Page 12 of King of Clubs

Arna elbowed me, snapping me out of the obvious appreciation session I just blatantly provided him and I was seized by mortification. I took a rather large drink, my eyes widening when I was met with the uncouth sounds of the last dregs of liquid fighting with air up the straw. Quickly putting it on the table, I reached for one of the freshly delivered cocktails, desperate for something to do with my hands before I voluntarily lifted my dress or something else equally ridiculous.

I coughed nervously, turning towards her with a silent SOS clear in my wide-eyed glare, screaming at her to intervene. As in right now, because he was approximately two steps away and I was about to slip on my own thirst patch.

Her vivacious laugh broke the thick tension as Sebastian halted in front of us and she stepped forward, greeting him with a kiss on the cheek and a swift hug. His eyes remained on me the entire time though and I wasn’t sure whether the swirling heat which swarmed through my body was desire or embarrassment.

“Hey, Seb. Thank you so much for reserving this area. You remember my best-friend, Marlee, right?” She gestured her hand towards me, moving to sit down on the black leather seat that surrounded the circular table like a spectator. And because I had lost the ability to act like an entirely normal person, I thrust my hand forward almost aggressively, offering him ahandshake.

A fucking handshake.What the heck, Marlee!

I had never hated myself more.

After spending so much time hibernating, greetings were obviously no longer a strength.

But if you thought my level of ineptitude couldn’t get worse, you would be sorely mistaken.

Because the intensity of the movement caused my once beautiful drink to spill over the edges, cascade over my other hand and splash onto his pristine shoes – almost in slow motion.

I looked down at the mess, my eyes most definitely resembling saucers, and tried to avoid lingering on how good his thighs looked in those damn pants. I felt all of the blood in my body racing to my cheeks, the horror of the moment something I would no doubt replay at 3:00am every night for the rest of my life. Alongside the time I tried to box him.

You would think that there was no way in the history of ever that this situation could possibly become any more mortifying – but that would be a gross underestimation on your part. Because just as Sebastian raised his hand to – what I later realised –gesture for someone behind the bar to come and sort the mess I made, I visibly flinched, falling back onto the seat behind me in a subconscious attempt to avoid an act which was never intended. The flinch causing the rest of the drink I was holding to splash across my lap.

That swirl which was previously undeterminable, was now pure dread and my eyes whipped to Arns. I forced the imminent hysteria back with every ounce of strength I could muster attempting to pull myself together but I felt my eyes water as I stared at her in distress.

Ever my saviour, she moved into immediate damage control, jumping to her feet and blocking the view of what was most likely my underwear. “Oh my god,” I murmured disbelievingly and wishing for the ground to open up and just take me right this second.

I could hear her graciously steering the conversation to Andy and his current trip to South Australia as I took a deep breath.

When you feel the onslaught of agitation, take a steadying breath.Suzie’s instructions calmly spoke.

It’s okay to sit with your feelings while you formulate your next move.

Breathing slowly, I examined the contents of the table, reaching for the serviettes.

Place empty glass down.

Remove excess liquid off dress.

Pull the dress down so your underwear is not on display.

Take another breath and rejoin the land of the living.

Forcing down the unnecessary panic, along with my traitorous dress which rose significantly in my less than graceful fall, I stood with as much gusto as I could muster and stepped around Arna.

“Let’s have a do-over. Hello! I’m not usually such a buffalo and I’m sorry about your shoes. Oh, and that time I tried to fight you,” his eyes fell to my outstretched hand before engulfing it with his own. I ignored the curious concern in his eyes, not willing to overthink this response, instead focusing on the way his warm calloused hands sent goosebumps up my arms as he pulled me towards him, kissing my cheek in greeting.

“You make quite an impression, Marlee. I’m sorry for startling you,” his gruff voice whispered for only me to hear, sending a jolt of awareness straight to my chest. “If you ladies need anything, please let Wayne know.” He pointed towards the muscular wall of security, his gaze never leaving mine.

I couldn’t speak. My hand was still firmly grasped within his own, much longer than is socially acceptable and his proximity felt like a defibrillator to the heart. If I had been a zombie before, this man in front of me brought me back to life with a single touch. When he left a swift kiss on my other cheek a raw masculine smell inundated my nostrils, cementing itself in the top spot of treasured smells. It was earthy and fresh and I breathed him in as discreetly as I could before retreating.

“No unplanned boxing tonight though, please,” he added with a wink in my direction.

A proper, movie moment wink, which set a flutter of butterflies cascading through my stomach.

“Bugger, I’ve been training all week,” I replied with feigned insouciance and his smirk widened for the briefest moment before he departed as quickly as he arrived.

“What wasthat?” Arna screamed, grabbing my thigh, forcing me to look at her and not the back of the sexiest man alive.

“That, my friend, was a first class display of how to woo a man,” I stated, taking a long sip of my drink. I was flushed, potentially running a temperature, and I wasn’t sure if it was the vodka or the man who just invaded my space in the best way possible. “I mean surely that was obvious with how I graciously flirted with the man who will be living rent free in my head for the rest of my life and the way I retreated like he was going to hit me?” I gritted with a cringe induced scowl.

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