by C. M. Owens
"What?" I prompt curiously.
"That's a very strong name," he seduces, and I can feel my skin burning as the blood beneath the surface boils.
A dorky smile invades my face, and I blush for no real reason. I swear it's as though I've forgotten how to frigging breathe.
"I should probably go dance with my friends," I mumble in an effort to break free from his beguiling gaze.
"Or you could dance with me," he insists.
My lips part to speak - though I have no idea what will come out of them at this point - but fortunately we're interrupted.
"Devin. I'm glad you could make it, and I see you brought a guest," a very refined and older businessman says.
"Evening, Bob. This is Adisia," he says, acting as if I really am his guest.
"You're one beautiful woman, Adisia. You're a very lucky man, Devin," he murmurs with wide and approving eyes.
Devin smirks as though he's enjoying seeing me squirm, due to the misconception. His sexy-as-hell voice breaks something inside of me loose, and I feel the seduction trapping me in the mundane comment.
"I'll catch up with you in just a little while. I've got some business to sift through," he murmurs gently to me.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
I feel like such an idiot. Here I am still, standing here like I'm his date or something.
"Yeah. Sure. Sorry," I stammer.
His hand takes mine, and there's almost a spark that zaps through me with ferocity. I lightly gasp at the electric tingle, and my eyes lock with his.
"Don't be sorry, and please don't look as though I've offended you. I prefer your smile," he murmurs sincerely, and his thumb strokes my lips.
Oh wow, he tastes so good.
I gasp again as several images of him mimicking this very same action roam through my mind, while provoking wild fantasies.
I step back, and his eyes seem to swirl with the tides, sending shivers through me. He tilts his head to the side as if he's studying me intensely. A smirk spreads over his face, and he draws my hand to his lips so he can kiss the back of it.
"Until later," he bids.
Mmm.
His lips are crazy soft, and now mine throb to touch them. What's going on with me? I'm flipping out over a complete stranger.
"We'll see," I dare with a forced air of mystery.
His enigmatic smirk cocks up again. "Interesting choice of words, Adisia. But yes, we'll see."
I shiver again. Why does all of this seem so familiar? It seems as though I know him from somewhere, and my mind is still running wild with erotic fantasies.
I smile as I turn to walk away, though my hand bears some reluctance as it slides out of his. Clara's eyes are wide, and all the girls are staring with mouths gaped open as I casually make my way back over to them.
"You're such a goddess," Jenny spouts.
"I'm so jealous right now," Melissa harps.
I look over to see Devin smiling, but it can't be because he hears us. There's no way. I still don't want to take any chances though.
"Let's go dance," I mumble as I guzzle the drink on the table.
I cringe slightly when I taste the strong alcohol buried under the fruity flavor. I've never had a high tolerance. I don't know what compelled me to order something with so much vodka in it.
Clara grabs my hand and assists my balancing act down the stairs, since I look like a fool in heels.
We weave through the crowded floor, and right away I have to knock drunk, groping idiots away. Good grief.
My eyes lift up to the VIP room, but I can't see Devin.
Why am I even looking for him?
Then an old song starts playing, and I laugh as I hear the lyrics playing loudly in a club where this song doesn't belong.
I'm your Venus, I'm your fire, at your desire.
"Hell no," I refute to the obvious question she's about to ask.
"Please, I'm begging you," Clara pleads.
"Our eighth grade dance routine was hideous when we were in eighth grade. How foolish do you think we'd look now?" I chuckle.
"Please, please, pretty please. I need this, Adisia."
I give the VIP room another glance to make sure Devin's eyes aren't in view before huffing in defeat.
"Ah crap," I sigh out as my shoulders slump.
She squeals and kicks her heels off. I follow her lead and toss mine to the side as well.
She pulls me onto the floor, and my head pops back in laughter as soon as the ridiculous dancing starts. She giggles with me and our drunken crowd whistles while clapping.
It's a really good thing there are very few sober people left in attendance, otherwise this would be a little more mortifying.
She hugs me as soon as the song ends, and the bouncer stalks toward us with disapproving eyes ablaze.
"Shoes are a dress code requirement," he barks.
Uh-oh.
We cower slightly as we run over to retrieve our abandoned shoes, and then we giggle like children on an adrenaline rush after an embarrassing scolding.
"I can't believe you talked me into that," I say with exasperation.
"Dance with me," a guy says from behind, rudely interrupting my conversation with Clara.
I turn to see the brown eyes mingling with complete intoxication from the heavy alcohol still roaming on his breath.
"Sorry, but I can't," I scream out over the music.
"Why can't you?" he gripes.
I start to deliver my cruel line of rejection when another voice interjects itself into our conversation.
"Because she has to dance with me."
I turn to see the smoky blue eyes that continue to render me helpless. Devin is standing so close, and his hands slide around my waist in an odd, but hot, possessive manner.
My body inches toward him as if gravity is working against me. I feel my hips stop against his body, and the throbbing I experience is actually painful.
"Sorry, dude. My bad," the guy whimpers as he skulks away.
I can't look away from Devin now. I'm trapped, and I know I'm going to gain twenty pounds with all the ice cream it'll take to get over this insanely hot man.
"I told you I'd find you," he smolders.
I shiver once again under the gaze that shocked me to life earlier, and now it's stealing my breath, my heartbeat, and my damn mind.
"Do you always do as you say you will?" I flirt.
"Yes. I do," he seduces, making my trembling knees try to give out.
His hands grip my back and pull me into him all the more. I feel his breath grazing my face as he bends slightly. I have no control over anything on me, and my lips find the courage to meet his.
His lips are so frigging soft. How in the hell am I supposed to break free from this?
I almost forget how to breathe when he releases me from the kiss. I've never been kissed like that before, and now his eyes are burning into mine as if he wants more.
I know I have to withdraw from our intense proximity before I do something foolish here on the dance floor. If the bouncer thought my missing shoes were bad, he'd have a cow if he knew what my wicked mind was scheming right at this moment.
I see Clara smiling with giddy eyes as I pull back. She slowly saunters over to us, and I can see her menacing intentions shining clearly before she even opens her mouth.
"So, we're going to go, but you should stay," she declares, and it's so undeniably obvious what she's doing that it's embarrassing.
I glower at her, but she just cocks an eyebrow at me, daring me to object.
"I'll get my stuff," I say to douse her fiery plot, but Devin's hand grips mine and pulls me back to him.
His eyes stare into mine with fearless ambition, and I'm a deer in headlights begging to be run over right now.
"Stay with me," he propositions.
I can't. I shouldn't. No.
"Okay," I mutter, and his smile returns to replace the worry on his face.
I turn to look at Clara, as Devin turns to speak
to his business associate that is walking out.
"I can't believe you really said yes," Clara giggles.
"I didn't mean to!" I yell in a whisper.
"I got your purse for you." She hands me the matching red clutch bag, and offers me a menacing little wink.
Then she quickly abandons my side, and Devin's hand wraps around my waist as he bends to speak to me.
"Do you want to stay here, or do you want something to eat?"
I turn to think of the things I want to do, and neither of those options are in the plans.
"We can go," I say vaguely.
He smirks and nods to a girl. She rushes over to hand him a tablet with a pen and paper. He signs it, and then takes my hand in his to lead me through the crowd.
We barely make it outside, and his lips are on mine again. I feel the fire swooshing through my veins as my back gently finds the firm wall behind me.
I grip the back of his neck and pull him in closer, devouring his perfection. It's as if I have no control, and something powerful is stirring inside of me right now.
He pulls back, completely breathless, and his eyes seem to be swirling again. I have to fight hard to resist the urge to launch myself at him.
His lips find mine again, and I walk backwards to keep stride with his forward pace, since our lips refuse to part for very long.
"How do you feel about takeout?" he murmurs against my lips as his hands slide over all the right places hidden by my clothes.
I want to feel his skin on mine.
"It's my favorite," I mumble back.
"I know a place that delivers," he says, though it's muffled by our attacking lips.
"Sounds perfect," I breathe while tangling my hands in his hair.
I feel a car behind me now, and I'm praying an alarm doesn't sound. He lifts me up and places me in the seat of a convertible I never saw get pulled around, and the valet snickers lightly as he turns away.
Devin opens the door to the driver's side much quicker than I had anticipated, making me gasp lightly. I'm still trying to calm down from my libido-rush that refuses to simmer down.
He smiles at me before driving out into the traffic without even looking. My breath hitches as we squeak between two cars. His eyes are still fixated on me. I'm burning alive just staring into those bewitching blues that love taunting me with their gaze.
My body becomes his when he jerks me over to his lap. My lips fold over his without reservation or sanity, and I feel him shift gears beside my leg as I straddle his lap.
The wind blows against the back of my head, and I have no idea how he's seeing the road, nor do I care. I've never felt so alive as I do right now.
The drive is almost over too quickly, and he steps out of the car while still keeping me pressed against his body. He finally pulls back, and an older man is waiting by the sidewalk of the massive building with steel arches that we're walking toward.
"Thank you, Greer," Devin says as he tosses the man his keys.
He pulls me inside and to the elevator, but his lips find mine again before the doors even open. I'm sure everyone in the lobby is getting a much bigger show than they had anticipated.
Of course, he could do this all the time with random women. There's no way I'm the first. I don't give a damn if I'm the four-hundredth right at this moment though.
The elevator opens, and my back is shoved up against the wall of it almost painfully. I grunt slightly from the unexpected force, and he pulls back instantly with regret etched in his eyes.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"
I cut him off before he can finish as I cover his mouth with mine. I can feel his hands guiding my short red dress up my hips, and his intoxicating breath runs into my mouth as the intensity of our passion deepens.
This is so fucking crazy.
The doors open, and I don't even take a chance to gauge my new surroundings. I'm focused on one thing and one thing only, as the buttons pop free from the shirt I'm ripping off him.
I struggle momentarily to remove his tie, but he helps me as he tosses it to the floor. My hands viciously scour his remarkable body, and the spiraling throbbing sensation winds down my lower body. I'm almost pulsing now… everywhere.
He rips the zipper down on my dress and the red fabric cascades down my body and falls to the floor. He picks me up, and my legs wrap around his waist until I feel a soft bed beneath me.
More incoherent, scrambled images that resemble memories attack me as my mind envisions the bed breaking beneath us. I'm not sure what that's about, but it's enough to bring out my breath in ragged surges.
He feels my more fervent need for him, and he responds by emulating the same fantastic passion.
This can't be real. It's too incredible.
My hands slide up his smooth, glorious back long enough to know there's not a flaw to be found on this impeccable man. Oh, this is going to be one hell of heartbreak, but it's going to be one hell of a ride getting there.
I wake up to the light sprinkling in through the gap in the curtains. The soft, tousled bed beneath me belongs to the man I became completely lost in last night.
I slowly turn to see his gorgeous, sleeping face. His arms are wrapped around me, and I can remember him asking me to stay with him as we went to sleep.
He kept saying that all night, and I loved it.
I grimace slightly as I see the clock. We have to head home in a few hours, and now I’m in some strange guy's apartment after one of the hottest nights I've ever had.
I'm usually so reserved in the bedroom, but last night was the most carnal craziness I've ever unleashed. His body was so in tune with mine, and it was enough to force me over the edge in a screaming fashion.
I sneakily remove myself from the wonderful embrace and tiptoe to the bathroom down the hall to pull on my shameful red dress. I'm sure it will announce my scandalous night to everyone this early Sunday morning.
I smooth my hair down and gargle with the mouthwash under the sink, thankful to rid myself of the morning breath.
I stare at the devilish girl in the mirror, and a smile spreads over my face instead of the shameful glaze I expected.
With absolute stealth, I make my way toward the elevator - my shoes in my hand - but I'm forced to squeal when I hear a voice from behind me.
"I can make us some coffee while I send out for you something to wear," Devin murmurs softly.
I turn with a slight sigh, but my thoughts retreat once they see his incredible body in the daylight. His pants hang off of him low enough to reveal his defined hip lines, and I'm almost drooling immediately.
He smirks at my obvious gawking, and I begin to fidget nervously under his provocative gaze.
"I… um… need to go. We're heading back in a little while," I babble like a fool.
His eyes drop as if I've said something horrible.
"To where exactly?" he pouts.
"Frankford."
"Connecticut? That's not too far," he says hopefully, as though he's considering the possibility of this leading to be more than one incredible night.
No. You can't give me that look. I'll never leave if you give me that look.
"It's pretty far actually. I should get going," I say while turning back to the elevator.
His hands wrap around my waist from behind, and I gasp at the quickness he did it with. He was in the doorway of the room when I started to turn around, and now he's right behind me, delighting me with his delicious breath against the back of my neck as his lips play on it.
"Stay with me," he pleads, his lips continuing to draw my blood to the surface with their touch.
I turn abruptly to face the stranger who keeps asking me to do that.
"Why?" I ask curiously.
"Because I want you to. Because you want to. I don't know why, but I can't let you leave," he seduces as his lips press against mine, giving my mind another taste of insanity.
I drop my purse and shoes to the floor as my arms wrap around his neck, and h
is hands glide up my sides.
"Stay with me," he says again.
"Okay," I murmur through the tantalizing kiss.
He smiles and pulls back slightly before speaking.
"Good. I'll make some coffee."
I suppress a giggle while pulling out my phone to call Clara. I walk over to the side to have a more whispered conversation.
"Hey there, you sexy, dirty vixen," she teases.
"Yeah, yeah," I huff, my cheeks instantly flushing.
"So, how was your first one night stand?" she giggles.
I glance over to Devin, and I see him smirking as he turns back around to the coffeemaker. I walk out onto the balcony for more privacy, even though I know he can't possibly hear me.
"Well, it was definitely the best sex I've ever had in my life. He's a sex god."
I pause when I hear glass shattering from inside the apartment and Devin's muffled voice dropping out profanities. I poke my head through the door to appease my curiosity.
"Everything okay?" I ask.
He seems a little ruffled as red stings his cheeks.
"Yeah, just dropped a cup or two," he chirps.
Suddenly a flash of him crushing a phone with his hand bounces into my mind, and I shake free from yet another bizarre vision dressed as a memory.
"You need help?" I offer, a smile spreading across my face as I see a more humanized side of him.
I was starting to think he was flawless. It's definitely refreshing to see he's just as human as I am - clumsy with red cheeks.
"No. I've got this," he says with a slightly embarrassed tone.
"You're still there?" Clara squeals, finally realizing where I'm calling her from.
I almost forgot about her being on the line.
"Yeah. I'm going to stay for a little while longer, and then I'll be back to grab my stuff," I say a little too loudly.
"I'll take you home," Devin chimes in.
"It's not home, it's a hotel."
Clara giggles slightly, and Devin smirks as he trashes the remaining broken fragments.
"I mean your home in Frankford. I'll drive you back later," he says with a shrug.
Clara squeals a little more in my ear, making me cringe from the deafening, shrill pitch crashing against my eardrum.
"Oh, he's so sweet! Stay there and let him drive you home," she urges.
