Page 169 of Lovers' Dance: Vol. 2

Dante froze next to me on the sofa. Slowly, he turned his head in my direction. “Listen,” he said while very,very,slowly inching away.

What the hell? Did I smell bad all of a sudden?

“I love you, Madi.” He licked his lips, nervous it seemed. “And you’re sexy as hell, and as of today I’m a free agent,” Still in that cautious, slow manner, he moved a bit further. “And it’s not like I never thought about it, I mean, hell. You are fine and your ass is,” He smacked his lips together and made an appreciative sound. “I thought about it once or twice when we were younger, not now,” he hastened to clarify. “Uh, but younger, like late teens. I’ll admit it crossed my mind, your small boobs back then were an issue but,” He gave an awkward shrug of his shoulders, not finishing the rest of that sentence.

My eyebrows shot up high as I listened to his nervous babble.

“And the best way to get over a break up is to get some,” Again he slid further away, almost to the other side of the sofa. “But, uh, and don’t take this the wrong way,” He clasped his glass of vodka tightly as he peered at me like I was the devil incarnate about to painfully rip his soul out, while his other hand curled protectively over his junk. “I don’t think I could get it up for you, maybe from behind, if I didn’t have to see your face,”

My mouth was hanging open, wide open.

“It would still be weird,” Dante stopped shielding his man bits and scratched his head, now unable to meet my gaze. “Because it’s you,” He took a deep breath, closed his eyes then said in a jumbled rush of words, “But you’re my best friend and if you need this,” He gagged right there, almost as if he was about to hurl. “I’ll help you out, but you can’t talk and it has to be from behind because it’ll freak me out watching your face, I could probably do it if I’m watching your ass, and – OW! Careful with my drink.”

I was punching him, hard, very hard. “Not withyou.”

“Oh thank God.” His whole body slumped in relief as he tried to simultaneously block my blows and protect his drink from spilling. “I got to tell you, I was scared shitless there for a minute.”

“Idiot.” I clouted him across his braided head one more time before scowling at the tv. I was insulted. Only from behind? He might as well said he’d put a paper bag over my head. “And I’ll have you know I am kick ass between the sheets.”

Dante tried to cover his derisive snort, failed, then simply let his guffaws out shamelessly.

I fumed in silence, hunched over and sipping my vodka. I was…wasn’t I?

“Whoo,” he exhaled after his laughing fit. “I needed that, sweet cheeks. You always know how to cheer me up.”

“Shut up.” I groused. “We’re missing the good parts of the movie.”

Dante gulped his drink down and slid back into his previous position next to me. I huffed at his cheek.

“So,” He lightly elbowed me in the side. “You’ve got the itch?”

“Not talking to you now.” I replied, petulant, yes; but why did he have to act like doing me was the worst thingever?

“Come on,” he cajoled. “Don’t pout. We never really talk about this. Mainly because you’ve been a virgin most of your – OW! Damnit. I’ve spilt my drink now.”

Shaking a fist at him and feeling the blush heat the blessedly dark skin from my face down my neck, I slurped the remaining vodka in my glass before reaching for the bottle. Dante held his glass out, blinking prettily at me. I laughed and refilled his glass once more.

Five minutes later, I asked, “Are you bummed out? Out of all your relationships, the one with Christine was one of the longest.”

My best friend stared at the colourless liquid in his glass, his jaw and shoulders suddenly tensed. “I’m mad as hell she sold stories about you to the papers. When I think of how upset it used to make you whenever you read something,” Dante leaned back against the sofa. “I would probably have ended it anyway. She wasn’t the one.”

“She never liked me,” I reminded him. “That should’ve been your first warning sign she had bunny boiler potential. Oh shit. She’s not going to blamemefor your break-up, is she? I’ll-”

“What?” Dante cut me off with a smirk. “Kick her ass?”

I shook my fist at him again and he mouthed ‘punk’ at me.

“Don’t worry,” he assured me. “You’ll never see her again.”

“Good.” I muttered. “She never liked me.”

Dante cleared his throat before stretching his legs out, nonchalant as he advised, “Most of my girlfriends don’t like you.”

Say what? I spun around to face him. “That’s not true. Most of them do.”

Dante arched an eyebrow and shook his head. “No, theypretendto because they know how tight we are,” Then he got real street and snapped his fingers mockingly. “Ain’t no girl want another woman hanging round her man all the time.”

“But,” I spluttered. “I’m likeable. What does how much we hang out have to do with anything? And if your mom heard you talking like that she’d scold you.”

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