Page 26 of Between Never and Forever
I’m not supposed to move into the audience until later. Mack, the owner of the club, takes the safety of her dancers seriously. We don’t step foot into the crowd without an assigned bouncer. That way, if anyone gets handsy, the matter is taken care of immediately. Mack was a dancer before she bought the club, so she knows exactly what could go wrong and the best ways to avoid it.
She’s going to be so pissed at me. I can tell Bobby already is by the way he’s snapping into his walkie. I flare my eyes and flash him a sweet smile as I make my way to Levi’s table.
Get back up there,he mouths, nodding toward the stage.
I blow him a kiss and give him my ass instead.
I’m going to catch so much shit for this, but I push that thought out of my mind and zero my attention in on the side of Levi’s head. It’s still bowed, and his face is lit up by the phone screen. I’m actually offended that I’m so easy to ignore. Is the ruckus of the crowd not telling enough that I’m worth watching?
I dance as I weave my way through the tables, stopping here and there to let someone shove some cash in my shorts or garter. I play it up as best I can and try to hide the fact that all of my focus is on the blond square in the corner, but by the time I’m standing next to his table, my attention is obvious.
Well, obvious to everyone but him.
That damn phone.
I plant myself in front of him, snatch the phone from his hands, and shove it in the waistband of my shorts. His eyes fly to mine, and I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing at just how irritated he looks. I remember that look. I used to know it well.
The myriad of emotions that pass over his face is so entertaining.
First, he’s angry. He’s mid-reach to take back his phone when his jaw drops and he scans my face, shocked. I purse my lips in an attempt to hide my smile and cock my head to the side, daring him. I put my hands on my hips and push my pelvis out just a little. An offering. You can have the phone back if you take it yourself.
He doesn’t make another grab for it, though. Instead, his lips curl into a boyish smile and he shakes his head slowly.
“Savannah?”
I can barely hear him over the music and the whooping of the crowd, but I wink and close the distance between us, stepping between his widespread legs and placing my hands on his shoulders. I lean forward and invade his space, taking pride in the way he sucks in a surprised breath, before bringing my lips to the shell of his ear and whispering.
“Hey, Weenie.”
He laughs, his breath skirting over my collarbone. I pull back just enough to flash him a taunting smile before putting my palms on his chest and pushing him back forcefully in his chair. His eyes flare wide, and his mouth opens on a gasp. I drag my hands roughly down his chest and up his arms, then I arch an eyebrow.
“You been working out, Cooper?”
I shout the question over the music and give his biceps a squeeze. His mouth lifts back up into that lopsided grin, and it makes my stomach flip over on itself, so I do what I need to regain the upper hand. I bite my lip, run my palms over his muscular thighs, and croon into his ear, “How ‘bout a dance, big boy?”
Levi looks terrified as I turn my back to him, and it takes all my self-control not to laugh out loud. I glance up to look for Bobby and find that he’s followed me. He’s now standing just two tables over with his arms crossed and an intimidating look on his face. He’s such a good bouncer. I give him a small smile, then focus back on Levi.
I don’t usually do lap dances. Getting this close to patrons skeeves me out, and Mack is awesome enough to let me be a bottle girl when everyone else is working the crowd. But the moment I lower my ass over Levi’s lap, and he growls my name in warning, I’m glad I’m making an exception for him.
“Savannah.”
His tenor is low and threatening, completely at odds with the voice of the boy in my memories, but the scolding way he says my name fills me with nostalgic glee.
I’m downright giddy to be irritating Levi Cooper again.
“Yes, Levi?” I sing as I rub up on him.
I flex my fingertips into the space just above his knees where I’ve braced my hands, and I feel his muscles tense. It makes my smile grow, and I roll my hips, so my ass just barely grazes the crotch of his pants. It’s more of a tease than anything else—the only place we’re actually touching is where I’ve planted my hands on his legs for stability—but something about the proximity has my heart racing.
He doesn’t say anything else. Just sits stiff as a board as I move over him, and I glance down to see his hand clenched into a tight fist at his side, almost as if it’s taking all his strength not to shove me off of him. I can’t tell if that amuses me or upsets me, but I stand and turn to face him anyway.
His jaw is tight, eyes locked on mine, and his nostrils flare as I straddle him. Levi’s friends are hooting and hollering like a bunch of chimps at the zoo, but we never look away from each other. I grab his hands and place them on my waist, then wait a few breaths, giving him ample time to remove them. I arch a brow in challenge, and when he presses his fingers into me, I smirk.
I throw a quick glance at Bobby to let him know I’m still good, then lace my fingers behind my head and start to roll my hips, lowering myself down Levi’s body then back up again. I practically shove my boobs in his face, but he never breaks eye contact. Never once takes a peek at my chest. I bite my lower lip, lick them seductively, grab my breasts and give them a little bounce. The only reaction I get from him is a heated stare and a faint twitch at the corners of his mouth.
It's a bit of an ego kill, if I’m honest.
My thighs burn from suspending myself just above his, and I can tell from the chorus playing through the speakers that my last track is almost over, so I drop down into Levi’s lap for the final verse. His chest rumbles in a way that makes my skin prickle with awareness. Emboldened, I start to roll my hips again, but stop abruptly when I feel him beneath me.
