Page 57 of Property of Azrael

“Welcome to Azúcar Salsa Bar & Lounge. You can take a seat wherever you can find a space.” She steps away and walks over to a table near the dance floor to deliver her drinks.

“Come on.” I pull Hallie along behind me until I find an open two-top near the back of the room. I have her slide into the booth first, then I take a seat next to her.

A server pops by shortly after to take our drink orders. Hallie gets a margarita, but I opt for water. With Hallie on my bike, I’m not willing to take chances if I have a drink. She returns shortly after,

and Hallie dives into her drink as she watches the large group of couples dancing to the music, swaying in her seat.

“Having fun?”

She nods with her tiny straw still in her mouth. “How about a dance, then?”

Her eyes go wide. “Not yet. I don’t have enough

liquid courage in me yet to do that.”

“It’s just dancing, baby. You swaying and

grinding your ass into me. You already know how to do that.” She crinkles her nose at me. “Come on, Hallie. Dance with me.” I get up from the booth and extend my hand out to her. She peers around me to the crowd floor.

“Fuck it.” Finishing her drink, she sets the empty glass down and takes my hand. I lead her into the middle of the dance floor and raise my hand. When she places hers in it, I rest my other hand on her lower back.

She looks down at her feet, then back up at me. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Just dance, baby. There’s no rhyme or reason to it. Feel the beat, and just let your body take over.”

Without warning, I dip her back, the sound of her infectious laugh barely audible over the music. Her hips begin to move in a seductively slow sway, and soon, our bodies are moving in unison.

“Spin me!” she says through her laughter. I do, and she spins and twirls. The shimmery silver of her dress shines like a million diamonds on a dark night. We’re so caught up in what we’re doing, I nearly let her crash into a couple before pulling her back to me. That beautiful red hue staining her cheeks has me smiling from ear to ear.

When the song changes to something a little slower, Hallie reaches up and wraps her arms around my neck. Gliding my hands down to the top of her ass, I pull her tightly against me. She allows her head to lean against my chest and just feel the music and the sway of our bodies together.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” she replies, peering up at me.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said on the beach, about how you regret not getting to travel and explore life after college.”

She tips her head to the side. “Yeah?”

“You should do it. You’re still young, and you shouldn’t be working yourself to death. You need to enjoy life, and live in the here and now.”

“I want to, Az. If this trip has taught me anything, it’s that I’m missing this part of life, but it’s hard leaving my parents. Mom needs so much care, and when I’m not around, Dad is the only one there.” She sighs. “I’ve spent so much time taking care of my

mom that I’ve forgotten what it is to take care of myself.”

“You’ve been taking care of people your whole life. Let me take care of you.”

“What are you saying?”

“Stay with me, Hallie.”

“Az, we live in two different worlds. You have the

club and your business. I’m a nobody.”

It hurts to hear her think of herself that way.

Hallie’s beautiful, and a hard fucking worker. She’s sacrificed so much to take care of her family, starting with holding onto that shit heap of a car. The car that started all of this. In a way, I’m thankful for that hunk of junk.

---