Pulse (2 page)

I didn’t know how else to put it. Maybe George’s friend was gorgeous and exactly what I was looking for. That didn’t matter though. The night was still young and we had just stepped foot in the club. I had barely taken a sip of my drink. I didn’t know what it was but something told me that I could do better than George and his friend.

I gave Danica a look to let her know what I was thinking. She nodded as casually as she could and took George off to the side.

“Well, I don’t want to waste any time,” she said. “Come on, let’s have some fun. You’re not going anywhere now, are you?”

“Where would I go?” I said to her.

She smirked at me and pulled George onto the dance floor. If he were upset about what I said to him, I couldn’t tell. Danica had taken his attention and given him just a piece of what he wanted. Whether or not she was genuinely into him or paying him back for the drinks didn’t matter. She wasted no time in grinding up against him and getting lost on the dance floor.

I leaned up against the bar and observed the spectacle in front of me. Men wearing their dress shirts and overpriced jeans did their best to stick-out from everybody else. Some looked more desperate than others as they tried to gain the attention of the women surrounding them. The females were game even if they weren’t making it as apparent as their male counterparts. Their hair was done-up and the makeup made all of them look like glamour models. Their outfits were sheer and sexy. There was so much skin on display and not a single one of them was ashamed of it. They didn’t have anything to hide. My friend Danica was one of them.

As I watched her dance with the man on the floor, I took a moment to see just how beautiful she was. She writhed up against George, raising her arms up around his neck as she pushed her back up against him. Her eyes were closed and she seemed deep in the moment. The bass thumped through the speakers and the friendly conversations all around me were a perfect drunken chorus. I was alone but I wasn’t upset. It was only a matter of time until I found what I was looking for.

After taking the time to observe my friend, I turned back to the bartender to order myself another drink. I could feel the rush of the alcohol running in my blood. There was a feeling rumbling in my stomach. My legs were beginning to loosen up. But I was still coherent. Coherent enough to notice the man standing at the other end of the bar.

It was hard to describe him. He stuck out from all of the other men in the club but I couldn’t explain it exactly. He was a good-looking man, no question about that. But there was something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on. His brown hair was styled but nothing spectacular. I could only guess what was hiding underneath his shirt. As I stared at him—the alcohol giving me the courage to look back at him—everything else seemed to be moving in slow motion. He was the only thing that wasn’t moving. He was like a piece of art with everybody walking by and around him. I almost didn’t think he was real.

Our eyes met across the bar.

All right, Alice. He seems interesting enough…

I raised my drink up to my lips and took a sip. I trailed my tongue ever so slightly across the rim of my glass before lapping up some of the liquor that was spilled across it. The corner of his lip twitched into the tiniest little grin. Now I knew that he was real.

Now what?

There was always two ways to play it. You could either play it cool and act like a lady. Let him come to you. Any man who doesn’t have the confidence to say anything to you isn’t the kind of gentleman you want to waste your time with.

But I knew better than anybody that it wasn’t like that any more. If there were something you wanted, there’s no reason not to take it. Why bother wasting your time?

It didn’t matter in this case. Sometimes when you’re trying to make a decision, someone else will make it for you. The man pushed himself up away from the bar and slowly made his way toward me. I turned my attention away from him, keeping just in range from the corner of my eye. There was always this feeling of anticipation when you knew a man was interested. While most women were too busy worrying about what to say or what they looked like, I always reminded myself that he was just a man. I wasn’t some shy virgin still in high school. Hell, I wasn’t even in college at this point. I took the time he spent walking toward me to enjoy this brief little moment before we met.

He took the spot right next to me. I turned my head away from him but I could feel him right there. I took another sip of my drink and waited to hear what he was going to say. But it never came. All I could hear was the sound of the music that I had grown numb to and the drunken conversation from all of the people surrounding me.

Okay, Alice. Let’s see what this guy’s all about.

I turned my head and looked at him. He was staring at me and I wasn’t prepared for it. I could tell he was good-looking from several meters away but up close, he was more striking. Even underneath the flashing lights of the club, his light brown eyes were piercing. He had the remnants of a few days without shaving upon his face but I didn’t mind. My eyes trailed down the rest of his face and noticed how muscular his arms were as they leaned up against the bar next to me.

I was caught off-guard for only a second but that was all he needed. I held back a gasp as I saw him. The lack of expression on his face was quickly replaced by a devilish smirk. He still didn’t say anything though. He placed his drink on the counter then turned around with his back leaning up against the bar. I took another sip of my drink in the hopes that I could rid myself of an anxiety that I wasn’t used to feeling. I had blown-off George’s offer to meet his friend so easily and now I suddenly found myself captivated by a man who hadn’t spoken a single word.

When I turned to look at him, his eyes were on the dance floor. The way he was staring told me that he wasn’t really paying attention though. He looked bored. It was obvious that he wasn’t captivated by anything he saw. He was just looking for something to do.

What are you waiting for? Say something.

I wasn’t even sure whom I was talking to at this point. There were a lot of things I could say to him. I wanted him to say it though. I wanted him to tell me that I was the one. That’s what every woman wants. They want to hear it for themselves. I was waiting for him to hand it to me. As the alcohol started to take more of an effect on me, I found myself struggling to hold myself back.

What is it with this guy? Why is he so intriguing? Who is he?

I found myself asking so many questions in my head that I started to laugh. When I did, he turned his head toward me and finally gave me what I was looking for.

“I like your smile,” he said.

“I bet you say that to all the women you talk to.”

“I do. That’s why I don’t talk to very many women.”

I nodded to him and held back another laugh. I took another sip of my drink. I swallowed it down and sighed, finally deciding to see what this guy’s deal was.

“So, what brings you here?” I asked him.

“What brings anybody here? I’m just looking to have some fun. This is the place to have a good time, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve been here.”

“Is that right? It’s mine, too. It appears that we’re in this together.”

“So it would seem.”

He winked at me and finally turned away from the dance floor. He took a sip of his drink then placed it back down next to mine. He leaned in close to me. I felt the firmness of his arm push up against my skin. He moved his head close to mine. He started to speak into my ear.

“Are you here by yourself?”

The warmth of his breath on my flesh tickled me. His voice was low and deep but I didn’t have any trouble hearing him underneath the music. I smiled and shook my head.

“I’m with a friend. She’s on the dance floor right now.”

“So, she’s busy?”

“You could say that. What does that matter though?”

He pulled his head away from me and the sly grin on his face forced me to make one of my own. As little as I knew about the man, there was an unmistakable look in his eye. I knew that look. But even though it was so blatantly obvious, I couldn’t have any fun with him without having a different kind of amusement first.

“What about you?” I asked him. “Who are you here with?”

“It’s just me.”

“Just you? What kind of man goes out to a club by himself?”

“A man like me, apparently. Is it that strange?”

“A little bit. It’s hard to have fun when you’re alone.”

“I’m not alone any more.”

“…That’s good,” I smiled at him. “Really good. You know, you’re really smooth. You know exactly what to say and how to say it.”

“I aim to please.”

The alcohol was kicking-in. He was more good-looking than any man in the club right now. He was gorgeous, in fact. And more important than anything, he was giving me the attention that I wanted. I never imagined that I would find the man that would entertain me for the night so soon. Now it was just a matter of figuring everything else out.

“So, what’s your name?” I asked him.

“Do you really need to know my name?”

“Oh, come on! Are you really going to play that game with me?”

“Yes. Besides, does it
really
matter what my name is?”

It didn’t. I was just figuring out a way to formally ask him if he was interested in giving me what I was looking for.

“Well, I have to call you something,” I said.

“What do I look like?”

“What?”

“What is my name? Who do I look like?”

I narrowed my eyes at him as he smiled back at me.

“You look like a… James.”

“James? And what about me makes me look like a James?”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I was just taking a stab in the dark.”

He laughed at me but didn’t confirm whether or not I had actually guessed his name correctly. Instead of being frustrated with the game he was playing, I decided to humor him.

“What about me?” I asked him. “What do I look like?”

He pulled his head back and observed me. His eyes looked me up and down. I narrowed my eyes at him and stood-up straight with my arms crossed. I was curious to see what his response would be.

“Tonight, let’s call you… Natasha.”

“Natasha?” I laughed. “I haven’t heard that before. Now tell me, James, why would you call me Natasha?”

He leaned in close to me and started to whisper in my ear.

“Because I’ve always wanted to fuck a Natasha.”

I didn’t move from my spot. I swallowed as he slowly pulled his head away from me. I could feel him staring at me as I looked forward at the bar. I reached down for my drink and finished it. The entire time, he didn’t say a single word to me. I could feel his eyes upon me, lingering. After what felt like several minutes, I finally turned and looked at him.

“And what makes you think you’re going to fuck—”

“Let’s not play any more games.”

I was surprised as he cut me off. He leaned in close to me and began to whisper in my ear once again.

“We both came here for the same reason,” he said. “I’ll be James. You be Natasha. What’s the point in waiting any longer?”

He was right once again. There really wasn’t any reason for me to wait any longer. I could spend the rest of the night looking for someone better but after just a few minutes with him, I had already made up my mind. He was the hook-up I was looking for tonight. It was time to seal our unspoken agreement.

“The night is still young,
James
. You’re not in a hurry, are you?”

“No, but I think you are.”

“Not at all.”

“Very well. I can wait as long as you can. Besides, climbing up the mountain is just as enjoyable as being on top.”

“On top, indeed.”

I winked and smiled at him. We laughed with one another and he got the attention of the bartender. We clinked our glasses together and more liquor flowed into my stomach. Tonight was going to be a good night.

Chapter 3

All of the alcohol in my bloodstream seemed to warm up my body. When I stepped outside of the club, the brisk night air sent a rush through me. The line to get inside was now longer than ever.

James didn’t want to wait. Neither did I. After a few more minutes of chit-chat and teasing, James decided it would be a waste of time to prolong the inevitable. He had a candid way of putting things. I was already feeling tipsy and the desire I had inside of me was getting to me between my legs. There wasn’t a better candidate for the job than the man I was with right now.

“Come on, let’s go!”

I giggled and smiled at him as I stumbled out of the club. With my hand in his, I followed him past the line of people who were trying to get in. I noticed that several people in line were checking him out. I suppose I couldn’t blame them. He was good-looking in a rugged sort of way. He almost looked out of place at a club like this. And now that the flashing lights of the club were replaced with the moonlight, I could finally get a better look at him.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“To a place where we could have some fun.”

He turned around and smirked at me. I followed him, my curiosity now piqued. There was no question that we were both going to get what we wanted. Now it was just a matter of where it would take place.

He suddenly stopped in his place. We were a few buildings down from the club but I could still hear the music from everywhere else lingering in the air.

“What are you—”

Before I could question him, he suddenly jerked my arm and ducked into a back alley. The immediate darkness was a stark contrast from the populated streets we were just walking. Despite the desire burning inside of me, I began to grow somewhat concerned that he was taking me to a place I didn’t want to be.

What if he’s some kind of murderer? What if he’s looking for a place to leave my body? They’re going to find me dead in some alley and put it all over the news.

I didn’t question him though. I didn’t stop and I didn’t hesitate. All of the doubts I had were pushed to the side and I gripped his hand even tighter. Before I knew it, we were just outside of a building with music thumping loud from within. There was a lone streetlight in the distance so I could barely make him out.