Page 33 of The Ties We Break

“Hello, Rose, so lovely to see you, and what a great surprise. I bought tequila shots for everyone. I know you like them,” Guy says to me with a big smile. I’m very aware that the phone call with Dec is still running, but I’m too creeped out by Guy’s presence. I say hi politely before talking into the phone to finish my call.

“It’s so strange. Guy from the club is here, and we just bumped into him out of the blue. Weird, isn’t it? Anyway, I'm going to celebrate, and we will meet for those final lessons soon. I hope I see you really, really soon,” I say, trying to keep my voice as emotionless as possible. I don’t know why I want Declan to come, but Guy creeps me out, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence he’s here.

“Drink up, Belle,” he says, handing me the glass of tequila that I instantly put on the table again. I certainly won't be drinking anything he gives me.

“Please don’t call me that. My club name is Rose, so don’t call me anything else. And I’d rather have a bottle of water, but thank you,” I state firmly.

“Okay, I will go and get you one,” he replies cheerfully, and I decline, saying I’ll get my own when I’m ready. He looks at me with big, puppy dog eyes that I’m sure work with some women, but not me.

I look over at Sian, who has detached herself from the lips of the nameless guy from school. I’m not sure she knows his name either, and she’s taking in the scene before her. I know she can tell how uncomfortable I am and that I’m silently pleading with her for help, so she steps in.

“Come on, Boo. You owe me a dance. Let’s leave the men to have a few more drinks while we have some girl time together,” Sian says as she reaches over the table to take ahold of my arm. She begins to pull me out of the booth, and Guy has no option but to move and let me out, although he doesn’t look happy about it.

As we walk to the dance floor, I feel him start to follow us. With a quick squeeze of Sian's hand that is still wrapped in mine, and a glance over my shoulder, she steps in again, holding her free hand out to stop him. “Sorry, Guy. This is girl time only.” Without giving him time to answer, she pulls me onto the dance floor.

When it’s just the two of us surrounded by the crowd of people enveloped by the music, I eventually begin to relax. I allow the beat of the bass to fill me up, and I start swaying my hips like I do in my bedroom. When I’m alone, or it’s just Sian and me having a fun dance together, I have no problems throwing down and shaking my ass. But in public, I’ve never been able to let loose, until now, that is.

Using the skills Declan taught me, I close my eyes to turn off that sense and allow the others to become heightened. The vibrations ripple over my body as heat fills me. My heart races, and I realise I’m actually enjoying myself. I twist and sway with my eyes closed, just feeling the beat and living in the moment.

As the song changes, Sian grabs hold of me, and we move to the music together, having more fun than I have in a while. I don’t know how many song changes we go through, but we just keep dancing. We follow the music, shaking our asses to the rhythm. Sian pulls away when the guy from earlier slides up behind her. He puts his hands on her hips, and I see him pull her body flush against his. Sian begins to grind her ass in time with the music, no doubt grinding over his cock at the same time. They don’t call it dirty dancing for no reason.

Turning away, I let them have their privacy, but I continue to move my body. As I close my eyes, I imagine Declan holding me the way that guy is holding Sian. Given how he moves in bed, I can imagine Dec is a great dancer. In my imagination, he’s a fucking great dancer, and he loves gripping my hips, pulling me tight against him, and letting me ride his denim-covered cock. The fantasy starts to feel so real, and I realise I’ve had too much to drink. I can almost feel his hands on my hips, his breath on my neck, and his cock against my ass.

Wait! There’s no way that would seem so real. I pause and open my eyes, struggling to allow reality to seep back in at first because of the flashing strobe light that hurt my eyes. I look down to see hands gripping my hips and begin panicking. Turning slightly, I see it's Guy who is holding me, not Declan.

“Keep going, Rose. I love the way you keep grinding that peachy ass against my cock. It’s good practice for in a couple of days when we will be doing it for real,” he whispers into my ear as he begins kissing along my neck.

A shudder of revulsion spreads through my spine, but he sees it as a good sign, letting out a small moan as he pulls my ass onto his cock. I refuse to move, trying as hard as I can to pull free, but his oversized, ridiculous-looking muscles come in handy because he holds me firmly in place. “Let me go, now. I do not consent to this, so stop touching me and let me go.” I know my words sound overly professional and not that threatening, but it’s the best I can do in a panic.

The light sheen of sweat that built up while I was dancing begins to worsen as my heart rate increases, along with the impending feeling of doom that’s causing a pit in my abdomen. I start to panic, and even though I try to control my breathing, it comes out as pants while I struggle against his hold.

I can’t believe I’m surrounded by people, yet nobody notices what’s happening. Nobody knows how scared shitless I am right now. I have no idea what he is capable of.

CRACK!

I’m pulled out of my panic attack when Guy lifts up my dress and slaps my left ass cheek as hard as he can. The sting is intense, and I can’t help the loud yelp that escapes. That was not a playful spank. It was hard and painful, like a real punishment. Not at all like the fun punishments Declan and I do. “Start moving that pretty little ass, Rose, or I will slap you until your ass is as red as your shoes and your name. I like my girls to be obedient. Now, do as you are told.” His voice no longer sounds creepy. He sounds rough and intense, maybe a little dangerous. I have no idea what this guy is capable of, which scares me. But, I won't just stand by and be bullied or abused.

With every bit of force that I can muster, pulling on all the confidence Declan gave me and thinking of him at the same time, I attempt to pull away again as I shout at Guy. “I will never be obedient to you! You can slap me as much as you want, but it won't work. You will never break me!” Standing tall, I mean every word of it.

As he lands another stinging blow on my right ass cheek, I’m pulled from his grip. Before I can assess what’s happening, the people on the dance floor part like the red sea, and I see two men rolling around on the floor, throwing punches at each other. One of the men is Guy, and I’m so pleased someone saw what was happening and came to my rescue.

While the crowd around me cheers, and I try to see who the person defending me is, I feel myself being pulled away. Gently, I feel someone tugging down the hem of my dress. With all the drama, I forgot Guy had pulled it up, exposing my ass to the whole club. A familiar voice shouts at me as they guide me to a seat out of the way from the action. “Sit here, please, Issy. I need to stop him,” says Kian before he dives into the fray. There are arms and legs everywhere, but I know there’s only one person Kian would dive into a fight for like that.

I try to catch sight of him, praying that he hasn’t been hurt. Guy is all muscles, and I hate to think of him using that strength against Dec. Thankfully, as Kian, with the help of two bouncers, starts to pull the two guys apart, Dec doesn’t look too injured. On the other hand, Guy has cuts and scratches all over his face, blood dripping everywhere, and I’m pretty sure his nose is broken, given its dodgy angle. Kian appears to whisper something in Declan’s ear, and after a few deep breaths, he calms down before turning and running toward me.

As soon as he reaches me, he doesn’t even say a word, just scoops me up into what can only be described as a bridal hold. He practically runs out of the club holding me, and only when we are alone in the alley next door does he put me down.

Taking my head in his hands, he strokes my cheeks just like he always did before assessing my body for any harm. I do the same to him, taking in his swollen and cut knuckles, the bleeding cut above his eye, and the red-tinged cheek that will definitely turn into a bruise very soon. I stand frozen, not knowing what to do, but Declan does.

Pulling my head up for easier access, he crashes his lips against mine, opening up the desperate frenzy we have for each other. The kiss is hard, bruising, and full of passion. I can feel the roughness from the wall scraping against my back as I slide my hand under Dec’s T-shirt and scratch down his back, desperate to get closer. I can feel his hard cock, and as I snake my hand down to take it out of his jeans, I have never been more sure of my decision. This may not be where I dreamed of losing my virginity, up against a wall, in the alley of a club, after just being assaulted, but none of that matters. This situation made me even more sure of my decision. I don’t need romance and hearts. All I need is him.

“Do it, Dec. Fuck me. Don’t think, just do it.” My words are stern, and as he stares into my eyes, I know he sees sincerity. Then he nods with that sexy, cocky smirk of his, and it melts me.

Spinning me around, he presses my chest against the wall and tilts my pelvis so that my ass is sticking out. He flicks my dress up to my waist as he literally rips my thong off. His rough, wet fingers slide through my slit. Just the idea of Declan finally giving me what I want, I can feel myself getting wetter. I know he’s making sure I’m ready to take him, but I don’t care. I know I’m ready. I just want it now!

“Dec, mate! Sorry, but we’ve gotta get out of here. The bar manager called the Garda. Let’s get out of here before we both end up in jail!” shouts Kian from just around the corner. He obviously knows what is going on because he doesn’t come into the alley.

With an array of swear words, Declan makes sure we both look presentable, keeping my hand clasped in his at all times. “Come home with me?” Dec asks, hope shining in his eyes.

---