Page 24 of The Big Daddies of LA

SAVANNAH

When Nick lifts his head, I have trouble catching my breath.Oh, wow.Even though his kiss was that of a complete gentleman, I felt it all the way down to my toes. I don’t have much experience kissing guys and I’ve certainly never kissed a man as old as Nick.

But, something about him being a little older makes me feel safe, protected and like I can trust him. I hope I’m not fooling myself.

All of my life, I have always played it safe. A boring, predictable good girl. Well, not tonight, I vow. Tonight, I’m going to have some fun. And, maybe a couple more of those absolutely fabulous Kir Royales.

I slip out under Nick’s arms, still propped up on the wall and sashay away. When I don’t hear him immediately follow, I glance back over my shoulder to see him leaning against the wall, arms now crossed. I think he’s checking out my ass, but I can’t be sure. “Are you coming?” He gives me a funny look then walks over.

“Where to now?” he asks.

“I want to do all sorts of things tonight. Things I’ve never done before.”

“Okay. And, I’m supposed to be the bad influence who encourages you?”

“Something like that,” I say with a little smile.

“So, give me the list. What haven’t you done?”

I think for a moment.Pretty much everything worth doing,I realize. “Well, I’ve never danced at a big, fancy nightclub or gambled in a casino or sipped cocktails at a piano bar or walked around on the arm of an extremely gorgeous man.”

Nick slants me a look then places my arm in the crook of his. Leaning into him, I can feel the warmth of his skin through his shirt and the hard muscles that flex in his bicep. I see how other women look at him, like he’s a dessert they want to gobble up, so I feel special walking beside him like this.

Nick is the most gorgeous man I have ever met. And, now that he’s finally being nice and even flirty, I’m having all kinds of devilish thoughts. The alcohol I consumed makes me not dwell on his earlier behavior during the photo shoot and allows me to sweep it under the rug. For now, anyway.

I still can’t believe he kissed me. God, I feel like dancing. “Truth or dare?” I ask him.

“If I pick dare, are you going to make me jump off another hotel?” he teases.

“No,” I say and laugh.

As we make our way back up The Strip, Nick looks down at me and whispers, “Dare, then.”

“I dare you to dance with me at the hottest club in Vegas.”

“I don’t dance,” he says.

I tilt my head and look up at him. “Are you declining my dare?”

“No, just warning you to have low expectations when it comes to my dancing skills.”

“I’ll assume you have other skills to make up for your poor dancing?” I ask in a teasing tone.

I hear him draw in a breath and then he leans down, lips so near that I can feel his warm breath tickle my ear. “I do. Skills that a nice girl like you would know nothing about.”

My stomach somersaults at the insinuation. As I try to get my rapid heartbeat under control, Nick pulls out his phone and pulls up a search. I look down to see him type in “hottest nightclub in Vegas,” and I can’t help but laugh.

“You’re as big a dork as I am.”

“Baby, I’m 42. I haven’t been to a club in 20 years.”

We end up at the MGM Grand where apparently the place to be is Hakkasan. The cover charge is outrageous and I almost change my mind, but Nick pays and tells me it’s Vegas. It’s huge and sprawls over 80,000 square feet with five levels of dance floors, lounges and restaurants. We go up to the third-floor where there’s 10,000 square feet of dance floor and a couple of lounges.

The main room pumps EDM/house music and a DJ spins in an upper balcony. The dance floor is surrounded by numerous VIP tables arranged in a semicircle facing the DJ booth, giving every table a great view. Giant LED screens flash images with the music and an intense light show makes the entire room look surreal.

I feel like I’m in a dream as I grab Nick’s hand and pull him into the huge crowd of dancers. All of my inhibitions are gone thanks to the three drinks at dinner and I lift my arms above my head and let the music take hold. I’ve never felt so completely free and I sway my hips to the beat, lost in the rhythm.

At this moment, I don’t think about the past or the future. I just enjoy the present and fully commit. Then, I realize Nick isn’t dancing. He’s just standing there and watching me, the flashing lights highlighting his sharp cheekbones.

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