With My Heart Wide Open

Chapter 5

Audrey lost sight of Macy as she struggled to free herself from the man's hold. She could tell by the horrible smell, that the man was not only intoxicated, but that he hadn't showered recently. The harder Audrey tried to free her arm, the tighter his grip became. She could feel his fingernails digging into the skin of her forearm, as she tried to twist loose. He spun her around and caught her free arm in his, pulling her flat against his body.

"Awe....come on baby. I just wanna dance a little. Maybe when we are done here, we can take this back to my place. Hell, maybe even the bathroom....I ain't gonna be picky. As long as a I get a piece of you before the night is over" he growled into her ear, before he began kissing and licking her neck.

She tried to free a hand so that she could stop the assult, but he was too strong.

"Please let me go" Audrey pleaded.

"Now what fun would that be? Why chase you when I already have you? I just wanna dance" the drunk man, said with a mischievous laugh.

"I believe the lady said to let her go" a deep voice said, causing Audrey to look up.

"This doesn't concern you, buddy" the drunk man answered.

"I will only say it one more time, let her go" warned the stranger.

"Nah, me and my girl here were just getting ready to take this party home, so you should just take a hike" the drunk man said as he started to drag Audrey away from the stanger.

Before Audrey could react, she heard gasps from the people around her as the drunk man lay in a heap on the ground. Blood was pouring from his nose, which appeared to be broken. Staring at the scene in front of her in shock, she rubbed her arm where the man had dug his fingers into her skin. She looked up at the stranger, suddenly realizing that he was the reason the other man lay on the ground.

"Thank you" she said, not sure that he heard her.

"You're welcome. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" he asked.

Holding out her arms, she shook her head.

"Not really. There might be some bruising, but I will be fine. It could have been much worse had you not came along" she stated.

"Yeah. I am not sure what all these other people were doing. I saw what was going on from the balcony and could tell that the two of you weren't dancing" he said. She could hear the annoyance in his voice.

"Did you come here with someone?" he asked.

"Macy. My friend Macy. She was headed for the bar before that guy grabbed me and I lost her in the crowd."

"Well, let's see if we can find Macy and find you a drink along the way" her rescuer said with a grin.

Putting a protective arm around her, he began to lead them through the crowd. He smelled amazing and Audrey let the heavenly smell fill her nostrils. He was a good six inches taller than she was and for the first time since he had shown up, she took a good look at him. He was handsome. No, handsome didn't even begin to cover it. He was breathtaking.

The man looked down at her, catching her staring up at him. He gave her a crooked smile as they arrived at the bar.

"What's your poison?" he asked.

You. I will have a tall glass of you, Audrey thought. She blushed, surprised at her thought.

"Whiskey on the rocks" she answered.

"Alright" he said, with a smile.

His smile made Audrey weak in the knees. She didn't understand why this stranger had this effect on her. It had to be because he had rescued her.

"I am Sergio by the way" he added, handing her the drink.

"Thank you" she answered taking the drink from him. "I'm Audrey. Your everyday damsel in distress" she added with a chuckle.

He returned her chuckle. Looking down at her arm, he traced his fingers over the marks. It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck her. She studied his hands and arms. Both arms and parts of his hands were covered in tattoos. Usually tattoos weren't her thing, but on him they were. Everything about him seemed to excite her. Shooting her gaze up to his face, she noticed he was frowning.

"He really left a mark on you. I should go find him and leave a few more marks on him" he spat, the anger evident in his voice.

"No, please don't. You have already done enough to avenge me" Audrey said as she smiled sweetly at him. " I should have bought you a drink as a thank you."

"The night is still young, Audrey."