A man catches my attention, as he stands halfway up the stairs. I look at him as he scans the club. He’s dressed as dark. Black slacks hang low on narrow hips. A black button-up shirt is expertly tucked into his black pants. But his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, exposing both forearms. I can tell from here that ink covers both of them.
I take another sip of my Bellini as my eyes take him in, and I realize that he looks dangerous. Mysterious. Someone you wouldn’t want to fuck with. He holds his back straight and his head high. From here, I can tell his body is tight as if he’s just waiting for a fight to break out. I’m sure it happens often in a place like this.
The security guy at the bottom gets my attention as he walks up the stairs and leans in to tell the mysterious man something. He drops his head as he listens to what the guy has to tell him and nods a few times. Then he looks up from his shoes. His eyes land on my brother for a few seconds and then mine. I take another sip of my Bellini as his eyes rake over me in a way that would normally make me feel violated. But, for some reason, it makes heat run up my spine. His eyes hold mine, and there’s no shame in them. I instinctively reach down to pull my shirt up, to try to cover my boobs, and he actually smirks at that.
I try to look away as he stares at me with intensity. Even on the other side of the club, I can feel his eyes burning my skin from where he stands. The way his gaze slowly runs over every inch of my body as if he’s saving it to memory for later.
I don’t get out much. I’ve never been the one to choose a club or a bar over my bed or a book. I’ve never seen a man look so evil and pure like he does in my life. I imagine he is the type of man a woman would talk about to her friends when they reminisce about that one time they took a ride on the wild side. That one time that they had a taste of sin. No man like that has one woman in his life. He has multiple. And for some crazy reason, the way he is watching me now has goosebumps prickling across my skin. My heart is beating so loud in my ears, I no longer hear the music. I should be ashamed. I should turn and look away from him. I should …
My hands go flying when I’m jerked backward and some of my drink runs down my shirt. “What the …?” I yell over the music as I turn and reach for some of those little square napkins that bars think are useful.
“Sorry,” Savannah yells in my ear. I pull back as it rings from her words. She looks down at my tits and gives me her puppy eyes. “It was an accident,” she hollers.
“What did you want,” I call out, grabbing a few more napkins. I take a quick look around before I try to wipe what is left of my drink off my shirt. I no longer see the mysterious guy on the stairs.
“Bathroom …” She grabs my hand and starts to pull me again. Thankfully, this time I hold on to my drink.
She drags me through the heavy crowd, and I scream out sorry and excuse us. I’m pretty sure no one can hear me, and those who can, don’t really care. We make our way to the end of the bar, and she pulls me to the left. We walk down a dark hallway as the music starts to fade a little more with every step. I like that fewer people are back here than in the main part of the club. I look curiously into a few doors that are staggered down the hallway. One labeledPRIDE, the otherLUST.I wonder what goes on in those rooms?The next one readsWRATH.We pass more, but Savannah is on a mission, so I don’t get to read anymore.
Finally, we come to the end of the long hall and the door that saysRestroomon it. She pushes it open as she releases my hand. “Let’s get you washed up,” she says with a big smile on her face.
I look at myself in the mirror and am thankful I wore a black top; it hides most of the drink. “What were you doing?” I ask. “When you grabbed me. You could have just tapped my shoulder, you know?” I laugh.
She yanks some paper towels down and her smile brightens. “I saw the other owner.” She places her hand on her chest and sighs heavily. “He is so fucking gorgeous.” I wet the paper towels and continue to clean myself off as she goes on. “He’s been arrested …” Her voice trails off as she gets a dreamy look on her face. “That’s so hot!”
I look up at her. “And that makes him attractive?” I wonder.
Her green eyes widen. “Seriously? He is a total bad boy. Doesn’t put up with anyone’s shit. I heard he beat the shit out of a cop. Like broke some of his bones.”
“Nice,” I say dryly. I can see why he was arrested.
“I’ve been told that women beg to fuck him and men beg to watch him fuck them,” she says matter-of-factly.
“Have you begged him for anything?” I ask trying not to laugh at how in awe she sounds.
“I haven’t had the chance yet.” She winks at me playfully, and I allow myself to laugh. We both know that she would never cheat on Blane.
“Well, if you ask me, he sounds like a jerk,” I say. “You know the ones we hated in high school.” He probably uses people to his advantage.
She rolls her green eyes. “We’re not in high school anymore, Taylor. Those guys were dicks with Mommy and Daddy’s money. They were conceited and thought they ruled the world.”
“This guy sounds no different.” I look down at my chest and examine the damage. Besides being wet, it looks pretty good.
She spins me to face her and places her hands on my shoulders. She gives me a little shake as her eyes widen. “You need to open your eyes, Taylor. I love you, but you are too innocent.”
I snort as I push her away. “What kind of statement was that? There’s nothing wrong with not being a slut who dates the guys who will spend fifty percent of their life in prison and the other fifty percent looking at themselves in the mirror.”
“You’re not a slut. But you play it too safe.” She frowns. “You need to have some fun.” She faces the mirror as she fluffs her blond hair with her fingers. “There is nothing wrong with sleeping with someone for your own pleasure.”
“How did we get on the topic of my sex life?” I ask, watching her as she licks her plump red lips in the mirror.
“You have no sex life,” she declares.
“Who can get horny when you have to hear your brother having sex with your best friend?” I shudder.
She chuckles. “Be that as it may, you need to get some as well. It’s been too long.”
I let out a sigh, knowing that she is right. I just don’t sleep with a man unless we are in a relationship. One-night stands have never been my thing. “I’ve been busy with school,” I add defensively.
