“Want to sit this one out?” Dustin asked, leaning down to be heard.
“Yeah, thanks.” She let him guide her through the throng of people back to the table.
Once they arrived, he held her seat. “Hope we can dance again later.” He smiled and disappeared into the crowd.
“Man, he looked good enough to eat. Why did you let him go?” Karen asked, frowning.
“I didn’t let him go, he walked away. It was just a dance, Karen.” But one she had really enjoyed. She also enjoyed that nice ass in those tight jeans he was wearing.
“Come on, Ben. Let’s dance.” Karen laughed and pulled him up by his arm.
“Guess we will be back in a little while.” He waved at Savanna as Karen dragged him out on the floor.
She people watched for the next thirty minutes or so until Ben and Karen returned with drink refills. While she waited, she turned down two dances and one proposition from a very drunk guy sporting a mohawk. Ben asked her to dance once she had managed a couple of sips of her drink, but someone stepped in and asked her instead. He didn’t look too bad. Yes, he had a tattoo of a skull on one arm, but he looked clean enough, she decided.
“Name’s Mike. I’m a mechanic. What about you?” he yelled over the music.
“Savanna. Nice to meet you.”
They danced to the fast hip-hop that led into a classic rock song. After the third song, she shook her head and waved him off. She needed to rest. He shrugged and let her go, already moving on to someone new. Savanna shook her head and turned to make her way back to the table. She could really use a drink now. Ben and Karen were arguing over something when she walked up.
“I’m not flirting,” Karen argued.
“Then what do you call it? If it were me, you’d be stomping all over my nuts by now.” Ben had a scowl on his face.
“All I did was dance with him. He was a good dancer. I didn’t flirt.”
“Hey, what’s up, guys?” Savanna sat down and looked between the two of them.
“Nothing. Ben is just acting jealous and all.” Karen downed the rest of her drink.
Savanna knew when Karen had too much to drink she tended to get a bit wild. Thing was, she didn’t usually drink too much unless something was bothering her. Time for a bathroom girls’ talk.
“I need to use the bathroom. Come on, Karen.” Savanna stood up and waited on Karen to do the same.
“Me, too.” She jumped up, leaned over, and gave Ben a big kiss. “We’ll be right back.”
“That line? I don’t think so. I’ll be here waiting, though.” Ben just shook his head and looked at Savanna. He mouthed, drunk.
Savanna nodded and grabbed Karen’s hand to drag her along behind as she slipped through the crowd and staked out a place in line for them.
“Karen, honey, you’ve had too much to drink. What happened to only two? You know how you get when you drink more than that.”
“Don’t you lecture me, too.” Karen pouted.
“You and Ben are a great couple. You always talk about how much you love him. If you don’t slow down on the booze, you’re going to make him mad. You flirt too much.”
Karen frowned and huffed out a breath. “I don’t flirt. I just want to have a good time. I like to dance, you know that.”
“I know. But, yes, you do flirt. It’s hurting Ben,” she said.
“Oh, okay, okay. I’ll lay off the alcohol the rest of the night. By the time we get to the bathroom, I’ll be sober again. Party pooper.”
Savanna breathed a sigh of relief. Karen was wild when she got drunk. The two of them had been wild together all through high school and college. It was time to settle down now, and Karen had a great relationship with Ben. She didn’t want her to mess it up. She knew she shouldn’t have come out with them tonight. They wouldn’t have gone if not for her. Still, if everything was good with them, this wouldn’t cause much of a problem. He knew how she got when she drank.
They finally made it to the bathroom and out again. The place was jam-packed with women doing their hair and touching up their makeup as well as just talking. Savanna was never so happy to see Ben and the table in her life. Karen appeared to have sobered up and sat in Ben’s lap with her arms around his neck.
“How about a dance, sugar?” A tall, burly man of about six foot six held out his huge hand for hers.
“Um, sure.” Savanna placed her much smaller hand in his and let him lead her to the dance floor.
He didn’t waste time with small talk or anything so trivial as names, but wrapped his arms around her and pulled her right up against his body. She tried to pull back some, but he was much too strong for her. She didn’t want to create a scene, so she resigned herself to toughing it out with Mr. Bear. It wasn’t until he started grinding his obvious erection into her belly that she knew she was in trouble. When he groped her ass as he did it, she pushed against him to put some space between him, but he refused to give an inch.
The music ended, and she attempted to pull away from him to go back to her seat. He let her pull back some, but he didn’t let go of her. Instead, he bent down and kissed her. She attempted to turn her head away from him. He wouldn’t let her. His enormous hand held her head still for his assault.
“I think the lady doesn’t want you kissing her.”
Savanna recognized the voice. Dustin was trying to help her.
“She’s with me, so back off.” The giant of a man growled at Dustin.
“Really, I just want to go sit down now.” Savanna tried to defuse the situation before it got out of hand.
“You aren’t going anywhere. We’re just getting acquainted.” He smiled. Why hadn’t she noticed he had a gold tooth?
“Just let her go and sit down. She doesn’t want to dance anymore.” Dustin didn’t raise his voice any more than necessary to be heard over the loud music.
They were standing still in the middle of the dance floor, and several couples around them had stopped to watch. Surely they weren’t going to fight over her. Why would Dustin even bother? He’d only danced with her once. The other man outweighed him and was taller than he was. She didn’t want him to get hurt because of her.
“Look, we can dance again another time.” She tried pulling away from the mountain again. He didn’t let go, and she couldn’t budge him.
“Let her go.” Dustin stared at the other man. Those dark eyes were cold now.
“You gonna make me?” the bear asked.
“Just asking you nicely to let her loose. She doesn’t want to dance anymore.”
The other man smiled, and his gold tooth blinked in the lights. He shoved Savanna around behind him and took a menacing step forward. More couples stopped, and the circle around them widened. Savanna nearly fell, but a man grabbed her and kept her on her feet. She thanked him and walked around the edge of the circle toward her table. She stopped, though, when she realized the bear had his hands up like he was going to fight. Oh, God, no. Not over me.
“No reason to cause a scene in here. Let’s settle this outside,” Dustin said. He didn’t look the least bit worried.
“Naw. Right here is just fine.” The bear of a man advanced and swung.
He missed Dustin by a long way. Dustin just stepped aside and then kicked the man in his kneecap. He cursed and fell hard on the dance floor. Dustin just stood there, looking down at him. That was when the bouncer finally showed up and grabbed the other man under the arms to pull him to his feet. He stood, favoring his right leg.
“I’ll wipe your ass all over this place!” the big man yelled as the bouncer escorted him toward the door.
Savanna was mortified. Karen and Ben had come to see what was going on. Karen put her arms around her, and Ben walked over to Dustin.
“Thanks for seeing after her. I didn’t know what was going on. The guy didn’t act like he was going to turn out to be an asshole when he asked her to dance.”
“No problem. She obviously wasn’t enjoying her dance.”
“Um, th
anks. I really appreciate it.” Savanna knew she had to thank him but felt suddenly shy around him.
“No problem. Hope this doesn’t ruin your evening so you won’t come back again.”
“I…” Savanna didn’t know what to say to that.
Karen saved her. “Oh, she’ll be back. I plan on making her go out with us more often.”
“I hope to get a chance to dance with you again sometime.” Dustin smiled at her then turned and walked away.
Savanna couldn’t help but lust after his ass as he did. She hoped she got a chance to dance with him again, too. She would like to know if he was that hot all over.
Chapter Two
Dustin returned to the bar and ordered another beer since his had disappeared. He couldn’t get Savanna’s face out of his mind. She had the most stunning eyes he’d ever seen, light blue like a spring sky just after a rain—clear and beautiful. Her smile went all the way to those eyes, and he found himself mesmerized. Long red hair, all wavy and sleek, reached her waist and swung when she moved. He wanted to know how all that hair felt draped over his chest with her riding him.
He shook off the picture and cursed at the immediate attention his cock paid to his musings. He needed to forget her. She was nothing but trouble. Hadn’t she just proven that? Every man in the club wanted to dance with her, and a lot of them weren’t too picky on whether she wanted to dance or not. She didn’t belong in a place like this. She didn’t know how to take care of herself.
But, God, those sexy legs in those tight jeans just about tore down his resolve to stay away from her. That one dance had been one too many. She felt right in his arms. Her body fit his to a tee. He had fought hard to keep from crushing her in his arms and finding out just how kissable her plump red lips really were. He’d resisted the need to taste her skin or run his hands through her hair or nip at her neck. Her scent even now remained in his memory. She smelled of soft satin sheets and warm honey. How would she taste?
Dustin shook his head and turned his beer up. He might as well go home. He wasn’t interested in dancing anymore. She’d ruined his night all right. Not because of the near fight, but because no one else would be worth his trouble now. He had her in his head, and she wasn’t going anywhere soon.
* * * *
Ben walked her to the door of her apartment while Karen remained in the car. All three of them were stone-cold sober after the near fight. Savanna was still apologizing when Ben finally put a stop to it.
“That’s enough, Savanna. You didn’t do anything wrong. Shit like that happens when you go out. You know that. You and Karen used to party all the time according to her.”
“I know, but I hated making such a scene. I mean, I’m thirty years old.”
“Yeah, so is Karen, but you don’t see her worrying about it.” Ben sounded bitter.
“Ben, is everything okay with you guys?” Savanna asked.
“Yeah, just…I don’t like her hanging on other guys when she dances. She’s a natural flirt, and I can usually handle that, but lately, I don’t know. I just wish she wouldn’t drink so much.” Ben just shook his head. “Never mind. Forget I said anything. It’s been a long night. You lock up now. Karen will call you tomorrow when she wakes up, I’m sure.” Ben waved her off and waited while she unlocked the door and slipped inside.
She watched him walk back to the car through her living room window and continued watching until the taillights of the car disappeared from sight. Now she was worried about them. Karen needed to watch herself or she was going to lose Ben. She thought Karen really liked him, maybe even loved him. She would talk with her about it the next time they had lunch or dinner together. Something was up.
She turned on the light in her bedroom and began undressing. She wanted a shower to wash away the bad experience of the night. Instead of thinking about the near fight, she found herself thinking about her hero, Dustin, instead. His dark hair barely brushed his shoulders, and all she could think about when she remembered it was how much she wanted to run her hands through it. She was almost five foot five, so he had to be a little over six feet. Her head had rested well against his hard, muscular chest.
She wondered what it would be like to really dance with him. To let him pull her close enough that she could feel the hard ridge of his cock against her abdomen. What would it be like to run her hands down his back and grab hold of his tight ass? Just thinking about it had her hot and hungry for more. Stop it, Savanna. Chances are you’ll never even see him again. That would be a shame, too. She had really looked forward to another dance with him before everything happened.
He hadn’t pushed her or had happy hands all over her. He had treated her like a lady, and she liked that. She wanted someone who would treat her nice, was stable with a good job, but who could get her all hot and bothered with just a look. He sure looked like he could do that. Of course, in a place like that, what were the chances that he had a stable job and could offer her a nice life?
Damn! What was she doing? She’d just met the guy, would probably never see him again, and she was acting like he was a potential mate for life. He might look hot, but more than likely, he wasn’t a prince. Maybe she never would find her prince, but she wanted to keep trying. It could be a lot of fun kissing a few hot horny toads. Savanna finished her shower and, after drying off, slipped between the covers to fall asleep with Dustin on her mind.
* * * *
“Karen, let’s meet and have coffee.” Savanna hoped her friend would agree.
She hadn’t been able to talk with her all week, and she really wanted to ask her about Ben. It was nearly the weekend again, and Karen had made her promise to go back out with them Saturday night. She thought it was a mistake, but Karen had begged, and Savanna never could resist her friend when she begged.
“Damn, I’ve been so busy at work with this new project my boss is working on. I haven’t even had lunch this week.” Karen sounded harried.
“Just a few minutes after work. We haven’t seen each other all week, and I want to talk to you.” Savanna held her breath and crossed her fingers while Karen thought it over.
“Okay, I’ll meet you at, say, six thirty.”
“See you then.” Savanna hung up the phone and sighed.
She hurried through closing and left the actual lockup to one of the specialists so she wouldn’t be late meeting Karen. She knew her friend would be tired just from hearing her voice over the phone.
The little coffee shop they frequented had about eight or nine tables in it and was full when she got there. Thank goodness Karen had arrived sooner and gotten a table for them. She had also already ordered coffee as well. Savanna sank into the chair opposite her friend and took a sip of the coffee. It was her favorite flavor, Southern Pecan.
“Thanks! I love this coffee.” She breathed in the pungent smell of roasted pecans and coffee.
“So, you’re not going to try and back out of Saturday night, are you? Because I’m not letting you.” Karen sipped her own coffee.
“No, I’m not backing out, under one condition.”
“That would be?” Karen asked, narrowing her eyes.
“That you don’t drink.” Savanna hurried to finish. “I’m not going to drink, either. Just think, no drinking means no glasses to have to watch. We can all three dance at one time.”
“What gives?”
“I just don’t want to see you mess up a good thing, Karen. You get all flirty when you drink, and it really hurt Ben last weekend.” Savanna winced when her friend crossed her arms and sat back in the chair.
“He put you up to this?”
“No! I just saw how he looked at you when you danced with that blond guy you were hanging all over.”
“I was not hanging all over him. What is it with you two that I can’t have a good time? Ben and I aren’t married.” Karen slammed her coffee cup down on the table. Coffee sloshed down the sides of the cup.
“Hey. What’s going on? I thought you two were doing good. You were comm
itted to each other the last you told me. That means you don’t flirt with other men.”
“I can damn well flirt with anyone I want to. Neither you or Ben can tell me what to do.”
“Karen, wait. Something is wrong. You aren’t usually like this.” Savanna felt sick to her stomach. Something was really wrong.
“Nothing. It’s just… I don’t want to settle down yet. Between work and Ben, I’m not getting to do anything anymore. Don’t you miss going out like we used to?” Karen asked.
Savanna could see the tears in her friend’s eyes. “Hon, you go out with Ben all the time, like last weekend, and we’re going out Saturday night.”
“It’s not the same as when we used to go out, you know. Just the two of us.” She sniffed. “I miss that, Savanna.”
“Karen, we’re thirty years old now. We have jobs and responsibilities.” She grabbed her friend’s hand. “What brought all this on?”
“Nothing. I don’t know. I guess work has been too much lately. My boss is stressed over this new project we’re working on, and I’ve had to put in all this overtime to help him with it.”
Savanna wasn’t buying it. Yeah, the job wasn’t helping things, but that wasn’t the root of the problem.
“Maybe you need some rest instead of us going out again this weekend,” she began.
“No! I mean, of course we’re going out. I’ll sleep in on Sunday, so I’ll get plenty of rest.”
“Then you have to promise me you won’t drink. It’s the only way I’m going out.” She hated making the ultimatum. When they were younger, it was always Savanna drinking too much and Karen who got them home safely.
“Okay, okay. I won’t drink. None of us will. Does that make you feel better?”
“Yes, it does. I want to have fun, and I can’t if I’m worried about you and Ben. Now what’s going on between you two?”
Monroe, Marla - Hot and Bothered (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 2
