Chapter 39
The club was jam-packed with a line out the door – not that we waited in it. Whether it was because Lawton knew the bouncer or simply because of who he was, we bypassed the line and were ushered straight inside.
Behind us, I heard a few muttered grumbles of those left waiting, but Lawton took my hand, and we just kept going. A flash of cash and a few words from Lawton netted us a newly placed table right near the dance floor.
We ordered a couple of drinks from a harried-looking waitress, and Lawton turned to me. "Wanna dance?"
I looked around. "Shouldn't we wait until we have our drinks?"
"Why?" he said.
"So no one steals our table."
He laughed. "Baby, no one's gonna steal our table."
"How do you know?"
"Because I paid 'em an extra fifty to keep it free."
"Who's them?" I asked.
He pointed toward a beefy guy standing with arms crossed a few feet away. "Him."
"I didn't see you talking to him."
"I worked it out with my friend."
"The bouncer?"
"Yeah."
I vaguely recalled them sharing a greeting and a few hushed words, but mostly I remembered Lawton introducing me as his girl with a look of such pride that I practically melted.
"I don't want you to worry about anything tonight," Lawton said. He stood and reached for my hand. "Now c'mon. Ready?"
I looked up at him, a silhouette of absolute perfection. His body, his face, and the way he looked at me sent a jolt of electricity straight through me. Nearby, a couple of girls in slinky dresses whispered to each other and pointed. One of them licked her lips.
I stood. I was more than ready.
A few second later, we were moving against each other on the dance floor. I felt his hands on my hips and his gaze on my face. The song was slow, with a rhythmic beat that suggested sex on the beach under a full summer moon.
I moved closer, feeling our hips touch and then grind against each other as his hands moved slowly up my back. I moved my hands to his sides, feeling the sinewy muscles surrounding his stomach shift and contract in time with his movements.
I threw back my head and looked into his eyes. The floor was packed, but from the look on his face, there was nobody but us. I knew the feeling.
When the song ended, and a faster one took its place, we didn't change position. I leaned closer and rested my head against his chest. It felt so strong, so permanent, and so amazing that I knew I'd never want to leave. Not when the song ended, and not ever.
We stayed that way for a long time, oblivious to everything but each other as songs came and went, just like the dancers around us.
Finally, thirst got the better of me. I glanced through the gyrating bodies toward our table and saw our drinks sitting there, waiting. With a sigh, I pulled away and pointed toward the table. "Look. Drinks."
But he didn't look toward the table. His eyes looked thirsty, but not for the beer he'd ordered however long ago. "Yeah? Ready to sit down?"
When I nodded, he took my hand and led me to the table. I took a sip of my drink and choked as the fire burned down my throat.
He eyed me with concern. "What's wrong?"
I was still coughing. "I think they made it a double. Wait. Scratch that. Make that a triple."
He grinned. "Probably thought they were doing you a favor."
I laughed. "Maybe. But it's not exactly thirst-quenching, if you know what I mean."
"Want me get you a new one?"
I looked around. I didn't see our waitress. In fact, I didn't see any waitresses. No surprise, given how crowded the place had become. "Nah, that's alright," I told him.
"You think so, huh?" He stood and reached for my drink. "Wait here. I'll be back in five minutes."
I watched his back disappear into the crowd, thinking of how nice it was to have a guy who'd go to this much trouble without my even asking. A glance at our neighboring tables told me I wasn't the only one. Girls, guys – it didn't seem to matter. Something about him commanded their attention.
Did they recognize him? Or was it merely his appearance that made people sit up and notice? I tried to think of him as a stranger might. I recalled that first day, near the Parkers', when I'd walked past him, standing there wearing no shirt.
Back then, he was sex and danger. Now he was that, and so much more.
That day, I hadn't even recognized him. But something inside me had definitely responded. Lawton was just that way. People loved to look at him. I felt myself smile. Of course, they could look all they wanted, but I knew who would be touching him tonight, and it wasn't any of these people.
Still smiling, I stood to go to the ladies room, hoping to make the most of the time he was gone. I glanced at the beefy guy near the dance floor. He had barely moved since Lawton had first pointed him out to me. The way it looked, he took his table-watching seriously.
When he saw me looking, he gave me a quick nod, and glanced toward the table as if to assure me that everything would still be there when I returned.
I started weaving my way through the crowd. When I glanced at our table the next time, the guy had his back to me, watching over the table like he feared it might escape if he took his eye off it for one second.
The whole thing was oddly surreal. I wasn't used to people doing things for me, even something so small as this. It felt weird and wonderful all at the same time.
Unfortunately, the next person I ran into wasn't quite so accommodating.