Page 271 of Sin Bin

“Would you ladies like to dance?”

They swiveled their stools around to look at the two guys who stood behind them. One was black, the other white. Both were tall and relatively attractive.

“Well, what do we have here?” Jess tapped a finger to her lips as she sized up the two friends. The black guy was grinning hard, clearly dazzled by her beauty. When she batted her hazel eyes and flipped her long hair over her shoulder, he practically swooned.

Suppressing her laughter, Jess leaned over and whispered loudly in Meadow’s ear, “I’ll take the colorstruck brotha and you can have the wigger. If I wanted a lame black guy dipped in white chocolate, I’d just date a lame black guy.”

Meadow bit back a smile.

“So do y’all wanna dance or nah?” asked the so-called wigger.

“Sure, why not?” Jess knocked back the rest of her mojito and launched herself at the black guy, whooping delightedly when he scooped her up and spun her around. “C’mon, Meadow! Let’s par-tay!”

Meadow downed her drink and slammed the empty glass down on the bar. Then she took the white guy’s hand, letting him help her off the stool and out to the packed dance floor.

For the next hour she laughed and danced, trying to party her pain away. But the harder she danced, the more she wanted to cry. Even after chugging two more mojitos, the images in her head were as splinteringly horrific as ever.

When she could no longer keep up the charade, she tapped her partner’s sweaty chest and shouted above the music, “I’m gonna sit down.”

He frowned at her. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she lied. “I’ve just had enough dancing for the night.”

“Aw, c’mon, baby girl. Don’t be like that. We were having such a good time, even though you won’t let me get closer.” He smirked. “Do I stink or something? Why the polite distance?”

“Honestly, I shouldn’t be here. I have a boyfriend.” She forced an apologetic smile. “Thanks for your company.”

When she turned to walk away, he grabbed her around the waist and hauled her back against him.

She stiffened with shock. “Let go of me.”

“Nah, baby,” he laughed, grinding against her backside. “I don’t care if you got a man. I’m not done with this phat ass yet.”

“The hell you aren’t.” She struggled, trying to pry his arm from around her waist.

“Yo, stop being such a fucking tease,” he spat angrily in her ear, tightening his iron grip.

Fear and panic shot through her, fueled by memories of that terrifying night when she’d struggled in her uncle’s arms. “Let go of me! I’m serious!”

Her shrill voice turned a few heads.

Jess, who was nearby twerking on the black guy, called out playfully to his friend, “Everything okay over there?”

“Everything’s good, sexy. Your little friend is just playing hard to get.”

Jess laughed. “Don’t mind her. She’s just shy and repress—” She broke off suddenly, her eyes widening as she stared through the crowd. “Oh shit.”

Meadow turned her head, following the direction of Jess’s alarmed stare.

She froze.

Logan was here.

And he looked so furious, she could practically see the heat of his body rippling the air around him.

Oh shit indeed.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

---