“I'm sorry,” I say with a nod. “I guess I just can't seem to comprehend why you do it.” I glance over at him. “That's an honest statement. I really just don't understand.”
My breath catches in my throat as Derek leans forward, invading my space and making it impossible not to feel the heat that emanates from him, mixed with the tangy, seductive scent of his cologne. A quiet gasp escapes my lips, and for a moment I'm petrified that he's going to try to kiss me.
Instead, however, his arm reaches across in front of me and he gently pulls my hand off the door that I'm still holding open. With a gentle push, he closes it. His gaze never leaves mine. “Then let me make you understand,” he replies quietly.
The unspoken promise in his words leaves me once again only able to nod my head in agreement.
Without further conversation, Derek's hand finds mine and he pulls me gently toward the couch that's near the patio door of my suite.
“Aren't we... going out?” I ask, suddenly mortified by the thought of having to share these very close, very intimate quarters for another second with the man that’s driving every synapse and nerve ending in my body wild, albeit with my mind's reluctance.
“We will, if that's what you want,” he tells me. “But I think I need to put your mind at ease a little bit, and maybe set a few things straight before taking you out on the town where there may not be a quiet spot for me to sit and tell you the things I think you should hear.”
“You don't have to explain anything to me,” I advise him, suddenly feeling ashamed of how I've obviously made this more awkward than it needs to be.
“Obviously, I do.” He gives me a sad smile, never letting go of my hand as he lowers himself onto the couch and pulls me down beside him. “You obviously have a predetermined view of me, and I suppose that's warranted, considering how we met.”
“My first impression of you wasn't exactly ideal,” I admit.
He swallows again. “The thing is, Josie, you’re more hung up on it than I am.” He doesn't sound angry, per se, but Derek is definitely letting me know that my perception of what he does or doesn't do is of little importance to him. In fact, I think the only reason he's bringing it up is because I keep bringing it up, and that makes me feel even worse.
“I just don't get it,” I repeat. It comes out more like a whine, the sound a child would make when being scolded. This is not how I expected this night to begin.
He offers me another soft chuckle, and squeezes my hand tightly, still entwined with his. “I'm not asking you to. I'm just telling you that I have my reasons, and that what I do and who I am are two very different things. And you'd be wise to remember it, otherwise I'll be forced to show you instead of just tell you.”
The mischievous smirk that dances at the corners of his mouth makes my face burn with embarrassment again, and my mind is immediately taken back to the night before, with Derek's body melded against mine, and the damp heat of his breath against my ear. Curiosity could’ve easily gotten the best of me, and I find myself wanting to ask him to elaborate. But, the shy, more reserved part of me wins out, and I realize I'm too afraid that he might make good on his promise. “I believe you,” I say instead, hoping to diffuse the fluttering his suggestion is causing in the pit of my stomach.
Derek must notice the flushed tone of my skin and the muted, flustered quality of my voice, because he only grins wider, looking like the cat that just ate the canary. “Good,” he says, letting go of my hand and patting my knee gently before removing it altogether. “Now, what kind of night in legendary Las Vegas are you looking for, Josie? Because whether it's fine dining at a place that will have me dancing during extra shows in order to foot the bill, or the seedy underbelly of the city that you're looking for, I can guarantee you that we wouldn't have to go far to find it. Whatever it is you want tonight, it's yours.” He flashes his pearly smile at me, winking. “Just name it.”
“Well, I'm not really a seedy underbelly kind of girl, in case you haven't noticed.” I flash him a smirk of my own, trying to hide the excitement I feel at having my choice of doing or going or being whatever I want.
It's my choice.
Derek nods. “I kind of gathered that when you chastised me for my less-than-noble career choice,” he teases. “I guess what I'm asking is, what kinds of thrills and stories are you wanting to take with you when you leave the infamous City of Sin?” He leans back on the couch, tucking his hands behind his head.
The mischief in his eyes has my stomach in knots, but he's also got me feeling something foreign, something undoubtedly dangerous.
I feel excited.
Spontaneous.
Whether it's the sexy way I'm dressed, the idea that I lied to my friends in order to spend time with a guy I've only just met, or the fact that this gorgeous man is sitting in front of me offering up anything I want within the limits of Las Vegas (which means there are no limits), I feel daring, for the first time in my safe, routine life.
“You sound like you know this city pretty well,” I say with a grin. “You like to take a walk on the wild side every now and again as well, do you?”
Derek's eyes glint, and very slowly and meticulously he leans forward, his face dangerously close to mine. “Is that what you're doing tonight? Taking a walk on the wild side?”
Damn him and his unbelievably intoxicating eyes. Derek is exactly the hazardous kind of mix I've done my best to avoid for my entire college career. He's sexy, he's intriguing, and he seems to always only be one breath away from suggesting something that might be a really bad idea, but hearing it in his voice makes it sound like a really good one. A really good one.
Emboldened by the drunkenness I feel at being so close to him, and taking in the sensual scent of the cologne he's wearing, the corner of my mouth twitches upward. “I don't know. Where would we have to go to take that kind of walk?”
Derek doesn't miss a beat. “Trust me, Josie, if it's the wild side you want, you don't have to go far to find it.” His eyes search mine, and whatever he sees in them makes him lick his lips to try to mask the wicked grin pulling at his mouth, and he swallows hard before speaking again. “In fact, if it's the wild side you're looking for, you don't have to go anywhere. Say the word, Josie, and I'll bring it to you. That's a promise.”
6
Derek
Josie is judgemental and rigid when it comes to her thoughts on the fact that I strip and dance as a career. She's been more than reluctant to spend time with me and give herself a chance to see me in any other light than the negative one she initially viewed me in.