Page 421 of Rock Me All Night
"I want to dance with you."
"Why?"
"'Cause you believe in me." He slides his hands to my hips. "If you're not interested, I'll find someone else. It's a yes or no proposition."
"Okay. Let's dance."
He guides my hips.
I'm not playing nice. I sway with him, arching my back to rub my ass against his crotch. My heels put me at the perfect height to make thishardfor him.
He leans in to whisper in my ear. "Are you really okay with this?"
I copy his favorite comeback. "You keep dancing like that and I'm going to get ideas."
He shifts his body away from mine. "You know what I'm asking."
Of course I'm not okay. But he knows that. There's no way I'm going to say it again. I turn and stare Tom in his eyes. "Try to make it last. I could use the five hundred dollars."
He stares though me like he's looking into my soul. "You don't look okay."
I can hold this poker face for another ten seconds. No, he's still close. Make that three seconds. Two.
I turn away from Tom. "I hope you enjoy yourself. Excuse me."
One. My facade crumbles. I cut through the crowd before he has the chance to look at me.
The dance floor is throbbing with warm bodies and pheromones. No one who wants company is going home alone. Not that Tom ever lacks for a partner.
I find the woman's bathroom and hide out until my breath returns to normal. I can face this. So I'm crazy for a guy who's about to take a stranger home for anonymous sex? So what? It's not like I'd fall to pieces over a little thing like my heart breaking.
After twenty minutes, I give up on solitude and go in search of Miles or Pete. They're sitting on the couch, whispering about something. Their expressions flare with concern when they spot me but they still wave me over.
I plop in the spot between them and try to tune in to the conversation about independent film. But my eyes have a mind of their own. They find Tom. He's dancing with a short, dark-haired woman. She paws at him, already more than willing.
"You have a favorite TV show, Willow?" Miles asks.
"Murder, She Wrote."
Her hands slide around his neck. She rises to her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. He nods and looks over at the couch.
Miles waves him towards the door.
Pete clears his throat. "You ever seeMonk?"
"No. I'll have to check that out." I play with the hem of my dress, willing my eyes to stay on my knees.
They refuse. Tom nods back to Miles. Even though he's fifty feet away, his eyes catch mine. He stares through me again. It's like he's opening up my head and dissecting my thoughts.
But he's not. Because he's turning and he's leading that girl out of the club.
I listen to Pete and Miles discuss cozy mysteries for five minutes. Their words fly through my ears. Tom is going home with that woman.
My eyes sting. Something warm and salty rolls down my cheek.
Fuck. I'm crying.
I can't cry here.
