Sara

By the time we found a parking spot and walked to the front of the club, it was just after nine o’clock. Matt was waiting for us on the sidewalk, looking like he’d stepped right out of a J Crew ad. Wearing dark jeans, a fitted light grey polo shirt and brown boots, he was quite the sight to behold. He was one of the few guys I saw who could look good with wearing his collar up.

After we finished greeting one another, we glanced at the line and realized it snaked around the corner. I really wanted to go in, but I wasn’t too sure about the long-ass wait.

“Come on, guys, let’s go,” Matt said as he grabbed each of our hands and pulled us toward the guy with the clipboard.

“Matt, don’t we have to go to the end of the line?” I asked, eyeing up the other waiting customers.

“No, I know one of the bartenders working tonight. He said he would put us on the list. So let’s go, shall we?” I instantly reached up and kissed him on his gorgeous cheek, thankful he had connections.

As soon as we walked in, we noticed how big the place was, much larger than it looked from the outside. Private sitting areas littered either side of the enormous room, each with four black leather sofas running the length of each wall.

It was cozy while still managing to be classy.

The dance floor was smack-dab in the middle of the space, the house music at a tolerable level. People were already busy having a great time, swaying and grinding to the beats thrumming through the large speaker system.

There was a very large bar straight ahead and an area set up for actual bands to play. There wasn’t anyone scheduled that night, though, which was a little disappointing. I loved to discover new music. Local talent was certainly in abundance around our area.

As we walked, we almost missed the second floor towering above us, a DJ booth hidden in the center of it. So that’s where the music is coming from.

First impressions were everything, and Throttle was a club I could definitely see us coming to over and over again.

“Let’s head back to the bar to grab some drinks before it becomes way too crowded for us to even order anything,” Alexa hollered over the increasing music.

“Don’t worry about it. My friend Colin said he’s working the bar. I just have to find him.” Matt grabbed both of our hands again and led us toward our drink hookup.

Finding him easily enough, we had our double orders in less than five minutes. I tried not to make eye contact with the people who had obviously been waiting before us. I could feel them giving us the evil eye.

We were lucky enough to find an open seating area, enough room for all three of us. “I can definitely see us coming here a lot,” Alexa voiced as she winked at some random guy passing by with his friends. She didn’t waste any time. I wasn’t as aggressive, which was totally okay with me. But I couldn’t fault her for her forwardness, either. She knew what she wanted and she went for it.

I was envious of that kind of confidence.

“Lex, can we be here for twenty minutes before you start stalking your prey?” Matt asked as he hit her shoulder with his, giving her a wink.

She laughed. “You know me better than that by now, sweetie.”

“I do.” He looked over at me and shrugged, knowing Alexa would continue to be Alexa, no matter what.

We’d been sitting for about an hour before we needed a refill. Since Matt bought us the first round, I announced I would go for the next one. I wasn’t sure whether or not Colin would remember me from a two-second introduction an hour before, but I would give it a shot.

I made my way through the ever-growing crowd, knocking into a few people on my way. How am I going to make it back without spilling everything all over myself, or someone else for that matter?

I was able to spot him right away, and thankfully he remembered I was Matt’s friend. “More of the same for all of you?” I couldn’t believe he remembered what we were all drinking, but I guess it was his job. It was still impressive nonetheless.

Trying my best to figure out how I was going to carry six drinks back to our area, I was startled when I felt warm breath on my skin.

Then I heard a voice.

“Do you need help with those?”

The hairs on the back of my neck instantly prickled.

That voice!

It couldn’t be.

Sure enough, when I turned around I hit against his towering form, spilling part of a drink all over his shoe.

 It was Mr. Sexy from earlier in the week. What the hell is he doing here? And how did he see me in this crowd? I was lucky if I could even see my own friends, and I knew where they were sitting.

Stepping back, I was able to get a better look at him. And oh, was he quite the sight. His black shirt fit him like a glove, a hint of an exquisite body underneath. He cuffed the material up to his elbows, exposing his sexy forearms. Dark-washed jeans hung seductively on his hips, teasing and tormenting the hell out of me.

He looked……opulent.

His hair was behaving in that unruly way, looking as if he was constantly running his hands through it. Sexy was what it was. I longed to run my fingers through it, twisting his soft strands around my hand as I pulled him into me.

Holy Christ. Get a hold of yourself, woman!

Being in close proximity to him was a dangerous game. His intoxicating male scent surrounded me, automatically making me even more aroused than I was a second ago.

His pheromones were sending mine into overdrive.

He was enchanting.

I have to get away from him.

“Did you need some help?” he asked again, patiently waiting for my answer. Roving his eyes slowly over my face, he lingered on my lips before dipping lower to gaze at my displayed breasts. This damn shirt. His look descended my body until he reached my feet, then ever so slowly raised them back up to meet my eyes. Eventually. I felt so vulnerable, as if I was standing naked in front of him. Parting his mouth, he slowly ran this tongue over his bottom lip, a lip I suddenly wanted to bite. Without realizing it, I mimicked his actions, running my tongue slowly over the sensitive skin.

Quickly regaining my wits, I finally answered him.

“No, thanks. I can manage just fine by myself.” I was trying to pretend like I didn’t remember him, trying not to appear affected by his mere presence. I didn’t think I was too convincing though.

“I insist.” Before I could protest, he grabbed four of the six drinks, turned and waited for me to follow him.  He was obviously not taking no for an answer.

“Fine,” was the only thing I could think to respond. He was making me uneasy again but in a purely sexual way. My breathing had changed, inhaling and expelling quick, shallow breaths. My nipples had become painfully erect, pushing against the thin fabric of my shirt. It was definitely not cold in the club, so I knew it was my reaction to him standing so close to me. A deep ache started to bloom between my thighs, making me hyperaware my body was betraying the distant persona I was trying to give off. Never before had any man affected me so deeply.

He led the way to where we were sitting, which was a surprise since I barely knew my own way back. But I followed him, and sure enough he stopped right in front of both of my friends. They glanced first at him then over to me with questioning eyes.

“Who’s your friend?” Alexa immediately asked. I could see her delight as she was taking him all in, top to bottom, stopping longer than necessary when her eyes hit his package. When she finally ripped her eyes away, her mouth agape and practically drooling, she connected her gaze with mine. I laughed. Her blatant perusal of Mr. Sexy was too funny, and I couldn’t help myself. Thankfully he was oblivious, or at least I thought he was.

“I don’t know, and he’s not staying.” I didn’t mean to come off as rude as I sounded, but I couldn’t stand the fact a stranger was making me feel that way, pitting my body against my brain. I grabbed the rest of the drinks from his hand and put them down on the table. When I finally happened to look over at Matt, I noticed he was glaring at our visitor. I instantly shifted my gaze and saw Mr. Sexy returning Matt’s glower.

Both men looked pissed, for reasons unknown to me. But I knew enough about testosterone to realize I should put some distance between them both. Although Matt was in excellent shape, this guy had a good couple inches on him, not to mention a few more pounds of muscle. Plus, I didn’t want to put Matt in the position to defend me, like he did sometimes. He had become somewhat protective over me when we were out together. Maybe it was because I was kind of on the shyer side when it came to dealing with people I didn’t really know. I stuck up for myself when necessary, but I didn’t like confrontation unless it was unavoidable.

I turned around toward the relative stranger and instinctively put my hand on his arm, pushing him away from our table. Shit! His arm is even more rock-solid than it looks. Yeah, I had to remove him before Matt said something. “You can go now. Thanks for your help,” I mumbled, still trying to rein in my overactive hormones. When I turned back around, I could still feel him standing behind me for a brief moment.

“I’ll see you real soon,” he said, his voice like velvet coating my ears.

Shivers instantly wracked my body.

Then he was gone.