Freeing Asia

by Abel, E. M.

  “That would be nice although I’m not sure when I’ll have the time with all the changes coming up,” Jay said as he returned John’s handshake.

  The waitress came back with our drinks, and after she handed me the gin and tonic I had ordered, I took a big gulp, feeling the cool liquid running warm as it ran down my throat. Man, I needed that! Just as I was wiping the corner of my mouth with my thumb, Jay extended his hand out to me again.

  “Asia, it was nice meeting you. Perhaps we will see each other again.”

  When I put my hand in his, I caught him staring at my mouth before he slowly studied my entire face.

  “Perhaps,” I said, snapping him out of his daze as we made eye contact.

  Glancing down at his drink, his mouth curved into that gorgeous smile again. I wanted to jump across the table and feel the softness of those incredible lips.

  I wasn’t sure if it was from the alcohol, the outfit, or the new wax job, but I winked at him as I pulled my hand away from his. When he winked back, my body reacted instantly. I hadn’t felt that excited in years. I had to take a deep breath, so I didn’t blow my cover. Playing the stylish, confident, sophisticated role wasn’t easy, and I had to stay in character.

  After Jay turned to leave, I slumped back into my seat, finally feeling like I could relax.

  Hailey looked at me with a massive smile on her face. “Asia’s gotta crush,” she teased in a singsong voice.

  It was like being in high school all over again. I stuck my tongue out at her and then took a sip of my drink, realizing I would need another one soon.

  As I started on my third drink, I loosened up a little. Hailey and I were laughing at John as he joked about his first time smoking a joint with us in our apartment. He was actually a lot more down to earth than I’d thought when we had first met.

  John was a successful lawyer. Since I had grown up around men who wouldn’t wear suits unless they were going to a wedding, court, or a funeral, I was a little apprehensive, assuming we would have absolutely nothing in common.

  He was definitely clean-cut and handsome with light blue eyes and dark brown hair, and he really loved Hailey. After spending a lot of time with them, I learned John hadn’t been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, like a lot of the spoiled brats I had gone to school with. He’d worked hard to get to where he was, and it made me respect him that much more.

  I couldn’t help but feel all warm and gushy inside whenever I’d see Hailey and John together. They were perfect for each other, and they also helped me to believe that maybe one day, I might have that, too.

  Nick left the table to mingle, and after he was gone for a while, I decided to go find him. As I made my way down the stairs, I realized the club was about ten times more full than when we’d arrived.

  I stopped a waitress to ask where the restrooms were, and then I made my way through the crowd, walking slowly in my incredibly high heels. It was going to take me a while to get there, and if this club was like all the others, I was pretty sure I’d have to wait in a long line.

  Cutting across the dance floor, I was surrounded by sweaty bodies. As a Kanye West song was blasting on the speakers, men and women were grinding, jumping, and swinging their heads around. Strobe lights were flashing to the beat, making me feel like I was in a music video.

  When I finally spotted the restrooms in the distance, I sighed as I saw that I was right about the line. At least ten girls were waiting to get in. Great. I don’t even have my phone to play with while I wait. I’d left my new silver purse upstairs with Hailey and John.

  As I stood there, I couldn’t remember why I had come all the way downstairs to use the restroom since there had to be another restroom in the VIP area. Then, I recalled that I was supposed to be looking for Nick.

  I started scanning the area, trying to use my new heels as an advantage to see over all the bouncing heads, when I felt a man’s hand on my hip. I quickly glanced to my side, and a big musclehead with a tattoo on his neck was smiling at me.

  “Looking for someone, sweetheart?” he asked in a deep voice with his hand still on me.

  Glaring at him, I reached down to grab his wrist and push him off. Asshole. I rolled my eyes and turned in the direction of the stairs.

  He shouldn’t have underestimated me because I was a female. I didn’t care how big he was. If he were to touch me again, I would not hesitate to punch the shit out of him. There was no way I was staying down here now. I’ll just text Nick.

  I started to walk away, and then a hand grabbed my ass and squeezed as I heard the same deep voice.

  “Mmm. Damn, baby, don’t play hard to get.”

  I sucked in a breath as I felt my temper rise. Are you fucking kidding me? Without thinking twice, I swung around and punched him as hard as I could on the side of his mouth. The moment my hand met his face, I felt a shooting pain start at my middle knuckle before it radiated all the way down to my elbow.

  “Fuck!” I yelled. Damn it! I must have hit a tooth!

  I shook out my hand, clenching my jaw, as I looked down. My knuckle was already starting to swell. I quickly peered up to see what would happen next. People were staring at us, and some men behind the musclehead were chuckling.

  Once he realized what happened, he touched his lip as the blood was coming down the corner of his mouth. Instead of the usual angry reaction, he slowly smiled at me, but I could see in his eyes that he was pissed.

  This wasn’t the first time I had punched someone. It wasn’t even the first time I’d punched a guy, but it was definitely the first time my victim smiled after the blow. Oh shit. Here we go.

  Standing as straight as I could, I looked the guy dead in the eyes to show him that I wasn’t scared, but inside, I had no idea what would happen next. Surely, he won’t hit me in the middle of this big crowd. Will he?

  I started to take a step backward, and then I felt someone standing close behind me as warm breaths caressed my neck.

  “Come with me.”

  I turned my head to see it was Jay. His eyes were focused, and his body felt tense. He was so close to me that I could smell him, and his scent mixed with his cologne was amazing and sexy. He put one hand on my arm as he pulled me backward with him.

  I looked back to see what the scary guy was doing. He was surrounded by four big security guards dressed in all black, and he was still staring at me.

  Creepy.

  That was when I realized Jay must work there. It would explain the little exchange between Jay and the waitress and the fast service we were getting upstairs.

  Before I knew it, Jay was leading me up a different set of stairs by the DJ’s booth. He held my right hand in his as I followed behind him. It was the same hand that I had just used to punch that asshole in the mouth but surprisingly it didn’t hurt so much when he held it.

  My adrenaline was still flowing, my heart was pounding in my chest, and I was shaking. I wanted a cigarette. For some reason, I would always smoke a cigarette after I got into a fight. It seemed to be the only thing that could calm my nerves.

  I hoped Jay was taking me somewhere with a restroom and a smoking area because the only thing I wanted right now more than a smoke was to pee. By this time, my bladder was screaming at me.

  When we got upstairs, Jay brought me to a glass door with white blinds hanging behind it. He opened it with his free hand, making sure not to let go of mine. I hesitated at the threshold and looked at him for a second, trying to figure out why he was bringing me into a secluded room. Am I in trouble? Is he going to try something with me? When he saw my questioning glance, he let go of my hand and held up both of his.

  “I promise that I’ll behave. I don’t want to get punched, too,” he said with a smirk on his face.

  My cheeks flushed as I smiled at him. I had to admit that seeing a girl in a dress and heels punch a big musclehead in the mouth would look pretty ridiculous. I guess I can’t keep up the facade forever.

  We stepped into the office, and in front of
the wall of windows, I saw a big black desk covered in paperwork. Two black leather chairs were facing the desk, and Jay turned one of the chairs around toward me as he gestured for me to sit down.

  “Is there a restroom nearby?” I asked, trying not to sound too desperate.

  “Sure, right here.” He pointed to a black door to the right of the desk.

  “Thanks.”

  I walked past him and opened the door. When I grabbed the knob, I could feel the sting on my knuckles from hitting that guy’s teeth. Looking down, I saw the blood on my hand, and I wondered if I had gotten any on Jay while he was holding it. I glanced at him as I started to close the door. He had taken off his coat, and he was now loosening his tie. Our eyes met just as the door shut. Damn, he’s hot!

  When I turned around to look in the mirror, I was surprised to see my appearance was the same. I’d expected to see some sweat or a smear of makeup, but everything was still in place. Not a single hair on my head was disturbed. It was nice to know I still looked presentable even though I felt like a mess.

  After finally getting a chance to pee, I washed my hands, and was able to rinse off all the blood that had come from a single cut on the top of my middle knuckle. It was swollen and throbbing but nothing too serious. Growing up with Rob and Shaun had given me a large threshold for pain.

  When I opened the door, Jay had both leather chairs turned away from the desk, and he was sitting back in one of them, holding a glass of water. His tie was completely undone, and the two top buttons of his shirt were open, revealing his collarbone that had a tattoo of black script written across it. That’s unexpected. He didn’t really seem like the tattoo type. I thought he was more of a clean-cut business man.

  When I made my way toward him, Jay sat up and watched me as I took a seat next to him. Just being in his presence made my heart rate spike again, and I had to take a deep breath to calm myself down. I could feel electricity in the air, or maybe it was just my hormones.

  “Thanks,” I said as he handed me the glass of water.

  “No problem.”

  He looked straight into my eyes as if he were studying me, like he was trying to figure me out. When I brought the glass of water to my mouth, his eyes moved to my hand.

  “Looks like you hit that guy pretty hard. Is your knuckle okay?”

  I swallowed the water and moved the glass to my other hand, so I could inspect my wound.

  “Nothing I can’t handle.” I grimaced as I squeezed my hand into a fist.

  Jay reached over and took my hand in his. He examined the cut before he got up and went behind the desk. After he opened a drawer, he came back with a first aid kit. When Jay sat back down, he reached out for my hand again. I put my glass on the floor next to my chair and then extended my injured hand to him. He didn’t really talk much, but I didn’t mind as he seemed to be deep in thought about something.

  “So, you work here?” I asked although it was obvious he did.

  “I guess you could say that,” he replied as he cleaned my cut with an alcohol wipe.

  When my hand flinched, he brought his lips an inch from my cut, and started to blow on it, easing the sting of the alcohol. The feeling of his breath on my skin sent chills up and down my body. I couldn’t stop staring at his lips that were so close to me. God, his mouth looks good.

  Since he had rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, I could see the defined muscles on his forearms as he held my hand between his. He had another tattoo, a tiger, on the inside of his left forearm. It wasn’t like mine, but it was beautiful all the same. While I admired his tattoo, he peeked up at me through his thick black eyelashes as he flashed that amazing smile again.

  “Better?” he asked.

  All I could do was nod since he’d caught me checking him out.

  “Nice tat.” I moved the hair off my right shoulder to show him mine.

  His eyes slowly left my gaze to look at the tattoo on my arm. His eyes seemed to spark as he realized it was a tiger. He grinned and began to shake his head as he turned back to the first aid kit to get a bandage.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked, trying to figure him out this time.

  “Nothing. I’m just beginning to realize how much we have in common.” He put the last piece of tape on the edge of my bandage.

  It seemed like getting this guy to talk would be a bit of a challenge. I was sure he saw things like this every day since he worked at a club. My incident probably wasn’t too exciting for him. I started to feel foolish lusting after this guy when he was just doing his job. I decided to search for a smoke before I grabbed my purse, so I could head home.

  “Well, thanks for the bandage and for getting me out of that mess. I know I shouldn’t have hit that guy. Sorry if I caused you any problems.”

  I stood up and smoothed my dress down my legs. Jay watched my hands as I pressed them over my thighs. Then, his gaze slowly moved back up my body. Feeling like I was naked, I began to blush again. I was suddenly grateful for my layer of makeup because it helped me to not feel so exposed.

  When his eyes met mine, he stood up next to me as he opened his mouth to say something until we were suddenly startled by a knock on the door.

  “Asia! Are you in there?” Hailey yelled, sounding frantic.

  Jay walked over to the door and opened it to reveal Hailey standing there with my purse in her hands and a worried look on her face. John and Nick were standing behind her.

  “Oh my god, Asia! What the hell happened? When I heard a girl in a red dress punched some guy downstairs, I knew it had to be you. We’ve been looking all over the club for you!” she shrieked as she walked into the office.

  John looked at Jay and shook his head. He was probably trying to apologize for his girl barging in on us.

  “I’m fine, Hailey, really. Why did you automatically assume it was me?” I asked, sounding offended.

  She raised her eyebrow, giving me a because-I-know-you look.

  “Nick, where were you? It’s your fault I got into this mess!” I yelled toward the door, so he could hear me over the music.

  “Oh, it wasn’t my fault, Ms. Vixen. It was the dress’s fault,” he answered with a smirk.

  When I heard John and Jay chuckle, I began blushing once again. Damn it!

  “Whatever. I need a smoke. Does anyone have a cigarette?” I looked at my friends, searching their faces, but they all just shrugged their shoulders or shook their head.

  “I have some in my car,” Jay said just as I was about to give up.

  At the same time, everyone turned to look at him, but he just watched me, waiting for a reply.

  “Do you mind if I bum one? I could really use a smoke right now.” I walked toward the door and took my purse from Hailey.

  “No problem. Just let me grab my stuff.”

  As Jay headed back toward his chair to grab his coat and tie, Hailey nudged me with her elbow, and Nick gave me a big smile with a wink. I narrowed my eyes at him and mouthed, Shut up, just as Jay was walking to the door.

  Hailey and I left the office first and stood next to Nick and John while Jay took out his keys to lock the door.

  “Are you off now, Jay?” Hailey asked as she stood next to John, grabbing his arm.

  “Well, I wasn’t really working. I was just here to check on things.”

  “Good! We were just going to get a bite to eat. Do you wanna come?” Hailey asked him while watching me to gauge my reaction.

  I avoided her stare as I glanced down at my shoes, and then I looked back up at Jay.

  “Sure. Where are you guys headed?” he asked.

  “There’s a diner not far from Asia’s apartment. It’s open all night. That’s usually where we go after a night of drinking and brawling.” Hailey smirked at me.

  Nick said, “Well, I’d love to join you guys, but I found a hot piece of ass downstairs, and he’s waiting on me.” He reached over to give me a hug. “Call me,” he whispered in my ear as he squeezed me.

  Everyone said their g
ood-byes to Nick as he made his way down the stairs.

  “Do you guys just want to meet us there?” Hailey asked, looking back and forth between Jay and me. “I mean, since you have to go to his car for the cigarette and all,” Hailey muttered, trying to explain her question. Her obvious setup was annoying and earned her an eye roll from me.

  “It’s fine with me as long as Asia doesn’t mind,” Jay said.

  “That’s fine,” I replied through a tight smile while shooting daggers at Hailey.

  “Great! We’ll see you guys there!” Hailey said, sounding way too excited as she ignored my daggers. She pulled John with her as they headed down the stairs.

  Turning to me, Jay offered his right hand for me to hold. “Shall we?” he asked, giving me a wink and a smile.

  With a face like that, I would follow this man anywhere.

  I placed my good hand in his and squeezed it. “Lead the way.”

  It was two in the morning when Jay and I said good-bye to John and Hailey in the parking lot of Bob’s Diner. We had just spent the last two hours eating breakfast while we shared our best brawling stories.

  Jay had seemed to relax more as the night went on, and throughout the meal, he would look at me and wink. Every time he did, my cheeks would get warm, and I’d feel butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I’d found myself becoming more and more attracted to this man as I got to know him.

  Apparently, he didn’t work at Red. He owned it. I’d been shocked to learn this since he didn’t look a day over twenty-five. How does someone so young own a club? Not to mention, it wasn’t just any club. It was the biggest club in town.

  I should have been tipped off when I saw his car, a Mercedes CL63. I could pay off all my student loans with that car and still have enough leftover to buy a Lexus.

  The most shocking thing of all was how normal he seemed. It wasn’t what I’d expected at all from my first impression of him at the sushi bar. He was probably thinking the same thing—if he even remembered me from last night. He still hadn’t mentioned it, and part of me was hoping he wouldn’t remember since it hadn’t been a shining moment for me.