CHAPTER FOURTEEN - LUKE
Leading Casey along in the dance felt like drifting through a dream that was too good to be true.
Honestly, I had my reservations in the hours leading up to the big moment when we first saw each other again after weeks of just messaging each other back and forth on a dating app like a couple of shy high schoolers. I was worried some of the magic would be gone.
But like I said, Casey was full of surprises.
The magic of that first night was gone, but it just made way for something new and organic. When we chatted, we felt like we already knew each other for years. He was passionate, sweet, and fascinating, even more so than he came across over text.
As I watched his grinning face spin around under my arm before I leaned to the side and hugged him close to me in a move that melted into a dip, I felt like I was in heaven. I could even almost forget the fact that this was my event.
Mick was the one who barred me from actually getting involved in a hands-on way during the concert. Normally, I’d be a helicopter organizer, making sure everything was in its right place and hovering over every single worker to check up on them. I knew I was a control freak in situations like this, but that was always how I maintained my level of perfectionism. It was just how I did things.
But Mick knew me and knew what I was planning. He and I made sure that this event was as self-sufficient as possible before it was showtime. We ran the stage hands through rehearsal after rehearsal, and I personally talked to the band about how things would go. I talked to all the engineers who set up the stage, and I even checked in with all the caterers ahead of time.
So, I shouldn’t have been surprised when the hour finally came and Mick told me to take the rest of the night off with a big smile I rarely saw from him.
At first, I was miffed, because I wanted to make sure my event went perfectly. But deep down, I knew I’d have to thank Mick for thinking ahead.
Before long, a small circle was forming around Casey and I so that we could dance to the beat with nothing and nobody getting in our way. Even in my tailored suit, I had no trouble moving around like a professional. I was good at dancing—that was one thing I wasn’t modest about.
Casey and I moved around each other like we were made of water and dancing fire. He let himself be led as if we’d been dancing together for years, and somehow, I just knew what to do. Our arms weaved around one another, and I felt his warmth against mine as our feet moved to the rhythm.
It was rock music—not even my jam, usually. I could appreciate it, but if you had asked me a month ago if I liked the idea of dancing to a local rock band with a guy I’d only met in person once, I would have laughed in your face.
But Casey was Casey, and that made things very different in all the right ways.
When the song finally ended, we slowed to a dramatic finish in our dance, beaming at each other. But when the audience started to applaud, I looked around and realized that the band wasn’t the only thing they were clapping for. The circle of onlookers who’d cleared a space for us to dance were looking at us, grinning with smiles on their faces as they cheered and whistled for us.
Casey went red as a tomato when he realized what was happening, and he looked at me with wide eyes as he laughed in disbelief. Smirking, I put my arm over his shoulder and led him back toward the bar, getting him out of the spotlight for his sake.
“Oh god, thank you,” he laughed once we were out of the way. “Okay, are you sure you’re not actually a professional dancer?”
“Maybe in another life,” I said. “How about another drink before the crowds hit the bar?”
“Sure!”
We made our way back toward our bartender, but before we could get there, I saw a couple of familiar faces making their way toward me.
Zane and Diego were arm in arm, and each of them was holding two drinks. I started to try to make way for them, but Zane veered toward me, giving me a meaningful look and smiling broadly.
“Looks like we’re about to meet a couple of the guys,” I whispered to Casey.
“Wait, what?” he whispered back, petrified, but I took him by the hand and gave him a gentle squeeze.
“It’s fine, they’re great—just follow my lead.”
Zane approached me first with Diego close behind him, and I was surprised when both of them handed us one of their drinks—another tequila rocks for me, and another of the same beer for Casey.
“Okay, first of all,” Zane started in a mockingly chiding tone, “when were you going to tell me that you can dance like that?”
I rolled my eyes, grinning. “As soon as I got a talented fireman to be my dance partner, obviously,” I said with a wink. Casey squeezed my hand back, beaming at me.
Zane laughed and motioned for us to follow them to a standing table, where Gage and Bart were leaning.
“Second of all,” Zane went on, “I am loving this concert, Luke, you really outdid yourself. And don’t try to tell me this was all Mick’s doing. He warned me ahead of time that you might be modest.”
“He did an incredible job,” Casey chimed in, and both me and Zane looked surprised at his sudden assertion. “I haven’t been to many concerts, but I love everything about what’s going on here!”
“And third,” Zane went on as we reached the table, nodding to Casey, “it’s very nice to finally meet you. I’m Zane, and this is my husband Diego. These are Bart and Gage. We’re three of the four owners of the Sentry casino.”
I watched Casey’s eyes go from politely interested to wide and surprised, and he glanced at me with a starstruck gaze before turning back to them and stammering.
“Then let me rescue my poor date,” I intervened coolly, wrapping an arm around his hips, “and introduce him—gentlemen, meet Casey. He’s a firefighter from just outside Vegas.”
“A firefighter?” Bart spoke up. “Hell yeah, about time we got some more muscle around here!”
Casey grinned bashfully, and I nodded to Bart, speaking to Casey. “Bart’s our head of security here. I think you two will get along.”
“Just don’t expect me to go knocking heads together,” Casey joked, and Bart chuckled.
“We’ll see about that, the night’s young,” he grunted.
“He’s kidding,” I said quickly to Casey, and the whole group laughed.
A sixth man pushed his way over to the table, and I felt my back stiffen the moment I recognized him. Bryce was making his way over to us with a drink in his own hand, a fake smile on his face.
“Hey hey, everyone,” he said, pushing past Casey to lean against the table. “Got enough drinks in you to drown out the music?”
“Actually,” Casey said, innocently jumping into the conversation, “I love these guys! Their newer work is a lot better than the first album, but—”
“Excuse me, who are you?” Bryce asked, raising an eyebrow at Casey and glancing between us as if we were intruders on the scene.
“Bryce, this is my date, Casey. Casey, Bryce,” I said, firing back as much of a cold, fake smile as Bryce dished out to me.
“Oh, I didn’t realize we were allowing plus-ones for this,” Bryce said in the kind of half-laughing tone that presented itself as a joke but was meant as a minor insult.
“I sent out the memo,” I chimed, unfazed by him. “But I know it can be hard to find a date with schedules like yours.”
His smile flickered. The other guys were glancing at each other with raised eyebrows, and I decided it was best to change the subject.
“Anyway, where’s Mick?”
“Running things behind the scenes, as usual,” Zane said with a grateful smile. “And no, I’m not telling you where.”
“Best to leave the technical parts to the technical people, right?” Bryce interjected with a smirk, and I shot a glare at him, getting annoyed.
“Mick and I have been working rather closely on this one,” I shot back, proud. “I thought he might have filled you in on our arrangement, but I can imagine he saw it as a need-to-know basis.”
Instead of waiting to see the look on Bryce’s face, I finished the rest of my tequila and beamed at Zane and Diego as Bryce turned to start making small talk with Bart and Gage.
“I think I’m gonna take this guy for another round before the next song starts,” I said, and Zane gave me a bright smile and a nod.
“Don’t get crushed. The crowds are getting hyped,” Zane said before turning to Casey. “And hey, nice to meet you. Thanks for your service.”
“We do our best,” Casey said modestly before I led him away, giving Zane and Diego one last wave before we started making our way through the crowds.
“Holy shit, what was that about?” Casey asked me once we were out of earshot. “Did you steal that guy’s lunch money in grade school or something?”
“Bryce? He’s just a dick,” I replied, chuckling at the mental image. “He’s jealous of how well I’ve been climbing the corporate ladder, if you can even call it that here. We don’t have much of an office culture at the Sentry, but Bryce is doing everything he can to pretend like it’s there. I think he’s just upset he didn’t have the idea for this concert.”
“Yikes,” Casey said.
“Yikes is right,” I agreed, and as we neared the bar, I steered Casey away, moving him toward the edge of the room. The edges all had high fencing surrounding them for safety purposes, and when I led Casey to a spot near a large planter that held some of the hedging that gave the borders a more organic feel, we had semi-privacy.
“Uh, taking a detour?” Casey asked as I cornered him against the planter and sat him down with me.
“Just for a little bit,” I said and set my empty glass down beside me and turned to Casey, smiling. “I just wanted to take a second to get you away from everything and say thanks for coming out here.”
Casey blinked a few times then blushed when he realized what I was saying. “Oh, come on, it’s not—”
“I consider it a big deal, coming from you,” I said with a confident smile. “I know what it’s like being out of your element, and you didn’t have to say yes to tonight. That means something to me.”
Without waiting for a reply, I leaned in and kissed Casey, wrapping my hand around the back of his head and feeling him sigh softly into my lips. It was a wonderful feeling that filled my chest and made me feel whole, and Casey was melting into it with just as much enthusiasm.
Soon, we were lost in each other, kissing as if we were the only people in the world while the next song started up. The sounds of the guitar ripped through the air, and I remembered something and broke away from the kiss.
“What’s the matter?” Casey asked, looking adorably flustered and confused at once with a sloppy grin.
“Ok, so there are going to be some pyrotechnics in this song,” I said. “Do you want to get closer and see it better?”
“Because I totally don’t get to see fire all the time,” he teased, rolling his eyes.
“Oh, fine,” I said. “Shall we go actually get another round of drinks, then?”
“I’ll get them,” Casey offered brightly.
I raised an eyebrow. “What, trying to ditch me already?” I retorted.
“On the contrary, I want you to hold this spot,” he said with a wink. “So we can get back to where we were a second ago.”
I found myself grinning as he turned and headed for the bar. God, I was a mess, but this was fun. Real, uninhibited fun.
I turned to watch the show while I waited for Casey, and I was happy to see that the crowd was loving the show. The band was into it; spirits were up; alcohol was flowing; and the sky was gorgeous tonight.
Then a spark flared up from inside the machines used to spew fire up into the air. The next second, I watched plumes of fire blow out from all of them in front of the stage.
My face went pale.
The columns of fire that gushed out were much, much larger than what we talked about in our meeting, and I heard a few scattered screams from the crowd in surprise.
It was when I saw the look on the singer’s face that I realized something was very, very wrong.
The next moment, one of the fire machines exploded with a loud pop, and the fires shot up again. This time, I watched one of the speakers catch fire up above, and I was on my feet.
“No, no, no, this can’t be happening!” I murmured as I rushed forward toward the stage.
The next second, I was swimming upstream in a tide of people who started scattering. This wasn’t a dream. It was real.
A fire had started in the casino.