Reckless Secrets (15 page)

I grinned back at him. "You this time?"

He laughed again.

"There is no piercing tonight, you tease. We'll just have to dance. I'm dying to see your moves."
 

We made our way through the crowd to the second-floor ballroom.

"The place we first met," he said as we reached the top of the stairs. "Bring back any memories?"

"Yeah, something about a pool ball comes to mind."

He slid his hot hand down my bare midriff and traced my bellybutton provocatively until I felt a clenching longing between my legs.

I gently touched his healing eye. "This is a nice, reminiscent touch."

He laughed. "I'd do anything for you, El. You know that."
 

I kissed him. "Let's dance."

As we made our way to the center of the ballroom dance floor, the bass of the music throbbed. The strobe lights pulsed. I smiled at Logan and danced for him, gyrating to the music, hands above my head, breaking into hip waves.

Logan put his hands on my hips, squeezing, holding them like he owned me, moving with me, and the game was on. I removed his hands from my hip and pole walked around him, sliding my arm around him, touching his cheek, looking into his eyes, daring him to keep up with me. Daring him not to get turned on. Treating him like he was a stripper pole I could wrap myself around and never let go of.

I stopped with my back to him and began body waving, sticking my butt into him. He pulsed with me, rubbing his hard crotch against me, turning me on. I broke into a booty shake. Slid into a sexy squat with my hands above my head. Logan grabbed my hands, pulled me to a stand and spun me into him. He put his hand at the base of my head and pulled me into a kiss, pressing me so tightly against me I ached with wanting him.
 

The song ended.
 

"Shit," Logan said, stroking my face. "You know how to move." His voice was ragged.

The lights came up. "Take ten, everyone." The DJ stepped down from his platform.

"Bad timing," I said.

"We'll have to make the best of it." Logan took my hand "Want something to drink? I'm parched."

I had the feeling he wasn't just thirsty. I nodded. "Sure."

He took my hand as we went to the drink bar. Nothing alcoholic here. Just mixers. If you cared enough, you could sneak your own liquor in. Logan got me a cola with a cherry in it.

"Wow! A mocktail," I said. "Impressive."

"Anything for my girl."

My heart did a little flop at that—
his
girl.

Logan got a pop for himself. We found a table to sit at. We were both still breathing hard, and it wasn't from exertion.
 

"Want to see what I can do with my tongue?" Logan pulled the cherry out of his pop by the stem.

"Are you propositioning me right here?"

He laughed. "No, just teasing you with a promise for later. Showing you how talented I am." He popped the cherry into his mouth, stem and all.
 

I watched as he made funny faces, like he was really working hard on something. Finally, he opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, wiggling it in a way that made me laugh. He'd tied the stem into a knot.

He wiggled his tongue again.

"Is that for me?" I took the stem from him. "Such an anniversary gift."

"Now you can't say I never gave you anything. I have more tongue tricks to show you later—in private."

I set the stem on my napkin. "I'll treasure this always." I pulled the cherry out of my glass and held it over my mouth.

"You think you can do that trick?"

"I think I'd like to see a mouth-to-mouth stem tie." I made a show of balancing the cherry on my tongue. "Huh."

"You are too bad." He reached over, grabbed my head, covered my tongue with his mouth, and tried to steal my cherry.

I fought him, protecting it with my tongue. But Logan had a way of teasing me with his that made me surrender. He got the cherry. I had to keep up with him, moving to stay connected at the lips, probing with my tongue to feel what he was doing and tease him into tripping up. But finally, his tongue put a tied stem on mine. He pulled away and gave me a triumphant look as I pulled the tied stem out of my mouth.

"Wow, you are talented." I put the stem in the napkin with its twin.

Before he could answer, an announcement came over the loud speakers. "The next hypnosis show starts in five minutes on the first floor."

Logan popped out of his chair and grabbed my hand. "We have to see that show, El. It's the same guy as last year. He's epic. Really funny. You should see what he can make people do."

I raced to keep up with Logan as he led the way, dragging me along. He found us seats in the front just as the hypnotist took the stage.

"Welcome, everyone. I'm Bob Allen, hypnotist extraordinaire. The hypnotic quality of my voice is insured by Lloyd's of London. Just in the time I've been speaking, I can see some of you are already nodding. I have to get a less boring stage name."

I laughed with the crowd.
 

"This is an audience participation show," Bob said. "My first job is to find susceptible, willing victims. Not everyone is equally suggestible and I take only easiest, I mean, the most challenging candidates. I'm going to start talking. Just listen to the sound of my voice." He went into a comedic patter, pulled a pocket watch out, and began swinging it. "You're getting very sleepy."

Logan leaned in and whispered, "I'd love to be in the show. But he never picks me. El?"

I was already relaxed and happy, so calm. The sound of Bob's voice was like a pleasant lullaby. Bob worked his way through the crowd, tapping people to come on stage.
 

He stopped right in front of me. "What's your name, lovely lady?"
 

"Ellie."

Bob made an aside to the crowd. "You may have noticed—I go for the hot chicks if I can."

Logan, always the charmer, made a show of putting his arm around me.

"Whoa! Looks like I have a jealous boyfriend. The hot ones are always taken." Bob kneeled next to me. "Do you want to come on stage, Ellie?" He hitched a thumb at Logan. "He won't beat me up, will he? He looks tough, like a fighter."

"No, he won't. I can't."

"Come on, El, go!" Logan nudged me. "I want to see you up there. It'll be fun."

My heart was pounding. I didn't want to make a fool out of myself.
 

I hesitated.

"You want to, Ellie, I can see that. But you're afraid. I promise to be gentle." Bob's voice was so reassuring and calming, I relented and nodded.

Bob stood and took my hand to help me from the chair.
 

When Bob had all his victims, he ran us through another screening, weeding out people until only ten of us were left. Then he began talking and I began drifting, all my fears and worries vanished. The next thing I knew…

I'm driving down Stadium Way, going way too fast. Isn't the speed limit something absurdly slow, like twenty? I don't care. My window is open and the wind is streaming in. I'm having fun.

Suddenly, I hear a siren. Behind me I see lights. A cop! He signals to me. I pull over. He gets out of his car and comes over to me, big and intimidating, carrying something. He's going to give me a ticket. I know he is. I can't afford a ticket.

"Ma'am, are you aware you were doing fifty in a twenty zone? I'll need to see your license."

"I was? Officer, I'm so sorry." I turn on the charm and try to look vulnerable and helpless, really apologetic. "It's these shoes—see the heels?" I show him my sexy four-inch platform heels. "They make it hard to feel the accelerator. I'll take them off." I reach down and pull one off. "I'll drive home in bare feet. I promise not to drive in heels again." I bat my eyes at him. "Please, I can't afford a ticket. I didn't mean to speed."

The officer hesitates. He starts to put his ticket pad away. I smile at him.

He points to something. "Is that an open container?"

I turn to look at my cup holder. There's an open can of beer. "How did that get there?" I'm genuinely confused. And now I'm scared. How will I talk myself out of this one?

"We have an open-container law. I'm going to have to take you in. Please step out of the car."

"No! No, please!"

He takes me to jail. "You're allowed one phone call."

"But I have my cell phone—"

He takes it from me. I cry harder.

"Who are you going to call?"

"Logan, my boyfriend."

"The bruiser with the black eye? He's out of town. He can't come. Is there anyone else? Someone right here."

I put my face in my hands and sob. "My dad. Jason. I want my dad! Call Jason!"

"It's all right. It's okay. I won't lock you up." Suddenly I'm relaxed and happy, like I'm floating on a cloud.

Someone snapped his fingers right in front of my face. I blinked in the lights. It took me a second to realize where I was—on stage with Bob the Hypnotist.
 

"Thanks, all of you, for being such terrific sports. Give my participants a big hand!"

The audience roared with approval.

"That's our show for tonight. Thank you all for coming." Bob waved and left the stage.

Logan ran up and gave me a hug. "You were awesome, El."

I didn't feel awesome. I felt anxious and cold, panicky.
 

"El? Are you okay?" Logan took my arm.

A snatch of a memory came back to me—calling out for my dad, for Jason. I paled.

"El?"

I turned a wondering, dreading look on him. "I was in jail. He put me in jail. What did I say up there, Logan? What did I say?"

Logan took me by the arms. "It's okay. You were great." Logan explained the skit and how much the crowd loved me and felt for me. The way I'd cried had been so convincing. "Hell, half the guys in the audience wanted to comfort you."

"Who did I ask for?" The dread was so deep I cold barely speak.

"Me. But Bob told you I couldn't come bail you out. Then you asked for your dad. And Jason."

My heart stopped. My mouth went dry. The jig was up. I was sure it was. I waited for the recrimination. I waited for Logan to grasp that I'd been lying to him. I waited for the anger and his sense of betrayal.

Instead, he smiled and hugged me. "It's okay. You don't have a dad. You improvised and asked for your boss. I'm sure Jason would be flattered to know you think of him as a father figure."

Chapter Ten

I couldn't believe what Logan had just said—he didn't grasp the truth he'd just heard. I'd been given a second chance. I needed to talk to Jason. We needed to do something about this soon. We needed to come clean. I had to find a way to do it so I wouldn't lose Logan. I needed to think.

Logan pressed my head to his chest as the crowd thinned out around us. His arms felt so right around me. I never wanted to leave them and the reassuring thumping of his heart. I wanted it to always beat for me.

"I'm sorry, El." He kissed the top of my head. "I wouldn't have encouraged you if I'd known this was going to upset you. That's the last thing I wanted."

I had to buck up or I'd really blow things. "I'm fine. Just embarrassed I'm so suggestible. Did I really act outrageously?"

"You were completely adorable." He kissed the top of my head. "Do you want to dance again?"

I forced myself to smile as I looked up at him. "Don't you have a surprise for me at your place?"

"You want to go?"

"I've had enough excitement for one night."

He tipped my chin up to so he could look me in the eye. "The excitement hasn't even begun."