Chapter 2
His pale face suddenly turned blood red, and his hand clamped around my wrist, squeezing hard enough to leave marks—I knew that feeling well.
“Let me go! You’re hurting me, you idiot!”
I wasn’t going to show fear. He wasn’t remotely scary, and I was used to aggressive men.
“I think you didn’t hear, friend. She said to let go of her arm,” the bartender’s voice came from behind me.
“Or you’ll leave here without a hand!”
I looked up at the last threat and saw the man who’d been talking to Alice, his face now far from friendly.
The creep looked around, realizing he didn’t stand a chance—one of them was twice his size, and two would be even worse. He raised his hands in surrender and backed off without a word.
“You okay, friend?” Alice asked, standing beside me, but honestly, I didn’t want to think about it now, or it would ruin our night completely.
“It’s our night, and no one’s going to ruin it!”
I grabbed the forgotten glass on the counter and downed it, the taste now much weaker than the first one that night.
Beyoncé’s voice blasted through my ears as she started singing Partition. The beat quickly enveloped me, and I pulled Alice onto the bar counter. We fumbled but soon were standing, swaying to the music, letting every sound dictate our moves.
I bent down to grab a bottle from the bar, making a point to stick out my butt, knowing the short shorts wouldn’t hide much. Alice rested her head on my chest, and I poured the clear liquid—pretty sure it was tequila—into her mouth. She did the same to me, and we went back to dancing, using the bottle as a microphone.
I swayed, not caring about anything, vaguely aware we were putting on quite a show, but I didn’t care about anything other than having fun and forgetting all my problems.
“Brought all this for you, follow my lead
Just tell me if it’s good, baby”
I twirled down, looking back seductively at no one in particular, but there he was—those golden eyes. Not in the VIP area anymore, now he was right there at the bar, watching me closely, his golden eyes locked on my every move.
My movements grew even bolder. I thrust my hips, circled them, feeling like one of the professional dancers—sexy and powerful.
“I do all this for you, baby, enjoy the view
And tell me if I’m good, baby”
I sang, facing him, dancing with my hands sliding from my hair to my chest, down to my waist and hips. He raised an eyebrow, and for a moment, I felt heat spread through my body, even stronger.
One second—that’s all it took for me to lose my balance and slip on the wet counter, heading straight for the floor.
But before I could crash, he was there. One moment I was bracing for impact, and the next, I was cradled in his strong arms.
“Got you, dangerous,” his guttural voice sent a wave of shivers through me, setting my body ablaze. “Now you’re not escaping me!”