Dance For Me (22 page)

      “I can’t stay,” Shane said, heavily drenched in chlorine water. It irritated him that he was drawing in lots of attention and people were already talking and spreading it like a sex rumor. It didn’t help that his friends were still busting up. Hope was serious and took him aside, handed him a towel.

        “You look ridiculous.”

       “Thanks.”

        She smiled. 

        “Ugh,” he growled. He patted his face dry. “I really gotta go home and change.” He saw her gazing off in the distance and wanted to ask her something but was too puss to do it. She looked back at him and caught him staring.

        “What?”

       “Nothing.” He changed his mind and tried to soak up as much water as he could with the towel. He glanced at her quickly, her faraway eyes on the pool and the partiers surrounding it. The aqua glow reflected against the black of her eyes. He swallowed his pride and went for it.

       “What are you guys doing after this?”

       “Um,” she turned her head and took in the scene. “I think this is it. This is the plan.”

        “I’m not coming back. I feel stupid.”

        He continued to blot dry but it was pointless. His little pat downs slowed and he swallowed hard, working up the nerve to ask her what he wanted to ask. He knew he was going to get shot down because she wasn’t into him. He knew she was into Dominic, and he was nothing like Dominic. He knew she liked a certain type and guess what? He wasn’t it. But still, he’d hate himself if he didn’t at least try.

       “You want to do something later, with me, maybe?”

        Hope opened her mouth to say anything but nothing came out.

         “It’s okay,” he said, second thoughts surfacing. “It’s your birthday; you probably want to be with your friends.” 

         “What do you want to do?”

        “Uh….” He didn’t even know. He didn’t think she’d say yes. “I don’t care. We could go…anywhere you want. This is Vegas; it’s your special day.”

        “Okay.”

        Shane couldn’t believe it was this easy.

        “What about your friends?”  

         “They’re all doing their own thing so I don’t think they’ll mind. Besides the highlight of the evening already passed.”

           “You mean dinner?”

          “I mean you getting thrown into the pool.”

         He scratched the back of his head. “I’m never going to hear the end of this.”

  42... Making love with our clothes on

          Hope and Shane left the pool party and headed out of the hotel. He felt ridiculous all drenched and every time he took a step his shoes swooshed. Hope got inside of his car and buckled herself in. 

          “Do you mind stopping at my place, I forgot my phone?”

           Shane really wanted to get out his wet clothes but they were way closer to her place then to his.

          “That can’t wait?”

          “It’d be a waste of gas and time to go all the way to Henderson just to come all the way back.”

           “We’ll go get your phone,” he sighed. He started the car and as he was backing out of his parking space, realized she was laughing at him.

            “For real, you’re gonna laugh at me? After what your home girl did you’re going to laugh at me?”

           “I’m sorry,” she put a hand up and tried to not smile but she couldn’t wipe it off completely. “It’s just that, well, it’s funny.” She replayed the situation in her head, him falling in, being helped out, clothes soaked, insisting he wasn’t drunk to security. She laughed deep from her chest.

           “I can’t help it!”

           “You’re laughing at me.”

          “No, I’m laughing with you.”

            “Uh, I’m not laughing. Look at my face. Does it look like I’m laughing?”

           His seriousness made her laugh more.

           “All right, that’s, it, tuck and roll Hope, tuck and roll.”

           She playfully squeezed his arm and continued laughing. He smiled too.

             She closed his car door, twirled around and leaned into the window.

              “Wanna smoke?”

             Usually he wouldn’t turn it down but he wanted to get out of these wet clothes, NOW.

             “Come on; what’s a few more minutes?”

               Reluctantly he nodded his head and went to the park the car. Hope waited for him when he made it back to her, followed her through her gate, across her apartment complex that had lots of trees and a huge sparkling aqua swimming pool in the center of the complex. Her apartment had a large living room with little furniture. There was a mattress standing against one wall and a few boxes here and there. There was a white leather lazy boy that looked the ultimate in comfort.

           “Can I sit there?” he asked; his wet clothes added extra weight to his body.

            “Go ahead.” Hope put down her gift from Shane and went to her room for a short while. She came back with a bubbler, ready packed. They blazed in her living room and moments later Hope was standing in front of her refrigerator looking for something to snack on. Everything looked delicious.

            “You hungry?”

            “I really gotta get out of these clothes.”

            Hope walked back into the living room with the other half of the turkey sub in her hand.

           “What’re you eating?”

          “Here, help yourself.” She handed him the sandwich.

           “I’m just going to change. I can hardly breathe in this dress and these shoes hurt.”

           He put the sandwich aside because something else caught his eye. It was the dark blue bottle on the counter. He grabbed it and looked over the label. When Hope came back to the living room she saw Shane in the kitchen with a shaker.

            “What are you doing?”

            “I hope you don’t mind I opened your Azul Breeze. Have you tried this yet?” He filled a goblet and handed it to her.

           “What- who said you could open my Azul?”

          He guzzled the blue liquid.

          “Good stuff Hope, good stuff.” 

          “I thought we’re going somewhere?”

         “Yeah.”

          “But you’re drinking.” She took her studs out of her ears and popped in her loops. Now that she was in shorts and a blouse, she wouldn’t feel like a street walker. She felt like herself and it was so liberating to be that. 

         “I’ve been drinking.”

         “I’ll drive. Where should we go?”

         “Let’s go on a date.”

        She smiled. 

      He said nothing else, just sat in one of the kitchen chairs, spread his feet apart and leaned back.

      “Take off your clothes, I’ll dry them for you.” She backed away from him while he pulled his shirt off of his head. Standing at about 5’10” and being really thin, he wasn’t big like Dominic but had a nice build and strong arms. He handed Hope his heavy shirts and started unbuckling his belt.

    “I’ll get you a towel,” she said with a brow raised, leaning in toward him like she was trying to get a peek at the goods.

  “Turn around, perve,” he said, pausing after getting his zipper down.

Hope smiled and watched him get out of his pants. She disappeared with them down the hall and came back with a towel. He was back in the chair, legs spread like he was waiting for something.

    When she reached out to hand him the towel, he got hold of her arm and walked her to him. “Come here,” he said, motioning for her to straddle him.  She couldn’t help it. His presence and confidence was so strong it came over her in a rush. The atmosphere thickened. Her body went limp and the towel slipped from her hand and hit the floor. She sat up straight, dropping her head while he lifted his chin so they could reach each other’s mouths. 

 She arched her back as he lowered his face to her breasts, breathing through the paper thin fabric that covered them. He slid his hands up the back of her blouse, running his hands over the smoothness of her back. He was in his damp boxers and she could feel him hard as steel between her thighs. Her heart pumped thickly as he ran his kisses up her throat. While they swayed back and forth like a flag he kissed her like she was the last woman on Earth.

    “Shane,” she moaned in his ear, his grip tightening on her thighs. “Stop,” she said through eyes squeezed shut.

    “Stop?” He slowed down but didn’t stop. 

     She stood still and a few seconds later he opened his eyes.

“I don’t want to move this fast.” She put her hand under one side of his face and kissed him on the lips. “It’s not that I don’t want you, I do…but let’s just slow it down for now,” she whispered. She got up to get away from him but he grabbed her arm and kissed her again. 

      “It’s fine, we don’t have to do nothing.”

       “Shane,” she laughed. “I’m serious.”

       “So am I.” He closed his eyes and brushed his lips against hers. He looked so angelic and she could feel his heat emitting from his self. 

  He eased up and loosened his body, arms still wrapped around her, still consumed in her love. 

43… Morning after thrill

           Hope woke up the next morning on the living room floor. She could smell the leftover Chinese food from hours before and everything rushed back to her at once. She lifted her head and saw Shane next to her, facing her on his side, sleeping like a newborn. He looked so peaceful, air gently puffing through his lips. She leaned in and kissed him. He flinched but didn’t wake up.

She quietly gathered their Styrofoam boxes and trashed them in the kitchen. Afterward she showered and put on her lightweight silk robe. When she went back in the living room Shane was folding sheets and the light blanket they shared, in his boxers.

           “Morning,” he said in a cheerful tone and smile.

            She leaned in the doorway and smiled back.

           “Hangover?” she asked.

            “Nah, I’m cool.”

            “You can take a shower if you want, I’ll make us breakfast?”

            “What, you cook?”

           She tilted her head.

           “Yes.”

           “Then get to it, woman.” He piled the sheets, blanket and pillow on the Lazyboy and went into the bathroom to shower. Hope opened her fridge, looked inside and debated on what to make. She needed inspiration so she took a joint from her jewelry box and lit up. Moments later she was already cooking pancakes, eggs and bacon. Shane walked out of the bathroom drying his head with a towel, to the hot, smoky scents of bacon and weed.

            Hope looked back at him and pointed to the table.

           “I didn’t smoke it all.”

            “Thanks.”

          Someone knocked on the door so Hope put down her spatula and opened it to see Shamayla standing there in black pants, black shirt, hair in braids, eyes wide and intense like sunlight. She stepped in and saw Shane sitting at the table with a towel around his waist. She looked back at Hope who was in her pinkish Kimono with her hair wrapped in a towel.

           Immediately Hope knew what Shamayla was thinking.

           “It’s not how it looks.”

           Shamayla looked back at Shane who was nonchalantly gazing at the ceiling in a haze of smoke.

            “Uh huh,” Shamayla smiled, setting her purse down on the counter. “Hi Shane.

            “Oh hey Shamayla, care for some?” He practically coughed up a lung.

             She joined him at the table and took the joint from his hand.

            “So what’d you two do last night?” She looked from Hope to Shane, back to Hope who ignored Shamayla’s smug look at went back to the stove.

           “We hung out.” He took the joint from Shamayla. “And you?”

           “We stayed at the pool till four thirty. You were the talk of the town all night.”

           Hope cleared her throat and grabbed plates from the cabinet.  She dressed up the plates with food and set them down on the table. The three of them ate in silence. Shane kept rubbing his foot against Hope’s leg. They were play kicking each other under the table, Shamayla looking from Hope to Shane, back and forth. Shane finished first and thanked Hope for the breakfast.

           “Excuse me Ladies.” Not forgetting his manners he put his plate in the sink, washed it with a soapy sponge and went to the bathroom to dress. 

             “Come on, spit it out,” Shamayla probed. “I’m not stupid.”

             “It’s the truth.”

            “He spent the night?”

            “So?” Hope gave Shamayla “the eye” which was a sideways look with seriousness in it. Then she smiled big.

            Shamayla sighed. It annoyed her that she always had to force Hope to talk about juicy stuff.

              “Right…”

              “Well I have errands to run and shit.” Shane straightened out his shirt. “Thank you for washing my threads Hope, and for the session and delicious breakfast.”

          Shamayla raised her eyebrows and mouthed the word “session” to Hope, probing her cheek with her tongue. Hope kicked Shamayla’s ankle.

               “Anytime,” Hope said, with a hand over her mouth. She chased the food down with orange juice and got up from the table. “Give me a minute to change, I’ll walk you out.”

                She came out of her bedroom in a denim skirt and sandals strapped on her feet. She walked him to the gate and leaned against the open door. The morning sunlight was bright and harsh on their eyelids. It was already a bone dry hot day.

              “Can I call you?” He squinted his clear eyes in the white sun, jingling his keys.

             “Uh…” Hope went blank.

             Not wanting to hear a lie Shane smiled.

             “It’s okay. If you don’t want to see me again it’s cool.”

             “No no, it’s not that.”

               “Then what?”