Page 12 of Lily
Chapter 4
Lily and Sam were nearly to the door when a man from the front office approached. "Sam! Hey, I need a minute," he called out, waving a hand at them.
Beside her, Sam sighed and then stepped in front of her, blocking the man from her sight. "I have to talk to him and clear up some figures. I'll just be a few."
She nodded and wondered why he was blocking her as he was. The man, whoever he was, couldn't see her, nor him, and by the defensive posture of Sam's body, Lily wondered if that was his intention.
"I'll wait over there." She pointed to the small ring of couches that served as a seating area for anyone not wanting to be near the crowd at the bar or stage. He gave her a quick nod and touched her elbow lightly, the thickness of her coat making it impossible for her to feel his touch but seeing it was enough for her to feel secure.
He nodded at her again. "Just a sec." And then he was gone and turning toward the man who had called to him. Lily crossed to the seating area and sat. She couldn't help but look at where Sam was talking to the other man. She was curious about it all, but she only managed to get a quick glimpse of him before Sam was ushering him back toward the office he had emerged from.
Blowing out a sigh, Lily leaned back against the sofa and kicked her feet out. She hadn't realized how much she wanted to leave the club. Yes, she had accomplished her task of taking the stage and reclaiming another part of herself, but she wasn't much in the way of wanting to stay put.
The buzzing energy of the club and the crowd around her was starting to feel frantic. It was pressing in on her from all sides, and she could feel the calm facade she had used to take the stage slipping away from her by the second. She took in a deep gulp of air and swallowed hard, hands clenching in her pockets, as she worked to stay centered. Her eyes slid away from the now closed office door and to the bar.
If she had a drink maybe her nerves would calm themselves. It had been so long since she'd indulged in a drink, and she would be lying if she didn't crave a bit of the numbing power a cocktail could bring her. Lily wiggled her foot and looked away from the bar. If she drank, she didn't trust herself, not right now, not when she felt off-kilter like she did.
She shifted in her seat, eyes sliding away from the bar and to her feet. She hoped Sam didn't take much longer. But she could be patient, and she sat a little taller in her seat. She could be patient while she waited for Sam. She'd come this far; there was no need to miss the mark this close to leaving the club.
Her eyes snapped up at the sudden movement of the office door opening quickly. Sam was in the doorway, his face stern. Whatever had gone on in the office, he wasn't entirely happy with, and she wanted to shy away from the unsmiling expression on his face. But then, all of a sudden, he caught sight of her. Instantly, his eyes softened and his smile returned. The transformation was immediate, and the urge to run slipped away like water off a duck's back. Sam made to step toward her, but the man who had called him away appeared at his side and reached out, catching his arm.
Lily was able to see the man then; he had the look of the classic hipster she usually avoided when performing. He was the kind of man who knew he was attractive and flaunted it, all within designer clothing made to look as if it didn't carry the hefty price tag it took to leave the store. He had a roll of bills in his hand, a roll of bills that he held out in front of Sam with a flick of his wrist that had even Lily's hackles rising.
Sam's eyes left hers and dropped to the roll of bills. She didn't miss the way the man seemed to turn to marble in front of her. His eyes cut to the side, mouth barely moving as he spoke, but she knew whatever it was he was saying was not friendly or kind, not like when he spoke to her. Sam reached for the bills and took them with a jerk of his hand, and his fingers caught the man's hand and pulled him in close.
Lily's body tensed as she waited for a reaction from the man, but nothing happened. Her breath left her body when Sam dropped his hand, moving away from the man and out of the office without a second look over his shoulder.
"Is everything okay?" she asked when he came to stand in front of her. The interaction with the man from the office, the money passed between them, the terse words after, it all made her hesitant, but she still craved Sam's presence.
"It's fine. Are you ready to leave?" He held out his hand to her. She bit her lip and looked at it. She wanted to take his hand. Normally, Lily wouldn't let herself, would caution herself against indulging herself, but the urge to touch him was mounting, increasing with every second that she was in Sam's presence.
"Lily?" He was still holding his hand out to her, but his eyes were searching hers.
Once upon a time, Lily would have avoided Sam's hand, but that had no place here. She wouldn't let it. Lily didn't hold herself back and did exactly what she wanted.
She took his hand, her body coming alive at the simple touch, but Lily refused to pay it much mind in case she lost her nerve and pulled away. She had taken a big step tonight toward becoming the woman she wanted to be. Sam and her attraction to the man was nerve-racking, and before today, Lily would have shied away from the unexpected pull she felt, but she didn't much expect that would fit the bill to reclaiming who she had once been.
She would not lose the precious courage she was building, not when it came to Sam.
"Yes, I'm ready to go," she told him, her voice sounding steadier than she felt. He gave her a warm smile and tucked her hand close to his body.
"Don't worry." His body was solid against her, and Lily nearly asked why she would worry. There was nothing to worry about with him near.
She bit her tongue, barely keeping the words to herself. "I'm not."
"You are."
She jerked back, giving him a frown at his assertion. "I'm not." But this time, when she spoke, there was a tremor in her voice, but how could she tell him that it was not from fear but…desire? There was no way she could tell him of the desire that was pooling in her stomach and making her tremble when he came near, making it hard to concentrate when he spoke to her. How easily he slipped past her defenses and made her forget the sting of rejection her almost Dom had inflicted upon her spirit.
"I don't buy it, but that's all right. You just need time," he said with another easy smile.
Her breath caught looking up at him, the din of the club vanishing around them, leaving only Sam beside her. The man was stunning; she knew this, but when he smiled, he was the type of gorgeous that landed men on magazine covers and in feature films.
But he was in neither of those. Instead, he was here, holding her hand. She felt her lips turn up in an answering smile and she stepped closer to him until her body was brushing his, their clasped hands between them. If she turned her face up to his, it would be easy for them to kiss. She knew he would be good at it, that he would make it good for her. The thought sent a thrill through her and she leaned against him, her other hand moving to touch him as her gaze moved to his lips.
"Sam!"
And just like that, the spell was broken. She blinked, surprised by how close she had come to making a rash mistake. Sam sighed and looked over his shoulder toward the person who had called to him. It was the hipster with the money roll.
