Page 3 of Beneath the Watching

He leaned closer to me as if he were sharing a secret. “I know you see it.”

Goosebumps flittered across my skin as my breath hitched. Why was he paying attention to me? What was he talking about? His attention was one I’d daydreamed about, when I’d track him out of the corner of my eye, wondering what he was like. To have him sit next to me wasn’t something I’d ever thought would happen.

My friends wandered back to the tables, and I heard Kiara say my name in conversation. Madison yelled, “Having the besttime ever, babe!” James laughed along with her, ever amused by his girlfriend’s antics. It felt like I was observing everything from a far distance, the sounds of the club echoing around me, while I remained hyperaware of the man by my side.

James raised his voice, asking Stefan to get chairs again, but my new companion ignored him, getting comfortable and laying an arm on his lap. His shoulder brushed mine and I felt myself flush. He smelled amazing and his hair looked so incredibly soft I wanted to run my hand through it.

Al pushed past my seated friends, pausing next to Madison, and gently cupping her side as if to move her out of the way.

She was sitting down near Kiara.

The man who’s eyes I thought glowed stalked up behind Kiara’s seat, giving me a cursory glance. Someone called him Levon, refreshing my memory of his name. I felt Stefan come to attention, his posture straightening, his shoulder stiffening as Kiara slowly rose from her seat and left with the man. Madison wiggled her eyebrows at me before turning her attention back to her boyfriend.

A hand squeezed my leg, right above my knee. “Do you ever speak?” Stefan was eyeing me again.

“I do, but you learn a lot more by watching,” I replied, my focus on the imprint of heat left by his palm.

“Then you know.”

“Know what?” I asked, shredding a napkin on the table while I tried to regulate my breathing.

Stefan lifted his glass and took a sip, his eyes shuttering as if he’d tasted the nectar of the gods. “You’ve been betrayed.”

My heart leapt in my chest. I knew what he was implying, but they were just friends. Friendswithoutbenefits. “You’re wrong,” I objected.

“How many things do you think are overlooked because people can’t see what’s staring them in the face?” He set his glassdown and leaned back, his hand sliding up my leg a few inches, burning a hole in my thigh. “You’re looking at everything but not seeing anything.”

I gripped his hand, but it wouldn’t budge. “I see plenty.” Was he trying to be clever? His tone suggested he wasn’t, but the words came across as contrived.

“What do you see?”

My pulse was racing, his touch sending heat to my midsection. Stefan was implying Al was cheating on me with Madison and here I was, getting turned on by the man beside me. “I see you touching me when you shouldn’t be,” I retorted.

He laughed softly. “You don’t really mind though, do you?”

I wiggled, pulling myself closer to the table and resting my arms on the surface. His hand didn’t leave. Rather, it slid closer to my core, and he dragged his pinkie finger against my crotch. The feel of it penetrated through the fabric of my skirt, igniting desire.

“Stefan,” I whispered under my breath. Why was he doing this? He’d always faded into the background, paying me and everyone else no mind. Now, here he was, flirting with me, and planting ideas in my head. Ideas I had no business imagining despite having done so many times before, but it wasn’t like I was upset.

“Mabel?” he whispered back. He bent toward me, nuzzling my neck. I felt his breath against my skin, warm and compelling, encouraging me to cooperate. My head tilted as his lips brushed my skin and my eyes closed as his finger traced small circles between my legs. At any moment, someone could notice what we were doing. The thought both thrilled and worried me.

“Stop,” I said, shaking my head. “What are you doing to me?” I knew how I was supposed to feel about his indecent touching, but the accompanying emotions just weren’t surfacing. I was enjoying this much more than I should have and my complaintwas a total lie. How many times had I wished he’d noticed me? Too many evenings here at the casino with my friends to count.

He pulled his hand away and placed an elbow on the table. With his other hand, he lifted his drink as if nothing had happened. As if he hadn’t left me wet and needy and wanting so much more and feeling guilty for it. Just because my and Al’s relationship was unconventional, it didn’t make what I was doing any more acceptable.

“You didn’t tell me what you see,” he answered.

I met his knowing gaze as I followed Madison out of the corner of my eye. She was headed in the direction Kiara and Levon had disappeared in and I wondered what was going on. “I just like to know what’s going on around me. People are interesting.”

As I looked into his eyes, a thin red circle began to form around his pupils. He stared at me, daring me to say something, watching as if he expected me to scream or run away. My back hit the seat, but I didn’t make any other moves. The crimson stain seemed to peak before it dimmed, fading away.

His chest heaved as he let out a short laugh and placed his palms on the table. “Fascinating,” he remarked, leaving me even more confused than if he’d remained silent.

Madison returned to say goodbye, pulling my stunned gaze from Stefan’s changing eyes, before she and James left to go home.

“What did you do?” I asked. Everyone was gone, including Al. I hadn’t noticed the club clearing out and it had seemed abrupt, as if we’d fast-forwarded through the night.

“What do you mean?” Stefan finished the rest of his drink, putting the glass on the table.

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