Alina
God, it’s been so long since the last time I had fun at a club. It was back in high school, and my roommate’s friends dared me to sneak out of the school’s property and go to a local club. It was a dull place, but I was high on adrenaline and excitement, so I danced the night away-until our teachers caught us when we tried to sneak back in.
Still, it was worth it, and I’m sure this time will be just as unforgettable!
I clutch Gio’s hand-how quickly I got used to doing it, huh-and keep myself close to him as we walk past the security guards. They seem to know Gio by sight; they don’t even ask his name, and silently let us in while at least a dozen people remain outside behind us.
As soon as we step in, the loud music makes my ears pop and the contrast of darkness and bright lights blinds me for a moment. I grimace despite myself, trying to catch up with my senses, and I can feel Gio squeeze my hand.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” He has to lean close to my ear to say it, and I can feel his exhale on my skin. It’s so gentle it almost gets lost in the thousands of stimulations surrounding me. Almost.
“Yes!” I turn around to look at Gio with a bright smile, feeling the beats of the club music with my whole body. “I wanna have fun. Let’s go!”
And with sudden determination, I drag him to the bar, not knowing what or if I want to drink. I’m not good with alcohol, but one drink won’t make me feel bad. In fact, it’ll only help me forget about Mom’s betrayal and my own despair in the face of it. How can she do this to me? How am I supposed to stay in her house after what I heard? I shake my head. No, stop thinking about it. Today is only about me and Gio.
“Do you want to drink something?” As if on cue, his voice pulls me out of my thoughts, and I look up at him. God, how can a man be so handsome?
“Sure.” I break into a smile, and something inside of me melts when Gio puts his hand on my back to keep me from being shoved by someone making their way to the bar. I don’t care about it, but the glare he gives the person behind me is so damn hot.
God, Alina, pull yourself together! But I can’t, not when he’s so close to me. My whole body reacts to his closeness with warmth and
anticipation, and I know that if he wanted to take me now, I would offer him no resistance. I want his lips on mine, I want his hands on my body, I want to feel him deep-
“Yeah, double scotch on the rocks, and for her…Alina, do you know what you want?”
I blink out of my thoughts and focus on the barman. What do I want? Oh, that’s a provocative question right now-but I force myself to forget about my arousal for one goddamn second and think about what
actually matters. “Uh, maybe a martini?”
“Are you sure?” Gio quirks his eyebrow with a slight smirk. “It’s not very sweet.”
“Oh.” I purse my lips, looking away with a frown of embarrassment.
I mean, I’ve told him I’m not a good drinker, right? I don’t know all the cocktails in the world.
“And a daiquiri for the lady.” Finally, Gio helps me out and takes over, turning to the barman. I can still hear a smile in his voice, and for
some reason it makes me smile too.
Less than a minute later, the barman places our order before us, and I look at my glass for a moment with a smile in the corner of my lips. “It looks fancy.”
Gio huffs and gives me a quick look from the corner of his eye. “I wouldn’t order anything else for my girl.”
Oh. I swallow and look away, feeling everything inside of me swirl and tighten in response to his words. His girl, huh? I pick up the glass and raise it to my mouth to take a taste, if only to hide the happy grin spreading on my lips. God, why do I feel so good all of a sudden?
“What do you think?” Gio asks as soon as I take the first sip, and I hum and lick my lips to taste it better, catching his gaze on me.
“I like it,” I tell him my verdict with a smile that just refuses to leave my lips in his presence. “Thanks, Gio.”
He says nothing and only chuckles and looks around, taking a sip of his whiskey. His profile is so clear to me even in the blurry darkness of the club-the deep eyes, the sharp cheekbones, the unique curve of his nose.
Everything about him is so…masculine that I feel it pulling at the primal urges of my being. Lean closer, let him hold you, let him take you until there’s nothing else in this world for you.
God. Am I being weird again? I shake my head and take a big sip of my drink. I have to stop thinking about this. What if he’s not even interested in me? What if he doesn’t want me? I swallow the bitter taste of this thought and look around. I have to shake off these feelings, I have to free myself, I have to…
“I have to dance!” I say out loud, and when Gio looks at me in surprise, I give him a big smile and nod at the dance floor. “Let’s go!”
But no matter how hard I try to talk him into joining me, Gio remains relentless, so in the end I give up and go to the dance floor myself. It’s a little awkward and nerve-racking at first, but I bite back my own self- consciousness and follow the rhythm of the music. Even if I’m on my own in the middle of a crowd, I can still find a way to enjoy myself to the fullest.
Besides, I can feel Gio’s gaze on me. I don’t know how-I can barely catch his figure from the corner of my eye, so I have no way of knowing where he’s looking at any given moment. But somehow, I can feel that he’s watching me, and it sets a wave of fire under my skin. I want him to watch me.
I want him to want me.
Intentionally or not, I start moving slower, accenting the curves and movements of my hips. I may not always be happy about my body shape, but I know my own attractive points, and today I’m not afraid to use them. Gio’s interest wakes up something in me, and I feel daring, I feel confident, I feel like I’m ready to-
“Hey, baby.”
Suddenly, a male voice pulls me out of my thoughts, and I light up for a moment-before I realize that it’s not Gio. The guy behind me is tall, but his arms are white and thin, and his voice is low but scratchy. His greedy hands already find their way around my waist, so I have to step away in a dancing motion, turning around to face him.
“Do you want some company?” He looks me in the eyes with a suggestive smirk, and if I were here on my own I might’ve been flattered by his attention. As it is, though, I don’t want anyone but Gio next to me, so I give him an awkward smile and shake my head.
“No thanks.”
“Are you sure?” The guy tilts his head, moving after me. “A girl like you shouldn’t be on her own tonight, and I-”
“She said no,” someone says suddenly from right behind me, and I startle before turning around. Gio!
He doesn’t look at me, though. His glare is on my unsuccessful suitor, and even I feel intimidated by the aura around him. But before I come back to my senses, Gio puts his hand on my waist, pulling me closer to him, and I readily yield to him until my back is flush against his chest. Ah, is it only me, or has it gotten hot all of a sudden?
“Why do you care?” The stranger frowns, clearly unwilling to stand down too easily, and straightens his shoulders. “Are you looking for trouble, man?”
“Are you?” Gio says in a calm and low voice, and I don’t have to look at him to know that he looks scary and hot as hell.
The guy looks between me and Gio, mumbles something under his breath-perhaps something threatening-and disappears into the dancing crowd. It’s only then I realize that Gio is standing completely still despite
the people moving all around us, and now I’m pressed against him, only the layers of our clothes separating us.
I shake my head and force myself to step away from him, turning around with a hesitant smile. “Thanks for saving me…again.”
“You have a talent for getting in trouble.” Gio chuckles, looking unbothered by the whole situation, and for some goddamn reason, I find it attractive. At this point, I feel like I’m obsessed with every little thing about him.
I shrug, feeling all warm and tight under his gaze, and look around. “I guess he was right, it’s not good for me to be here on my own.”
I theatrically sigh and look up at Gio with pleading eyes. Where does all of it come from? I don’t know-but I know that I need him to stay
with me. And whatever it is that he sees in my eyes, it makes Gio huff, shake his head, and give in to my plea with a disbelieving smirk.
“God, I can’t believe-” “Yes! Thank you, Gio.”
And in the wave of excitement-or maybe just using the moment-I bounce forward and rise on my tiptoes to press a kiss to the corner of his lips. It takes me a moment to realize what I’m doing, but before rushing to pull back, I linger for a bit. Just to let him know that I don’t mind it. That I want something more.
Gio doesn’t do anything, but when I pull back, I catch his gaze-and the darkness of it tells me he has read my hint.
But I pretend to be unaware of it, and instead I start dancing to the music, holding Gio’s gaze with a smile and moving closer. As if on cue, his hands rise to hold my waist, his hips match my rhythm, and maybe he’s not the best dancer, but I don’t care. Right now, all that matters is his touch, his closeness, and his warmth under my hands.