So, here we are withChristina passing out tequila shots to go with the pitcher of Bahama Mamas we’ve already finished off. The waitress stops by the table and Tania orders another pitcher. It’s going to be one of those kind of summer nights in Hot-Lanta. The kind where I will undoubtedly end up bowing to the great porcelain god and swearing I’ll never have another drink.
Christinalifts her shot glass for a group toast, “To the hot men who thoroughly piss us off!” We laugh and shout the toast back to her in unison before tossing them back. In keeping with tradition, we slam our empty shot glasses on the table and Katie refills our glasses with the Bahama Mama mixture.
From the corner of my eye, I see Shane, Will and a couple of other guys from the gym enter the club. And bringing up the rear is Luke.Just fucking great. I must have been pretty obvious in my reaction because when I look back at my friends, all six eyes are glued to me.
“Yeah, that’s him,” I say on a heavy sigh.
“Nice.”
“Very nice.”
“No wonder you’re so hot and bothered.”
It’s good to have friends you can count on to cheer you up, take your mind off things and help you make the best decisions. It’s really too bad that those are not the kind of friends I have here with me right now.
I look back in the guys’ direction and see Shane scanning the room for me. I hold up my hand and wave when his eyes are looking in my general direction. Recognition sets in on his face and he leads the group towards our table. I stand and help Tania pull another table and chairs beside ours to make room for everyone to hang out together. Shane pulls me into a hug and kisses the top of my head in his normal, brotherly fashion.
There’s a great DJ tonight and he’s playing the best dance songs. One of the best things about this club is the mixture of music they play – there’s a mixture of rock, country, pop, hip hop, and R&B. The mixture would be a turnoff for some, but most of the people here love the variety. Fast songs or slow songs – all the best songs on the air – all in one club. It’s awesome.
Almost immediately after they sit down, Luke starts openly flirting with Tania right in front of me. My mind knows we have no relationship whatsoever. My mind knows I have no claim to him. And my mind knows that other than a little harmless flirting, he’s made no moves on me. But my mind apparently isn’t in charge right now because it both hurts and makes me mad. It’s like he’s doing it on purpose and that’s just mean.
So far, the DJ’s been playing all fast songs that make you want to move, especially after you’ve had a couple of drinks and a shot of tequila. ApparentlyChristina has the same idea because she suddenly yells for us all to do our second shot then hit the dance floor. She also saw how Luke was hitting on Tania and she wanted to get us all away from the table before Tania cussed him out. Or worse, wasted her drink by throwing it in his face.
We all toss back the throat-burning liquid, chase it with more Bahama Mamas and leave the guys as they order their pitchers of beer. One of Usher’s older songs, “Yeah!” is playing and the sensual bass is thumping through the huge speakers throughout the room. The large flat screen TV’s that are strategically placed throughout the club play the official video and the images occasionally flash to show the people on the dance floor.
I’m feeling a little more than a slight buzz when I hit the dance floor and, with my mounting frustration, I really just want to let loose. My body is moving with the music and I’m dancing with my friends when I feel a hard body move in close behind me. I look over my shoulder to see a handsome guy moving in time with me. When I don’t object, he moves closer and puts one of his arms around my waist, pulling my back against his front.
Melted together, we continue to move, sway and grind to the music.Katie points to the TV directly in front of the dance floor and I see myself with the handsome stranger bumping and grinding behind me. I lift my hand up and wrap it around the back of his neck and my fingers gently stroke the hair on his nape as we continue dancing. He wraps his other hand around my waist and turns me to face him. I wrap my arms around his neck as he puts one of his legs between mine so that we’re aligned chest to chest and pelvis to pelvis.
The people on the dance floor part like the Red Sea as Shane and Luke barge through on their way towards me. I meet Luke’s hard gaze with a challenge in my own eyes before turning back to my dance partner. The song ends and a slow song starts without missing a step. My handsome stranger leans down to whisper in my ear, “Dance with me again?” I nod and tighten my grip around his neck.
I look over my shoulder at Shane, who has stopped a couple of feet away, and shake my head ‘no.’ He doesn’t like it at all and I know him well enough to know that he’s weighing his options. I tilt my head slightly to the side and give him a pointed look, one that says ‘don’t fuck with me tonight.’ He knows me well enough to know it will not end well if he goes against my wishes right now.
Katiesteps up in front of Shane and asks him to dance. He agrees and they stay beside me as we finish the slow song. Christina and Tania have already found other dance partners so Luke returns to our table to sit with the other guys. He’s giving me dirty looks but I pretend not to see him. What right does he have to be mad at me for dancing with someone when he was hitting on one of my best friends? Right in front of me!
When the song ends, I step back from my dance partner and thank him before Shane grabs my hand and pulls me off the dance floor. Like I said, I know Shane well enough to know now is not the time to fight him.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Andi?” Shane angrily demands when we’re just outside the dance area.
“I’m having fun with my friends, Shane! What’s your problem?” I ground out back at him.
“That guy was all over you and you were just letting him!”
“Don’t lecture me about that, Shane! You take home a different girl every damn night!” I would laugh at the shocked look on his face if I weren’t so pissed off right now.
Shane stutters for a minute before spitting out, “That’s different, Andi, and you know it!”
“Come off it, Shane. It was just a damn dance - I’m still here. I haven’t left with anyone. Yet.”
Shane’s jaw is clenched shut and the muscles on each side are twitching from the force. His nostrils are slightly flaring from his angry breaths and his face is turning blood red. I wonder to myself if he’s about to have a stroke from his elevated blood pressure.
Through his clenched teeth, he spouts, “Andi. So help me God. You are not leaving here and going to some strange guy’s house.”
I smile sweetly at him, knowing that my smile mixed with my next words may actually make the top of his head pop right off. “You’re right, Shane. I won’t go to some strange guy’s house. I’ll be sure to take him home with me instead.”
And I walked off, leaving him there to process my words alone while I made my way back to the fresh pitcher of Bahama Mamas. I refill my empty glass and down a couple more glasses within a few minutes. When I look back up, some half-dressed girl is sitting Luke’s lap and rubbing her hands up and down his chest. He leans in and says something in her ear, to which she giggles and furiously nods her head ‘yes.’ My imagination just ran away with me on what she so eagerly agreed to.
LUKE
