She went back to the bedroom we'd come from, but I went in the opposite direction, not wanting to explain to her why I was freaking out. A party in a penthouse suite at the priciest hotel in the city had some advantages, there were several bathrooms to choose from.
I splashed cold water on my face, keeping my eyes closed even after I dried my face.
“Piper?”
My hands flexed on the sink and I looked up, making eye contact with him through the mirror.
“Fancy meeting you here.” The words came out more snidely than I'd intended, but I didn't apologize. He didn't deserve it.
“I can explain.” He took a step into the bathroom, then stopped.
I saw the hesitation on his face, but I didn't do anything to help him. I made my voice as flat as possible. “You don't need to. There weren't any expectations. We both knew that. We don't owe each other anything.”
My heart twisted at my words and I knew I'd let myself care too much. If I'd never seen him again, I could've handled that. I could've cherished our time together. Instead, every moment of that night was tainted now by the knowledge that he'd used me to cheat on his fiancée. He wasn't the good guy I remembered from school. I didn't tell him any of that though. I just brushed past him, ignoring the way my stomach clenched at the scent of his aftershave.
“I have to work.”
For once, I welcomed the pounding, pulsing music and let it take over. I spotted Rosa already grinding on one of the men and I made my way over to her side. In two years, I'd gotten very comfortable dancing with women when we were both half-clothed. I didn't have any sexual attraction to women, but I could dance like I did without getting overly friendly. Some of the women made out – or did more for all I knew – but I wouldn't have to worry about that with Rosa. She'd never cross that line. She let me set how far things went.
The two of us danced with each other and with the men, fending off wandering hands with flirtatious laughs that sounded hollow in my ears. Normally, I would've just been the responder, but the anger simmering inside me pushed me further than I usually went. I let hands linger longer than usual, sometimes pressing into them as they brushed against my breast.
I tried to ignore Reed, maneuvering Rosa so that she was always closer to him, but I could feel his eyes on me no matter where I moved. The other men were watching me too, eyes glued to the places where the shirt lifted and parted, giving them all an eyeful of what they'd paid to see. That wasn't where Reed was looking, however. The one time I permitted myself a glance, I found his eyes searching for mine. I was wearing only a partially-buttoned, practically see through white shirt and he was looking at my eyes.
I turned to Rosa and began dancing with her, needing something else to distract me. I saw surprise flit across her face and then she was all business. She let me lead, mirroring my movements so that when I ran my fingers down her arm and then looped her arm around my neck, she did the same. I let our bodies close in until we were practically grinding against each other.
I could see the tip bucket we'd set out filling up as Rosa and I danced, but I didn't care as much about that as I did about pissing Reed off. As one song changed into the next, Rosa and I broke apart and moved back to dancing with the other men. I saw her trying to get Reed up and moving, but he just glared until she went back to the sandy-haired man we'd met first. I kept myself surrounded by a few different men, letting them press their bodies against mine until I could feel their arousal. A part of me was yelling at myself to stop, that I was going too far, but I didn't care. I wanted Reed to see that he wasn't the only one who wanted me, desired me. I wasn't some desperate street trash from the wrong side of the tracks who'd fuck anyone who gave me a kind word.
Before I could get myself into real trouble to prove something to Reed, Rosa leaned over and told me one of the groomsmen was going to give her something extra for an exclusive dance. I nodded and said I just needed a couple minutes to get some air, then I'd be back and she could go... dance. She jerked her chin towards the balcony and then turned her attention back to a handsome blond.
I stepped outside, breathing in the cool night air. It was the perfect temperature, warm enough that I wasn't cold, but still refreshing. I leaned against the railing, closing my eyes and enjoying the breeze. I didn't have more than a few minutes of peace before I heard voices. I opened my eyes and saw a couple on the balcony next to me looking my way. I looked down and straightened, realizing the way I'd been standing had caused my shirt to ride up. I was essentially flashing anyone who happened to look. At least in Vegas, the chances being arrested for indecent exposure were slim. I sighed as I took a step back. I needed to go back inside.
I heard the door slide open behind me and I froze, hoping it wasn't Reed again.
“Thirsty?” It was a man's voice, but not one I recognized.
I half-turned and saw the dark-haired man from earlier holding out a bottle of water. He had a handsome face, though more rough and chiseled than Reed's, and his eyes were light, a pale blue color that was almost gray.
“I'm Brock, by the way.” He seemed to be choosing his words very carefully, but none of them were slurring so he couldn't have been that drunk.
“Thanks.” I took the bottle. Rule number one of stripping: never accept a drink in a glass from a stranger. Bottles, however, were fair game. I opened it and took a drink. I hadn't realized how thirsty I'd been.
“I've been to The Diamond Club quite a few times and that's why I requested Rosa, but I've never seen you there.” He took a step toward me. “Why's that?”
“I just started,” I confessed. “Not dancing in general, but at the club. Before that, I was somewhere else.”
He reached out and brushed his fingers over my arm. “How do you feel about a private lap dance?” His eyes left no doubt as to what he was actually asking for. “I pay very well.”
I started to take a step back but a wave of dizziness washed over me and I staggered. Brock caught my arm and I heard him say something, but I couldn't make it out. The edges of my vision started to go gray and the ground rushed up to meet me.
Chapter 7
A hand inside my shirt groped my breast.
My legs pushed apart.
A hand over my mouth.
Shouting.
Someone's arms around me.
A strange rocking movement.
Darkness.
It was still dark when I opened my eyes later. I wasn't sure how much time had passed or where I was. All I could tell was that I was in a bed I didn't know and someone was sitting next to me.
“Hello?” The word sounded fuzzy, blunted, and my tongue felt too thick.
“Shh. It's okay.”
Reed.
His hands covered mine. “You drank too much and passed out. Go back to sleep. You'll feel better in the morning.”
I wanted to tell him I hadn't drank anything but water, but the darkness was calling again and I couldn't refuse it. As I slipped under, I thought I felt arms wrapping around me, holding me, but I knew that was just a dream because the sensation of being held melted into a half-memory, half-dream of a childhood trip to the zoo.
When I woke up, this time I knew I'd been asleep for hours. The sun was peeking in through the gap in the curtains and it was morning. My head hurt and when I tried to remember why I was in a strange bed wearing only a half-buttoned shirt, I drew a blank. I looked around, trying to find some clue as to what had happened.
A soft knock at the door made me grab the blankets and pull them over me. I almost laughed, considering whoever's room this was had already seen me naked, but I still kept the blankets where they were.
“Breakfast's here.” Reed stuck his head into the room.
I stared at him, wracking my brain and trying to figure out why I was in his room. We hadn't... again, had we?
“Piper?” He sounded concerned.
“What?” I snapped more sharply than I'd intended.
“I ordered room service.”
He didn't seem perturbed by how I'd spoken to him, but I could see a hint of something in his eyes, something I might've thought was sadness. The idea that he might be sad about me being rude to him annoyed me enough that I no longer cared that I wasn't wearing much. He had no right to act as if I'd hurt him, not after what he'd used me to do.
Without being invited, he stepped further into the room, carrying a tray loaded with breakfast. Toast, butter, strawberries, syrup, pancakes and whipped cream. That was a lot of food. Far more than I'd ever eat, even if I'd had an appetite.
“I have to go,” I said, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. “My roommate will be worried about me.”
“If your roommate is the girl you were dancing with last night, she isn't looking for you.” Reed sat on the edge of the bed. “She's in Danny's room.”
Oh. I sat back and eyed the food, feeling foolish. My stomach growled, betraying me. Okay, maybe I was hungry. I took a piece of toast, avoiding his gaze as I took a bite. I didn't just want to look at him. I wanted to demand an explanation, demand he tell me why he'd done that to me. If he'd just wanted to get laid, he could've fucked anyone else at that reunion . Why did it have to be me?
I could feel his eyes on me as I ate, but I refused to raise my head. I didn't want him to see how bothered I really was by what had happened. But then he spoke and I had to look up.
“Let me take you to dinner tonight.”
My eyes narrowed as I looked at him. What was he playing at? “No thank you.” I kept my voice cold and even.