Page 11 of The Vow We Made
“Piss off!” I scream while trying to remove his touch from my body again, but by this time, his fingers have slipped around my waist and I’m unable to do anything about it.
“You bastard!” Steph shrieks. “I'll give you five seconds to get your filthy hands off her before I call a bouncer.” But her threats fall on deaf ears and have little affect. In a twisted way, this guy is enjoying himself and I make things worse. Panic rips through me as I attempt to shout but nothing comes out. My throat is dry and the music too loud for anyone to hear my fear. The only person aware of my situation is my best friend who doesn't know if she should leave to get help or stay in case he does something stupid. This bloke is not fucking around. He's a menace and I'm the unlucky victim.
Then the atmosphere changes, Steph stops panicking and tries to signal that something is going on behind me, but I have no idea what her expression is trying to say. In a few short seconds, the intruder’s hands are pulled away abruptly, and instinctively, I run towards Steph, daring myself to watch the commotion going on beside me. I immediately recognise the dark hair, broad back and the tall, slim body holding muscle man in a full nelson as they head for the exit. He is equal to his height and despite the handsy pest being muscle-bound, he’s unable to work himself free from the grip of my saviour.
Steph grabs my wrist, and before I have time to register where we're going, she drags me through the crowd after them. We come to an abrupt halt in the foyer and witness my attacker's giant arse being thrown onto the street, but he doesn't give up and takes a run-up to the double doors to enter again. Two muscle-bound doormen, dressed in black evening jackets, make it very clear he's no longer welcome. They take an arm each and drag him out the doors with minimal effort.
“Thank Christ for that.” Steph rubs her eyes and folds her arms, with a sigh. “What the hell am I going to do with you?”
I widen my eyes and hold up my hands in surrender. “What? I can’t help being so irresistible.” I joke, but my insides are still shaking.
“You were lucky we were saved. God knows the trouble we’d be in otherwise.”
I scan the area until my eyes catch his familiar broad back once again. His body language is animated while he talks to the men on the door. Their handshakes are warm, mutually respectful, and there's a familiarity between them indicating they could be friends. I continue to watch patiently in the hope I'll get a glimpse of his face and then I'll maybe go over to give my thanks. But when he notices I'm there, I breathe in, holding that breath while my insides back-flip. I let the breath go, relieved to find his gorgeous brown eyes staring back at me.
“You alright?” Steph asks without initially taking note of who I’m staring at. “Vickie, what is it?” Her brow furrows with worry until she follows my line of sight. As soon as she meets his gaze, her hands grasp my upper arm and she mouths in my direction, “Fuck.” She whispers excitedly, “I couldn’t see his face properly in there, but now we’re in the light, he’s even hotter than I remember and he’s eating you up with his eyes.”
My natural reaction is to get away, so I grab her by the arm. “Come on. The girls are probably wondering where we are.”
“Vickie, you can’t just run away. Get yourself over there and talk to him, at least thank him if nothing else.”
“I can’t.” Panic creeps into my voice. I can normally hold myself together pretty well, but every now and again, my confidence takes a dip and nerves get the better of me. “What do I say? Oh, hi there, sorry I haven’t been in contact since I smashed into you and made an arse of myself. But if it’s any consolation, I’ve been dreaming about you all week.”
“Have you?” She chokes out a giggle and covers it with her hand, which causes me to laugh too. She continues, elbowing me in the side, “This is big, so big I could squeal!”
I roll my eyes. “Stop it.” In truth, her light mood is infectious and helps to settle my nerves.
“I can’t. You like him and you never like anyone!” She pauses with a grin. “Why didn’t you call him for crying out loud? Why did you waste so much time?”
“Steph, he probably doesn’t even remember me.”
“It was only last Sunday and believe me, he willdefinitelyremember you.” She places her hands on my shoulders. “This isbig newsVickie. You’re interested in a man for the first time in ages. What have you got to lose? Just go for it.”
I glance over finding no need to search for his eyes. They’re already focused solely in my direction and my stomach somersaults somewhere between nerves and excitement.
My attention darts back to Steph and I think about dragging her with me. I'm unsure why I feel the need for a chaperone. Maybe it's because I've been out of the dating game for so long. I'm uncertain of the rules. Then again, by the way he stepped in to save me, and how his smouldering eyes have captured mine, I’d say he’s more than interested.
“Okay, here I go.” Boldly, I head towards the entrance, only stopping for a moment to glance over my shoulder at Steph with a smile. When I check back towards the doors, I discover there’s no sign of him. I bite my lip with worry. Where the hell is he? I call Steph over. “He’s disappeared into thin air. Should I go outside and see if he’s there?”
She shakes her head. “Abso-bloody-lutely not! What if that idiot comes back again?”
“I'll just poke my head out the door. If there's no sign of Mr Hottie, I'll come straight back in. And don't worry about the creepy guy. He won't get in here with this lot around,” I say while nodding towards the doorman. Admittedly, I do more than poke my head out and find Steph is right behind me. “I couldn't let you come out here by yourself,” she smiles.
My strappy black mini-dress is not appropriate for the bitter wind now chilling my exposed skin and my friend’s midnight blue number is equally non-existent against the elements. While we look one way, then the other, we rub our hands over our bare, shaking arms and the lengths of Steph’s red hair, brush over her face.
“Maybe he went home,” Steph says while sweeping her hair to one side and walking back towards the warmth of the club. I wait a second longer, just to make sure. The pavements are bustling with people, so I’d easily spot his tall outline if he were anywhere near this building. Defeated and disappointed, I head back towards the door Steph is holding open.
“Come here darling,” she coos and places her arm around me. “Don’t be downhearted. I’m sure you haven’t seen the last of him.”
“It’s okay, I don’t know what the hell I’d say anyway.” I place my hand to my chest. “But imagine if he hadn’t been there?”
“Tell me about it,” she leans in. “It was quite frightening. Can you believe that disgusting article of a man? Urgh, how dare he grab you like that?” Her hand loops through my arm. “You don't think Mr Hottie went after him, do you?” she asks with a slight gleeful tone.
“Don’t be daft.” But the thought has already crossed my mind and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried.
