Domineering. Sinister. Blue.
A tremor went through me, raising goosebumps along my arms. I felt naked and exposed under that dark, probing regard.
"Great, now Prince Arrogant is staring at us like we're part of the night's floor show."
I barely heard her, mesmerized by the predatory slip of that sensual mouth as he murmured something to his companion, not once breaking our electrifying eye contact.
Was he...beckoning me closer? Surely not. I must be projecting or something.
My mouth went dry at the mere thought. Surely not, Isabella. Get a grip. He's probably just getting a kick out of watching the poor squabble amongst ourselves for sport.
A smirk slowly curved those full lips, as if he could read the flutter of confused thoughts whirling through my mind. He leaned back languidly, the contours of his body rippling with feline grace beneath the fine suiting.
"Hello? Earth to Isabella?" Kat waved a hand in front of my face, shattering the sensual reverie. "You spaced out for a second there. What's got you so zoned?"
I blinked rapidly, struggling to regain my bearings as the raucous club sounds came crashing back over me.
Flustered, I gestured vaguely towards the VIP lounge. "I just...that guy was..."
"Ooh girl, don't tell me Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome over there has you all flustered?" She elbowed me. "I knew you had it in you to appreciate some prime man candy!"
"Shut up, Kat," I mumbled, desperate to regain some sense of equilibrium. "It's not like that..."
"Ok, enough moping around!" Kat drained the last of her drink and slammed the glass down decisively. "If Prince Pompous over there isn't going to grace us lowly peasants with his presence, we'll just have to show him what he's missing."
Before I could protest, she seized my hand and started dragging me towards the pulsing heart of the dance floor. "C'mon Iz, time to shake that gorgeous ass and make every man here drool, starting with Mr. Blue-Eyed Babe himself."
The next thing I knew, I was swallowed by the churning mass of gyrating bodies, pressed in on all sides by the crush of heat and movement. Kat didn't hesitate, seamlessly blending into the sinuous undulations with her usual confidence.
Closing my eyes, I surrendered to the insistent pulse, allowing the intoxicating blend of sound and motion to lick over my limbs. My hips picked up the beat, swaying and dipping with a sensual candence that bloomed outward until my entire body was riding the airwaves.
When my lids finally fluttered open again, I caught sight of Kat at the epicenter of a knot of admiring males. One particularly audacious guy was plastered against her back, hands roaming brazenly over the swell of her hips as she gyrated against him.
Meeting my wide-eyed gaze, she flashed me a wicked grin and mouthed, "See? Told you I'd get some!" before throwing herself shamelessly back into the delirious grind.
I couldn't help the grudging smirk that tugged my own lips at her antics. Leave it to Kat to manifest exactly what she wanted in record time. My gaze drifted idly onward, only to snag on a pair of blazing blue irises that seemed to bore straight through the roiling crowd from their smoldering vantage point.
A jolt went through me, the heavy beat of want that pulsed between my legs momentarily throwing me off-kilter. Those penetrating eyes were following my every undulation with a singular focus that was equal parts terrifying and thrilling.
I should have looked away, regained my senses. This was madness - flagrantly stoking the fire with a dangerous stranger for some perverse thrill. But some reckless part of me was intoxicated by his heated appraisal.
The music seemed to swell in perfect harmony with the burgeoning ache, wordless vocals caressing my swaying body like phantom hands. I surrendered fully to its sensual spell, allowing the euphoric vibrations to wash over me as I mouthed the carnal lyrics with shameless abandon.
Holding that smoldering blue gaze hostage with my own, I rolled my hips in slow, undulating circles, caressing the air in a rapturous invitation. There was no mistaking the message I was boldly projecting into the space between us...
And judging by the slow, heated friction of his tongue dragging across that sinful lower lip, my mysterious observer understood it loud and clear.
My pulse thundered with a heady mix of fear and abandon. This was quickly spiraling into dangerous territory - territory I wasn't remotely prepared to navigate.
Between the alcohol and stifling crowd, I felt overwhelmed by the onslaught of sensations. I needed a moment to catch my breath.
"I'm just gonna hit the restroom real quick!" I shouted over the pulsing music, already pushing my way through the sweaty throngs.
Stumbling into the blessedly quieter hallway, I gulped in a few cleansing lungfuls of air. After relieving the uncomfortable pressure in my bladder, I splashed some cool water on my flushed face, Internal mantra: Get it together, Isa. You're better than this sideshow weirdness with strange men.
As I exited the bathroom, I barreled right into a solid wall of muscle and expensive cologne. "Oh! Excuse me, I'm so sor-"
The words died in my throat as I craned my neck back, suddenly trapped in the snare of those piercing blue eyes. That chiseled, arrogant face was mere inches from mine, twisted into a condescending sneer.
"If it isn't the pretty little tease from the dance floor." His voice was all gruff with an underpinning of dark menace.
Before I could react or respond, he had me slammed against the dingy hallway wall, one massive hand wrapped around my throat just snug enough to steal my breath. I stared up at him in rattled terror, wildly searching that ruthless visage for any sign of deranged intent.
He leaned in so close I could taste the whiskey and cigar smoke gusting over me. "Here's the deal, babygirl. I've seen the way you were eyefuckin' me out there, all suggestive and coy..."
A rough thumb caressed my thundering pulse almost tenderly, completely at odds with the viselike grip. "And if I catch those pretty eyes begging for it again, you and me are gonna be having a real close encounter of the raunchy kind, got it?"
My knees trembled faintly, equal parts arousal and dread sloshing through my veins at his crude insinuation. I couldn't seem to formulate a single coherent word.
A wicked smirk slowly curved those devilish lips as he continued in a rumbling purr, "So what say, babygirl? You understand what Daddy's telling you here? Better nod if you want me to let you breathe again."
Choking on panic, I managed a jerky nod. Instantly, his iron grip released, leaving me sagging weakly against the wall as he stepped back.
Those shrewd cerulean pools raked contemptuously over my disheveled state before he threw me one last sinister smirk, reached out to pat my blazing cheek in a grotesque parody of affection, and sauntered off down the hallway without a backward glance.
I stood rooted to that grungy bit of wall for what felt like an eternity, shaking like a leaf in the wake of the devastating encounter. My thoughts were an incoherent whirlwind of confusion, indignation, and shameful arousal.
Just what the hell kind of dangerous game had I stumbled into here?