by Amy Muscat
Groaning, she walks around the group and over to Keller, slipping her arms around his waist. I watch as he turns and engulfs her in his arms.
“You wanna dance with me, handsome?” I ask looking up into his ocean-blue eyes.
“You gonna dance dirty, Angel?”
“Oh, you bet, baby.” I breathe into his ear.
Growling, Blake practically drags me to the dance floor. With my hand clasped in his, he tugs me along with him, over to where there was a gap for us to dance in the packed solid dance floor.
Rude by Magic! was playing, and Blake pulled me over to him and we started dancing, chest-to-chest and hip-to-hip.
When the chorus comes on, I start singing the lyrics– okay it was more like I was shouting the lyrics, but you get what I mean. Blake runs his hands down the sides of my body, his fingers lightly skimming my breasts, down to my hips, over my arse, and then settling on my thighs.
“This is really short, Angel.” His breathes into my ear. “But I like it.”
My hips jerk when his warm hand cups one of my bum cheeks, my pelvis collides with his, and I feel his hardness press into me.
I slap his hand away, but not before he got one more squeeze in. “Stop.” I hissed. “This place is packed, I don’t want everyone seeing my naked arse,” I explain when he pouts at me.
He chuckled. “Okay Beauty, sorry, I just can't resist your ass,” he said smoothing down my skirt. My head shakes at him in exasperation, when once again he squeezes my arse cheek.
We dance for about half an hour before we head back to the bar to get drinks.
“What can I get ya?” The barman shouts over the music to me.
“I’ll have a Grey Goose and lemonade, and a Bud, please,” I told him. “Do you want shots?” I asked everyone.
“Yeah!” Everyone responded, well apart from Peyton, who was nursing a bottle of water.
“Can I get eight shots of Tequila too, please?” I ask, and the barman nods as he makes his way back to me with our drinks.
He passes me Blake’s drink and mine. “Eight Tequilas?” He double checks.
I nod at him, and watch as he lines eight shot glasses up, all next to each other, and then he grabs the big bottle of Tequila and pours them all precisely, not spilling a drop. Good barman, I silently muse.
He grabs the tray of sliced up lemon and four small saltshakers, before putting them beside the shots. “That’ll be eighty-four dollars, please!” He shouts over the bar to me.
I grabbed my clutch bag and pulled out four twenty’s, and a ten, before passing the notes over to him. “Thank you! Keep the change, love.” I smile at him.
He flashes a grin at me, says thanks, and walks over to the till.
I step back and shout, “Shots!”
Everyone licked their hands and tipped some salt on, before grabbing a shot each, and as one, we all licked the salt, threw back the Tequila, and then sucked the lemon.
I feel my face screw-up in disgust. Urgh, I shudder as the liquid travels down my throat and settles in my stomach, feeling it warm-up.
I looked over and see Peyton laughing, with her phone in her hand, obviously taking pictures of us.
Bitch. I'll be deleting those later, let me tell you that.
My drink was suddenly being waved in my face, and I take the glass from Blake's grasp, and suck down the drink, trying to get the nasty taste of Tequila out of my mouth.
“Thanks,” I gasp.
“You're welcome Beauty.” The humour in his voice makes me look up, and when I do, I feel my breath get stuck in my throat.
His hair was slightly damp at the sides from the heat, and messy at the top. His blue eyes were sparkling like hundreds of diamonds were shining, and that sexy-as-sin grin was present. That face was a lethal combination; it made my lady bits come alive and do the tango.
“Let’s go dance again, Angel. I want to rub against you without looking like a pervert.” He smiled naughtily.
I snorted at that.
“You are a pervert, Blake.” I raise an eyebrow at him, daring him to disagree.
He raises his right back at me and says, “Only for you, Beauty. Only ever for you.”
His matter of fact tone makes me grin at him, and butterflies start flapping around in my belly.
God… This man and his one-liners were gonna be the death of me– or at the very least make my heart implode.
“Come on then, handsome; let’s go dance.” I grab his hand and we meander our way to the dance floor again.
“HEY, GUYS!”
I look over to see everyone had joined us on the dance floor, including Sarah and Jason.
“Hi!” I shout and grin, moving from Blake's arms and shuffle over to hug Jason and give Sarah a kiss on her cheek.
I was feeling slightly drunk, we’d gone back to the bar and got another drink about ten minutes ago, and the double measure of Grey Goose had gone right to my head.
Blake had stuck to three Buds, and one shot, and when I pouted at him and told him that he had to get drunk 'cause it was his birthday; he reminded me that he had work tomorrow, and he couldn’t go there still drunk or with a hangover.
Sarah gives Blake a hug and a kiss, and Jason does one of those man hug things that men do.
Peyton escapes Keller's arms and moves over to me and says, “He is driving me mad! Let’s dance girly,” and grips my hands and we start cutting some shapes along to Clean Bandits Rather Be, and then Jessie J’s Bang Bang.
When the music lowers and the DJ says, “Ladies and Gents, grab a partner; 'cause we’re gonna slow this down!”
Then the beginning beats of Sam Smiths Stay with me comes on and I feel myself being pulled into Blake's arms. My arms lift and circle around his neck, and I run my fingers through his hair, while his encircle my waist, one hand settling on the small of my back, and the other halfway up my back, his palm spread out.
Then just as Sam’s voice starts crooning, Blake joining in, and I think I wet my knickers when I hear his deep, husky voice.
“Guess it's true, I'm not good at a one-night stand.
But I still need love 'cause I'm just a man.”
As he starts singing the first verse to me, I think I swoon both internally and externally.
His voice was like liquid gold.
“Oh, won't you stay with me?
'Cause you're all I need.
This ain't love, it's clear to see.
But darling, stay with me.”
The whole club and everyone in it disappeared.
The only thing I was focused on was Blake, his voice, the look in his eyes, and the emotion in his voice as he sings to me.
I had never felt this sort of emotion that was running through me before, and even though I was scared of this emotion; I was just gonna let it flow and not overthink it.
Overthinking is always bad– especially when emotions are involved.
I lock my fingers in Blake's hair and pull his head down to my awaiting lips. The kiss was slow, soft, and I put all the emotions into it that I couldn’t say out loud. I feel the explosions and the fireworks. I feel the tingling start from my toes and travel all the way up to my fingertips. I could feel those damn butterflies flapping and fluttering again.
Blake's hands tighten around me, drawing me in closer. I can vaguely hear everything going on around us, and I notice some flashes coming from the side of me, but all I could think about was Blake, his lips, and how he was making me feel.
I run my tongue over his once more time before I pull back for breath, and I looked up at him as he sings the last line.
“But darling, stay with me.” As he sings, his lips brush against mine, sending one last shiver through me.
To me, it felt like he was asking me a question, asking me to stay with him. I nodded against his lips and I feel his grin.
As I looked away from Blake, I noticed all our friends were staring at us, and I felt myself blush.
The guys were whooping, Peyton was grinn
ing like a loon with her phone in her hand again, and I wondered if the flashes were from her taking pictures, but then I spotted Sarah; she had a face like thunder, and she was glaring off to the side.
What was her problem?
As I looked back at Blake, I see that his face had gone ash-white, and he looked like he had seen a ghost. He was staring in shock over at something just over my shoulder. I follow his line of site– the same line of sight that Sarah was staring in– and see the girls from the toilets standing over at the bar: right where we had been standing before we all came to dance.
The blonde was staring over at us too, and she looked pissed.
I looked back at Blake, and then over to Sarah, and back to the blond– I'm pretty sure her friends called her ‘Lulu’.
Oh God… was she one of his one-night stands?
Great… that’s all we need. We were having a really great night, too.
“Do you know her?” I ask Blake, but I get ignored. He just keeps on staring, and it grates on my nerves. “Hello,” I wave a hand in front his face, but all I get back is a blank stare.
I spin around and march myself over to Sarah and in a demanding tone, I ask her who the woman was. “Who the fuck is that woman and why are you giving her evils? Blake is as white as a sheet of paper!” She’d better tell me or–
Sarah turns her head and says, “That’s Lucy.”
Who… I start to try and remember a Lucy– “Blake's ex Lucy?” I ask hesitantly.
Please say no… please say no… please say n–
“Yes,” she hissed. “That fucking Lucy.” She spits, before she storms off into the crowd and over to bar area.
I look back at Blake, but when I don’t see him, I whip my head back and see him moving in the same direction as Sarah.
For a second, I deliberated whether to go over there or not, but then I thought fuck it and went there too.
I know everyone had followed, but my focus was solely on the small group that consisted of: Blake, Sarah, and Lucy.
I get there just as Sarah says, “What the fuck are you doing here?” She spits nastily.
“I'm pretty sure you don’t own this club, Sarah, so what I do has got nothing to do with you.” Lucy or ‘the whore’, as I'm now going to refer to her as, snaps back.
“Fuck you, you smart-ass whore!” Sarah shouts as she steps closer, but Blake intervenes and grabs ahold of his friend before she does anything.
“Hey Blake,” the whore says coyly like she’s gone shy all of a sudden. “How’re you?”
“Lucy.” Blake chokes out, hand still gripped onto Sarah’s arm; but his focus is solely on the whore.
“Not even gonna say hello, Blake?” She asks with a head tilt, bat of lashes.
Fucking bitch.
He just ignores her and keeps on looking. Suddenly I feel uncomfortable. I feel like a voyeur for some reason. I squirm on the spot, deliberating again if I should just leave them to it. But, Lucy spots me and glares at me over her shoulder.
“Who’s this?”
Blake seems to snap out of it and turns around and sees me standing like a fucking moron shifting on the spot. “This is Lottie; my girlfriend.” He states, and he seems to come out of the shock and smiles proudly at me. He reaches out and grabs ahold of my hand and pulls me closer and under his arm.
She sneers at me, and I sneer right back at her. Fucking whore.
“How nice,” she says sarcastically. She flicks her eyes back to Blake. “Happy birthday by the way.”
“Thanks,” Blake says back automatically.
“I just wanted to say I'm sorry, you know for what happened…” Her voice trails off.
“What for cheating on him and fucking two men? Or for getting caught in the act?” Surprisingly it wasn’t Sarah who said that it was me.
I don’t know what came over me– no, actually I do. Blake's face, as he told me what happened and what she did to him, vaulted itself to the forefront of my brain, and I just snapped. I remember the heartbreak on his face, the hurt, and I didn’t like it.
Her plastic face transforms into a mixture of shock and anger.
“Who the Hell do you think you are? You know nothing bitch; so stay the fuck out of it!”
I move forward until I'm in her face so quick, that it startles her and she jumps.
In a deathly tone, I tell her the deal. “Okay bitch, one; fuck you. Two; I'm his fucking girlfriend., so it has everything to do with me. And three; I know everything: I know that you fucked two guys behind his back. He walked into you fucking one of them with your mouth and the other fucking your dirty pussy. And then you go and give him some poor excuse that you were drunk. What the ever-loving fuck is wrong with you!” I shout at her, watching as her jaw drops open in shock-horror.
She picks her jaw back up and starts sputtering. “I-I. Yo-you… How dare you!”
“Oh, I dare, love. I fucking dare.” I snap at her. “I think you should do yourself a favour and fuck off away from us, and stay away.”
Sarah's laugh made us all turn and stare at her. “Sorry, but, you just got schooled!”
I snort. Childish as it may be, it was still funny.
“I don’t know why you're laughing, Sarah.” She taps her chin with her pointer finger, looking like she was thinking of something, and I saw the second she got the malicious look in her eyes. “I actually thought you might have been with Blake.”
“What, why would you think that?” Blake asks, his whole body going rigid.
Looks like someone found their voice.
“Because, if I remember correctly– and please do correct me if I'm wrong– didn’t you two end up fucking when we split up? Like a lot?” she asks with a smug grin.
Now I was the one who went rigid.
What…?
WHAT?!?!
I try to pull back from Blake to look at his face, to see if it was true, but he wouldn’t let me. He was just as solid as me, so I looked at Sarah, and her face was all the confirmation I needed.
She was looking at me in horror, and then she looked at Blake in horror, but when she looked at Lucy; she got angry.
“You stupid whore!” Then she pounced on her.
SARAH GETS A COUPLE of hits to Lucy’s face before Jason was able to pull her back, and off of the slut.
But when Lucy goes to hit her back, Blake charges forward and grabs ahold of her and restrains her. Locking his arms around her, and when she starts struggling and yelling– he whispers something in her ear and she calms down.
I feel my heart freeze and then start double time.
They looked perfect together– and if she had not cheated on him, they would probably still be together right now. Most probably married and with a couple of stunning kids trailing behind them.
What had he just whispered in her ear that got her to calm down so quickly?
Why was I still standing here watching this? I ask myself. I shake the stupor off, turn around and walk my way out of the club.
I didn’t want to deal with this shit!
“Lottie!” I hear my name being shouted, and turn to find Peyton and Keller hot on my heels. “Wait! Where are you going?” she asks with obvious worry on her pretty face. From the light coming from the lamppost next to the club, I can see her emerald gems shining with worry.
“I'm gonna go home, I don’t want to be in there while my boyfriend has his arms wrapped around his exes waist; fuck that.” I hear the slight tremor in my voice and wonder if they can too. Judging by their faces, they had heard it.
“Do you want to come to our house? I don’t really want you to be alone.”
I opened my mouth to say ‘no’, but Keller beat me to it. “I won't take a no for an answer, Lottie. You're coming home with us.” Stern and pissed. That was what I would call how Keller looked.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose…” I know it was stupid, they were my best friends, but for some reason, I just felt like I would be like the tag-along friend, crowding them
with my drama.
“Pfft. Girl please, you're like my sister and how many times have you done the same for me?” Peyton asks, raising her eyebrow at me, daring me not to accept.
I give a small smile, and nod. “Okay, thank you.” I take the hand that ’eyton's holding out to me, and she gives it a squeeze, before she lets go, but links her arm through mine.
Keller places a kiss on my head and says, “Come on, let’s grab a cab home, yeah?” Both Peyton and I nod.
I keep my eyes on the ground in front of me as we walk. I can still hear the music coming from the club. I could hear everyone that was waiting in the line to get in, could hear the honking of horns, the shouts from the streets of New York. But, all I could think of was that not even half an hour ago, I had been happy: deliciously happy. Dancing with Blake, and having him sing those lyrics to me had been perfect. It had all been perfect; until the slut had turned up, and turned and twisted everything upside-down.
Stupid fucking bitch.
Keller hails a taxi, and just as it pulls over to the kerb, I hear my name being called once again.
“Lottie! Lottie wait, please!”
At Blake's shout, I turn and see him running from the club, and over to where we are standing.
“Angel, where are you going? I'm sorry for what happened in the club.”
“I'm going home, Blake.”
“No, don’t g–”
I interrupt him before he could go on. “Was she correct? Lucy? When she said you had fucked Sarah?” He just stood there silently, and it pissed me off when, after a minute, he still didn’t say anything. “Did you fuck her?!” I scream in his face.
“Yes!” He shouts back at me, looking pissed himself. Well, fuck him. “Yes, I fucked her. I fucked her in college when I was down and lonely. It meant nothing, Lottie. Nothing. It was just one of those things that happened, and we both regretted it straight away.” He was panting. His once handsome face was, now, distorted in anger, but it was his eyes that done me in; they shone with hurt, worry, and dread.
At what, losing me? I don’t know.
I didn’t know what to say to him– I was coming up blank.
“Please don’t go. Come home with me, please? It's my birthday, and I want to spend the rest of it with my girlfriend. Please?” The desperation in his tone makes my heart clench. I nod and watch as he blows out a relieved breath.