With my heart
in my mouth, I climbed up onto River’s platform. I say River’s. It wasn’t
really his, per se but he danced on this one the most – and most of the punters
came to watch him.
There were
going to be some disappointed guys down there tonight – but I didn’t much care
– I wasn’t after any of them. I just wanted the one who was celebrating his
birthday...
The music
had a driving beat and I could feel it vibrating through my body. I closed my
eyes and took in a deep, steadying breath. This was no different than kicking
off the start line in a motocross race. I knew I could do it – I’d been
practicing pole dancing at home for months – years even. It was brilliant for strengthening your core – which
was a great asset in biking... Well, that was my excuse – I just loved
pole-dancing if I was gonna be completely honest...
Opening my
eyes, I started to dance. Everywhere I looked I was met with surprised eyes – eyes
of men that had never given me a second glance before even when I was stretched
across their tables to reach the glasses. Now, it seemed, I’d become their
overnight object of desire. Fickle bastards...
I chanced a
glance over at the bar. Seth and Simon and River and Jodie were all stood with
their mouths open as they watched me. I grinned and did a little salute before
I carried on with my routine.
It was a
little disconcerting that Micha still had his back to me. Surely he’d want to
know what all the fuss was about?
I glanced
back again after a particularly tricky move that got the audience in uproar, to
find that he wasn’t sat at the bar any longer.
My heart
sank. Hell. Where did he go? Had he
left?
I finished
off my routine with a little flourish and made to get off the podium.
I felt a
pair of warm, strong hands on my waist as I descended the steps. I whipped
around, ready to snap at whoever it was that thought they could touch me to get
their hands off. My eyes met with a pair that I hadn’t seen this close in a while
and I wanted to let out a groan. Micha.
At last...
“I didn’t
know you danced.” He murmured, his eyes glowing with some sort of an emotion I
couldn’t quite put my finger on. Was it lust? Desire? Or was it something
stronger than that? Well, if it was, I seriously didn’t deserve it...
I shrugged,
“I don’t usually.’ I said a little breathlessly, “I wait tables here at night
to make ends meet.” Shouldn’t have said
that... what was it about Micha that had me blurting out all sorts of shit I
wouldn’t usually tell anyone?
His eyes
widened, “So what were you doing up there?”
I grinned,
“Attracting the attention of a famous motocross rider – well, you know, trying to anyway...”
His eyebrows
shot up, “You knew I was here?”
I nodded
shyly, feeling my face going red. We’d been friends for years before I broke
both of our hearts that night in the hospital and now I had no idea how to talk
to him – blurting out stuff that should be kept quiet aside, “I saw you walk
in, so I asked River if he minded me dancing his regular slot instead of him –
probably pissed more guys off than got them off, but to hell with them, right?”
I smiled up at him.
Micha
nodded, “Right, right.” He agreed, “But why?”
I sighed as
I sat down beside him on one of the leather sofas that were nearer the back of
the club where it was quieter, “Because I wanted to talk to you.” Wanted to kiss you, wanted to tear all your
clothes off you and make mad, sweaty love to you – right here on the sofa...
He blinked,
“What about?” he asked.
I sighed and
shrugged my shoulders, “Everything.” I said. It was time he knew that I hadn’t
rejected him out of anything other than fear for his safety. Not that he’d
believe me now that he was a millionaire, heading for super-stardom while I was
still working two jobs to make ends meet...
Pre-order from Amazon now... release date 31st October 2016
Since I've been asked by a fair few of you if Chas is gonna get his story, I thought I'd do something about it.... so this one is about Chas -if you don't know who Chas is, let me remind you - he appears as Clarissa's bar manager in my Riverside series. Thank you guys for suggesting it - I think he totally deserved a story of his own... with a whole lot of mushy Christmas romance to go with it - and, why not?
I've started writing a new series called "The Band..."
