When we get to the middle of the dance floor, Julian spins me around and pulls me against him, holding me from the back as we begin moving to the music.I instantly realize what he’s doing.With the way he’s holding me, I’m facing Rosa, and the three of us are sort of dancing together, but it’s Julian’s big body that surrounds me.Nobody can touch me, either on purpose or by accident, not without going through him first.
Even in the middle of a crowded dance floor, I belong to Julian and Julian alone.
Rosa grins, apparently also realizing Julian’s agenda.She’s even more excited than me, her eyes sparkling as she shakes her booty to the latest Lady Gaga song.Before long, a couple of good-looking young guys sidle up to her, and I watch, grinning, as she begins to flirt with them and gradually moves away from me and Julian.
As soon as she’s occupied, Julian turns me around to face him.“How are you feeling, baby?”he asks, his deep voice cutting through the blasting music.The colored lights flicker over his face, making him look surreally handsome.“Any tiredness?Nausea?”
“No.”Smiling, I vigorously shake my head.“I’m perfect.Better than perfect, in fact.”
“Yes, you are,” he murmurs, pulling me tighter against him, and I flush all over as I feel the hard bulge in his pants.He wants me, and my body responds immediately, the pulsing beat of the music echoing the sudden ache in my core.We’re surrounded by people, but all of them seem to fade away as we stare at one another, our bodies beginning to move together in a primal, sexual rhythm.My breasts swell, my nipples pebbling as I press my chest against his, and even through the layers of clothing we’re wearing, I can feel the heat coming off his large body… the same kind of heat that’s building within myself.
“Fuck, baby,” he breathes, staring down at me.His hips rock back and forth as we sway together, driven as much by our need for each other as the music’s beat.“You can’t wear this fucking dress ever again.”
“The dress?”I stare up at him, my body burning.“You think it’s the dress?”
He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before opening them to meet my gaze.“No,” he says hoarsely.“It’s not the dress, Nora.It’s you.It’s always fucking you.”
I half-expect him to drag me away then, but he doesn’t.Instead, he loosens his grip on me, putting a couple of inches of space between us.I can still feel his body against mine, but the raw sexuality of the moment is reduced, enabling me to breathe again.We dance like that for a few more songs, and then I begin to feel thirsty.
“Can I please get some water?”I ask, raising my voice to be heard above the music, and Julian nods, leading me toward the bar.As we pass by Rosa, I see that she’s still dancing with those two guys, seemingly content to be sandwiched between them.I give her a wink and a discreet thumbs-up, and then we’re out of the dancing, writhing crowd.
Julian gets me a glass filled with ice water, and I gratefully chug it down, feeling parched.He smiles as he watches me drink, and I know he’s remembering it too—our first meeting, right here by this bar.
As we turn to go back to the dance floor, I see Rosa walking toward the back, where the bathrooms are.She waves at me, grinning, and I wave back before turning to Julian.
“Let’s dance some more,” I say, grabbing his hand, and we dive back into the crowd just as a new song begins.
A few minutes later, I start to feel it—the familiar sensation of an overly full bladder.
“I have to pee,” I tell Julian, and he grins, leading me off the dance floor again.We walk together to the back of the club, and I get in line to the girls’ bathroom while Julian leans against the wall, watching as I wait my turn in the shadowed, circular hallway leading to the restrooms.I wonder if he’s guarding me even here and almost snicker at the idea of him being worried enough to accompany me to the ladies’ room.
Thankfully, he doesn’t.Instead, he stays by the entrance to the narrow hallway, his arms crossed over his chest.
The line is long, and it takes almost fifteen minutes to get to my destination.When my turn finally comes, I step into the small three-stall room and do my business.It’s only when I’m washing my hands that it occurs to me that Rosa disappeared in this direction, and I haven’t seen her come out since.
Pulling out my phone from my tiny purse, I text Julian:Did Rosa walk by you?Do you see her anywhere?
There’s no immediate answer, so I step out of the bathroom, about to head back, when a flash of something red a dozen feet away catches my attention.Frowning, I walk deeper into the circular hallway, past the restrooms, and then I see it.
A red, high-heeled shoe lying discarded on the floor.
My heart skips a beat.
Bending down, I pick it up, and a chill skitters down my spine.
There’s no doubt now.It’s Rosa’s shoe.
My pulse speeding up, I straighten, looking around, but I don’t see her anywhere.With the way the hallway curves, even the bathroom line is out of sight now.
Dropping the shoe, I pull out my phone again.There is a text from Julian in response to mine:No, I don’t see her.
I begin to type out a reply, but at that moment, a door I hadn’t noticed before swings open a few feet away.
A short, skinny guy steps out, closing the door behind him, and leans against the door frame.
A young guy, I realize, looking at him.More like a boy in his teens, his pale, freckled face unmarred by the slightest hint of stubble.His posture is casual, almost lazy, but something about the way he glances at me gives me pause.
“Excuse me.”I approach him carefully, wrinkling my nose at the strong smell of alcohol and cigarettes coming off him.“Have you seen my friend?She’s wearing a yellow dress—”
