Page 43 of Betting Blind
Pshh. I don’t know what she’s talking about. After chugging the bottle of champagne from our room and taking another shot at the bar before we left, the pain in my toes hardly registers. “Quit being such a baby,” I tell her as the doorman lowers the velvet rope for us.
The steady thump of music pulses beneath my feet. I haven’t been out to a club in so long, I almost forgot how intoxicating it can be. I welcome the sudden rush of excitement as my worries, fears, and frustrations temporarily slip away.
Strobe lights flash and bright neon colors streak across the expanse of the room. The dance floor is large enough to hold a hundred bodies at once, and my eyes find the DJ standing in a booth several feet above the crowd. He plays fast-paced beats that meld into even quicker tempos, and the sea of people surrounding him grow wild as they jump up and down to the beat.
A beautiful young woman screams excitedly, flashing her bare chest to the man, and my mouth pops open. I quickly turn to see if Juliana saw her, but the only gaze I find is Jack’s—and it’s blistering hot.
Jules and Derrick are talking to each other, seemingly completely unaware, but the image of the woman’s perfectly full breasts sits like a dirty secret between the two of us. I squeeze my thighs together tightly to control the throbbing sensation growing between them, but it does little to help the spreading warmth.
Jack’s sinful stare continues to burn me.Come on, I want to say to him.Just give in.
“Let’s dance!” Jules’s voice suddenly calls from beside me, breaking my trance, and I’m forced to peel my eyes away from him. She drags me out onto the dance floor by my wrist, throwing her head back and hollering. Her delight spreads through the circle of people swarming us, and they shout right along with her, welcoming us into the chaos.
Jack and Derrick are making their way through the crowd—and farther away from the dance floor—as a wall of smoke swirls its way around us, bringing with it the scent of Black & Milds. I breathe in deeply, reminded of a time when Jules and I were younger, going to clubs and drinking illegally. She’d bat her eyes at the older guys to get us drinks, and I would steal puffs of nicotine from anyone willing to share. Those were the good days, the simpler days.
We find a spot in front of the DJ, and Juliana takes my hands in hers, jumping up and down to the beat. My body begins to sway to the music, and I relax my head back, running my hands through my hair as I allow the music to transport me to a happy place.
The music picks up the tempo again, pulsing in my ears, and I laugh.Yes!I toss my blonde locks around with Jules. A thrill breaks out under my skin as endorphins wreak havoc on my body.This is incredible!
I flick my gaze up toward the balcony to see several guys sipping their drinks, watching us from the barrier above. Metal railings run along the balcony that overlooks the dance floor, and it’s long enough that three separate VIP sections rest against it, giving a perfect view of the action below. Spinning around, I grind my ass against Juliana, and she moves with me in perfect unison. I lean into her, laying my head back on her shoulder, and feel her hands playfully roam over my ribs before snaking down to my hips.
I’m startled when my eyes fall to Jack’s arms, spread out over the railing, supporting the weight of his muscular frame. Flashes of white light strike his face every few seconds, illuminating his devil-may-care gaze as he watches me roll my hips against my best friend.
The music gets more intense as the rhythm picks up, and my heart slams against my rib cage as I glare back at him. A shiver sneaks its way down my spine, and I know I shouldn’t be teasing him, but I want to punish him for denying us this fire.Oh, how I want to punish him.
We dance through several more songs, and eventually, our aching feet force us to stop. I faintly hear Juliana’s laughter beside me as she chatters on excitedly. My chest is heaving as I catch my breath, and the promise of pleasure in Jack’s eyes has me wanting him more than the air I’m trying to force into my lungs.
He told me that when we had sex for the first time, it would be proper. And the way he’s watching me… “I need some water,” I say over the crowd.
Jules nods rapidly and points to the bar across from where we’re standing.
We’re sweaty and giggly once we squeeze our way into a spot, and I ask the bartender for some water. “I forgot how much fun that can be!” I admit, sitting on an open stool.
“Girl, who knew you still had it?” She gives me a frisky wink.
“Who knew indeed,” Jack’s voice rumbles from behind me, so close that the hairs on the back of my neck rise to greet it. His words are heady, reminding me of the shameless way he watched me, and my skin heats ten more degrees.
I slowly turn around to face him, delighting in the subtle frustration on his face. Kissing him is tempting, but he’s not getting off that easily. I want to make him squirm.
His hard body is wound tight, and I rub my palms against my dress to keep from yanking him toward me and taking advantage of him right here. I’m sure most of these folks wouldn’t mind the show, but I’d bet the farm that Momma wouldn’t approve of her only daughter dry humping a man on a bartop.
I embody the seductress I’ve become for the evening, and before I change my mind, I lean forward, watching those blazing eyes caress my breasts as I place my lips next to his ear. “What do you want, Jack?”
He’s yet to touch me, but his hands are twitching beside him, and I’m dying to feel them against my skin. Filthy images of the two of us tangled up together tease my thoughts, and I cross my legs, brushing one of them against the front of his pants.
Finally, he reaches out and grips my bare bicep. His hold is tight enough to get my blood pumping, but the torment in his eyes dampens the fun of my game. After several frustrating seconds tick by, I try to pull away. “What are you hiding?” I ask, wishing he would open up to me. But a muscle twitches under his eye as he grinds his jaw.
Without warning, Jack drags me off the barstool, pulling me away from the bar, and I sputter after him, “W-what are you doing?”
Jules hollers from behind me. I can barely hear her over the music—something about using a condom—but Jack continues to propel us forward through the crowd toward the exit.
A burst of cool air covers me when we exit the casino, and I welcome it against my overheated body. “Jack,” I say, attempting to get him to stop, but he’s on a mission. My throbbing feet can’t carry me much farther, and I release his hand, stopping to remove my shoes in front of a small shop advertising helicopter rides through the canyon.
People push past me, and one guy even shoulders me hard enough that I stumble. “Asshole,” I mutter as I rip my shoes off, ignoring the sticky concrete beneath my feet. “Ahh.” I sigh, wiggling my toes.
Jack fixes a deadly glare on the man, weighing whether he should go after him or not, but he steps beside me instead. In one fluid motion, he hooks his arm under my knees and lifts me, cradling my body against his.
“Wait!” I yank the hem of my short dress down so I don’t flash half of Vegas my bare ass. The hint of a smile cracking through Jack’s ever-present scowl has me grumbling, “You did that on purpose.”
