Lizzie rushed the few steps to the bar, grabbed her hand, and pulled gently. “It’s for the party. Show the board you’re willing to have fun.”
That did it.
“I don’t know this dance,” Sarah said, though she still followed her.
“Just follow my lead. It’s easy.” Lizzie fiddled with the laptop, found the song and then positioned them face to face. “Mirror my movements. Don’t overthink it.”
The song started. Lizzie began the routine, moving her hips to the beat. Sarah was stiff at first, clearly uncomfortable being the center of attention. But Lizzie kept smiling, kept encouraging, and slowly Sarah started to loosen up. From the corner of her eye, she saw the board president laughing with delight as he walked out, the two other men following, less pleased.
She and Sarah moved together. Hip sway, arm movements, the playful gestures that matched the flirty lyrics. Sarah was pretty graceful when she stopped being so self-conscious. The crowd was eating it up, cheering and filming.
Then came the spin. Lizzie turned, Sarah turned, and somehow their timing was off. They collided chest-first, Sarah’s hands coming up to steady them both.
They froze.
Sarah’s hands were on Lizzie’s waist. They were inches apart, close enough that Lizzie could see the flecks of green in Sarah’s blue eyes. Close enough to feel Sarah’s breath.
The world narrowed to just the two of them. The music faded to background noise. Lizzie couldn’t move, couldn’t think, could only stare at Sarah’s lips and feel the electricity crackling between them.
“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”
Shit.
She’d forgotten. At the end, the singer and his dancer kissed in the video that went along with the song. Nobody else had forgotten though.
“KISS! KISS! KISS!”
It got louder. More insistent. Around them, people started giving each other quick pecks on the lips, cheeks, some rubbed their noses together. Sarah’s face went red and Lizzie saw her pull away but then purpose settled on her face and Sarah leaned in again.
The kiss was brief. A press of lips, soft and warm and over in seconds. But Lizzie felt it everywhere. A shock of sensation that ran straight through her body, leaving her tingling and breathless.
The crowd went wild. Cheering, whistling, phones held high to capture the moment.
Sarah jerked back like she’d been burned. Her face was scarlet. “I need to check on the DJ.”
She disappeared into the crowd before Lizzie could respond.
Lizzie stood there, frozen, her lips still tingling. Around her, people were going back to dancing, the moment already passing for them. But for Lizzie, time had stopped.
What just happened?
She touched her lips, half-convinced she’d imagined it. But no. Sarah had kissed her. Briefly, yes. In front of a crowd, yes. But she’d done it. And the way she’d looked at Lizzie right before, that wasn’t just playing along.
Or was it?
Lizzie made it through the rest of the party on autopilot. She smiled, she talked to guests, she helped clean up when things started winding down around eleven. But her mind was somewhere else entirely, replaying the kiss over and over.
By the time the pool party was over, it was ten at night. She should go home. Sleep. But her mind was buzzing. She couldn’t stop thinking about Sarah. If she went home now, all she’d do was think about her.
So instead, she boarded the shuttle downtown along with a few hotel guests. She would take her mind off Sarah the only way one could do such a thing in a place like Key West.
Party.
Chapter 8
Sarah
Sarah locked her apartment door and leaned against it, exhaling slowly. The party had been a success. Stavros had laughed, genuinely pleased. Even Peter and Derek had looked grudgingly impressed as they left.
