15. Pack a Cocktail Dress, Just in Case
15
PACK A COCKTAIL DRESS, JUST IN CASE
“Are you sure your ankle is alright, Hanna?” Hazel eyed her warily as they stepped out of the elevator into the club.
Live music pumped through the space at a moderate volume, the band on the stage playing covers of popular songs from several decades prior.
It was tricky finding a nightclub that catered to the senior crowd in the vivacious city, but with Madeline’s help, Hanna believed the location satisfied the group’s desire to go dancing without Noah having a heart attack worrying over his grandmother, and Hanna’s, safety.
Since the incident with her ankle, Noah hovered protectively at her side, offering his elbow every time she got in and out of the car.
Hanna’s annoyance was tempered by the excuse to touch him, keeping her self-imposed rule to keep their hands off each other during the day more difficult than she imagined.
Every time she grazed his skin, Hanna felt a riot of emotions flare to life and she longed for more.
At a perfume shop the day before, they found ways to “accidentally” brush against each other as they examined bottles.
When Hanna offered a sample for Noah to smell, he took the scented paper between his fingers and dragged it along her neck.
Hanna nearly combusted when he leaned in, following the scented trail with his nose in a tantalizing almost-touch.
If Lillian had not sneezed at that exact moment, reminding Hanna that they were not alone in the shop, she might have shoved Noah onto the nearest surface–horizontal, vertical, who cared as long as it was sturdy–and taken him into her mouth.
“–Hanna? She does look a bit flushed.” Daphne stepped in front of Hanna, bending to look in her eyes.
“Is your ankle hurting? Noah, maybe you should–”
“I’m fine. See?” Hanna rushed to show them, rolling her ankle in both directions in the slender heels Madeline lent her.
“Just a little warm in here. Once I get some water I will be okay.”
She hoped that was true.
The way Noah looked tonight was not helping cool her libido.
Pants tailored so perfectly they looked painted on, the dark mauve shirt that flowed along his chest, and his tousled hair made Noah look good enough to eat.
When Hanna lifted her lust-filled gaze to his, energy crackled between them, rooting her in place.
Satisfied with her answer, the rest of the group was moving toward their private booth, leaving Hanna to trail after them once her legs remembered how to move.
Hanna felt Noah’s heat at her back.
Her body would recognize his anywhere.
Shivering when his hand skimmed over the exposed skin of her back, Hanna knew that she needed to get him alone.
Soon.
Before she did something drastic.
“Thirsty?” His voice was a low hum in her blood.
Glad that the muted light of the club hid the way her chest peaked beneath the satin fabric of her dress, Hanna rocked back into Noah, the open, cape-like sleeves caressing Noah’s thighs.
Pretending that she lost her footing, Hanna used the motion to rub against him, feeling the hard press of him against her.
Air hissed through Noah’s clenched teeth.
Two could play this game.
“Very,” Hanna said in a low tone.
When Noah angled to pull her more firmly against him, Hanna twirled out of his grasp, her twinkling laugh surrounding them.
She wanted him, but Hanna also wanted to enjoy one of her last evenings with the group.
These women were special to her for many reasons: they were Luxe Travel’s first booking; they rooted for her success; they brought her to Noah; and they believed in her.
Flutes of champagne and bottles of sparkling water waited for them at the table.
Madeline was already pouring them sizable portions, lifting her glass to Hanna with a wink.
Sipping her water first, Hanna let herself relax against the leather couch.
“What was each of your favorite parts of the trip?” Hanna asked the group at large as Noah slid into the empty space beside her.
Hazel rested her forearms on the table.
“Definitely the cabaret. Meeting the performers at the end was a wonderful surprise, they even taught us some of their moves. Maybe I will take a dance class when I get home.”
“I’ll join you,” Daphne said while tapping their glasses together.
“Start up a cabaret of our own at the senior center. Wouldn’t that be a riot.”
“Just be careful that you don’t break a hip or give someone a heart attack,” Lillian teased.
“Personally, I loved visiting Monet’s Garden. It was a nice touch to arrange the private painting, Hanna, well done.”
Time with her friends had softened the blonde’s prickly attitude significantly, though she was still a little frosty towards Hanna.
Hanna suspected it had less to do with her personally and more with the fact she was a similar age to the woman Lillian’s husband left her for.
“Tell us your secrets, Hanna.” Mai plied her with more champagne after sharing that her favorite memory was the private showing of Mona Lisa.
“How did you make it all happen?”
Hanna laughed at Mai’s serious tone, feeling as effervescent as the bubbles popping on her tongue.
“It’s not rocket science. Just persistence and knowing who to talk to. Once you have those two things, nothing is impossible. I’ve met a lot of people over the years, and since I keep bringing them business, they usually treat me well. Being courteous goes a long way, too.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Daphne toasted Hanna with her glass.
The band started the next song and Mai shouted with joy.
“This is our song! Come on, girls. Let’s dance!”
They scooted out of the booth, Madeline trailing behind them with a half-hearted excuse.
“Someone needs to make sure they don’t break anything.”
Hanna was not sure if Madeline meant themselves or something around the club with the way they moved around the dancefloor.
Alone in the booth, Noah slid closer, until they touched from hip to knee.
He draped his arm along the back of the booth, fingertips floating across the side of her arm.
Hanna leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder, listening to the music while the alcohol buzzed through her system.
“You don’t even realize how impressive you are,” Noah said.
Hanna lifted her head to look at him.
“I know I’m good at my job.”
“Good is too simple a word for you. I hate that you think so little of yourself. Do you think just anyone could do your job? Deal with the stressful situations and shitty people with half the grace you do? You’re running circles around the rest of us, solving problems we don’t even see coming, all with a smile on your face.”
He nodded towards the pack of seniors tearing up the dance floor.
“Look how happy you made them. How happy you make me.”
His eyes glistened with emotion and Hanna had difficulty swallowing around the sudden tightness in her throat.
“I was against you from day one and you knocked me on my ass. Put me in my place with a smile on your face and still made sure I enjoyed the trip. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. Because the woman I see? She may not be a rocket scientist, but she brought the magic of the stars down to Earth. She can do anything she puts her mind to. And I am humbled that you decided to take me along for the ride.”
Speechless, Hanna flung her arms around Noah, burrowing into his neck.
His words meant everything to her, giving voice to the secret longings of her heart.
Though she was proud of her work, there was a part of herself that Hanna tried to bury, a little voice whispering that she was not enough, that her job would always be the opener, never the main act.
It would not disappear immediately, but Noah’s voice was louder than any whisper, giving her the power to vanquish her self-doubt.
“Thank you,” she whispered into his skin.
No response was necessary.
Noah rubbed her back, holding her tight for as long as she needed.
When the band changed to a romantic ballad, Hanna knew what she needed.
“Dance with me?”
Noah pulled her out of the booth, leading them onto the dance floor where they swayed in each other’s arms until the late hours of the night.