Page 54 of Dirty Rock

“Listen, man, that sounds like an excellent meme to plaster all over Facebook, but I—”

Geoffrey’s face fell, and he closed the gap between us, pressing a hand to my chest. I looked down at it like he was challenging me, and my defences rose. With a raise of my brow, I set my mouth into a straight line and looked up at him.

“What? Is there a rule of no sarcasm here, too?” I challenged.

“Are you clean?”

“Excuse me?”

“Drugs, boy.”

Fucking boy.The most patronising thing a man of twenty-six could be called. “I’m clean,” I forced out through gritted teeth. “The only thing I’m high on is her.”

“Her family mean a lot to me. You’d better treat her with respect.”

“Wasn’t aware I was doing anything other than that.”

The two of us stared at each other, and it was obvious he thought I was an arsehole. Why, exactly, I wasn’t sure. Maybe the guy had gone away after meeting me, and he’d hit up Google. The opening page of my name in the search bar was usually pretty damning to be fair. Still… Julia had assured me this was a place of peace. A place of privacy. A place of the exact opposite to what Geoffrey was displaying.

“I’m just here for the peace, love, unity, dance, soul, and, what was it? Oh… music. Whatever else you think I’m here for, I’m not. So, I think we’re done.”

“Just one more thing.” Geoffrey dropped his hand from my chest and tucked it away in the pocket of his loose trousers. “Don’t tell any of your other friends about this place. We like to keep it invite only. We plan on saving one last shred of a good time before the world ruins everything with drugs, fame, and money.”

I set my jaw tight and glared at him. Judgemental prick.

He seemed to sense my irritation, and he bowed his head and began to walk away. He’d only taken a few steps when I called out to him again.

“Geoffrey?”

He turned slowly, his expression blank.

“When we first got here, what did you whisper to Julia that made her laugh like that?” I asked.

His smile grew slowly. “I said she was going to eat you alive. And she will. She already is doing.”

With that, he turned and walked away, just as Julia came back into sight. The two of them passed each other by with nothing more than a high five before she came to a beautiful blunt stop in front of me. As soon as she saw my face, hers fell.

“What’s wrong?” she scowled.

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked. “If it’s invite only. If you’re wanting me to work for it. If you’re not ready for—”

She pushed against my chest with force, making my eyes and mouth pop open. Before I knew it, I was back on the dance floor, and Julia had her arms wrapped around my neck and her hips pressed against mine.

“Don’t do it, pretty boy.”

I gasped, a little winded as I automatically reached around to grip her arse in both hands. God, she felt good, and just the feel of those denim-covered cheeks made me soften. She fit in my hands perfectly. She fit against my body like we were made for each other.

“Don’t ruin the way I see you right now.” She smiled up at me.

“How do you see me?”

“Like someone I want to rub up against a bit more. The other stuff. The serious stuff… I’m not here for that tonight,” she said, guiding us into Erasure’sA Little Respect.“I’m here for the music and to feel free for a while. Join me, won’t you?”

She was so alive in my grip, joining her was all I could do. We spent the rest of the night pressed up against one another, dancing to old tunes, kissing like old lovers and panting like new, discovering different ways to grind, cuddle, and create so much heat, I couldn’t wait to put out the fire with our own sweat later.

We took shots of tequila, wiped our foreheads free of the moisture that was gathering whenever we were together, and Julia never stopped smiling for the rest of the night. If her happiness happened to be a fatal disease, I wanted to die from it.

The more the hours wore on, the more I became a limp noodle of lust against her endless energy and limitless sexual prowess. She led, and I followed, like a lovestruck, teenage pretty boy worshipping the worldly queen. She made me hard, soft, hard, soft, then hard again all night until every part of me ached. I was coiled, ready to break free. She rubbed the seam of her crotch over my knee again and again, the gentle yet perfect rhythm making me fantasise about the moves she’d make while riding my cock. Everything I thought I knew about foreplay was destroyed in one night of reggae and old soul music.

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