Page 65 of Holiday on the Rocks
An hour had passed, and I could feel Levi’s eyes on me. Maybe it was my two drinks and a shot, but I liked it. He was what the overthinking smart girl needed more than oxygen back in the day. He still made me feel sexy and beautiful, and maybe it was nice to have that again, even if only for a few days. Closure was over and we were kinda friends now, but knew I had to leave that friendship in Colorado when I left. He was my past.
To my right Kristina was shoving dollar bills into the G-string of a dancer. It was then the lights dimmed, and a spotlight hit the empty stage while Pony pumped through the speakers. I have to admit, I was a little curious to see what was about to go down. As I glanced over Kristina was now seated in a chair receiving a heated lap dance while Lexi giggled like a schoolgirl, I wondered how “down” this night might go.
Once the lap dance ended Rachel pulled our group in close. “Let’s have a toast!” We all grabbed our glasses. “Here’s to you ladies. We may not be athletic or super young or smart or talented or wise.” Her eyes narrowed. “I kinda forget where I was going with this.” She shrugged. “Here’s to us!”
Like idiots we all cheered and slammed our drinks.
In a blaze of glory, a man walked onto the stage. It was a fog-filled space and he sported jeans, work boots, a bright yellow construction worker vest, sunglasses, and no shirt. Even though it was winter in Colorado, he was tanned, muscley, oiled up, and open for business.
The construction fella started his performance, and I must admit he was very entertaining with his shimmying and smiling; the crazy bitches around me were losing their effing minds.
He stood at the edge of the stage, and his hand went up shielding his eyes from the light as he looked into the audience. My heart clunked when he hopped off the stage, walked to me, and in an instant, I was being led onto the stage. While I wanted to run, I had to be a good sport, right? This was all in good fun. As I was set in a chair, it was safe to say it would not be the clean kind of fun tonight.
The place went wild as he circled me before giving me an up close and personal lap dance. He had shed his vest somewhere and placed my hands on his oily chest as the music and screams were pounding my eardrums.
I wanted to get the hell out of there but sat frozen in the chair as he continued his slick moves. I was playing it cool until a millisecond later he was on his knees, had pushed my legs apart, and was simulating some actions, if you know what I’m saying. A panic went through me, and I pushed his shoulders, but he firmly held my legs in place.
THIRTY
LEVI
PROTECTOR
My fucking eyeballs were about to blow. My throat felt like I drank kerosene and swallowed a match.
Evan touched my arm. “Levi, it’s okay?—”
“Oh, hell no.” It was so far from okay I wondered if a jail cell might be in my future. She was being a good sport, but the second I saw that look on her face and she pushed his shoulders, and he didn’t let her go, I knew this was over.
I don’t remember storming the stage, but I’ll never forget the relief in her eye when she saw me shove the guy aside and get her the hell out of there.
I took her hand and somewhat aggressively pushed my way down a crowded back hallway toward an exit sign. I knew the girls wouldn’t be able to catch up. The most important thing was how tightly she held my hand. She may not know shit about my true intentions, but that one fact showed me all I needed to know.
I pushed open the door and we were in an alley. I grabbed her waist and pushed her against the cold brick building. No words needed to be spoken as I looked into those ocean eyes. I pulled her closer and leaned down. The expression she wore told me closure wasn’t over for her either.
Her arms wrapped around my shoulders as she whispered. “I know with all of my soul that you need to back away.” The gentle caress of her lips against mine fueled the hunger for her.
“Being in the alley behind the Wienerlicious strip club kissing your face off is not what I want.” The soft pressure of her lips ignited a fire. Kissing her is indescribable. This is where I belonged. This was beyond lust; she was my addiction. She’d always been, and I needed to be with her even if she didn’t know she needed to be with me yet. Okay, that may be a phrase used by a stalker, but that’s not me.
Well, maybe me a little.
She broke the kiss. “Okay, one more minute and this is so done. No more kissing, this is it.”
Her mouth led mine while I pushed her further away from the door into the darkness.
She spoke through the kiss. “Just one more second, then I mean it. It’s done. You go back into the past.”
Her words twisted something, and I pressed myself into her as she drew a quick breath before my mouth dropped to her ear. “Do you feel what you do to me? One look and you have me on my knees. And I sure as hell know what I do to you.”
She growled my name while my hands traveled. The little moan going from her mouth to mine nearly undid me as I gave her what I wanted to every day. Forever.
I pulled away and she stood dazed as I pushed curls off her face. “You go in ahead to ensure Rachel and Lexi don’t hurdle the bar and strangle me, okay?”
I ushered her through the door. “Go.”
She wore a tiny grin and disappeared down the hall.
THIRTY-ONE
