Page 97 of Playing Flirty

I knew how much Shaun loved laser tag.

Thoughtful William was far sexier than Jealous William.

The next band stepped up to the stage and introduced themselves as Raggedy Andy, which was our cue. Neema exchanged looks with those of us who’d attended pole dancing lessons with her, and those who were still willing slipped backstage.

My gaze fell on Lincoln, who had his phone outstretched and wore a grimace if I’d ever seen one. I was so distracted by his obvious discomfort that I forgot all about my nerves. His gaze met mine, and I started laughing. His signature half smile appeared on his face while he shook his head.

Raggedy Andy opened with a silky intro, and my skin shivered with anticipation. I walked onstage and took a pole on the right side. Neema chose the pole at center front.

Finding William in the crowded room was easy. Between his height and energy, I was certain I’d sense him from across the world. He stared at me in disbelief, his mouth openly smiling. At that moment, I decided I would maintain eye contact with him throughout the entire routine. It was my turn to win this dangerous game we insisted on playing.

As music filled the room, we started moving in unison. While I had no idea what I looked like, I felt sexy even though the routine the instructor taught us mostly consisted of twirls and spins. And judging from the sounds coming from the audience, we must’ve been doing something right.

When our routine ended, we formed a line at the top of the stage, bowing together while the band cheered and the audience applauded.

Climbing off the front of the stage, I walked toward William, who stood with his arms crossed, waiting for me.

“Unfair,” he said, his breath quick and heavy.

He threw his head back and groaned, and I couldn’t stifle my giggle.

The energy in the room, combined with the heat and desire radiating off William, put me in a daze. I smiled, enjoying the upper hand for once. He leaned in and whispered something else, but I caught a glimpse over his shoulder of someone staring at me from onstage.

“Patrick,” I said out loud.

William pulled back, a look of disdain covering his face. “Excuse me?”

I pointed. “No. It’s actually Patrick. Onstage.”

Round 32

William turned, his gaze locking onto my ex-boyfriend, who stared at us.

“What’s he doing here?” William asked.

“I… I don’t…” I stammered, unable to catch up with what my eyes were seeing.

One of Raggedy Andy’s members passed Patrick a mic.

No. No. What is this?

“Ahem, hello,” Patrick greeted the crowd before turning his attention directly on me.

Beside me, William released a long grumble. Everyone else in the club returned Patrick’s greeting.

My beating heart changed gears from excitement to panic at the same speed as my racing thoughts. I couldn’t slow it down enough to make sense of it. But I didn’t need to because Patrick cleared his throat and spoke again.

“I’ll keep it quick. Thanks for the opportunity, everyone. I’m here because I’m an idiot.”

He paused and laughed, and a few members of the audience joined him. “I’m an idiot because I had the most amazing woman in my life, and I lost her.”

Patrick’s gaze met mine, and I looked at my feet, at my hands, at Neema and Shaun—everywhere except at the man onstage or the man standing next to me.

“Babe.” He walked toward the edge of the stage and waited for me to look up.

I didn’t want to, but the gaze of every person in the room bore into me, waiting for my response. Reluctantly, my eyes met Patrick’s.

“I know I never showed you love in the way you wanted. I know you wanted me to love you openly and publicly. So here I am, in front of most of your friends and an uncomfortable number of strangers, and I’m asking you to come back.”

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