Two of them got close enough. Now there’s one gyrating in front of her, one behind, and she’s playing up to them. “I always wanted a threesome,” she shouts across the music, slurring her speech, and they grin, pulling her closer, not caring that she’s clearly too pissed to make that kind of decision.
Em walks over to me, coming back from the bathroom. “I’ve called Leo,” she says in my ear. “He’s on his way. If she hates me later, she hates me later. This isn’t safe.”
I nod. I was about to suggest we call for back-up from the boys. Pity Dean can’t tolerate places like this. Another time, when everything’s calm and nobody’s making bad choices, I’d love to bump and grind with him. But it’s a trade-off; there are some things he and I will never do, but all the many things wewillare more important to me and always will be.
“I’m gonna go wait for him. Are you alright to stay here?”
“Yes.” I turn back, and one of the men holds out a hand to me with a smirk, a clear invitation. “No, thank you,” I say clearly with a polite smile. Fortunately, he just shrugs and lets the matter drop. I’m dancing just enough to not look out of place, keeping watch without cluing her in. She’s not in the mood to be patronised or mothered, and if she even thinks that’s what I’m doing she’ll dig her heels in.
Braveheartby Neon Jungle starts playing at top volume, and the red and orange lights are dancing perfectly in time with the beat. It’s visually spectacular, but by the way she stumbles slightly, Sadie’s getting disoriented. She visibly shakes it off and grabs their hands, running them over her body while the guy behind her starts kissing her shoulder.
Hurry up, Leo.
It’s a huge relief when I spot him barrelling through the crowd to Emily, who talks to him urgently as she points in our general direction. He spots Sadie, and nods without looking away, starting towards us.
It takes a few moments, but eventually the two men Sadie is wiggling her butt against notice him standing there, fists clenched, staring them down. He doesn’t say anything. The position is quite clear:fuck off or die, make your choice. They bristle, but hardly any time passes before they decide Sadie isn’t worth taking on the visibly angry brick shithouse in front of them, and extricate themselves, legging it.
“Hey, where you goin’?” Sadie slurs petulantly after them. “Fuckers, see’f I care - ”
She steps backwards, right into Leo, who gently turns her. “Hey, pumpkin,” he shouts brightly but firmly, “time to go home.”
She giggles. “Oh yeah? Is it finally my turn on the Leo Mills wonder-dick?” She wraps her arms around him, pressing her breasts against his chest as she resumes dancing against him. “Your place or mine?”
His face tenses up, and his eyes travel to her smirking lips. She sneaks her fingers under his shirt, travelling provocatively over his abs, and he swallows hard.Shit. She’s drunk. Surely he’s not going to -
He yanks her thigh towards his, giving her intense eye contact, a look of pure sex.You called down the thunder, his dark look says as he melds their hips together, keeping them glued as he starts responding to her moves,and now you’ve got it. Her eyes widen and take on a triumphant look as they begin full-on bump and grind dirty dancing. And shelicks his neck. It sends a visible jolt through him, his face turning quick as lightning toward her. It’s like watching a lit fuse crackle and burn closer and closer to the dynamite pipe. I glance at Em, who doesn’t look worried, so I take my cue from her. Better Leo than one of those rando creeps.
He starts to move Sadie across the floor, heading towards Em, and…ah. I see what he’s doing. He’s dancing heroffthe dancefloor, getting her to the exit without her fighting him all the way. Genius. I follow them, relieved to be leaving.
By the time they get to where Em is standing with our jackets, he’s peeling her off him. “OK, babygirl, that was fun, but it’s time for lots of water and plenty of sleep - ”
“What? No!” Sadie sneers at him. “The evening’s just getting started, right, ladies?”
“I mean…itismidnight,” Em says, not having to shout so loud now that we’re not so close to the speakers.
“Well, you c’n go, then. I’m stayin’ ‘ere.” She scowls at all of us. “We’re s’posed to be havin’ a proper night out…”
“And I think you’ve had one,” Leo says, still gentle but insistent. “I’ll give you a ride home - ”
“Give me a rideatmy home,” she says, giving him a dark, spaced out look. “Leo, either you take me home and fuck me like I deserve to be fucked, or you fuckingfuck off…”
His eyes narrow at her, and she staggers on the spot, steadying herself on one of the tables. “I don’t fuck anyone too drunk to consent, or appreciate it,” he replies slowly. “Or anyone who’d just be using me to avoid shit they need to deal with.”
Sadie’s lips tremble, like she’s genuinely wounded by his rejection. “Fine,boooooring, I’ll find someone else - ” She spins around, and that seems to finish her off. She sways where she stands, rubbing her temples with trembling fingers. When she looks up, she gives me a confused, unnerved look, and her eyes start to roll back in her head.
“She’s gonna go!” I shout to Leo, and he swoops forward and catches her in his arms as she passes out cold.
I headedto Dean’s after that. I just wanted to collapse in bed with my favourite person after all that drama. He looked cute and ruffled in his old, holey Wrestlemania t-shirt when I knocked on the door. Edible, even. And surprised to see me, but he let me in quite readily as I filled him in on the night’s events.
“Em was a total mother hen. She’s so sweet. But Leo carried Sadie out like a total hero, and put her in his car, which, by the way, was a white sports car that looked like something from the Top Gear wishlist, no idea what make or model, butsince whendoes Leo have a supercar?! Anyway, he’s taking her home and putting her to bed, but we know she’s safe with him, and then Em and I split a cab home. And since you live just upstairs, it saves time and cab fare if I could crash here, maybe?” I flutter my eyelashes at him comically.
Of course,he says,sorry, I just…wasn’t expecting you. The place is a bit of a mess.
I look around. Nothing unforgivable, just a pizza box left out and the washing up still needing to be done.
“Oh, honey, it’s fine,” I assure him, “I just want to crash, to be honest. I managed to keep up with Sadie well enough without drinking as much as she did, but I still had more than I was planning on, and I amexhausted.” I pull his hips closer to mine, not unlike Leo did to Sadie in The Lair. “Come to bed with me?”
He smiles down at me.Anytime.
