Raiden crossed his arms. There was no way in hell he would go out on a dance floor like that in the first place, let alone with his client, and especially not after the guy had batted his eyelashes for the millionth time that evening. “It’s not for me,” he answered. “Sorry.”
Lawrence pouted, and Raiden felt something tighten in his heart. The kid’s lips just looked so fucking soft. “Not for you?” Lawrence asked, practically cooing as he leaned up on the table. “Dancing is for everybody. Even all these firemen, see?”
“You go on,” he answered. “I’ll practice keeping an eye on you and make sure you don’t slip away from me.”
Lawrence sighed. For a second, he seemed to be considering whether to push it. Then he shrugged and tossed his hands up. “Suit yourself. And enjoy the show.”
Raiden watched him walk away, rounding the corner of the stairs and bouncing his hips on the way. He was definitely the type to overindulge, that was clear, and Raiden realized they were going to have to have a conversation about what that meant for his job. He loved a good night of drinking, but he’d seen enough people struggle with substance abuse in his life that he knew it wasn’t something to fuck around with.
All those thoughts went away, though, when Lawrence took up his spot on the dance floor. He tugged off the shirt he was wearing, then tucked it into the back of his overalls. Throwing his hands in the air, he began to sway from side to side, smiling and glowing like an angel. Raiden held his spot up on the balcony, staring down at the dark nubs of Lawrence’s nipples. The man with the oversized hose sprayed foam in the air, and Lawrence jumped to catch some in his hands, then blew it in Raiden’s direction.
It was like the club went silent around Raiden. He squeezed his fists, fighting the urge to stalk across the dance floor, grab Lawrence by the shoulders, and have him right there in the middle of the club.
No wonder Declan had been laughing to himself when he gave Raiden the job. Lawrence was a bad idea, and the kid was going to keep tempting him mercilessly.
Raiden gritted his teeth when men began to cruise Lawrence, casting their eyes over him as they passed. One especially burly guy plopped a firefighter’s helmet on Lawrence’s head, and Lawrence laughed warmly while he danced with it for a moment, one hand holding it in place.
All of a sudden, Raiden’s attention was yanked across the club and back toward the front bar. It was like a bell went off inside of him, and in a flash, he was standing on his feet to strain and get a look at a stranger in a fitted blue suit, ordering himself a drink.
“What the fuck…” Raiden muttered, rubbing his forehead. Maybe the pink cocktail had gone straight to his head, but all of his danger alarms blared at full volume. He turned back to Lawrence, still dancing, then to the man in the blue suit, who casually glanced his way, their eyes meeting for the briefest second.
His reaction to the man might not have made sense, but Raiden wasn’t one to doubt his instincts. He hurried around the corner and down the stairs, pushing through a triad that was blocking the way, and back toward the main club. Fancy Pants in the suit had disappeared, but when Raiden turned to the dance floor, he immediately spotted him, approaching Lawrence on the other side of the crowd.
“Damn it,” Raiden grumbled, then began to push his way through the growing crowd. On the dance floor, the music throbbed at a much higher volume, and the smell of sweat and men hung in the air. Raiden turned away passes, his heart beating as he rushed to Lawrence for a reason he couldn’t even explain to himself.
He emerged from the crowd with a huff of breath to find Lawrence standing alone, a sloppy smile on his face and the Fancy Pants’s cocktail dangling from his hand. “Raiden,” he said with a huge smile, then swayed Raiden’s way. “You changed your mind.”
Raiden shook his head. “Was that man in the suit just here?” he shouted over the music. “Tacky haircut with the shaved sides?”
Lawrence nodded, holding his drink. “He gave me a drink, but then he disappeared.” He stumbled a little forward, and Raiden realized the liquor had caught up with him at last. “Why. Are you jealous, Raiden? Captain Jealous Raiden.”
Raiden stuck out a hand to steady him, and the warmth of Lawrence’s weight pleased him, like a confirmation the kid was safe after Raiden’s weird scare. “No, I’m not jealous,” he answered, trying to convince himself as much as Lawrence. “You said he’s gone?” he asked, turning over his shoulder and looking across the club.
Lawrence pulled his hand away, then started swaying his hips again. “Why aren’t you jealous?” he asked. “Do you just want me for my money? I understand. I’m only good for money, aren’t I? That’s what I should have said to the man who gave me this cocktail. I should have said, ‘Here’s my money.’” He pointed his finger straight out, then shoved it against Raiden’s chest. “That’s what you think, isn’t it?”
Raiden growled under his breath. Lawrence was drunk and acting out and talking a lot of nonsense. If it had been Gray or Horatio acting that way, he’d just tackle the other guy, mess up his hair, and tell him to get his shit together. But Lawrence was nothing like those guys, not to mention that he was Raiden’s employer, and that meant that he had no idea how he was supposed to act.
Especially not when Lawrence looked so damn hot under those dance lights.
“I don’t think that about you,” Raiden said loudly. “But I do think it’s time to call it a night.”
Lawrence grabbed him by the shoulders, then pulled him into a dance. Before Raiden could think, they were swaying their hips together, and Lawrence was dangerously close to riding up on Raiden. Instantly, Raiden’s body responded, with his cock growing harder in his pants and his hand landing on Lawrence’s back.
As he stood there, barely moving, a quiver went through his core. It felt really, really good, and he was no good at denying himself things that felt good.
“Lawrence,” he said, gasping the name. “I told you I’m not a dancer, and I’ve got to go.”
“I’ll give you a thousand dollars to dance with me,” Lawrence slurred into his ear. “Deal?”
“You can’t go throwing your money away like that.”
Lawrence rode up on him again, pressing their bodies close as the music surged, then finally slid away. “You going to keep telling me what to do, bodyguard?”
“You going to listen to me?”
Lawrence seemed to consider it for a minute, and the feelings in Raiden burned stronger. He wasn’t the kind to get all mushy, and he scolded himself to get his horny ass under control.
“Oh!” Lawrence said, jumping on his feet. “I see Mayer!”
Raiden sighed, relieved he could pass Lawrence off to a friend. “I’ll take that as my cue to head home. Enjoy the fire hoses, Lawrence.”
“You don’t want to meet her?”
“Next time,” Raiden answered, eager to step away from the confused emotions that were clanging around in his head.
Lawrence leaned forward, then brushed his soft lips across Raiden’s cheek. “Next time,” he answered with a wink.
Raiden turned, then pushed his way back through the crowd. He made one more sweep of the club with his eyes, searching for the man in the blue suit, then forced himself away.
It was the first night on a new job, and already, Raiden had more trouble than he could handle.
