What The Heart Wants

by Gadziala, Jessica

  And with that, he left.

  Anna didn’t move, her overwrought body trembling slightly. What just happened? Why did he feel like he shouldn’t have kissed her? At least this time she knew it wasn’t from a lack of attraction. The straining erection she felt pressing into her soft flesh didn’t lie. She took some small amount of comfort in that, but was clueless as to why he had felt the need to apologize to her after giving her the most intensely sexual experience she had ever experienced.

  After laying there for a moment to settle down, she got up to go take a long, cold bath as she cursed the male residents of Stars Landing with every filthy word she could think of.

  Something was seriously wrong with the whole lot of them.

  –

  Sam walked home slowly, ridiculously aroused and frustrated. Anna had nearly pushed him past his self control with her completely open response to him. He had felt her body twist and tremble, her fingers digging into the flesh of his back, her legs pulling his hardness closer to her. She had gasped and whimpered and moaned. But when she opened those big green eyes, they looked huge and confused like a deer in the headlights. And then he realized with absolute certainty that she was a virgin. And he had to stop himself before she allowed him to do something she was probably going to regret.

  He’d seen that look of bewilderment and hurt cross her face as he left but he comforted himself with the idea that he had done this for her own good.

  He got home and tried to clear his mind of Annabelle Goode.

  And failed miserably.

  Seven

  It had been Hank The Friendly Grocer who had convinced her to go. She cursed him as she pulled the new dress out of the shopping bag. He had somehow even managed to make her believe that it would be good for her business if she showed her face. Though now that it was time to get ready, she pretty much accepted that Hank was just a good-natured, bold-faced liar.

  The Spring Into Summer Dance event was an annual tradition in Stars Landing. It was a charity event orchestrated by a handful of the older, very wealthy residents of the town. Apparently all the proceeds benefited one lucky high school student each year for a future college education.

  Hank had explained that upon entering (and paying a nominal fee of five dollars), each lady got a dance card. And to get a spot on a lady’s dance card, a man had to pay one dollar. At the end of the night they would tally all the dance cards and the wealthy families would each match the amount. Then the final dance brought all the ladies up to be bid on by all the men for one final dance.

  Though she felt conned into it, she thought it was a wonderful event. They could have just donated the money of course, but they chose instead to make a community event out of it to keep everyone in their small town engaged with each other. And as cheated as she was by Hank, she understood his motives. More women in attendance meant more dance slots which meant more money.

  She honestly wasn’t much of a dancer, but she was willing to do her part to help send some deserving kid to college who otherwise might not have gotten a chance.

  The dress she chose was fashioned from a vintage design. It had a square-cut bodice and was tight to almost hip-length where it flared out slightly and fell just below the knee. It was white with a pretty petite rose pattern. She had bought a pair of bright red pumps to go with it.

  It had been a long time since she had a reason to make herself all pretty. It was something she enjoyed doing once in a while. There was something exciting about taking a long hot shower (or in her case… an awkward bath), shaving your legs, and using extra conditioner to make sure your hair was soft that reminded her of her teens. She dried her hair and decided to spend an extra half an hour carefully applying a curling iron to her usually pin-straight tresses. She curled and combed her fingers through her hair then curled again until she got the perfect tousled loose ringlets.

  She dusted her eyelids with a shimmering skin colored shadow and drew a perfect cat eye with liquid eyeliner before applying a few coats of mascara. Lastly, she added a coat of red lipstick. It had been a gift from her mother on her last birthday because apparently it was almost impossible for a woman to find the perfect shade of red and it was a very important item for her to have just in case she needed it.

  Viv would be glad she finally had a reason to wear it.

  Stepping back from the mirror, she eyed her handiwork. The transformation was extreme for someone who never bothered much with makeup. She looked effortlessly glamorous and sure of herself where she generall seemed about average and self-conscious. Hopefully her new look would prompt at least a few names on her dance cards- even if they were just pity bids.

  Anna sprayed the air with perfume, stepping through it and grabbing a small wristlet bag and heading to her car before she could talk herself out of going.

  The high school gym had been transformed into a summer garden. The school seniors and the town counsel had been busy every afternoon when school let out for a week. White garden lattice had been used to cover the padded walls. Artificial vine plants snaked up them in varying colors and spread across the ceiling, billowing down and laced with small white twinkle lights. The stage had potted plants lined up in front of it, spilling over the sides of their planters in gorgeous rainbows of colors. On the stage itself there were potted decorate shrubs, shaped into cones and squares and varying other unusual shapes. A DJ was situated discreetly next to the stage, his table covered in a grass-patterned tablecloth. A refreshment stand was next to it.

  Directly in the door to her left was the admission table. “Well well well,” a female voice said from behind it. There sitting behind a huge sign telling everyone to sign in there, sat Maude Mays in a light orange summer dress and a hat lined in flowers. “don’t you clean up nice? Come over here and sign in, girl.” Anna paid her five dollars and wrote her name on top of one of the lined dance cards. “Now, I’ll hold onto this and when someone wants to dance with you, they will come to me and sign up and pay. You just go and enjoy being young and pretty.”

  Anna thanked Maude and walked into the gym, feeling a lot like an outsider. Everyone was scattered around in small groups, laughing and enjoying the festive atmosphere. A few eyes fell her way, appraising her new look. Most people gave her a small, friendly smile. But out of the corner of her eye, she could swear she saw someone looking at her with outright loathing.

  Annabelle took in her bleach blond hair and icy blue eyes. Her pink dress was overly tight and her heels very high. She looked to be about Viv’s age with an impressive shape. Anna looked away first, unsure what she could have possibly done in the past few months to deserve such animosity.

  But she didn’t have much time to give the thought before pretty little Ashley from the diner came bouncing over in royal purple sundress looking very much like a stunning picture of young happiness.

  “Oh isn’t this so exciting? I’ve always loved this event but have always been too young to participate. This is my first year. The dance hasn’t even started yet and Maude just told me my dance card is already full! Can you believe it?” she gushed, practically bouncing with excitement.

  “Yes, yes I can. You look beautiful.”

  Ashley rushed on about the decorations and how dapper the boys from her school actually looked all dressed up before she ran off to greet her friends.

  Anna looked around. The bleachers were full of younger teens, clustered in groups separated by obvious school cliques. There were families with children and elderly couples all dressed up in their best.

  She slowly made her way over to the bleachers just as the band started up. The first song was a fast and cheery oldie and everyone who had a partner made their way to the dance floor. Ashley was being spun around by a handsome teenager dressed in all black dress shirt and slacks with bright yellow suspenders and tie.

  Anna felt a warm breath by her ear. “The first one is mine,” Eric told her. She felt her spine straighten.

  In the weeks following the events with Eric and
Sam, Anna had thrown herself fully into wronged-woman mode. She blasted female empowering alternative rock. She reread the book of feminist poetry an ex-best friend had forced her to read when they were teenagers.

  In the past, she had never had to deal with the feelings men tend to bring with them- extreme hope and excitement followed by a strange cocktail of sadness, anger, and a need for vengeance. If she were to be completely honest, the real reason she bought a new dress and worked so hard on her appearance was to drive Eric and Sam crazy and get the pleasure she would feel by turning them down.

  “It doesn’t work that way,” she told him, keeping her eyes on the dance floor.

  “Tonight it does,” he said, walking toward the sign-in table.

  She was still seething from his arrogance when she felt a tap on her shoulder. A young man stood there, somewhere between Ashley’s age and her own. He was good looking in a nerdy kind of way with his average brown hair and his quirky horn-rimmed glasses. He extended his hand to her, “I believe the next dance belongs to me, my lady,” he said and they both laughed.

  She took his hand and was led onto the dance floor for another fast oldie.

  It turned out her dance partner was named Devon and he wasn’t a nerd at all, rather what they would have called a hipster in more populated areas. He was witty and charming and within a few spins, he had her forgetting all about her mediocre dance abilities and her face broke out into a huge infectious smile.

  The song ended too quickly and Devon kissed her hand and walked off the dance floor. The band took the tempo down. A slow, sad song started and Anna’s stomach clenched when she felt a hand on her lower back. The bastard had found a way around the rules after all. But when arms circled around her, her face became pushed against a chest too wide to be Eric’s.

  She looked up to see Sam. He offered her a half-smile she noticed before she looked away. He looked handsome, damn him, in a blue dress shirt he had refused to tuck in.

  His wide hand pressed harder against her back, pushing her against his chest tightly. His other hand increased pressure on hers as they swayed. She had only slow danced a few times in her life and never had it been so… close.

  Despite her resolution to loathe the man, her body apparently didn’t get the message that he had betrayed her. She felt her heartbeat speed up and she felt unbearably hot. Sam’s finger started to trace small circles across her lower back and she felt herself melt against him.

  Mercifully, the song was short and Sam stepped back quickly when another man tapped on his shoulder, claiming the next dance. She knew he was trying to catch her eye but she kept hers downcast until he was off of the dance floor.

  The next few songs were fast-paced and she had a new partner for each. Some were high schoolers, Hank claimed her for one, and two older gentlemen with shockingly spry dance moves had her very much enjoying her time.

  The next song came on, and with no partner, she made her way back to the refreshment table, accepting a cup of punch from Hank’s kind looking wife. She had just raised it to her lips when it was pulled away from her. “This one is mine,” Eric told her, sounding almost angry. He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the dance floor.

  Everything about how he was carrying himself made her believe he was going to grab her and haul her against his body. But instead, his hand landed lightly on her hip. She looked up at him, devilishly good looking in all black. His head was cocked to the side as if gauging if she would accept him. When she didn’t back away, his arm snaked across his hips, pulling her to him.

  His other hand didn’t reach to pull hers out to an angle as one would with a traditional slow dance. Instead, he pulled it under his arm and up his back to rest between his shoulder blades, her fingers brushing the back of his neck. Her face was resting against his chest and she could feel his heartbeat on her cheek. She felt his chin come down to rest on the top of her head. The music pulsed. It was a song she didn’t recognize but had a crooning tone that sounded deeply erotic.

  Eric’s arms squeezed her and she shut her eyes, blocking out everything but how good it felt to just be held.

  The song was long and she almost felt sleepy in Eric’s arms. Then it finally ended and neither of them immediately let go. She felt a hand at her shoulder as the band switched to a recent chart-topping number.

  Eric’s eyes were seething and she didn’t have to turn around to know who had claimed the next spot on her dance card.

  Then Eric nodded stiffly at her and walked away.

  Sam looked sheepish when she turned to face him. “You’re a terrible dancer,” he said, his usual lopsided grin in place.

  She knew he was just teasing her but she felt her heckles rise. Why would he take up her time just to admit to her he wasn’t going to enjoying dancing with her? Just to prove that in that situation he had the upper hand? Or just because she had been dancing with Eric? Maybe he thought that kissing her (and regretting it) somehow gave him the right to be territorial.

  “Well I’ll save you the embarrassment then. I need to go freshen up,” she said, proud of how strong her voice sounded. “I’ll have Maude refund your money.”

  She turned on her heel and rushed out of the gym before her shaky legs could betray her real feelings.

  The bathroom was empty when she went in, leaning against the cool tile wall, she heard the door open behind her. “You,” she said in outrage as Maude walked past her to reapply makeup in the mirror.

  “Aw girl, don’t go blaming me,” she laughed. “I told you that O’reilly boy was going to be trouble.”

  Anna snorted. “Not as much trouble as Sam Flynn.”

  Maude turned to her, a frown creasing her eyebrows. “Sam Flynn ain’t never been trouble a day in his life. He’s a good man by all accounts. What did he do to you?”

  Anna slipped one of her aching feet out of her shoe, holding it a few inches off the floor and flexing it. “I thought you were like the town psychic,” she grumbled.

  “Of course,” Maude puffed up, insulted. “but honey... ain’t much clear about men and women. And all that sexual energy you and those two boys are giving off is enough to fog even God’s sight.”

  Annabelle shrugged, feeling suddenly very tired even though the night was only half over. “I have to get back,” she said, reaching for the door. “Oh, and you owe Sam a dollar.”

  “That a girl,” Maude laughed, “You’re gonna be fine after all.”

  Anna went back to the gym and found she had mostly occupied dance slots. So when she got to sit out two dances in a row, she realized there was no way Eric and Sam had given up that easily. Across the room at the sign in table, Maude winked at her. She must have been turning them away for her.

  Anna didn’t take comfort in that notion though. The woman had some kind of trick up her sleeve and she knew it was something she would most certainly not enjoy.

  The crowds in the stands lessened and lessened as the elderly got tired and the parents of the young children decided they needed to find their beds.

  The music stopped and a man in his sixties took the stage. He was a burly and strapping man with his silver hair slicked back from his forehead and his immaculate gray suit. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” he started in a clear, booming voice that suggested he was accustomed to public speeches. “For those of you who don’t know me,” he looked around the crowd and she would swear his eyes found hers. “my name is Jonathan Sinclair. I am one of the five founders of this little shindig. We are proud to inform you that we have finally broken the record we have had for four years running. This is fully in credit, I’ve no doubt, to all you lovely ladies,” he smiled and Anna was bawled over by his enigmatic charm. “And now we have the grand finale. Ladies, if you will please join me on stage.”

  All the women climbed on stage, giggling and smiling. She was apparently the only one who was a bundle of nerves. Then each lady was called forward to be bid on in five-dollar increments for one final dance. One by one, the women were
led off stage with their dance partners to wait for the band to begin again.

  When her name was finally called, she made her way over to Mr. Sinclair who held an arm out to her. “And now for the lovely Annabelle Goode.”

  He started the bidding and the first was placed by a random townsman and quickly replaced by Sam calling ten. Then almost at the same time, Eric calling fifteen. Then Sam twenty. Eric twenty-five. Back and forth quickly. Everyone’s eyes went back and forth between Sam, Eric, and her. A few women sent her knowing smiles and men shook their heads laughing quietly.

  Mr. Sinclair was looking uncomfortable. He cleared his throat quietly. Fifty. Fifty-five. “There are plenty of lovely ladies left gentlemen…”

  But they weren’t listening.

  Anna felt her face redden as she shifted her feet nervously.

  Then loudly through the crowd, drowning out Eric’s growl of a bid, “Five-hundred. She’s mine, suckers,” Devon called, running up to the stage, grabbing Anna’s hand and handing the money to Mr. Sinclair. He pulled her down the stairs and brought her over to the refreshment stand. “It had to be done before an outright brawl started,” he grinned, handing her a cup of punch which she drank thirstily.

  “You’re my hero,” she laughed.

  “I’ve always been a sucker for a damsel in distress. So spill… what’s the deal with that love triangle of yours?”

  “There is no love triangle,” she blurted a little too quickly.

  “I think the lady doth protest too much,” he teased.

  “Sam kissed me,” she admitted. “Once. That’s it.”

  Devon nodded. “And O’reilly?”

  “Literally nothing happened with him.” At his disbelieving raised eyebrow, she rushed on, “I know. I know. He’s like this legendary player but nothing happened there. Scouts honor.”