Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
LEO
Weeks had passed. I didn’t get the job. It was probably for the best, considering I was over-qualified. Also, I had already shagged one of my potential coworkers.
I was sitting at my mums’ kitchen counter, listening to them toss around banter about the new recipe they were testing when I randomly checked my cell to find a new, unopened email.
It was from Brandon Moore.
The CEO of Sun Steer Technologies.
I held my breath as I tapped on the notification.
* * *
I wasn’t confident about how Jacqueline would react to a kind of surprise like this. I had a feeling she wasn’t a huge fan of surprises in general. She seemed like someone who wanted to be prepared for whatever could happen next.
The Friday after our talk at her flat, she was still quiet and withdrawn at work. I saw her step into the sensory room twice. Talking with me about her stress obviously didn’t make it go away, but I felt comfort in the fact that she did. I had a perspective on how she was feeling.
The fact that I could convince her to go out with me without any pushback made me realize how out of sorts she might have been. I expected the stiffness I felt in her body underneath mine, but I didn’t expect her to almost immediately agree to a date.
The fact that she later requested to ride on my motorcycle to wherever we were going was another red flag. She was usually terrified of the bike.
She needed to let go.
Sometimes, people like Jacqueline needed a push to relax.
I just fucking hoped that Taylor would pull through.
We drove almost forty minutes south on PCH, the humid ocean air felt amazing even through our leather protection. The farther away we got from Orange County, the quieter life became. There wasn’t much on the drive between Orange County and San Diego, besides Oceanside. But we didn’t get quite that far. After finding the turnoff Taylor had instructed, I was second-guessing what they were getting us into. It was completely dark, only the half-moon was able to illuminate some of the surroundings because there were no streetlights on this gravel pathway into the hills. The ocean behind us was the only noise beyond the hum of my bike. When we finally turned onto another unnamed road, an old run-down building came into view.
“Are you about to murder me?” Jacqueline asked underneath her helmet. Her voice in my ear almost made me jump. We hadn’t said a word to teach each other the entire ride out here.
“I wasn’t planning on it, no,” I replied, “How are you doing back there?” I could feel her hands tighten around my waist, her fingers pressing against the skin of my abs just like that first ride we took together.
“Fine,” Jacqueline sighed. I frowned. Where was her bite? Where were her quips? That feisty personality that I was starting to become obsessed with. I squared my shoulders, pulling my bike into an unmarked spot next to a handful of other parked vehicles.
When we dismounted the bike, I relaxed a bit more when I heard Taylor’s voice call out to us, “What’s up, nerds?”
Jacqueline also relaxed at their voice as she pushed down the protective leather pants that I let her borrow for the drive, revealing a slightly wrinkled skirt that landed just at the top of her thighs. It was the same outfit she wore the first night we met. Her top had a low-cut, square neck, with long sleeves that cropped at her rib cage. I reminded myself that I wouldn’t touch her how I wanted to quite yet, “Hi, Taylor.”
“How are you doing, J?” Taylor came up and wrapped Jacqueline in a side hug before reaching out and giving me one as well.
“I’m good,” Jacqueline gave a concerned look behind Taylor’s shoulder toward the abandoned-looking building that people were starting to walk into, “What is this place?”
Taylor wiggled their eyebrows before reaching into their pocket to grab a vial of something, “Can I glitter you?” I raised my eyebrows at the same time that Jacqueline did. She gave me a nervous look before nodding her consent.
Taylor dipped their finger in the vial of, apparently, glitter, before gently dabbing the horrid substance on the edges of Jacqueline’s cheekbones. After dipping another finger, they even dabbed the top of her collarbones and shoulders.
“You?” Taylor asked, after they were finished with Jacqueline.
“Yeah,” I stepped forward and allowed them to do the same to me, even unbuttoning my shirt a bit more so they could dab glitter on my collarbones and the top of my pecks, “Is this mandatory attire?”
“It is if you hang with me,” Taylor lifted a shoulder before dabbing their own cheekbones, nose, and collarbones with glitter, “Let’s go, it’s going to start soon.”
“What is?” Jacqueline asked. Taylor shoved their hands into the pockets of their loose-hanging jeans, a flannel tied at their waist, and a lime green tank top that showed off the lean muscles in their arms, shoulders, and chest.
I held out a hand toward Jacqueline, who didn’t hesitate to lace her fingers with mine.
It felt like a huge win.
The doors to the building already had a line starting to form, but Taylor confidently walked up to the front where two large bouncers were managing who was allowed in.
“They’re with me,” Taylor nodded toward the two of us, and to my surprise, the bouncers didn’t question them at all before stepping aside and holding the doors open for us.
It was completely dark inside.
“Um.” Jacqueline stepped closer to me as Taylor turned around to face us. I wrapped an arm around her waist, lowering my head to murmur in her ear.
“Do you trust me?” I asked, ignoring Taylor’s knowing smirk as they waited for us to follow them in.
Jacqueline inhaled a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and nodded. Taylor grinned, hopping on their feet once before sauntering inside the dark doors. Jacqueline grabbed my hand and ended up tugging me in after the two of them.
The doors shut behind us, and we were enclosed in darkness.
“What the—” Jacqueline asked before a cracking sound echoed in the room and Taylor’s sharp facial features came into view under a dim purple light.
“Are you bracelets or necklace people?” Taylor asked, cracking more glow sticks. At their feet, there was a huge box of glow sticks that they were grabbing them from. How they managed to see the box upon entry was a mystery to me.
“Both.” Jacqueline nodded. I studied her in the dim light, and when Taylor placed a purple glow stick necklace around her neck, her lips were pulled back into a smile. Taylor then added blue and purple bracelets to both of her wrists.
“I’m both as well.” I stepped forward, donning my own glow stick jewelry while Taylor assisted Jacqueline with hers.
“Is this like a party?” Jacqueline asked in a whisper.
“Yeah,” Taylor’s reply didn’t sound convincing, which made me chuckle as we followed them down the dark hallway again. I could still smell the ocean, and part of me wondered how many walls or chunks of the ceiling were missing in this facility.
The farther we walked though, the temperature became slightly warmer.
Eventually, we entered a large room where everyone seemed to gather. I saw that my theory of missing ceiling pieces was confirmed because we could see the pale moonlight shining in and illuminating just enough of the room to let us know we weren’t alone.
What was surprising to me, though, was how quiet everyone was.
“What is this?” Jacqueline asked, her whisper softer after hearing everyone else keeping their conversations low.
“It’s a place to unwind.” Taylor lifted a shoulder, “It’s a secret.”
“Oh…” Jacqueline glanced around as we awkwardly stood hand in hand. More bodies started to file in. More people in glitter and glow sticks and revealing attire. The three of us were more reserved with our clothing compared to the shirtless men and women with lingerie tops and corsets.
I expected to see people like this here, but I watched Jacqueline study everyone around us. She wore a curious but reserved expression on her face.
Suddenly, a light was cast on the far wall. It illuminated a metal spiral staircase that led to what looked like a second-floor fire escape. A woman in a body suit, also covered in glitter and exaggerated makeup, started to dance as the music slowly started to play.
It was loud, so I reached into my pocket to hand Jacqueline orange foam earplugs. I managed to snag them from the top of her dresser as she got ready in her bathroom. She would still be able to hear everything with them, but I knew that tonight might also be overstimulating for her and that these would help take the edge off.
I held them out in the palm of my hand, nudging her arm with mine to pull her attention away from the dancer. Jacqueline glanced down, debating on whether to use them or not. After a second of thought, she decided to put them in.
The music and the bass were growing, and I watched as Jacqueline stared at the dancer. The interpretive, modern dance moves were choreographed perfectly to the build of the music that was getting louder and louder. It made the audience focus on what was about to happen.
Jacqueline’s hand squeezed mine right when the dancer decided to stand up on the rickety railing of the fire escape, looking very precarious as they somehow continued to dance. Anticipation was building within the crowd; bodies already started to bob and sway with the beat of the rising music.
Right when the bass dropped, colorful strobe lights lit up the room, revealing four more performers dropping dramatically from the shadows of the ceiling, secured in ribbons and hoops. The original dancer had also jumped and grabbed onto one of the hoops, and a surprise aerial performance took place above as the club came to life.
A loud, feminine cackle made me lower my gaze to my coworker. Her hand was up over her mouth, eyes wide as she took in our surroundings. Taylor took one look at Jacqueline before grabbing her arm to pull her further into the depths of the crowd, laughing and jumping with everyone else who started to dance.
Before she was pulled too far, Jacqueline reached back and snatched my hand, tugging me with them.
And just like that, the three of us were part of the rave.
The music was loud, so loud that I could feel it in my bones. Jacqueline pressed a hand to her chest, and I wondered if she was feeling it just like I was. It was the kind of music she listened to every day at work, but I had a feeling she had never experienced something like this before.
Her friends and past partners had failed her this way, I realized.
Because Jacqueline came to life here.
Her smile was bold and uninhibited. She didn’t cringe away from other bodies inevitably bumping into her. She didn’t shy away from dancing. No, as I watched her and Taylor dance and grind and sing loudly along with the popular but fifteen-year-old song, I felt something heat in my chest.
Taylor spun Jacqueline around, making her lose her footing just before collapsing against me. I took her hands and spun her again, knowing that I would have another memory of Jacqueline’s laugh burned into my memory.
The song was fitting for this moment.
As everyone in the room sang along about finding clarity in someone unexpected, Jacqueline threw her arms around my neck and danced with me.
I was on cloud fucking nine.
I glanced at Taylor over the top of Jacqueline’s head, mouthing a “thank you” for helping me surprise Jacqueline like this.
Taylor gave me a thumbs-up before disappearing into the crowd's throes, and Jacqueline and I were alone.
The song eventually ended, but this was a rave, so the music never truly ended. There was no break because the DJ hidden in the far corner was blending one song into the next.
As Swedish House Mafia and John Martin started to sing about heaven having plans for us, I leaned down to speak into Jacqueline’s ear. My lips pressed against her hot skin as I asked, “Is this alright?”
Jacqueline leaned back, beaming at me, and I wanted to pound in my chest which was now filled with male pride from her expression, “Yes.”
And then she spun around, keeping my hands in hers. She guided my touch on her body, one held her hips and the other slowly dragged up her torso, over her breasts, until it rested over her heart. She ground her arse against me, and I didn’t bother stifling the groan that erupted from my chest.
“Let me know when you’re ready to leave,” I spoke, licking her ear lobe.
“Do you want to leave?” Jacqueline asked. She had stopped dancing against me, her eyes wide and a concerned expression pulled her lips down. I closed my eyes and kept my mouth against her neck because the noise level made it practically mandatory to speak to her so closely.
“Not at all,” I assured her, remembering her need for direct and honest communication—because fuck me if I ever became an asshole like some prick named Vincent, “I am thrilled to be here with you. I just don’t want to wear you out too much.”
Jacqueline scoffed, “You wear me out most nights of the week, Leo.”
“And I’ll keep wearing you out as long as you’ll let me.” I didn’t think about the words until after they left my mouth. As soon as they did, though, I wondered if I had accidentally crossed some line. But no, Jacqueline just grinned and resumed torturing me with her arse against my groin as we danced together. Bodies bumped into us, and strangers smiled and sang as everyone lost themselves to the loud music.
Jacqueline never accepted dances with other men or women, even when they tried to sneak between us to gain her attention.
Instead, she would politely shake her head and point to me.
Or wrap my arms around her, as if she needed me to shield unwanted suitors away.
I was more than fucking happy to oblige.
Because when it came down to it, I didn’t want to dance with anyone else either. Not a man or woman in this establishment caught my eye the way that Jacqueline did. I hadn’t been with anyone since I moved here and started working at Sun Steer, and I understood why now.
Watching her spin in and out of my hold, throwing me wide smiles with joy filling her expression, I realized something.
I wanted everything that Jacqueline Williams was willing to give me.
Because no one else would do for me anymore.
She was who I wanted to run home to after work.
She was the one I wanted to take to secret pop-up raves in the middle of nowhere.
She was the one I wanted to sink into every night.
She was the one I wanted to wake up to every morning.
Jacqueline had once confessed that looking at me made her want, a sentiment I had come to fully understand.
I wanted her.
I wanted all of her.
In every sense of the word.