Dante

by J. S. Cooper

  KIWI: Sorry, I don’t think we’re looking for the same thing, here.

  JONAS: I would pound your pussy so hard that...

  KIWI: Bye.

  I logged off of the account and shut the laptop quickly. Don’t get me wrong. I liked dirty, but somehow this seemed to cross the line. Maybe it was because I didn’t know him. Maybe it was because I was coming to my senses and realizing that I wasn’t the sort of person that should be on a site like, “Dating on the Edge.” I did want to spice up my life, but maybe this wasn’t the way. Maybe I should try and meet someone in person that would be down for experimenting. A vision of Dante popped into my mind. He was an asshole, but my body wished that my brain didn’t think that. My body wished that I could do all of my research with him.

  9

  Sadie

  “I can’t believe that Grandma Louise said that she would babysit for us tonight,” Cara said excitedly as she brushed her hair.

  “I think she felt pretty bad because she said Dante was going to be this great guy and he turned out to be an asshole,” I said to Cara as I looked through my wardrobe. “I mean, come on. She thought she was helping me find a husband. And he was far from husband material.”

  “So, what did she say when you told her about the date?”

  “Surprisingly, she didn’t say much. I guess Dante already told his nana some stuff and she must have passed it on because Grandma Louise was the one that called me to apologize and suggested we go for a night out.”

  “I’m still in shock,” Cara said and made a small face. “And your grandma is the one that recommended the club we’re going to tonight, right?”

  “I know. I know. It sounds like a weird thing. But you know her, she knows what’s happening everywhere. She’s more on the scene than we are,” I said, with a laugh, though, I did still feel as if I were trusting the devil by going to an exclusive club that she suggested and gotten us reservations at. I mean, yes, she had sounded dreadfully sorry and had been more apologetic than I’d thought she would be. And she hadn’t even brought up the kids and my lie. I’d been so taken aback by the entire conversation that when she had easily asked me if I wanted to babysit for the kids so Cara and I could go out for a night I hadn’t even blinked twice. I had thought that it was a bit weird. Because while she loves kids, she didn’t love Cara’s kids that much. And had never volunteered to babysit before. And well, even though it did strike me as out of character, who was I to turn down a free night out for me and Cara?

  “So what are you gonna wear tonight?” Cara asked as she interrupted my thoughts. I didn’t want to tell her that I was a little bit suspicious that Grandma Louise had offered to babysit. Cara needed a night out just as badly as I did.

  “I was thinking about wearing this black dress that I got the other day at Macy’s?” I pulled the slinky black dress out of the closet. “It was on sale for twenty dollars, what do you think?”

  “That’s hot.” She grinned.

  “Is it too short?” I asked and then continued. “I was thinking about wearing those black heels I got last year. The suede ones.”

  “Yeah, that will be perfect.” She nodded. “This will be fun. We’ll be out of our jeans for once. What should I wear?” she asked.

  “What about that red dress?”

  “That one you got a couple of years ago.”

  “What red dress?” she asked me again confused.

  “You know that silk one and when you got it I always said it looked like a negligee from Victoria’s Secret.”

  “Sadie, you said it looked like a negligee from Victoria’s Secret because it was a negligee from Victoria Secret.” She laughed. “No way am I wearing that out.” She shook her head. “So tell me more about this club.”

  “I don’t know much, but I think it’s just like this really cool exclusive bar with different clubs inside and stuff.”

  “So everything, what does that mean exactly?”

  “I don’t really know and Grandma Louise didn’t tell me much. Just that it’s exclusive and cool.”

  “So we’re going to a really exclusive hard to get into club?” Cara sounded super excited and I nodded.

  “Now, go and get ready.” I grinned at her. “Grandma Louise will pick up the boys in about thirty minutes. I’ll be downstairs in maybe twenty minutes. I want to shower and do my hair.”

  “So, I should expect you down in an hour.” She laughed.

  “Yes.” I grinned back at her. Cara knew me all too well. There was no way that I could take a shower, dress, do my hair, and makeup and be down in twenty minutes.”

  “See you in an hour, Sadie.” She grinned and I could hear her singing to herself as she danced out of my apartment.

  “Wow, this is beautiful,” Cara said as we walked inside the lobby of the new building. The walls were a rich deep purple and the floors were a shimmering marble.

  “This looks way above our pay grade,” I said with a laugh. I wasn’t sure how Grandma Louise had gotten us reservations, and I wasn’t about to ask how either. I walked up to the hostess stand confidently, knowing I looked the part in my slinky black dress. “Hi, I have a reservation,” I said to the skinny blond lady who was wearing a very, very expensive Valentino dress I’d seen in Vogue. “My name is Sadie, Sadie Peters,” I continued as she just stared at me, her blue eyes cold and distant.

  “Let me check,” she said finally, not blinking.

  I stood there nervously wondering if somehow Grandma Louise had got it wrong and sent us to the wrong place. I mean, how could she have gotten us into this swanky place?

  As we stood there waiting, Cara whispered in my ear, “Look at the paintings on the walls. I think they are original Chagall’s.” I looked around and studied the walls and I could feel myself growing excited as I recognized some of the pieces from some of the art books, I studied for my job.

  “Wow,” I said as I looked at her, both of our mouths slightly agape.

  “Are you having trouble finding my reservation?” I asked the blonde lady, trying to fake confidence.

  “No, follow me,” she said, a smile still not touching her face. Cara and I grinned excitedly at each other as we followed her through a narrow door into a dark hallway, lit by small sconces on the sides of the walls. I wondered what sort of place this really was. It seemed so mysterious. This definitely didn’t seem like any regular sort of club.

  The blonde lady stopped in the middle of the hallway and Cara and I just stood there looking and confused. The lady then proceeded to knock three times on the wall and before I knew it, a secret door had opened and a tall, handsome, Scandinavian looking man stood in front of us. He nodded at the blonde lady, who walked away without another word to us. He gestured us to follow him inside the room.

  “This way,” he said and the door closed behind us as we followed him into the small room. He then led us down another hallway and walked through an open door. There was live jazz music playing as we walked into the room and I gasped at the opulence of the place. Large crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling and plush Persian rugs were strewn across the floor. There were dark leather brown couches centered around the walls, each with a glass table in front of them. The tables held glittering candles in their center and there were white and red flower petals floating in a little bowl of water.

  I looked around to see who else was in the club. Several of the couches were filled with rich looking men in suits talking to each other while smoking what appeared to be Cuban cigars, and sipping on what I presumed to be whiskey. I saw a couple of couches with women all holding cocktail glasses, looking glamorous and beautiful and I tried not to stare at the large pieces of expensive jewelry they all seemed to be wearing.

  “Oh, my God. Where are we?” Cara whispered as the Scandinavian guy escorted us to the corner of the room.

  “I have no idea,” I said as I tried to act cool. Like I came to this sort of place all the time. I really hoped that the tab was prepaid like Grandma Louise had said bec
ause I knew that Cara and I could not afford anything in a snazzy place like this. Looking around the club and staring at the plush furnishings made me think of the exclusive sex clubs I’d read up about online after the guy Mike from “Dating with an Edge,” had invited me to go to one with him.

  The Scandinavian guy stopped next to a couch that was directly next to a burning fireplace and then turned to us. “Your waiter will be along shortly. You can have a look at the menus on the table.” And with that, he was gone. We both sat down as quickly as possible and then looked at each other eyes wide as we grinned at each other and picked up the menus.

  “What the hell is this place?” Cara said as she looked at me. “This has got to be the most fancy place I have ever been to in my life.”

  “You’re telling me,” I said as I gazed around. “I don’t even know how we got in here. But tonight, we are going to have fun.” I smoothed the dress down on my legs. “Cara, do not look right now, but there are two very attractive guys sitting in the corner.”

  “Oh, I want to look.” She groaned and I just gave her a look. “Describe them to me then,” she said.

  “Well, they both look hot and blond,” I said, knowing I wasn’t giving much information, but I didn’t want them to know I was checking them out.

  “That’s it?” Cara said.

  “I can’t really stare, Cara.” I started laughing. We haven’t even been here for one second and already we were checking out guys. “We need to get a drink. Let’s order first.” She nodded her agreement and we both studied the drink menus.

  “Oh, my gosh,” I said excitedly as I realized the two guys in the corner were looking over at us.

  “What?” she said.

  “The hot guys are checking us out,” I whispered.

  “Of course they are.” She grinned and winked at me. “We’re hot.”

  “Do not look now but they have spotted us. They have definitely spotted us,” I said in the most uncool fashion possible and before I knew what was happening, Cara had turned around to look at the two guys.

  “Oh, wow, they really are cute,” she said as she looked back at me. “Especially the one in the black shirt.”

  “Oh, Cara,” I groaned as I could see the two guys staring at us and laughing. I knew they knew we had been checking them out. I smiled down at the menu, glad that we were going to have a good night, but I couldn’t stop my mind from going to a certain dark-haired jerk. I hadn’t heard from him and I hadn’t expected to, but a part of me had been hopeful he’d call to apologize or something.

  “Of course I would see you here.” A deep voice sounded from behind me and I froze. Oh my God. It could not be him, it could not be Dante. Not just as I’d been thinking about him. I turned around slowly and my heart skipped a beat as I saw his handsome face. It was Dante, of course. He stood there, tall, dark, handsome, a smirk on his face and narrowed eyes.

  “Hello, David,” I said on purpose and he just rolled his eyes as he laughed.

  “Hello, Sadie.” He looked at me for a few seconds. “Enjoying another night out? Are your kids in the next room?” He tilted his head to the side and I wanted to slap the judging look off of his face.

  Cara laughed slightly then and I glared at her. This was not funny. What was he doing here?

  “Hello, I’m Dante.” Dante leaned forward to shake Cara’s hand.

  “I’m Cara, Sadie’s best friend.” She smiled as she shook his hand. Traitor.

  “Nice to meet you, Cara.” He nodded. “Well, enjoy your night, girls,” he said as he got ready to leave us. “I’m here with my cousins, so I should join them.” He nodded toward the two blond men in the corner and I almost groaned aloud. Of course, he’d know the two hot guys. He looked at me with a smirk then, almost as if he could read my thoughts. He just stood there for a few seconds and I resisted the urge to reach out and touch his bicep that was bulging through his suit jacket. Before I knew what had happened, the two guys in the corner were headed toward us and stopped next to Dante.

  “Dante, introduce us to your friends,” the guy in the white shirt that Cara thought was cute said. I could see Cara staring at him, devouring him with her eyes and I almost groaned. This was not what I wanted to happen tonight.

  “This is Sadie, the woman I met through Nana,” Dante said as he looked at the man. “And this is Cara, her friend.”

  “Hi, Cara, I’m Blake.” The guy stepped forward and shook her hand, and I could see her blushing. “And this is Steele.” He nodded toward the other guy that was standing there silently.

  “Hi,” she said. “Nice to meet you.”

  “So, what are you girls doing at the club tonight?” Blake continued with a smile, seemingly not noticing that only he and Cara were the ones talking. “I haven’t seen you two here before.”

  “Oh, we’re not members,” Cara said. “Sadie’s grandma got us a reservation here tonight.”

  “Oh.” He nodded and gave Dante a look. “I see.” He laughed. I didn’t know what he meant by that and I wasn’t about to ask either. “So can we join you ladies?”

  “Oh I don’t . . .” My voice trailed off as plans of the perfect girls night out faded, and Cara gave me a hopeful look. “Sure,” I said and jumped up. “Have a seat. I’m just going to find the ladies’ room.” I moved away from the couches quickly so that I could find the restroom and splash my face with some water. Seeing Dante had stirred something in me. I didn’t want to have to spend the evening with him, but a part of me was excited to see him again. I walked away from the table before anyone could say anything and hurried toward the doorway we had walked through initially. I stumbled down the hallway, trying to find the restrooms and it hit me pretty quickly that I had no idea where I was going. I stared ahead of me and when I heard the footsteps coming down the hallway behind me, I didn’t even have to turn around to guess who it was.

  “Lost?” His deep voice sounded from behind me and I turned around and glared at him.

  “Following me, Dante?”

  “Wow, you remembered my name this time,” he said with a wide smile and I just stared at him. “So do you want help finding the restroom or are you trying to locate your kids?”

  “Uhm, excuse me?” My jaw dropped. Was this guy for real? He was just so rude. It was almost unbelievable.

  “Or did you find a babysitter tonight?”

  “My grandma is looking after the kids tonight.” I looked away from him, my face warm at the fact that I was still perpetuating the lie. “Anyway, where is the restroom?”

  “Follow me,” he said and he turned around abruptly. I followed him down the hallway and then he led me through another door I hadn’t noticed. Before I knew it we were in a private office and I blinked at him.

  “Where are we?” I asked in surprise. “This isn’t the ladies’ room.”

  “There’s a restroom through there,” he said as he pointed to another door. “It’s private.”

  “Are we meant to be here?”

  “It’s fine.” He shrugged. “I’m an investor here. My best friend, Cole owns the club.”

  “Of course.” I rolled my eyes as I walked toward the door. “Why wouldn’t he own it?” I mumbled as I walked away from him. I knew he was rich and it just made me madder to know he was even richer than I’d thought he was. I mean, he had to be, anyone that was an investor in an exclusive club like this had to be absolutely loaded.

  I walked into the restroom and a light came on automatically. I locked the door behind me and walked toward the sink. I turned on the faucet and splashed some water on my face. I then studied my appearance in the mirror and groaned. The dress that had seemed so sexy and sultry at home now looked desperate and slutty and I wasn’t sure what I’d been thinking. I reached into my handbag and grabbed my red lipstick to reapply it. I fluffed my hair and stared at my brown eyes in the mirror. I smiled at myself as I realized I looked good. There was no denying that. I took a deep breath and headed back toward the door. I wouldn’t admit it to an
yone, but I was a little excited to see Dante again.

  “Everything okay?” he asked me as I walked back into the office. He was sitting on a black couch in the corner and I nodded as I walked over to him. He was wearing a deep navy blue suit that fit him like a glove and I stopped in front of him. “Have a seat,” he said and he patted the spot next to him.

  “Why?” I said, standing there.

  “So we can talk.”

  “That’s okay. I’d rather go back and have a drink.”

  “Hold on.” He jumped up and walked over to a cherrywood cabinet and opened it. Inside stood a selection of bottles. “What would you like to drink?”

  “I’d like to drink with my friend, thanks.”

  “What’s one drink here with me going to hurt?” he asked, his eyes falling to my partially exposed breasts. I could feel my skin burning as he ate me up with his eyes. Why did he have to be so gosh darn sexy? And why did my body want him to touch me so badly?

  “It’s not going to hurt, but I don’t want one,” I lied.

  “Just one?” he asked and he walked over to me. He stopped right in front of me and I looked up at him. I was tall at five feet eight inches, but he still made me short with his over six foot stature. I wondered if that meant he would have a gigantic penis as well. I went red as I looked down at the front of his pants and quickly moved my eyes back up to him again. “Like what you see?” He smirked as he took another step toward me. He was way too close to me now.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Come on now, Sadie. Let’s not be coy. I know you’re not a prude. You do have three kids after all.” He reached out and stroked down the curve of my neck. “I find you very attractive.”

  “Really?” I squeaked out. He was so forward. I’d never met a man like him before in my life. A part of me wanted to run away from him, but the other part of me was excited by the interaction. I’d never felt so alive before in my life.

  “Yes, really.” He leaned down and I felt his warm breath on my neck as he kissed me briefly. “You’re very beautiful.”