“Ollie volunteered to be our chauffeur for the night,” Mom told me, grinning ear to ear. When I only stared at her, she rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t be like that, Jaz. The man needs to get out of the house more.”
“He is out of the house, like all day every day—”
“I mean for more than his job,” Mom cut in with a shake of her head. “He needs to learn to have a life again, and I’m not saying that going to your choir concert will make him realize how much of life he’s missing, but it’s a start.”
Great. The only thing not super weird about this, the only saving grace of this night was the fact that there were no games tonight. No basketball or anything, no other extracurriculars that would be at the school. The only people who would see me come with my mom and Ollie in tow were the other choir students.
Granted, I couldn’t trust anyone, but if there was a group of kids who I could perhaps trust a tad more than the general population of Brittany and Archer wannabes, it was them.
A honking sound came from the front, and that was our cue to leave. Mom gathered her purse and we headed out.
I slid into the backseat of Ollie’s fancy car, while my mom got in the front passenger seat. I leaned my arm on the door, staring up at the moon in the sky. It wasn’t too late in the day, but the afternoon had come and gone. It was now early nighttime, and the sparkling dots in the sky were enough of a reminder for that.
My eyes closed, and I tried not to listen to my mom’s and Ollie’s conversation as he drove us to Midpark High. They seemed to be getting close lately, which was fine I guess, since my mom worked for the man and we lived in his house, but it all just felt so…weird to me.
Ugh. If there was a night not to be stressed out about anything, it was tonight. Tonight was about me remembering my words and my part in the songs. No stage fright, no nerves. I would do this and hopefully it wouldn’t be as bad as I anticipated it would be.
That was probably a longshot dream of mine.
The Midpark High parking lot was full of maybe a few dozen cars. Nothing at all like how it was packed during the day with students’ and teachers’ vehicles. Just enough cars for the parents and choir kids to get here and do this damned thing.
Yeah, I wasn’t looking forward to it.
Ollie dropped me off at the door before going to park, since we were supposed to arrive fifteen minutes early to warm up before the auditorium was opened to parents and anyone else who wanted to sit and watch. I had no idea who would think that watching a high school choir concert on their Friday night would be a fun thing, but I guess you never knew. I gave my mom my hoodie before hopping out.
I pushed inside the building, turning to head toward the hall where the auditorium was. I actually spotted Bobbi just outside the set of double doors, talking on the phone. Her brown hair was down, the curls causing its length to end just halfway down her back. She wore a pair of tight dress pants, along with a black tank and a dark suit top. The look actually fit on her.
When her hazel eyes found me, she said, “I got to go. Ms. Haber’s calling us in to rehearse.” A small lie, because I didn’t see Ms. Haber anywhere, but I could imagine the teacher was already in the auditorium, running around for last-minute things. “My dad couldn’t make it tonight,” she added when I reached her side.
“Then my mom can be here for the both of us,” I said, shrugging. Kind of shitty that her dad couldn’t come, but I supposed sometimes adults did have other responsibilities. Maybe he had work or something. “Why couldn’t he come?” It wasn’t like the concert date had come out of nowhere; these things had been scheduled at the beginning of the school year.
“There was some kind of emergency at the park, I guess. Not sure what happened. He doesn’t like talking about his cases.” She put her phone into her jacket’s pocket.
Together, we walked into the auditorium. “Cases?”
She said, “Yeah, he’s a detective for the Midpark Police Department.”
I nearly tripped. Her dad was a detective? Did he know Jacob? And when she’d said an emergency in the park, she really meant an emergency…
The auditorium was a big space, reserved for the school’s assemblies or any other special events. Rows and rows of cushioned seating, though the only lights that were on were hot and bright on the stage, where risers were stationed. That way, even the shorter kids in the back would be able to be seen by their parents in the audience.
Bobbi and I took our places, and within two minutes, Ms. Haber stood before us, running through our vocal warm-ups. It was kind of hard to see out into the audience, but I could tell some parents snuck in even though they weren’t supposed to come in yet.
Once our warm-ups were done, Ms. Haber opened the side doors to the auditorium and let the flood of parents in. We were supposed to stand still, not fidget, with our hands at our sides. It was all very annoying; like we were robots who were simply here to sing. So not my thing, but I supposed I could get through a few more months of this.
Just a few more months of all of this, really, and I would leave this town in the rearview mirror, hopefully, graduate and never see any of these people again.
That was what I thought, but as I stood there, spotting my mom and Ollie amongst the crowd, I wondered if it was true. If I really would leave. In the hectic-ness of the move, college applications had kind of been forgotten about. Plus, would I really want to leave the guys? Jacob, Vaughn…hell, even Dante.
And Archer—no, I would not let my weak-willed mind when it came to that one sway me either way.
With the parents inside and sitting down, it was time for Ms. Haber to grab a mic and introduce herself, as if most of the parents here didn’t already know who she was. My mom didn’t, I supposed, along with Ollie, but odds were every other adult in the audience had come to the other concerts earlier in the school year.
Needless to say, when she made some of her corny jokes, it was impossible not to roll my eyes.
Thankfully her introduction didn’t last too long. Before I knew it, she was setting the microphone down and positioning herself at the base of the stage, where she’d conduct like she was some kind of performer and we were her band.
We didn’t have many songs to get through. Just four, but there were other choir groups in the school, so once we were done, they’d take the stage—and unfortunately for us, we could not leave before the rest was done. Rude, and all.
My class was on the last song we had—I was fumbling through the songs like no other, and I hoped my voice didn’t stick out too badly, since I did sound like a dying cat—when I noticed the side doors to the auditorium open quietly.
Through the blindingly bright spotlights, I could see someone walk in and sit in the far back—the rows that were free of parents, the rows reserved for the choir students to sit and watch the rest of the performance once their part was done. Right now, the other classes sat near where the late person had chosen to be. I thought I caught a quick glimpse of leather, but I could be wrong.
After all, no one around here wore leather beside Dante, and there was no way Dante would ever show up to a freaking choir concert.
No way.
Our last song finished a few minutes later, and since it was our class’s final song, Ms. Haber stepped to the side, made a ridiculously dramatic bow, and gestured to us, causing the audience to clap, as if we’d done something spectacular and not just sang the words to a song we’d been learning for weeks.
Row by row, we exited the stage off the side, and the entire class pretty much erupted into chitchat the moment we were in the hall. The next choir group had already lined up, ready to enter the moment the final kid from my class exited.
Bobbi was beside me in an instant, nudging me as we headed to the other auditorium doors to take our seats in the back audience. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“I guess not,” I admitted, though I did it begrudgingly. Still would be better at this shit if I had a good voice, but I supposed, maybe, when y
ou blended everyone’s voices together, it all sounded decent enough.
“After this one, the last one should be easy,” she told me. “You’ll have more time to learn the songs.”
Hah. Yeah, only one more concert this year to go. That was not something I wanted to think about, not yet. Not until I was home, in bed, with this entire thing behind me.
Bobbi and I followed the rest of the class into the auditorium, taking the seats recently vacated by the other students in the back. Once we were seated, once the next class was on the risers and ready, Ms. Haber introduced them—along with some more corny jokes that, I was aghast, some of the audience actually laughed at.
Bobbi was whispering something to me, something about the choir class that was currently on stage—an all-girls group—but I was too busy tossing a look over my shoulder, trying to see if I could recognize the person sitting above us, in the top corner of the entire auditorium.
Though he sat in darkness, not a light nearby, I was able to discern his square jaw, not to mention the tattoo lining the sides of his skull.
Goddamn it. What the hell was Dante doing here?
When the choir group on stage began to sing, I whispered to Bobbi, “I’ll be right back.”
She nodded, moving her legs to let me pass her, probably thinking I had to go to the restroom or something. The other kids in the row didn’t even look at me as I inched before them. Once I got to the aisleway, I headed up, to the empty back rows, to the lone guy sitting by himself in the very corner.
He didn’t look at me when I walked up to him, didn’t even spare a glance as I plopped myself down in the seat beside him. He did, however, grin to himself, as if it was a struggle not to look at me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. My voice came out sounding like a whisper, even though it wasn’t. That had more to do with the group on stage and the loud-ass song they were singing than anything else.
My mom and Ollie sat a good ways down, in the front half of the auditorium. Bobbi was about ten rows up, near the rest of the choir class, the third and final class in between us. Dante and I weren’t technically alone, but not a single pair of eyes were on us.
Finally, Dante turned his head toward me, laying that cute, somewhat psychotic smirk on me. “I came to see you, babe.”
“Don’t call me babe,” I told him, glaring. He and Vaughn had officially become my dates for the dance next week, but that didn’t give him the right to call me babe. I was not a babe. I was anything but. “I never thought choir concerts were your thing.”
Dante leaned back in his seat, his knees spread apart and his back hunched. “I was thinking about you,” he said. “Couldn’t stop myself from coming. I had to see if I could get you to myself, at least for a little bit.”
I was not impressed. “We are as alone as we’re going to get.” Yes, surrounded by an auditorium full of people was as alone as I wanted to be with him…mostly because I was nervous as to what would happen if I was actually alone with him.
Lately I’d been finding myself really liking the crazy glint in his icy blue eyes.
His stare raked over me, his head leaning back on the cushioned seat. “You look good in all black, Jaz.”
“Why are you here, really?” I chose to ignore his statement, not wanting to linger on it. If I did, my mind might go someplace it shouldn’t.
He shrugged as best as he could while reclining back. “I’m lonely in that motel room all by myself.” He flashed me his teeth in the darkness, grinning wickedly. “Why don’t you come back with me tonight? We can get to know each other a whole lot better.”
I stared at him, hoping I looked unimpressed and uninterested…even though I did feel my cheeks flush with heat. The thought was a tempting one, and if I could go, no strings attached, I probably would.
Alas, my mom was here and she would literally kill me—it was for the best.
Dante scooted himself up before leaning over the armrest between our seats. He was suddenly so very close to me as he whispered, “Come on. I know you want to. I can see the look in your eyes. You were more than willing to get frisky with me that first day. Why not now?”
“Because,” I hissed, “things are different now.” And I wasn’t kidnapped, trying to outsmart him and getaway.
Hah. Look at how far it got me. Still near him, still somehow with him.
“You are no fun,” he spoke, reaching a hand toward me. His fingertips grazed my cheek, gently tucking some hair behind an ear, and all the while his blue eyes sparkled in the darkness. I held his stare, not wanting to break it. Not wanting to show him just how much that small touch affected me.
How did it affect me, you ask?
Oh, it made my skin feel like it was on fire. That small touch made me grip the armrests harder, so I wouldn’t go touching him instead. The teasing touch made my heart speed up in spite of myself, my breath catching in the back of my throat.
“Be bad with me,” Dante begged, that same hand moving from my ear, tracing along my jaw. “Just for tonight.”
Just for tonight…
No, no, I couldn’t. He was ridiculously tempting, but I couldn’t. If I got up and left with him, Bobbi would see. Everyone else would see.
“I can’t.”
Dante didn’t seem like he was going to take no for an answer, the hand along my jaw dropping to trace my collarbone. “Come on,” he said, “I know you want to.” That finger tracing my collarbone made it so hard to breathe.
Once more, I whispered, “I can’t. I can’t go anywhere with you—” The dance would be different. I hadn’t told Mom about my two dates yet, and I wasn’t even sure how I would.
“Then let’s stay here,” he suggested, the hand on my collarbone suddenly dropping down, grazing my left breast as he started toying with the bottom hemline of my shirt.
I wanted to laugh. Stay here, and do what, exactly? It wasn’t like we could fuck in the back of the auditorium without anyone seeing or realizing what was happening. But the laugh in my throat died the moment I felt Dante’s hand curl against my body, moving downward over my leggings. When I felt him apply pressure there, I both wanted to smack him, get up, and walk away…and open my legs a bit and let him at me.
“Fuck,” Dante muttered, running his fingers along me, “are you wearing anything under these?”
Though it was probably a bad idea, I said, “Why don’t you check for yourself?” Okay, I had no idea where that came from.
Lies. That came from the warm feeling blossoming in my gut, the tightening in my core and the low aching feeling coming from my clit.
The smirk only grew on Dante’s face as he quietly moved his hand, slipping it between my leggings and my searing hot skin, finding that I was indeed wearing no panties beneath it. Leggings looked better that way.
My lungs inhaled a sharp breath when his fingers ran along my slit, pinching my nub between them. I met his stare, finding that he was both smug and satisfied at what he’d gotten himself into. I knew I should push him away, deny him what he wanted most—and right now, that was me—and yet, as I stared at his chiseled face, I couldn’t muster up the willpower to do anything but sit there and let him touch me under the shadows in the auditorium, surrounded by people, my ears assailed with constant singing.
I could pay attention to nothing but Dante and the way his fingers felt as they rubbed against me. When a finger dipped lower, he found a slickness at my entrance. A low hum came from his chest, a sound of approval, and he brought some of that wetness up to my clit, rubbing that swollen nub between two of his fingers.
This was wrong, and yet it felt so good. If that was the case, was it really wrong, or was I just trying to write Dante off, trying to push him away? He was clearly dangerous, definitely out of his mind, but the madness drew me in just like his handsome face did.
My hips started to move, just a little, just enough to push myself against that hand a bit harder. Dante watched me as his fingers dipped lower once again—only this time th
ey did not stop at the rim of my entrance. This time one of them pushed in, and I had to stifle a gasp as I felt his finger fill me up.
It was nowhere near what a cock felt like, but it still sent my body into a wave of heated bliss.
He worked his finger in and out of me, his palm applying pressure to my aching clit. With a single hand, this tattooed man was undoing me, wholly and completely, making me lose my mind with a small crowd nearby.
I didn’t know if I should be awed or fearful of his power over me.
“Fuck,” Dante muttered. “I really wish it was my dick inside of you right now.”
I panted; I wanted that, too.
My head fell back on the seat, and I closed my eyes, losing myself to the growing pressure building inside of me from his handiwork. My whole body felt like it was on fire, his finger pumping in and out of me, dragging me to the edge, pushing me to the precipice of an orgasm ridiculously fast.
He was either really good, or I was just really horny. Maybe a bit of both.
Either way, it came in a rush, causing me to bite my lip to stop myself from crying out. Pleasure surged through me as I lost my mind to the orgasm, my inner walls clamping down on his finger as if it was his dick, as if I could milk him for more.
Holy hell. Dante definitely had a way with me, apparently.
Dante was slow to withdraw his hand from me, and I watched him bring it before his face. It took me a moment to realize what he was doing: smelling me. Smelling my wetness on his fingers, and he must’ve liked the scent, for he was grinning like a madman.
He leaned toward me, his lips hot on my cheek as he whispered, “I can’t wait until my tongue unravels you like that.”
A warm chill swept over me. Oh, fuck, yeah, I couldn’t wait for that, either.
“Now,” Dante added, and I watched him rub a hand over the bulge in his jeans, “unless you want to help me out with this, you should get back to your friend.”
Oh, I could help him out, but I knew if I did, if I touched that cock right now, I’d only get other ideas. Ideas which would only lead to bad things. Straddling Dante here and fucking him like an animal would draw some attention.
Defiant: A High School Bully Romance (Midpark High Book 2) Page 25
