30

AIDEN

 

 

Austin, Jude, and I head in the direction of table six, the other table I booked for tonight. Table ten is empty, but there are three full drink glasses there. The club attendant is nearby watching glasses, watching peoples’ belongings in the roped-off VIP section.

My eyes skim the dance floor, down in a bowl below the VIP level, which is surrounded by chest-height brass bars that top glass walls. These circle the pit, giving you the ability to watch the dancefloor. I lean against the brass rail and look down.

I see her instantly, shaking that perfect ass, giggling, arms thrown over her head as she talks to that Meryl girl, who looks a little sexed up for the night.  Big switch from her usual librarian clothes at the office.

Carly is in a shimmery dress and sky-high shoes. She’s showing enough skin to make my mouth water. Who am I kidding? She made me drool in that fuckin’ onesie.

The girl can move, too.

Meryl is dancing a bit awkwardly, she’s definitely not accustomed to clubbing. Ally spots me and smirks and then elbows Carly and gestures to me.

The color drains from Carly’s face and she freezes.

And then she stomps off the dance floor.

I signal for a drink and wait, seeing she’s not heading for the door. She’s heading back up here.

She’s coming at me a minute later.

“What are you doing here?” she demands.

“Havin’ a drink. I gesture to the table where Jude and Austin sit, looking deep in conversation.

She glances at them and her eyes narrow on me. Suddenly, the girls are behind her. Meryl looks uncomfortable and Ally’s trying to fake surprise.

“How fortuitous! Get your brother and that hottie beside him and join us for a drink.”

Carly’s head spins to Ally behind her and she shoots her a filthy disgusted look.

Ally shrugs and then heads to their table.

I signal to the boys and we move to the girls’ table and introduce Jude to everyone after I hear the tail end of “think you’re doing?” coming from Carly, who is practically hissing at Ally. I wink at Ally and sit down across from her. This puts Meryl across from Austin, Ally across from Jude. Ally and Jude get caught in an eye lock and my eyes move to Carly, who is doing her best to strike me dead on the spot with a dirty look.

A waitress brings over a tray of drinks.

“We didn’t order,” Meryl says.

“I told her to keep ‘em comin’ for all of us.”

“Mine half a shot of the liqueur?” Meryl asks the girl. The girl shrugs.

Meryl tastes it and shrugs.

Carly is shaking her head.

I smile at her. She doesn’t return it.

“So, Jude. Tell me about you,” Ally leans forward, propping her chin on her palm, elbow dug into the table.

Jude’s eyes drop to her cleavage.

“I’m goin’ to dance,” Carly announces. “Either of you coming?”

“I need a minute,” Ally says, eyes on Jude. Jude gives her a smirk.

“I’ll come,” Meryl says.

“I’ll come, too.” Austin announces.

“I’ll watch,” I say, winking at Carly.

She glares and slides out of the booth. I’m there, waiting to take her hand as she does. She rejects it and storms ahead.

***

She’s doing her best to ignore me. She’s not out there, acting like she’s shakin’ it for me. She looks like she’s trying to get lost in the music, find some sort of escape.

Meryl is looking at my brother like he’s a celebrity as he tries to chat her up while dancing with her. Carly’s beside them but she’s in her own world. She moves with a sultry rhythm that has a lot of eyes on her in that dress, those wet-looking plump lips, that great rack, perfect ass, and mile long legs in those sexy stilettos.

The song Into You comes on and I am transfixed by her.  And the lyrics of the intro to the song about wanting to fall in deep.

I watch her move, twirl, smile to herself as she swings her hips, using her palms to move from her thighs, up to her hips, up her torso, and then her hands skim the sides of her breasts as she continues to sway. Her hands land in her own hair and she’s gyrating as the song’s tempo picks up.

And then I see a set of hands on her hips. A set of male hands. A guy has moved in behind her and her eyes are closed, she’s so lost in the music. She keeps moving and it takes her a second to register the stranger’s hands on her. It’s a tall and muscled well-dressed black guy with a goatee.  He says something into her ear.

She spins to face him, and he smiles at her and says something else, looking like he’s shouting.  She smiles big at him and nods, putting her arms around his neck and they keep moving together.

Does she know him? How could she?

Is she gonna let him take her home just to piss me off, like she threatened earlier?

Fuck this.

I’m on the move. I’m in the thick of the group of people moving, bumping into me, but I have a single-minded focus of getting those hands off what’s mine.

I get there, and I grab the guy’s shirt and haul him away from her.

I see from the corner of my eye, Austin’s face as he moves in closer, probably thinking there’s about to be a brawl on the dancefloor with this guy I just threw to the side. Austin is ready to take my back. I grab Carly by the wrist.

She snaps something I can’t hear over the music, red-faced, and I’m pretty sure I make out the word fuck via lip-reading. She tries to jerk away, so I bend and haul her over my shoulder and the crowd parts as I storm out of there, carrying her.

My brother’s eyes are dancing with amusement, his shoulders bouncing as he’s trying to not bust up laughing.

I get us outside through the back door and now I can hear her.

“…kill you dead, Aiden Carmichael!” She’s kicking up a fuss, literally, with her legs jerking and her body bucking.

I stop and set her on her feet and then I immediately pin her to the wall.

“Kill me? You are killin’ me, peaches. If you don’t come home with me right now and let me fuck you and spank this beautiful ass while I do, I might die from the worst case of blue balls known to man.”

“How dare you manhandle me like that!”

“How dare you try to piss me off by letting some fuck put his hands on you when you know I’m watching?”

“You don’t own me, Aiden.”

I glare at her. I’m still pinning her to the wall.

“Let go of me.”

“Carly, fuck.”

“I don’t want you, Aiden. I don’t even like you. You’re a dick, okay? I don’t associate with dicks. Please stop this bullshit. Are you stalking me now? Have you sunk to that? Do you want me to quit my job and go home? Because, seriously, if it comes to that, not only will I do it, but I’ll hate your guts until my dying day. Please, please leave me alone!”

She looks on the verge of tears, so I let go of her. She stomps down the alley and out to the street.

I bend, putting my hands on my legs, trying to catch my breath, trying to chill the fuck out. It takes everything I have to stop me from following her.

What the fuck is wrong with me?