Stay

by Wynne, Hilary

  Luke brings our drinks and heads off to take another order, and the girls get up and leave. I’m sitting on the same stool in the corner of the bar I was at last week when I first really talked to Julian. I find myself thinking about our conversations, and I’m really hoping he shows up tonight. After an hour I conclude it’s not looking very promising. Luke did tell me Julian doesn’t come into the bar every night, so maybe I won’t get to see him. I push away the feelings of disappointment and remind myself I hardly know this guy.

  I’m getting off my bar stool when I hear Julian’s distinctive voice behind me. “Someone needs to stop putting baby in the corner,” Julian says playfully.

  I’m glad he can’t see the huge smile plastered on my face. He runs his hand gently down my arm as he walks past me on his way behind the bar. Goosebumps pop up all over my body. He looks down at my glass, sees it’s almost empty, and goes about making me another drink. I’m not sure how he knows what I’m drinking, but when I see him mixing a Vodka Cranberry with a splash of Sprite, I know he has been paying attention to what I like.

  I flash him a smile. “So now you’ve moved on to old movie quotes, Julian? Did you use up all of your good pickup lines earlier this week?”

  “Ouch, Alexa, that hurts. I only use that line on the special ladies. It’s a classic.” He’s smiling back at me, and I realize how happy I am to see him. I’m also flattered he remembers me. I hate that I’m feeling so insecure, but all of the Internet “research” I’ve done this week has only confirmed there is no shortage of women vying for his attention.

  “Thank you,” I say as he slides the drink over to me.

  Julian leans down and places his forearms on the bar. All of the muscles in his chest and arms bulge out from under a tight khaki-colored T-shirt. He looks so hot, and something tells me he knows it. I’m taking it all in when I notice a small tattoo on his left wrist. It’s barely peeking out from under his watch, but I can see it’s in a script font and appears to be a name. I’d love to know what it says, or whose name it says, but I don’t feel comfortable asking. He sees me looking at it but doesn’t offer any explanation. I wonder if it’s the name of a former, or current, love.

  As I ponder this, Julian slowly reaches up with one hand and gently runs a finger through one of my curls. “Better,” he says quietly as he twirls it slowly. He doesn’t look away, and neither do I.

  “Better?” I pick up my drink and take a sip. I need something to cool me down. My whole body starts to overheat when he touches me.

  “I prefer your hair this way. Es muy sexy.” He keeps twirling.

  Um. Okay. This is seriously hot. I love when he speaks to me in Spanish.

  “I’d rather take this woman to bed than the one with the ponytail. I can picture you straddling me, and I can see your beautiful hair floating across my chest as you make your way slowly down my naked body.”

  I’m in the middle of taking another sip of my drink when he says this to me, and his comment makes me choke. Holy shit! What a visual. And so quickly too. We’ve only been talking for a few minutes, and he’s already talking about getting naked? Apparently he thinks my ‘discomfort’ is funny and laughs out loud.

  “Something wrong with your drink?” he asks through a sly smile.

  I try to recover by putting my lips seductively on the straw and taking a slow sip. “Mmm, no, it’s perfect.”

  He arches his brow at me, intrigued by my not-so-subtle response. Hell, I can play this game too. This is fun.

  “Good, because I always try to give it the way it’s wanted.”

  “I bet you’re very giving, Julian.”

  He pauses, narrows his eyes, and looks serious for a moment. “You have no idea, Alexa.” I love the way my name rolls off of his tongue. He caresses it when he says it.

  His eyes are locked on mine and the way he is looking at me is making me squirm in my chair. I think we are both imagining “giving” something to each other. I try and break the tension with some more teasing.

  “Do you give this hard of a sell to all the ladies, Julian?”

  Julian chuckles and shakes his head slightly. “Oh, Alexa, you’re the only lady I want to give anything hard to at the moment.”

  Well, he’s definitely not shy or sexually repressed.

  We’re talking pretty quietly, but I still look around to see if anybody else heard him. This conversation has taken an X-rated turn. The couple sitting next to us at the bar are totally engrossed in the beginning stages of a hook-up and seem totally oblivious to anything around them. Nobody else is paying any attention to us either. I look down towards the other end of the bar and catch Luke staring intensely at me. He’s shaking his head. I’m not sure if Julian sees him do it, but I don’t want Luke to come down to where we are. His presence last time caused Julian to walk away, and I don’t want that happening again. I nod and smile at Luke and give him a little wave to say I’ve got this. He scowls at me but doesn’t come closer. I turn my focus back to Julian and take another sip.

  “Okay, Julian, I’ll play this game with you.”

  “I assure you, corazón, this isn’t a game.”

  “Really? You’re not just trying to see how much you can shock me?”

  That makes him smile. “Well, unless you have a really good poker face, I haven’t shocked you very much yet.”

  The truth is I do have a pretty good poker face. I am a little shocked by how “descriptively” he talks to me. I’ve never met a man who is more overtly sexual. It just oozes through his pores. He’s incredibly sexy and confident without being creepy. No doubt he has been perfecting his craft over the years.

  I’m doing my best to play it cool because I like how he’s talking to me, and I don’t want him to stop. But I also don’t want him to think I’m “that girl”; the one who makes a habit of picking up men in bars. I don’t want him to think I’m a prude either. I tell myself to get a grip. I can’t believe I’m so concerned with what a guy I don’t even really know thinks about me. How did this happen? I try to play it all off and give him a fake, shy little smile.

  “Oh, I’m a little shocked … and kind of scandalized.”

  “Only a little?” Julian shakes his head. “I guess I need to up my game.”

  His comment makes me laugh nervously. If he ups his game I’m in serious trouble.

  I look down at my drink for a moment and swirl my straw. When I look up, Julian is staring so intently at me it sends shivers through my body.

  “I thought this wasn’t a game.”

  Julian has been leaning up against the bar the whole time we’ve been talking. He straightens up and takes a step backward. I can feel my eyes widen. Wow. It is impossible to miss the erection straining through his jeans, and I can’t help but stare. I bring my straw up to my lips to take a sip. I’m suddenly feeling very hot all over again.

  With a tone that is serious rather than cocky he asks, “Still look like I’m playing?” Oh my God, he is shameless.

  I continue to look at his crotch and shake my head. “Nope, looks like the real deal to me.”

  “Oh, Alexa, it’s very real. Let me know if you need any more proof.”

  I’m seriously so flustered right now I don’t know what to say. So, I do the only thing a respectable girl can do in a situation like this. I thank him for my drink, get off the barstool, and turn to walk away. I can feel his eyes on my body, and I hear the laughter under his breath. Damn. Round two definitely goes to Julian in a knockout.

  This night is playing out similar to last Saturday night. Julian is flirting with me and Julian is turning me on in a major way. I’m running away in a weak attempt to stop myself from doing something stupid. I wonder if he’ll come find me or just watch me from afar like he did last weekend. Something tells me we’ve crossed that imaginary line already and that it’s only a matter of time before something more than dirty ta
lk happens between us. I keep telling myself I don’t want this and that this is a bad, bad idea for me. Oh, who am I kidding? If he keeps pursuing me, I’m going to let him catch me. I’m so completely drawn to this man I need a whole nightclub and a few hundred people between us to keep me safe. I find my girlfriends downstairs at Stellar. I put my drink on a table and join them on the dance floor.

  I’m seriously wound up. Horny would be another appropriate adjective for how I’m feeling. I try to relax and start dancing. The DJ spins Taio Cruz’s “Higher,” and I put my arms up in the air and let myself go.

  I can’t get enough, I can’t get enough.

  This is taking me now.

  It’s taking me higher, higher,

  Higher off the ground.

  The dance floor is crowded, and we’re surrounded by guys and girls enjoying the music. A good-looking blond makes his way over and begins to dance with me. He’s attractive in a beach bum kind of way and has a really nice smile. He keeps getting closer and closer, and pretty soon he has his hands on my waist as he sways his hips behind me. I let him for a minute, close my eyes, and pretend it’s Julian touching me.

  “She’s with me.” Julian’s tone is very matter of fact, and his statement doesn’t get questioned. The guy who was dancing with me turns and makes his way anywhere that is away from me.

  Julian is standing behind me in the middle of the dance floor, and he just laid claim to me. The imaginary line definitely has been crossed. Julian’s energy is pulsating off of him, and I feel a jolt of sexual energy run the length of my body. He hasn’t even touched me yet, and I feel him all over. He leans down, nips the top of my ear, and whispers my name seductively. I turn around to respond, and I’m rendered speechless. Julian is looking at me in a way no man has ever looked at me before. There is no doubt in my mind this gorgeous man wants me. His next words confirm my thoughts.

  “There is not a chance in hell that guy is getting the benefits of me turning you on earlier.”

  He’s right. I am turned on. Very. And I have been since he told me he was hard because of me. Seeing the proof through his pants just intensified my longing. Never before has a man been able to turn me on so much by just talking to me and being near me. I know at this moment I’m not going to be able to stay away from him.

  Julian grabs my hand in a possessive yet gentle way and leads me off the dance floor without saying another word. I walk quickly behind him, allowing him to guide me through the throngs of people on the floor. Although Julian walks slowly, there’s nothing causal about his demeanor or gait. He’s a man on a mission. A mission I’m sure is designed to get me alone. The music is blasting, and there are lights and sounds all around me, yet the only thing I’m aware of is Julian’s hand gripping mine. It’s the first time he’s really touched me for an extended period of time, and the feeling is so erotic it’s almost painful. I’m not sure where he’s taking me, but I’m sure I need some more time to try and calm my overstimulated senses. I feel completely out of control around this man, and my body seems to be moving without my conscious participation. Julian’s energy just draws me toward him like a magnetic field.

  A body slams into me as a tipsy girl swings her hands up in the air and twirls around. Bam. It’s just what I need to snap my brain back into focus. I need to slow him down. Slow me down, slow this down. Whatever this is. We don’t even know each other.

  I attempt to yank my hand away, causing Julian to turn around and scowl at me. He doesn’t let go. He takes a step closer to me so we’re just a few inches apart. We’re standing in the middle of the dance floor as bodies gyrate all around us, but Julian looks at me as if we’re completely alone. He seems confused and a little annoyed by my attempt to deviate from his plan.

  “Dance with me.” I sway my hips playfully, hoping to distract him.

  “Dance? You want to dance with me?”

  “You do know how to dance, right?”

  Julian chuckles and tilts his head slightly to the side as if confused by my question. “Yes.” He nods. “I know how to dance, Alexa. I happen to own a nightclub, and I also happen to be Latino.”

  “Well, Julian,” I answer in the same sarcastic tone he used on me, “I doubt all the people who own circuses know how to juggle. However, the Latino thing does give you a little more credibility.” My jokes are lame, but I’ve distracted him.

  Julian flashes me a seductive smile, his look of annoyance gone. I love this playful, flirty side of him.

  “You sure have a smart and sexy mouth, and I would prefer to get to know it better rather than dance, but a challenge is a challenge.” He pulls me close to him, and I can feel his erection on my leg. “You want to dance, do you? Vamos a bailar.”

  It turns out stopping and asking Julian to dance with me as a sexual deterrent is a very bad idea and has the exact opposite effect. He actually was doing me a favor by skipping the dancing part of the night. I’ve always been turned on by a guy would could move, and Julian is an amazing dancer. He moves so fluidly in front of me, around me, against me. He’s like a tiger stalking his prey, and he never takes his eyes off of me.

  Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music” comes on, and Julian holds me close as he pushes his hips into me and mouths the words. He mimics the lyrics of the song with his body movements. This is hot.

  Do you know what you started?

  I just came here to party,

  But now we’re rocking on the dance floor, actin’ naughty

  Your hands around my waist …

  I’ m also a good dancer, and I’m sure Julian and I make a sexy pair on the dance floor. I let go and just let the music take over my body. If I could focus on anything but him, I would notice people are watching us. I forget he owns this club and that everyone knows him. I briefly wonder if he does this often and realize I honestly don’t really care. He’s dancing with me, and I’m going to freaking enjoy the moment. I feel so alive. We keep bumping and grinding against each other to the sounds of Pitbull’s “Give Me Everything.” Julian keeps singing to me.

  And I might drink a little more than I should tonight,

  And I might take you home with me, if I could tonight

  And, baby, Ima make you feel so good tonight

  Cause we might not get tomorrow…

  I’m not sure if it’s the alcohol or the feel of Julian pressed up against me, but I’m suddenly a bit lightheaded. I place my head lightly on his chest, and I feel his heart beating rapidly. His desire for me is both literally and figuratively obvious. We are both a little sweaty from the dancing, but he still smells so good. I take a deep breath and inhale his scent. That doesn’t help with the lightheadedness. Julian Bauer is positively intoxicating. I pull away slightly and look up at him. He looks a bit like I feel—raw and disheveled. His eyes are gazing down at me with fire in them. He puts his hands on the sides of my head and pushes my hair off my face. It’s a gesture that is both gentle and possessive at the same.

  “Ready to stop dancing now?”

  I nod my head and give him a faint smile. It’s all I can muster. I no longer have the strength or the desire to resist him. Julian takes my hand and leads me off the floor. At the back of the bar, Julian leads me down a short, dimly lit hallway. At the end of the hallway, we round a little corner. There’s a door in front of us, one that I assume leads into his office. I’m surprised that instead of taking me behind the door, he stops, turns me to face him, and presses my back against the wall. He spreads my legs with one of his and keeps it there. I’m straddling his leg, and my dress has crept up my hips, leaving the lower half of my body pretty exposed. Julian holds my hands down by my sides and gently begins stroking my thighs with his long fingers. The feel of his touch on my bare skin is almost more than I can handle. He is so much taller than me that I just come up to his shoulders, and once again my face is in his chest. Being in this position makes it easy for me to avo
id his burning stare, yet I can feel how he’s looking at me. It’s like he’s trying to see the deepest parts of me. I should feel scared, but I don’t. I’ve been avoiding this level of intimacy for a year because of what happened with Brady. Oddly though, I feel protected and safe rather than frightened. I take a deep breath, and once again my senses are overtaken by the faint smell of peppermint on Julian’s breath coupled with a heady mixture of sweat and cologne. Julian shifts slightly, and I feel the top of his leg hit just the right spot between my legs. I immediately begin gently grinding against him. It’s shameless, but I can’t help myself.

  “Mmm,” Julian whispers huskily in my ear. “That’s it, baby. Feel me between your legs.” Between my legs? I’m feeling him everywhere.

  The way we’re positioned allows me to feel the heat and power of his erection against my leg, and it turns me on even more if that’s possible. I’m so wet that I’m certain he can feel my dampness on his leg. Sensing my desperate need for release, Julian flexes his leg muscle and pushes into me, making it easier for me to rub myself against him. Aside from the sound of our heaving breathing, it’s quiet. I push into him, and I can feel how much Julian wants me. Still, he remains restrained and lets me use his body for my pleasure. I’m desperate to touch him, but he refuses to let go of my hands. It will not take much for me to orgasm because I’ve been turned on for hours and my body is ready to explode. If Julian would just put his lips on mine, something he has yet to do, I will get the release I crave. Here I’m about to come for this man, and he has not even kissed me yet. I’m in so much trouble here.