by Nina Crespo
Yes! As Cori stuck the “Do Me” condoms in her purse, she pulled out the attached short gold link strap and slipped it over her shoulder. Her work was done. Now, where the hell was that other ladies’ room?
Chapter Two
Cori joined the line in the corridor. The ladies’ room with the shortest wait time really was on the other side of the building.
Cooling her heels in the hallway sucked. But the muffled driving thump of a Latin house remix coming from the main club awakened electric-like tingles. The beat of this music was more her style. Mainstream songs were great, but they were the equivalent of comfort food—nice and familiar. But hearing dance beats mixed by a talented DJ was like taking an unexpected journey to a great new place. A girl had no idea what was coming next, just that it was going to be spectacular.
Long minutes later, she made it into the bathroom. When she came out, her phone buzzed, and she slipped it from her purse.
Alexa had sent a text. The prize drawing was happening, right then, at the party.
Cori responded with OK. If she hurried, maybe she could make it. One of the prizes was a luxury spa package, and she could use some five-star pampering.
As she hurried down the corridor, her phone rang, and she answered without glancing at it. “Hey, Alexa, I’m on my way.”
“So, young lady…”
Cori paused. Crap, it wasn’t Alexa. Her mom. Anticipating what was coming, she mouthed what her mother said almost word for word.
“Why did you change your RSVP to Dana’s and Ben’s engagement party from ‘maybe’ to ‘no?’”
There were plenty of good reasons. Having to keep a smile on her face as everyone gave her looks of sympathy was the first. Being squeezed to death every ten minutes by pity hugs the second. Avoiding well-meaning aunts, uncles, and cousins who wanted to set her up with a neighbor, co-worker, or the relative of one of their friends was another. And honestly, what woman standing in her designer shoes, who’d just gone through a breakup like she had, would want to go to an engagement party? But her mom wouldn’t understand.
Cori moved to the side, near the wall. “It’s a really busy time at the fund. I may have to work next Saturday.”
The investors were conducting video conference interviews with the candidates over the next few weeks to select their final five. Keeping the meetings on schedule along with the debriefs afterward would demand her attention during the work week, and there was a slim, almost impossible chance that the weekend could end up involved.
Her mom sighed. “I understand work is important, but what about your father? You know what happens when he gets around his brothers and sister. He forgets that he has to watch his blood pressure, and his diet goes out the window. At your aunt’s birthday party last month, your uncles kept sneaking him spiked lemonades, and I’m sure he got into the ribs when I wasn’t looking and had an extra piece of red velvet cake. I’m relying on you to be there. I need you to help me keep an eye on him.”
Cori stifled a snort. If she went to the engagement party, she’d probably end up drinking a few spiked lemonades along with him, just to get through it. “You keep him in line 24/7 when it comes to his health. One afternoon of fun won’t hurt. Just relax and enjoy the party with him.”
Silence followed.
“Mom?”
A beep sounded.
Cori glanced at her phone.
No cell signal.
Nooo! Did her mother think she’d hung up on her? She’d never hear the end of it.
Cori reversed her steps down the corridor. When she reached the black-walled, white-tiled lobby, tall colorful faux cylinder waterfalls helped light up the one bar flickering at the top of her screen. That wasn’t strong enough to make a call. Maybe it would work better if she wasn’t inside?
She navigated past people waiting to get through the double doors into Escapade East, the general part of the nightclub, and headed for the main entrance. Before she went out, the linebacker-sized bouncer monitoring the door slipped a red band around her wrist that would allow her to come back in.
Outside, more people waited all the way down the sidewalk to get inside.
A few cars maneuvered out of traffic and pulled up to the curb so passengers could get out. All of them were headed for Club Escapade.
As Cori walked farther from the building, two signal bars appeared at the top of her screen. Hallelujah.
She neared the sidewalk and three signal bars appeared—along with two pop-ups about missed calls from her mom.
Great. By now, her mom had built up to full-on “I know what’s best mode” which meant when she called her back, she wouldn’t be able to get a word into the conversation.
“Cori?”
The sound of a guy calling out her name caught her attention. Not spotting anyone she recognized, she kept going.
“Cori, hold up.”
This time, the deep voice struck chords of familiarity. She turned around.
Streetlamps along with the headlights from passing cars illuminated him.
Dark jeans hugged his long legs. Smooth unruffled confidence emanated from his stride. The navy pullover he wore hugged broader shoulders, but he was still lean and muscular. His dark hair was close-cut now, and the sides were edged to perfection bringing out the angles in his brown face that was a gift for the eyes. But it was definitely Grey Latham, her ex-ex-boyfriend walking toward her. One thing remained the same. He still wore high tops. In the past, his signature shoe style was sporty. The black leather ones he wore now leaned more toward fashionable and expensive.
Grey grinned as he came in for a hug. “I thought it was you.”
“Hi.” Hesitating a beat too long, her hand with her phone ended up trapped between them. Stretching her chin just above his shoulder, she embraced him with her free arm. Pleasing whiffs of cedar, citrus, and spice overcame the car exhaust fumes. As his warmth and strength melted the awkwardness away, she sank more into him, taking it all in.
Successive clicks from the camera on her phone broke into the moment.
Cori moved back. A close up of “the girls” framed by the keyhole opening of her dress was on her phone. She swiped once then twice over the screen, but the picture wouldn’t go away. Shit. On the third try, it finally disappeared.
Maybe he hadn’t noticed. Cori focused on putting her phone away. “Hi, Grey…what a surprise.”
“It’s good to see you.”
She glanced up at him, and his lips twitched in a way that, if she remembered correctly, meant he was holding back a grin. Yeah, he’d caught the picture on the screen.
And under the circumstances, taking random shots of her breasts at a time like this was kind of funny. A smile she couldn’t contain came with a laugh. “It’s good to see you, too, and don’t you dare say a word.”
“About what?”
The devastating combination of the slow curling of his lips and the humor in his dark hazel-brown eyes made her heart flip. “Yeah, right. Moving on. So, how are you?”
“I’m good. How have things been with you?” He still smiled, but the sincerity in his eyes transformed what he’d asked from just a polite question into one filled with their history.
Was he recalling the same memories flickering through her mind of the fun, the passion, the dreams they’d shared…until things had come to an unexpected halt?
Cori went to speak, but the response that had started to feel like a mantra over the past few months wouldn’t come out. She’d always had a hard time hiding her true feelings from Grey, starting from the night they’d met at a frat party seven years ago.
It had taken place right before spring break of her junior year at the University of Maryland. She and every other woman in the room had noticed the DJ playing the music, but DJ Grey had been focused on blending one danceable track into an even hotter one. When he’d dropped
in a remix of Eminem’s “The Monster” featuring Rihanna, everyone, including her and her roommate at the time, had headed for the dance floor.
She’d ended up getting pushed a little too close to the table with his equipment. As she’d looked over her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t bumping into anything, she’d run into Grey’s gaze. In the midst of weaving in a new song, he’d winked at her, and she’d stopped moving, frozen in place for a few long seconds by his smile. She’d made up for the beats she’d missed by putting them back in her hips as she’d danced away.
Later on, he’d handed the DJ deck over to his friend Damien, hunted her down at the makeshift bar in the corner, and introduced himself.
His smooth deep voice and the way his eyes had captured the light had mesmerized her. She hadn’t been able to look away even if she’d wanted to—which she hadn’t.
For the rest of that spring, through the summer, and for most of her senior year, when she wasn’t focused on her classes or putting in part-time hours as a receptionist at a financial investment firm, she’d been with him, attending his gigs at local bars and college parties in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Or she’d been at his place or he’d been at hers. She and Grey had been so inseparable, they’d had to trade off time in each other’s apartments so they wouldn’t piss off their roommates for always being there together. It had been impossible for her to imagine their relationship coming to an end.
“Cori…will you move with me to Austin?”
Grey had asked her that while she lay under him in bed. She hadn’t answered him right away because she’d been distracted by his kisses following the path of his hands as they glided up her bare inner thighs. He’d said it again, right before he’d traced over her clit with his tongue.
Siberia, Mars, the Amazon jungle—she would have agreed to go anywhere with him just so he wouldn’t stop. She’d said yes in the middle of an orgasm so good, it almost made her levitate from the mattress. But she’d meant her answer. Grey was moving to Texas for a position as a club DJ and part-time promoter. The opportunity would further his career, and she’d wanted to be there to support him in achieving his dream…unlike his parents.
He’d refused to join his family’s hospitality management company when he’d graduated college three years earlier, despite the financial incentives they’d dangled in front of him. As their only child, his parents had been less than thrilled with his decision and had made it clear he was on his own financially.
Grey had worked multiple jobs, some at the same time, as a landscaper, a bank teller, an audio tech and other side hustles that wouldn’t get in the way of his true passion. Music. The job in Austin was one step closer to a club residency and playing at big name music festivals, and his even bigger dream—making it as an international DJ and music producer, becoming the next Steve Aoki, Nicki Romero, or Tiësto.
But saying yes to him had led to her facing one of the hardest decisions of her life: choosing between Grey and her father.
Pulling herself from the past, Cori pasted on a smile. And just like the day she’d disappointed Grey by changing her answer from yes to no, she forced out words that covered up the truth of how she really felt. “I’m fine. Life is great. Really great.”
Chapter Three
“I’m glad things worked out for you,” Grey said, keeping things smooth and casual while he worked through disbelief. Cori hadn’t been far from his mind since he’d landed in Baltimore yesterday afternoon. Running into her like this—what were the chances of that happening?
“Grey, come on.” Zara and Emery, the women he’d come to the club with, beckoned him from near the entrance.
Earlier that night, he’d waited three hours for the blonde and brunette to settle on hairstyles, lip shades, and almost identical bronze-color mini-dresses as they’d gotten ready at Damien’s apartment. His friendship with Damien and a promise to bring the two women to Club Escapade was the only thing that had made him show up with them in the first place. And now they wanted to rush him?
He waved them ahead. “I’ll catch up.”
Emery gave him and Cori a hard stare with her pouting expression before Zara pulled her to the entrance.
Cori looked from the two women to him. “Don’t let me keep you from your girlfriend.”
Did she mean Emery? Nope and nope again. Last night, during dinner at a restaurant with Zara and Damien, she’d spent the entire time posting photos of her meal and herself on social media. Then she’d wanted him to take pictures of her. He’d taken a hard pass on becoming her next Instagram boyfriend.
“I just met them yesterday. Zara, the blonde, is Damien’s girlfriend. The other woman is her friend.”
“Damien? Your old roommate?”
“Yeah. He moved back to Maryland a year ago. I’m hanging with him for a few weeks. He’s deejaying tonight.”
“Really?” Her brow raised with a surprised smile. “That was him in the DJ booth? He’s on point. I heard him before I walked out.”
“You’re leaving?” She couldn’t go home this early. Or maybe she was waiting for someone.
“No. I’m attending a private party wi—”
An animated group swarmed past.
She moved closer to him to get out of the way, and a protective reflex made him reach for her. His hands were almost to her waist before he caught himself. Her nearness and the light floral vanilla scent emanating from her raised familiarity and gut-tightening awareness.
As the group crowded toward the entrance, Cori took a step back. “I’m here with my girlfriends for a private event. I should go back inside.” She pointed toward the entrance with a careless shrug. “They’re probably wondering where I am.”
She smiled, but something other than happiness was in her eyes. When they were together, she would wear new shoes to cheer herself up. She’d dye her hair an unconventional color when she really needed to express herself, especially if she was feeling frustrated. And she’d drink tequila. The hair was an obvious tip-off. He’d bet money the shoes were new and that she’d had at least one shot of tequila that night. Who or what had upset her? Or was he wrong about the signs? Years ago, he’d misread how she’d felt about their relationship. He’d thought Cori had been as committed as he was to what they’d shared. That’s why he’d asked her to move with him to Austin.
It had all seemed perfect. She’d been set to graduate in a couple of months and had mentioned several times she’d wanted to explore living outside of Maryland or Virginia. He’d planned on going ahead of her to Texas, securing a place for them to live, and getting leads on a job for her. But a week after agreeing to the move, Cori had changed her mind, claiming they didn’t want the same things in life and were moving in different directions. She’d accepted a job offer in Virginia and saw her future there, not in Texas with him. It had hurt to hear her say that, especially since he’d envisioned them being in Austin together. But he’d wanted the best for her. Rather than draw things out until he’d left in a couple of weeks, they’d made a clean break right then.
He was probably making the wrong conclusion again now. Cori had just told him her life was great. And that she had people waiting for her. So did he.
Grey reluctantly tipped his head toward the club entrance. “We should probably head inside.”
“Yes. We should.”
He and Cori walked to the shorter VIP and private party guest line. The large bouncer glanced at Cori’s wristband and waved her in. But he didn’t let Grey past the velvet rope or relax his stone-faced expression until he’d confirmed Grey was on the VIP list.
In the lobby, Cori looked left to Escapade West.
He glanced right to Escapade East. “Well, it was good seeing you.” If he asked her for her number, would she give it to him? While he was in town, they could talk…catch up.
“You, too.” She smiled. “Tell Damien I said ‘hey.’”
Recognition filled Cori’s face and lit up her eyes.
Damien playing that old song now had to be a sign.
Grey held out his hand to her. “Come on. We can’t not dance to this.”
“I don’t know…I should find my friends.”
His heart sank as she glanced to the corridor leading to Escapade West. But he couldn’t let her walk away. Not yet. He gently took her hand. “Just one dance. Please.”
Cori looked at him. Her hesitancy prompted him to coax her forward with a tug.
A small but genuine smile began curving up her mouth. Her one step forward led to a second and a third. “Okay, one dance…and then I’m out.”
A chuckle of relief opened up in his chest. “Come on, then.”
As he led her through the doors of Escapade East, the treble, bass, and percussion in the music infused his blood and hummed through his veins.
Damien was in the glass booth high up on the front wall, freestyling behind the deck, completely in the zone. He was reading the crowd perfectly. His mashup of the song along with a more current one lured even more people from their tables and the four neon-lit bars along the back and side walls.
As Grey and Cori walked to the dance floor, the crowd pushed them closer, and her breasts pillowed against his arm. The accidental picture on her phone earlier entered his mind, along with his recollection of what her breasts looked like… Firm and lush, they’d filled his hands. Barely there brushes over her hard nipples with his palms or his mouth had easily aroused her.
An image of Cori with a glow of pure ecstasy highlighting her flawless light brown skin flashed in, and his cock started to swell.
No. He had to wipe all of that from his mind. This was just a dance.
They found an open spot on the floor.
Cori immediately fell into the beat, and he did, too. Her purse, hanging from her left shoulder, restricted the movement of her arm but not the rest of her.