by Izzy Cullen
Thirty minutes later, there was a knock at the door and Alex jumped to answer it. Holding the door, a waiter entered with a cart with silver trays containing dinner. I couldn’t wait to look under the silver tops to see what Alex ordered. Alex tipped the waiter, who shyly asked for an autograph, which Alex willingly gave him. Once the door was shut, he turned to me smiling.
“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I ordered a variety of things.”
“Well, I’m not a picky eater so whatever you ordered should be okay.”
“I didn’t order wine, but I did order champagne and beer.”
“Sounds good, let’s see what you ordered.”
Lifting the silver tops to the trays, I was amazed at all the options that Alex ordered. There was pasta, chicken, asparagus, shrimp, rice, potatoes, and desserts too die for. There was cheesecake, chocolate mousse, tiramisu and chocolate covered strawberries. There wasn’t one thing on the cart that I didn’t love to eat. Alex poured a glass of champagne for me and we started eating.
The conversation through dinner remained light. We talked about the game and about how Alex hadn’t done anything like that in a long time. He asked about Lexi and the phone call, and I explained our love-hate relationship. Which Alex felt resembled a sister’s relationship. Looking at it, we truly were sisters, maybe not by blood, but definitely by heart.
After stuffing myself to the brim, I laid back on the bed. Alex, lying on the opposite end, looked up at me. Alex reached and grabbed my foot to start rubbing. Not thinking, I immediately pulled my foot back out of reflex. Alex reached and took it back into his hands. “Relax, it’s just a foot rub.”
Still not completely relaxed, I let him rub my foot. I actually closed my eyes because it felt so good. Having his hands rubbing any part of me had me melting into the bed.
“So, what happened the last time you were at the club with Derek?”
Not opening my eyes, I responded, “Nothing, why do you ask?”
“Just the look on his face after you told him that the last time you danced, he was there. My guess is that something happened.”
“Nothing I want to talk about.”
“But, will you? I don’t want to pry, but I don’t understand your relationship with Derek. Are you guys together or have you been together? I know it isn’t my business, but the banter between you guys, sometimes I feel like I’m intruding on something.”
“Derek and I are friends, always have been, and I hope we always will be. Remember when I said he was David’s friend, and then became mine?” Not waiting for a response, I continued to talk. “Well, it’s kind of true, but Derek became more my friend and David was more of an add-on to the friendship. They really were not close friends in school and when I met Derek at the class reunion, I felt a bond. Not a sexual bond, but a friendship, and I know he felt it to.”
Pausing for a moment, I opened my eyes, leaned up on my elbows and looked at Alex. He was staring right into my eyes. I felt like he was trying to feel the emotion in them or in my face. I pulled my foot away and sat up Indian-style on the bed, looking right at Alex. “David and Derek became friends again through my pushing. When we were in Pittsburgh, I would encourage them to go out, well, for all of us to go out. David didn’t have lots of friends and I wanted him to feel a connection with someone from his past. One night, we went to a club. We were all having fun, or so I thought. I wanted to dance and David didn’t, so Derek offered to dance with me.” Stopping briefly, I waited to see if Alex still seemed interested.
“Go on, I’m listening,” Alex said with no emotion on his face, but his eyes shot me a tenderness that let me know he was interested and that he truly cared about what I was saying.
“Anyway, when we were done dancing, David grabbed Derek, saying he knew that he was trying to fuck me and he was pretty sure I was already spreading my legs for anyone willing. He then told me all I needed to look right at home was a stripper pole. David left me in the club and when I finally got back to his parent’s house, he wasn’t there. He actually didn’t return till the next morning. I’m pretty sure he found someone to go home with; the first of many affairs.”
Sometime during my telling Alex that story, tears started falling down my cheek. Alex leaned up and wiped them away with his thumb. He left his hand on my check and rubbed it ever so lightly. Embarrassed about my tears, I looked down at my hands, too scared to look him in the eyes. Still not making eye contact, I softly spoke, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get so emotional. It’s just that Derek remained our friend even when he should have bailed.”
Alex’s hand tilted my head up so my eyes met his. Alex smiled and started to speak. “I’m sure he wasn’t remaining David’s friend. Seeing you two together makes me think the friendship was all about you, and David was something he tolerated to keep your friendship.” Alex then leaned his body in, moved his hand from my cheek to the back of my head, and started gently kissing me on the lips. Without thinking, my lips started to respond to his kiss and my lips parted allowing his tongue to slip into my mouth. The kiss quickly switched from gentle to aggressive, but I couldn’t seem to get enough. My hands moved from my lap to Alex’s hair and I was pulling him on top of me. Alex slipped his legs in between mine and his other hand was making his way under my shirt and bra. Alex started rolling my nipple in between his thumb and fingers. My mouth left his, and moved to his neck and shoulders. I was biting, licking, and trying to taste as much of him as I could. I was afraid this was just a dream.
From the side of the bed, my phone started to blare out an Awakening song. Christ, I needed to change my ringtone. Alex broke from our embrace, breathing hard; he grabbed my phone, handing it to me. Answering the phone, I could feel the irritation in my voice. “What?”
“Good evening, Princess. Are you ready yet?” Crap, it was Derek.
“No, what time is it? I was just lying around.” I left out whom I had been laying with.
“Well, it is 9:30, so I was hoping you were ready so we could meet in the bar for a pre-club drink, but obviously, you need to hurry your ass up.”
“Shit, it’s 9:30 already. Crap, I lost track of time. I’ll see you in thirty minutes.” Quickly, I hung up the phone on Derek.
Alex looked at me and smiled, “You need to get ready. I’ll meet you downstairs in thirty minutes.” He leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips. “Plus, I always felt as if dancing was the best foreplay.” Alex then stood and walked out the door.
What the hell just happened? I didn’t think I could have stopped what was happening if Derek hadn’t called. I’m not sure I wanted it to stop. Christ, I couldn’t be one of those girls who slept with someone I just met. I’d only been with David and nobody else. I didn’t have the experience that Alex had, being used to sleeping with someone. Climbing in the shower, all I could think about was his lips and hands on me. And what was that comment about foreplay? There was no way I was dancing with Alex tonight. I needed to keep my distance. I was not a one-night stand kind of girl; I was a forever type of girl. I wanted to scream, because the forever type of girl personality was what kept me in my miserable marriage to a cheating asshole. Maybe a one-night stand was what I needed to shake the rust off and to get to the new me. Seriously, what was I thinking? There was no way a one-night stand could possibly happen with Alex. Of course, I was sure after that kiss, he realized that I had nothing exciting to offer in the bedroom. Plus, I knew I was already starting to feel something. I knew I couldn’t hide it from myself. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have shared so much with him, but he made it so easy to drop my guard.
Shaking my head hard, thinking that it might shake the thoughts loose, I turned the shower off and looked at my cell. Shit, 9:45 already; thank god I didn’t wash my hair, but fuck, I was going to be late. I was never late, crap.
7.
I managed to walk off the elevator at 10:08. Not exactly on time, but not too late either. I felt a little self-conscious in my outfit. What I had on was not an Abby Porter
outfit, but I allowed Lexi to throw in an outfit in case I went out. At the time, it seemed like a good idea to humor her, because there was no thought of actually going out. I was wearing my shoulder length brown hair down, a fitted black mini and a gold shimmery fitted tank top. My shoes were short slouch ankle boots with a stiletto heel. I had way more make-up on than I was used to wearing, but I thought it went with the look I was going for, even though I wasn’t really sure of the look I was trying to pull off. The only accessories I had was a cute black clutch hand bag and gold hoop earrings. The outfit and make-up were far from the jeans, running shoes and tinted lip-gloss that I was so used to wearing on a daily basis. I knew by the end of the night that my feet would hate me.
Walking towards the limo, I started to feel more self-conscious of my choice of clothing. I could feel eyes burning into me as I walked out the doors of the lobby. Climbing into the limo, Sam immediately commented on my outfit and tardiness. “I was going to give you crap for making us wait, but looking at you, I think it was worth the wait. You look smoking hot. I can’t wait to see the guys gawking at you tonight.” With that comment, she shot Alex a cheeky smile. Sharing a room with him, she probably knew he was gone most of the evening and with their close relationship, he probably told her where he spent his time. My eyes met Alex’s and he was giving his sister a look that could kill. Alex then noticed me looking at him and his eyes softened and then he smiled.
“Damn, Abbs, I have never seen you in anything that hot before. I love this new you.” Derek shot me a wide smile, knowing I was feeling uncomfortable with the attention.
“Well, you can thank Lexi, because she made me pack this outfit in the hopes I’d be going out. I’d rather be in jeans and running shoes.” Looking over, I saw Derek pick up his cell phone. “What are you doing?”
“You told me to thank Lexi, so I’m texting her.” I reached into my bag and pulled out my Chapstick, and then I threw it at Derek. This got a laugh from everyone and the conversation veered from me onto the club that Sam found and where we were headed. I started to feel a bit nervous. It had been forever since I walked into a club or even danced. I had a feeling I was going to look like an idiot.
Pulling in front of the club, we all piled out of the limo. I fell back behind, feeling nervous about going into the club. Alex must have sensed me lagging, because he turned around and reached a hand out for me to take. I accepted his hand and I allowed him to escort me into the club. We quickly walked past the line of people just starting to form and walked right inside. Instead of fighting our way through the crowd to the bar, we were taken to stairs leading to a VIP lounge with a balcony overlooking the dance floor. I started to relax, knowing if we were up there, then I wouldn’t be dancing.
Sam and Alex talked to the waitress, who was wearing barely there attire. All the time, Alex’s hand remained in mine. Derek came over, wrapped an arm around my shoulder, and squeezed, leaning in and said, “Let the shots begin.”
I dropped Alex’s hand and waved both of my hands in front of me, all while giving Derek a no response by shaking my head.
“Come on, Abbs, you were the queen of shots. I don’t know any girl who could handle her liquor like you could.”
“Well, that was the old me, the before kids me.” Thinking back, I really could handle my liquor, better than most of the guys I drank with, even better than David could.
“I hear you saying no, but I know your mind is saying yes. I’ll be right back.” Derek shot a sly grin at me and walked away.
“What was that grin for?” I heard Alex saying from behind me.
“Well, Derek remembers that I used to love doing shots and drinking my friends under a table. That was years ago. I haven’t done shots in a very long time.”
I could feel Alex’s breath on the back of my neck. “I’m sure it’s just like sex, once you start, everything starts coming back.” I could feel my face turning red. There was no way I was turning around and looking at him after he just said that.
I felt a light kick to my leg. I turned and saw Sam; she was holding two pink drinks. Sam reached over and handed one of the glasses filled with pink liquid to me. “I hope you like it, it’s super yummy. You can’t taste the liquor, but it will kick you in the ass quickly.” Taking a sip, she was right. It was super yummy and I couldn’t taste any trace of liquor in the drink.
Not long after, Derek returned with a hot little waitress trailing behind him. In the waitress’ hand was a tray with four shot glasses containing a gold looking liquid with lemons on the sides of each of the glasses. I looked at Derek and he had a huge smile on his face. I knew exactly what he ordered and I knew I was in trouble. Shaking my head at him, I couldn’t help but smile.
I could hear Sam yelling over the music to Derek asking what the shots were. He told her to ask me. Sam looked at me with a quizzical look on her face. Facing Sam, I shouted over the music, “Tequila.” Sam immediately stuck out her tongue and shook her head.
“Sorry, not doing it. I can’t, that shit kills my stomach.” Sam had a look of disgust on her face. I only smiled and laughed. Most people I knew couldn’t do tequila, but for some reason, I loved it and I could never get enough once I started. This alone scared me into wanting to skip the shot with Sam.
Everyone was now looking at me, wondering what I was going to do. I licked the side of my hand, applied the salt, licked the salt off, while looking at Alex, then I took the shot, after which I immediately placed the lemon in my mouth. Derek immediately put a smile on his face and Sam’s disgusted look turned to even more grossed out, if even possible. Alex leaned in and said, “I thought shots were meant to be done together, just like sex.”
“Well, luckily for you, there are still three more left. Do you think you can keep up?” Seriously, did I just challenge him to drinking shots or sex? I hadn’t drunk in forever and I was sure this was an everyday thing for him and his groupies after his shows.
“I’m not a shots type of guy, but if it’s like sex, I know I’ll be good at it.” Alex then grabbed a shot and nodded his head for Derek and me to follow. We all licked the sides of our hands, applied the salt, and licked the salt off. We gulped the shot and sucked on the lemon. Watching Alex suck on the lemon reminded me of when we were back in the hotel room. I couldn’t take my eyes off his mouth on the lemon. Alex set his glass on the tray and told the waitress to bring over the best bottle of tequila. Derek slapped him on the back and said something into his ear that I couldn’t hear.
Sam grabbed my hand and led me over to the small couch area in the VIP lounge. She told me to drink up so we could get our butts downstairs to dance. Sam and I talked and laughed about some of the girls on the dance floor trying to get Alex’s attention. I kept shooting gazes at him, but every time I looked, he was either talking to Derek or looking in my direction. I don’t even think he noticed the girls on the dance floor.
Sam stood and took my hand. “Come on, too much watching. It’s our turn to show these hoochies what dancing looks like.”
I immediately followed, but Alex pulled on my hand on the way past. I looked over at him and he was handing me another shot. I grabbed it and took it without the salt or lemon this time. I handed him the empty glass back and walked away. I could hear Derek in the background, “There’s the old Abby I know and love.”
Sam and I were having so much fun on the dance floor. We were dancing, moving together and laughing so hard my face hurt. After a while, I realized I needed to find a bathroom, because there was no way I could hold it any longer. Telling Sam where I was going, I headed to the back of the club. I stood in a decent size line and waited until I could finally get in. After I used the toilet, I looked at myself in the mirror while washing my hands. I had a thin layer of sweat on me and part of my hair was matted to my face. I reached into my purse, found a hair tie and pulled my hair into a loose ponytail on the back of my neck. Immediately, I felt a little cooler.
Walking out of the bathroom, I felt someone grab me. At
first, I thought it was Sam, but after turning and looking, I realized it wasn’t Sam or anyone else that I knew. I tried to shake my hand loose, but the guy grabbed it harder, yanking me into him. “Wanna dance?” He asked, while licking the side of my face.
With my right hand, I started pushing the man’s chest, telling him to let go of me. He obviously thought that was funny, because now he was pulling my body into his, laughing, and running his hand down my ass. Without even thinking, I brought my knee up and kneed him in his groin. He immediately let go of me, but he quickly responded by grabbing at me again. I hastily turned and ran into someone who felt like a wall.
I look up and saw Alex, with his face twisted with rage. He leaned over and told me to wait right there. Alex walked up to the guy, said something, and pushed him into the wall. Alex grabbed the guy by his throat and immediately started talking quietly to him. The man looked over at me and shook his head. Alex then released his grip around the man’s neck, but kept his hand on his chest, holding him to the wall. Then Alex came back to my side, gently took my hand, and led me back into the main club area.
Alex turned me to face him, bringing both his hands to the side of my face. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry. I tried getting through the crowd to get to you sooner, but I couldn’t get there fast enough.”
Still slightly shaken by the whole thing, I managed to crack a smile and respond, “I’m fine. Nothing I couldn’t handle.” Knowing if the man had gotten hold of me again, it wouldn’t have been okay. I royally pissed the guy off and he had hate in his eyes when I looked back at him. I was trying not to sound like I was about to fall to pieces. I quickly said to Alex, “Come on, I could use another drink.”
Alex took my hand and led me back up to the VIP lounge. Once we were up there, he brought me to the couch and we sat. Alex then poured us another shot of tequila. This time, he licked the inside of my wrist and applied the salt. Alex stared into my eyes, licked the salt from my wrist and took his shot, skipping the lemon this time. I quickly took mine straight again, not breaking his gaze. I could feel my breathing hitch and saw his chest rising more rapidly too. At that moment, I was glad I was not the only one affected by the looks being cast between us.
