Page 2 of Once Upon a Dance Club Wish

After a few songs, I was ready for a break. If the guy wanted to dance with someone else, I would give him the opportunity.Maybe he could find someone he had a chance of convincing to take him home.

“Thank you.” I rested my palm on his bicep and gave him a light squeeze. “That was fun.”

“Where are you going?” He grabbed my wrist and yanked me into his chest. “You’re mine tonight. I already claimed you.”

Claimed?My body tensed as my heart raced. Who did he think he was, some het who listened to a few too many alpha male podcasts?

“Yeah, I’m not interested.” I tried to push off his chest, but his hold was too tight.

“That’s not what your body says.” He slid his hand between us, palming my cock.

“Hey, Nel, how’s it going?” Allen, one of my former coworkers, passed by with his boyfriend. Enough attention to get the pushy young punk to let go of me.

“Good.” I smiled briefly, more thankful for the interruption rather than the reminder I’d lost my job. “Just needed to get out after everything that happened this week.”

“Yeah, me, too.” Allen remained with us, dancing in place, as if he knew I needed his presence there.

Yet, I didn’t want to stop him from having a good time. “I... I need to use the bathroom.” Or find a way out of the place without the pushy dude following me.

The young punk clasped the back of my arm. “I’ll go with you.”

I shook him off, still glad for the audience so he didn’t try anything else. “No, you go buy me a drink for when I return.” Which would never happen.

Before he could object, I hurried away, heading in the direction of the bathroom then slipping through the shadows of the club until I reached one of the emergency exits.

“You okay?” the bouncer asked from nearby.

“Just looking for a quick exit.” Taking a hasty glance behind me, I tried to check if I’d been followed.

“You got a ride?” The bouncer stood behind me, hiding me simply with his size. “Or is anyone aware you’re leaving?”

“Thank you for your help.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “I’ll send my roommate a text and let him know I’m heading home.”

The bouncer nodded.

After texting Jack, I stepped toward the door, but the bouncer stopped me. “Here. You dropped this.”

He handed me the business card the hooded man had given me while we were in line. I had not bothered to look at it until that moment. On one side, it read:Make a wish. On the other side, the text was too small for me to read without my glasses.

Make a wish?

What I really wanted was a stable job and relationship, to no longer have to move every time one coupling ended or another began. I took a deep breath as I stepped out into the cooler night air. “I wish I could find a man who would love me and whom I would love for the rest of my life.”

Suddenly, a wave of vertigo hit me, as if I’d been knocked off-balance by an invisible force. The door slammed shut behind me, quickly blocking the loud music from inside. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing my senses to right themselves again. I needed to be fully aware of my surroundings out in the alley. I’d only had one drink. Yet, when I opened my eyes, the sight before me left me even more confused.

Instead of escaping into the alley behind Hung, I’d somehow ended up at the edge of a forest. Behind me, the emergency exit in the large brick building had disappeared, giving way to a meadow of tall grasses that swayed in the breeze. Plus, it was daytime. It should be dark. The moon should be out instead of the sun.

Shit, had that punk slipped me something, leaving me in a delusional state?

A couple steps into the forest, I sat on a fallen log. Probably not the best decision with white pants on, but none of it was real anyway.

With my eyes closed, I massaged my temples and took a few deep breaths. That’s when I noticed a difference in the air. In an alley, I expected the combined scents of exhaust, sewage, and a sampling of many food sources. Yet, wherever I’d ended up smelled of moist earth and vegetation with slight floral notes blown in from the meadow.

I can’t really have ended up here, right?

Then, blurry and glowing like a mirage, I spotted a figure walking toward me. A man, naked in all his glory. With his thick thighs, warm-brown skin, and a lightly haired wide chest, he was quite a sight to behold.Yes, definitely a dream.

Chapter Two

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