Following the Rules

Chapter 50

We were dancing. Lorraine was off getting everyone another round of drinks, the DJ was playing one sexy song after the other and Kaylee was moving against my body. She felt good. It felt wrongfully right. Even though she was still more than skeptical about me being here, she didn't refuse when I asked her to dance. We had three drinks upon arriving and it was only the beginning of the night.

My hands skimmed over her waist, her hips, her thighs. The loose fabric of her dress flattened below my fingers like silk. I wrapped my hands into her hair, tangling my fingers around the strands. She tilted her head into my touch, eyes closed, facing the ceiling.

"Shots! Get your asses over here!"

Kaylee snapped out of whatever trance she was in. She went from total bliss to sulking and depressed. I could see it in her eyes, the pain and heart ache. The dark circles she tried to hide with concealer were still noticeable.

Lorraine grinned from ear to ear as we approached, holding her shot glass up in a toast. "To getting laid tonight!"

I chuckled, taking one of the shots lined up along the counter.

She bumped her hip against mine, shooting me a wink. "You going to get lucky tonight, eye candy?"

I flinched at the nickname, my insides squeezing just a little bit. "What did you just call me?"

She shrugged, passing Kaylee a shot. "Eye candy. It's what Kaylee called you once."

"Oh."

"You talk too fucking much." Kaylee said darkly from beside me. She knocked her shot back, then reached for a second.

"Who, me?!" She asked dramatically, holding both hands over her heart. "I've never been so insulted!"

Kaylee snorted, glancing over at her off the corner of her eye. "You don't listen very much then, do you?"

She rolled her eyes, draping an arm over my shoulders. "So what's the deal with you two? I'm sensing some sexual tension."

Kaylee sputtered, slamming the empty shot glass onto the counter. "There's no sexual anything."

"Mhm."

"You're fucking delusional."

"I have eyes," Lorraine said pointing to both of her eyes. "I saw the way you danced with him. You want a piece of that forbidden fruit."

"I do fucking not."

Lorraine played with the end of my hair, pressing her body into the side of mine. "Then you won't mind if I swoop in."

I shifted uncomfortable against her.

She gave Kaylee a challenging look before pressing a sloppy kiss against my jaw.

"Fuck you." Was all Kaylee said before storming off.

Lorraine laughed obnoxiously loud, pulling away from me to watch her go. There was a mischievous look in her brown and green eyes when she looked at me. "Forget about Toni, that woman will rock your world."

"I know she could."

"Then what are you waiting for?" She asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

I spun around, leaning back against the counter to watch Kaylee dance with another guy. She moved slowly, her hips swaying to the music. "What makes you think she wants me?"

She laughed, shoving me in her direction. "She just needs a little incentive. Why don't you charm your way into her pants?"

We spent the rest of the night bickering over the most effective way to charm a woman. She, being a woman, thought she knew better than me. Me, having been a womanizer not so long ago, begged to differ. See, she liked to think she knew what she wanted. But that's not the case. A lot of women don't know they want something until it's presented to them.

To rest her case, she attempted to charm a woman into going back to the hotel with her. It didn't work.

Because I was feeling competitive and my pride was on the line, I turned on the charm and approached a fiery red head. I stood just close enough for her to catch a whiff of my cologne, but not close enough to invade her personal space. Then I leant down to whisper in her ear.

Did it work?

Yes it did.

"I can't believe you didn't invite her back to the hotel!" Lorraine was chastising me as the three of us walked back. She was pointing her finger at me and giggling at everything.

"Not my type."

"I told you he's not here to party." Kaylee butted in darkly.

"He drank me under the table, duh, of course he came to party!" She said. She threw her arms into the air and spun around in a circle. "You're just too suspicious!"

"I am not."

We walked through the hotel lobby into the elevator, where Kaylee angrily jabbed the number of the floor their pent house was on.

"He's here because Toni sent him."

Lorraine sighed, shaking her head in defeat. "Whatever, I give ups."

She stumbled ahead of us when the doors opened. "I'm sooooo tired!"

"You're soooo drunk." I said, laughing to myself when she pouted because she couldn't get the door to open.

"Whateves."

I helped her open the door, pushing it open and steadying her when she started falling. I helped her to the bed, where she flopped down like a star fish and started snoring within two minutes.

Kaylee walked to the bathroom and began removing her makeup in the mirror. "You might have her convinced, but I'm not an idiot. I know you."

"Maybe I missed you."

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "Just tell me why you're really here."

I sighed, leaning my shoulder against the door frame of the bathroom. "I'm sick of having this conversation with you. I missed you. I want to party. I want to be here."

"Prove it."

How was I suppose to--

I looked at her, my heart somersaulting in my chest.

I knew what I had to do.

I knew what it would take to convince her.

"Don't fall off the deep end." I remembered Toni saying. I promised her I wouldn't. But Kaylee was different from any of those drugs that I could easily become addicted to all over again. She was ten times stronger than any of those things.

I reached for her, turning quickly to sit on the stool in front of the mirror as I pulled her onto my lap. One of my hands remained on her thigh as the other cupped the side of her face. I stared into her eyes for only a moment, but it felt like hours. She was breathing fast, her heart racing.

I tilted my head and closed the distance between us.