One Cruel Night

“What’s your poison?” Penn spoke into my ear.

“Surprise me,” I told him to cover the fact that I had no clue what to order.

He pulled me through the crowd to the bar and ordered us both drinks. He got some dark amber whiskey concoction. My drink was called a strawberry macaron and tasted as if I were biting into the pastry. I groaned at the flavor. If all drinks tasted like this, then maybe I’d drink more. I downed the drink nearly as fast as Amy had earlier that evening.

“This is so good,” I said, stumbling forward into him.

“Whoa there,” he said. He gripped my hip and held me up. “That thing has, like, six shots in it. Be careful.”

I stared at the tiny glass and blinked. There was only a quarter left. “Whoops. It doesn’t even taste like alcohol.”

“That’s how it gets you.” His attention was trained on me. “You don’t drink often, do you?”

“Almost never,” I admitted.

He plucked the rest of the drink from my hand. “You don’t need to be drunk to have a good time.”

“I think it’s a little late for that.” I leaned into him and boldly ran my hand down the front of his suit. “We should dance.”

“And here I thought, you hated dancing.”

“Ballroom dancing,” I clarified. I sucked at that, but I had some experience shaking my ass on the dance floor. It was impossible to have Amy as a friend and not know how to shake it.

“By all means, love, lead the way.”

I reached for his hand and let the alcohol direct my steps through the pulsing crowd. I meandered until I found what I was looking for—an enormous open-air patio. I’d heard someone mention it on our way in. What better way to dance the night away than under the Parisian night sky?

The music was a sensual electric pop beat that thrummed through my veins. People pressed in on all sides, letting the beats fuel their hips. I swirled my own hips in an alluring fashion and then turned to face Penn’s awaiting body. I grabbed his suit lapels and tugged him closer to me. His hands slid into place on my sides, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. The way we’d been when ballroom dancing was sweet. Tempting but still sweet. This was way beyond that.

My gaze snagged on his, and our eyes stayed locked as our hips did all the speaking. His fingers traced down my body, over my hips, and then dug into my skin to pull me closer and closer until there was nothing between us. Just a breath between our lips. A span that felt like an eternity.

We’d shared that one kiss in front of the Eiffel Tower, and now, it felt as if I’d been waiting all night to get back to that moment. To taste him and the sin that he was offering. I was tipsy enough to do it, to lean forward and take what I wanted. And, still, I hesitated.

He must have seen the hesitation on my face. The desire that he elicited so plainly there. Like a window to every thought. He smirked in the most delectable way and then moved forward just an inch closer. His lips barely touched mine. His tongue slipped out to graze my bottom lip. I couldn’t control the moan that escaped me. Even over the drone of the music, he heard it.

“Fuck,” he groaned.

I nodded. That was exactly how I felt. My whole body was alive at his touch. That one almost kiss had set my nerves alive for what felt like the first time in my life. Was this why Amy was reckless with her heart? It had never felt this good to have someone touch me. I had never wanted it as much as I did now. It felt dangerous…and yet I liked the danger. I liked the unknown. I wanted more of it and more of him, and I didn’t want to think about anything else. I just wanted to enjoy myself and this one perfect night.

My thoughts focused on how to get us alone. How to escape the crowd to get those lips on me. How to enjoy my night to the fullest.

“Maybe we could…” I nodded my head at a back hallway.

His eyes swept to where I’d suggested and then widened. “Really?”

“Yeah,” I said, though I didn’t understand his surprise. It looked like a secluded area where we could make out. And, right now, that was exactly what I wanted.

He shrugged one shoulder. “All right.”

I’d seen other people wandering down this hallway, and I’d figured they also wanted some privacy, but I was not prepared for what I found.

“Oh!” I squeaked.

Penn laughed. “What did you think you’d find?”

“I don’t know.”

But not sex rooms or a mirrored room to share or, god, a fetish room. I’d seen my fair share of porn. I wasn’t completely innocent just because I’d never had sex. But that didn’t mean I’d seen any of it in person.