. But it had to be more than my imagination, because his hands moved lower one at a time to cup my cheeks, keeping me up on my feet.

  His mouth made its way down my neck and I caught the scent of his cologne. Spicy, yet sweet like rich, succulent fruit. I drew it in with a long inhalation, its aroma soothing me to the core, clearing the clutter within my head. But it in no way lessened my increasing need for his touch. “Do you want to go somewhere else?” he asked beside my ear. I lazily nodded my head, my eyes tired and dreamy. I didn’t know where he was taking me, I just knew right now I’d follow him anywhere.

  He sat me up on a round barstool in the back of the club, the music once again pounding a fast beat, strong enough to vibrate all the way up my padded seat. It was still dim where we were. Besides the strobes whipping crazily above the dance floor, the only lights I really saw were at the bar stations, the track lighting on the floor and the occasional amber-colored sconce along the walls. Everything else was just a dark, pulsating blur.

  He
gripped my hips and pulled me to the edge, my legs automatically parting to allow him closer. The stool gave me height, making his lips right there, so I didn’t hesitate to feel them again, losing myself in the rhythmic motion. Our mouths did all the talking while our hands stayed put.

  “So…” I mumbled when his kisses swept along my jaw, “is this why you chose this place tonight?” Because I swore the air was laced with some crazy hormonal, euphoric, can’t-stop-touching-you, drug.

  He chuckled once. “Nope.” His mouth wavered along my ear, teeth tugging once on my lobe. His fingers lingered on my hips, but his thumbs moved south a little, settling on the sensitive part of my inner thighs. “If I knew we’d already be doing this, I would’ve suggested my place.” After a few more perfect kisses, he paused. With his legs pressed into me, I could feel how hard he was, and I’d be lying if he hadn’t gotten me completely hot myself. “I don’t suppose I could convince you to head there with me now?” he whispered, the hot air over my ear both soothing and electrifying at the same time.

  I smiled modestly and shook my head. He shrugged it off gracefully, his hands resuming their previous exploration. “Had to try,” he admitted with a light smile, kissing me afterwards. My hands reached around his neck. He continuously found some part of my hips or thighs to squeeze, and the more he did it, the more I ached to go home with him.

  “Ahem,” a gravelly voice said behind Brady. With reluctance, his lips detached from mine and his hands came to a respectable height. We both turned to Rory, who stood there trying to contain her grin. “We’re about ready to go.” Looking to Brady, she added, “We just need your help getting Lis to unclench the sofa. She drank too much. Matt could drag her out of here, but we’d rather not cause a scene. Think you could convince her it’s time to go?”

  Brady let out a long sigh and buried his head on my shoulder for a moment, rocking his head. “Will she ever grow up?” he muttered quietly. Groaning, he rose and locked his eyes with mine, allowing them to hypnotize me a few seconds more. “To be continued,” he said with a sly smile. He gave me one last peck before disengaging, leaving me feeling colder than ever before. “Where is she?” he asked without enthusiasm.