“Yep,” I say and she nods. My usual is a soda. I never drink on the job.
Just as Bonnie hands me my drink, the lights change and the room becomes more sensual. The darker setting with ambient lighting floods the room as one of the most popular dancers, Daisy, walks onto stage. She’s hot, and knows it. You would think the crowd would be shouting, but it's silent, all the men are mesmerized with her moves. The lines of her curves as she sways toward the pole and does her thing.
I walk over to the back of the club so I have a view of the seating area and drink my soda, without paying any attention to the dance. My mind drifts, thinking about anything and everything. I’m so zoned out that I don’t notice someone approaching me from the side, until a soft breath of a voice tingles my ear.
“I was hoping to find you here.”
I freeze. I recognize that exotic sexy voice. Carlos.
My head whips to the side to face him so fast I nearly drop my drink.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I say, gritting my teeth. Christ he looks good. Dressed all in black, his open shirt highlighting his firm chest, the gold chain beckoning me to come closer.
“I was looking for you. You left so fast last time I don’t feel like we went through proper introductions,” he says, standing too fucking close.
“Now we’ve been introduced. Bye.”
“Hey, why so cold? We’ll be working together. It's not unusual for colleagues to meet up.”
“I’m not cold. I just don’t see why you need to be talking to me right now.”
“I won’t say anything, if that's what you’re worried about?”
I look at him, my eyes unblinking, wondering what the hell is going on here.
“Worried? Why would I be worried?”
“You were checking me out. It was intense huh? Being attracted so fast by just a look. It's a shame we didn’t meet somewhere else.”
“My god, not only arrogant but deluded. Not interested.”
“How can you call me arrogant? You don’t even know me.”
“Did you not get the hint last time? Believe me, when a guy walks into a room swaggering like he owns the place like you did, it's not attractive.”
“Swagger? So you did like what you saw then,” he says, chuckling lowly and it annoys me that he’s right.
“This conversation is only proving my theory. I don’t know you, yet here you are forcing a conversation with me. Anyway, I’m not into guys.”
“How you lie so easily. You do know your friends probably already know.”
“There is nothing to know.”
“Such a little liar.”
“This little liar will punch you in the fucking face if you don’t stop calling me a little liar.”
“Calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down.”
“Are you always on edge like this? Do you hiss too?” he says, laughing like he’s a fucking comedian.
“I fucking bite, so don’t push it.”
If possible he moves closer to me and his eyes drift down to my throat where I know it looks like I’m trying to swallow a tennis ball. A sensation in my stomach builds that I only experienced once as a teen. Am I having butterflies?
“But I want to push it with you. Someone needs to set you free.”