Page 83 of All Her Broken Pieces

She shakes her head against me, her face still planted firmly against my chest. “It’s not that. There’s a man a few booths behind you with black hair and a nice suit. He’s the CEO of my company. I don’t care if he sees us together, but I don’t want him to see me in a sex club. Oh shit, I’ll never be able to show my face at work again.”

Craning my neck, I twist to find the man she’s describing. He’s sitting a few booths away, sipping a drink while a young woman plants kisses on his neck. “The guy with the blonde?” I clarify.

“That’s him, his name is Mark. Please get me out of here before he sees me.”

“I’ve never seen you cower from anyone like this before.”

“He’s practically my boss and someone I’ve spent years cultivating a persona for so he would see me as an equal he could respect and promote. I worked too damn hard impressing that man to lose it in an instant because he saw mehere.”

“I got you. I’m taking you to a private room. Wrap your legs around my waist, and keep your head on my shoulder.”

I move to the end of the booth and stand, holding her in my arms with a hand under her ass, doing my best to cover anything peeking out of her short dress. The bouncer waves us through the rope, and I head down the hallway, looking for an unoccupied room. Sounds of pleasure surround us as people moan and cry out from the rooms we pass. Near the end of the hall, I see that room ten is free, and I close the door behind us as we enter.

The space is simple. There’s a king-sized bed in the middle of one wall, and the opposite wall is made entirely of mirrors. There’s a dresser next to the door and a sink on the other side of that. Bridget still clings to me as I soothe her, body trembling uncontrollably. “Are you okay? You’re breathing awfully fast.”

“I… I… I th-think… I ca–I c-can’t… b-breathe,” she stutters out, clutching at her chest with one hand. I cross to the bed, holding her as I sit on the edge.

“Bridget, breathe. You’re having a panic attack. It’s okay.” I rub my hands up and down her back in a soothing motion. “Look at me. I know what you’re feeling is scary, but it’s not dangerous. I’m going to keep you safe, I promise. Can you take a deep breath and hold it for five seconds?”

Her pupils are dilated, and she’s having trouble focusing as she sucks in a shaky breath. I take a deep breath too and hold it, nodding at her to do the same. She takes a measured breath, making several attempts to hold it before she’s successful.

“That’s my good girl. Focus on my eyes. Now exhale. Good, I’m so proud of you. Take another deep breath and hold it for six seconds.” I continue making slow strokes on her back with my knuckles. “Now focus on my dimple. I know how much you love it.”

“I do n-not,” she protests through shuddering breaths. I move a hand to her wrist, feeling for her pulse point as I glance at the clock on the wall behind her.

“Keep holding that breath,” I say as I count her heartbeats. I’ve got to get her to calm down. “It’s okay. I’ve caught you staring at this dimple a lot. I know you like it.” I wink at her as the tension eases from her shoulders. “Good, now exhale. That’s it. Keep listening to my voice. Nod if you can do that.”

Giving the slightest nod, she lets out a breath, and I resume making circles and light strokes on her back as I try to relax her.

“Take another deep breath and hold it. You’re doing amazing. Keep listening to my voice and focusing on the way I’m stroking your back. Exhale and nod if you can feel my hands on your back.” She slowly nods as her eyes focus on mine.

“Good, we’re going to play a little counting game. Can you tell me five things you can see in this room?”

Her eyes dart around, and I can tell she’s having difficulty focusing. It’s as though I’m giving her a test she didn’t study for. “B-bed… mirror… uhhh… light fix–fixture …p–pillows… red walls.”

“That’s so good. Can you tell me four things you can touch?” I implore, moving my hands to her hips, lightly squeezing them.

She looks down at my chest as her hand reaches up to play with the fabric on my shirt, “Your body. This bed. The floor. Um… your legs.” She squeezes me with her thighs as she straddles me, and I can feel the tension starting to leave her body as her breathing becomes less chaotic.

“That’s it. You’re doing so well. Focus on one of those things as you continue taking deep breaths,” I coax as I dig my fingertips into her hips, squeezing and massaging before moving up to rest them on her waist. We sit there for several minutes, her hands palming my shoulders, her thighs squeezing mine, and I continue to model breathing for her. “Three things you can hear.”

“Your voice… music…” She trails off as she concentrates, closing her eyes to listen to the noises in the club. “I think someone’s moaning?” She lets out the tiniest laugh as her eyes open and flit up to meet mine.

“Tell me two things you can smell.”

“Your cologne. It’s sea salt, bergamot, and maybe citrus?” She stares into my eyes, baring her soul for me. She knows the individual notes of my cologne as though she’s memorized it. Fuck, that’s hot.

“You’re right. Now tell me something you can taste.”

She thinks for a second, a little more color returning to her cheeks. “Bourbon.”

I can feel the tension easing out of her body as we sit there, her breathing slowly returning to normal as I grab her wrist again, checking her pulse. It’s down but still high. “This is not the kind of pulse I thought I’d encounter in a club named Pulse.”

She lightly chuckles as she releases another breath. Returning my hand to her waist, we stare at each other for a few beats as I continue miming for her to copy my deep breaths. She lowers her forehead to my chest as she wraps her arms around my neck. My arms band around her back as I pull her into an embrace. We sit on the bed, inhaling deeply as we cling to each other. Her nose rubs along the column of my neck. It brings me immeasurable joy to know that my smell calms her.

The room is silent except for our breathing when my voice pierces through the stillness, “I’ve got you, sweetheart. Keep breathing for me so I can get your heart rate back to normal, okay?”

She nods against my neck as I kiss along her hairline. Once I feel her arms start to relax their hold, I reach for her face and hold her cheeks in my palms. “How are you feeling? How can I help you?”

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