Page 14 of Hold Me
“Good,” she says. “But that’s over, right? You no longer have to pay anyone for anything.”
“Yeah.” I nod.
“Whatever you do, don’t call Caleb again, okay?” Her eyes meet mine, and I frown.
“What does it matter if I call him again or not?”
“You shouldn’t be around people like him. That’s all.” She focuses her gaze on the crowd again.
“People like him? What do you mean?”
“For Christ’s sake, Lilith. He’s a prostitute. Do you really think he’s perfect and doesn’t have any secrets? Just don’t get dragged into his shit, okay?” She picks up her glass, her hand shaking.
“Do you know him? Or someone who knows him?” I raise an eyebrow at her.
“No.” She refuses to look at me and now she’s gripping the glass with both hands. I’m not sure if I believe her, although why would she lie? Maybe she does know Caleb somehow. But before I can ask her more, she gets to her feet.
“Don’t wait for me.” She disappears into the dancing crowd and I can’t tell who she spotted.
Damn it. As I take a sip of my drink, I watch people having fun. A shiver runs through my body as I notice a dark-haired man in company of some men and women, his back turned to me. He reminds me so much of Caleb that I want to go see if it’s really him, but I can’t force myself to get up. Even if it is him, who’s to say he’ll even want to see me? Maybe he’s here with his friends who aren’t supposed to know anything about his job. I definitely don’t want to ruin his life or make things complicated for him.
A blond guy suddenly nudges the Caleb look-alike with his elbow and says something to him. Shit, the blond guy must have seen me staring for too long. But as the dark-haired man turns around, I realize he’s not Caleb, so I spin around on my stool and face the bar. Great. Now I’ll be seeing Caleb in every man out there.
“Hey,” a male voice next to me startles me so much that I nearly knock my glass over. I glance at the man and realize it’s the same dark-haired man I’ve been staring at. His eyes are gray or blue—I can’t tell because of the flashing lights—and he’s definitely not ugly. Or maybe I just can’t see well enough in the dark. Still, I give him a smile and let him buy me a drink.
“What’s your name, gorgeous?” He hops onto the stool next to me.
“Lilith,” I say. “And you are...?”
“Ryan.” He leans forward. “What are you doing here all alone?”
“Waiting for the right person to take me to the dance floor.” I give him a look under my eyelashes. He immediately offers me his hand and I take it. Once we reach the dance floor, he pulls me into his arms, his hands going for my ass. He’s not even trying to follow the rhythm of the song and keeps groping me. I move out of his embrace and start to dance on my own.
He’s still smiling at me and reaching out, but I twirl and evade him. But then he grabs my arm and grips it so hard that I stop to glare at him.
“Where are you going, baby?” he drawls. “I want you right here.” He tugs on my arm and pulls me toward him, making me stumble. I barely catch myself as he spins me around so he can press himself against my back. I can feel his erection at the small of my back, and when his hands go up to my boobs, I’ve had enough. I push his hands away and shove him off me.
“Hey, come back!” he yells after me, but I stride off to the other end of the dance floor and don’t look back.
Intent on forgetting Ryan ever existed and that he actually put his filthy hands on me, I look around for a decent dance partner. A tall dark-haired guy eyes me from the corner, but he doesn’t make a move toward me. Straightening my shoulders, I saunter toward him and start dancing in his full view. As I look over my shoulder, I wink at him. He finally approaches but doesn’t try to touch me. That’s a good sign.
“You’re a great dancer,” he says. All I can see are his dark eyes, and suddenly, his face melts into another that I actually want to see: Caleb’s.
“What’s your name?” I ask, hoping that talking will help me push Caleb out of my mind. There’s really no reason for me to think about him. None at all. And of course, he’s not here. Why would he be? I’m here to have fun and dance, maybe meet a new friend or a potential boyfriend, and not spend the whole night obsessing over the one I can’t have.
“Finn.”
“Lilith,” I say, offering him my hand. “Dance with me, Finn.”
He smiles at me, then slips his hand into mine. I pull him toward me and he awkwardly places his arms around my waist. I’m really glad a slow song is playing, but after some time of slow dancing, I can’t stop my mind from wandering back to Caleb. Where is he now? What is he doing? Maybe he’s with another client. Maybe he’s making some woman writhe and moan underneath him. A thrill surges through my body and I press myself closer to Finn, who tenses, so I look up at him.
“What’s wrong? Don’t like slow songs?” I try to sound cheerful.
“No, I just... I’m not a good dancer.” He swallows.
“You’re doing pretty fine.”
“Are you sure?” he asks, but a smile is tugging at his lips.