5. Ivy #2
“I saved her from an awful date the other night,” Hawke begins, but I cut in.
“This asshole here thought he’d be funny and try to ruin my date, but I was already planning on leaving,” I say, correcting his version of the story.
Then I address his date, who is awkwardly sitting by herself.
“Hi, you fucking Hawke?” I ask her, bringing her into the conversation.
Her cheeks go red at my question, and she looks to him for help.
Oh, fuck me, he’s caught himself a little lamb.
“Not yet, but we will be. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?” he croons with an arrogant smirk. I can’t help but bite my bottom lip. He calls them all sweetheart when he doesn’t remember their name. Payback can be so sweet.
“What’s her name?” I ask him, and he glares at me, his smug expression dropping. She goes to speak, but I lift a finger and hold it up to her. “What’s your date’s name, Hawke?” I ask again.
“Why are you so mean to me today, lover? You know, I don’t know her name.
” I drop my hand as his date gapes at him in shock.
I’d like to think I’m doing her a favor by showing her what an ass he is, but I know he can charm himself out of almost anything.
“I’m sorry, it was loud when you told me your name down there. ”
I laugh as I stand and tap him on the shoulder, saying, “Let me pass.” Then I turn to Posie and Hope and ask, “Should we dance?” They both nod, and I grab my drink.
Hawke is staring up at me, that mischievous glint in his eye. “You’ll have to climb over me, lover.”
I smile sweetly and lean into him. He thinks I’m doing it to shuffle over him, but instead, I whisper into his ear as I press my knee close to his balls, forcing him to move back. “The only thing I’ll be climbing over is your dead body, lover .”
He chuckles as he lets me through, and I feel rather smug as I sashay toward the stairs.
“I never understand you two,” Hope comments from behind me.
Posie laughs and says, “Can’t blame him for trying; you’re hot as fuck.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I reply with an appreciative smile.
I throw back my drink, more than ready to enjoy the slight buzz it’s sure to give me.
After ridding myself of my glass, I notice a lot of familiar faces, both family and friends.
There are also a lot of people here that I don’t know, which is a good thing, especially while I’m on the dance floor.
I love to dance, and I especially love enticing men with my dancing.
Don’t get me wrong, I do it for myself, but dancing is an easy way for me to see which men are ballsy enough to approach me and which one I might be inclined to go home with.
I think when two people dance, it’s so fucking sensual, it’s almost a form of fucking.
“Damn girl, get it. I’m surprised you never tried to get a job at Pearl,” Posie shouts over the music.
I offer her a devilish smirk. Pearl is the Gentlemen’s Club that Dutton owns, where he first met Posie as a dancer.
She’s since changed roles, as Dutton doesn’t let her dance for anyone but him now.
“I suggested it once, but Billie was against me working at one of her brother’s clubs. Besides, I think the ‘don’t fuck the clients’ rule would get in my way of having fun.” I laugh. Hope awkwardly bops, nowhere near drunk enough for the dance floor. Yet.
Posie laughs as she not-so-subtly points at some guy. “He looks very interested ,” she says. I recognize the guy, though I can’t remember if I’ve hooked up with him before, with or without sex. Some nights get blurry. His gaze is glued to my hips as I sway them, feeding my feminine ego.
I approach him, letting his bold hands pull me in when I’m close enough.
I wrap them around me and place them on my ass and hips, giving him full rein.
The contact right now is everything I need, and I hope he doesn’t speak much so he doesn’t ruin the attractive face and sizeable arms. He’s just my type.
Billie once joked that my love language is physical touch, but I didn’t need to take a test for something I already knew.
“I saw you walk in,” he says loud enough to be heard over the music. Of course, he did. It’s a pity I don’t remember his name. I’m trying to rack my brain as to where I know him from. “You look as beautiful as always, Ivy.”
Listen, I don’t need sweet talk, but it definitely helps a girl’s ego, that’s for sure.
I’m not model size, but it’s never been relevant when I learned at a young age to embrace my curves, and that confidence will stop any man in his tracks.
I have hip dips, a chubby midsection, and thick thighs accompany my luscious ass and large tits.
Every single man I have been with has worshipped my body because I worship my body.
I would never let a man talk ill of me. And I wouldn’t do it to myself either.
“Any chance you want to leave soon and head to my place?” he asks, turning me in his arms. Then his mouth finds my ear, and he starts trailing kisses up and down my neck.
“To yours?” I question, deciding not to push him away because I like this type of worship. But also, the party has only just begun, though, and I’m tempted to string him along for the night until I’m ready to leave. It fuels me to know I can have him so quickly.
Before he can answer, someone bumps into us, and I barely miss having a drink spilled on me.
“What the fuck ma—” my toy boy starts, but then snaps his mouth closed and pales as he sees the size difference between himself and his opponent.
Hawke hasn’t even noticed us as he makes out on the dance floor with his sweetheart. Her arms are around his neck, and her legs are wrapped around his hips as she grinds against him.
You have got to be kidding me.
The thing about Hawke is I never know when something is accidental or he’s childishly trying to grab my attention.
I scoff at them loud enough that his gaze flicks over to me while he continues to kiss her. He’s smirking as he pulls back and leans into her, biting at her earlobe, his gaze never wavering from mine, as if he’s trying to taunt me.
I turn toward my guy, so I’m back-to-back with Hawke, and he doesn’t have to deal with him.
“Not getting enough protein, obviously,” I say snidely to Hawke as I set my guy’s hands on my waist again.
“Just building an appetite,” Hawke replies over his shoulder. I don’t even bother replying because we could go back and forth with this shit all night. Though, it does give me smug satisfaction when his gaze drops to my ass before his sweetheart directs his attention back to her.
I push myself against the guy I’m dancing with.
I really have an issue with remembering people’s names.
Despite being able to easily collect data on almost anyone, when it comes to men in person, they all seem to blur for me.
Moving to the beat of the music, I drop my head to the side, giving my dance partner all the invitation he needs to start kissing my neck again.
“Let’s get out of here,” he says again, and I rub up against him, my hips moving faster. I can hear his breathing pick up and feel the slow rise of his cock. I love this power, knowing that he wants me and I’m in complete control of everything that will happen past this point.
It’s a woman’s gift, in my opinion, once we learn how to harness it.
Also known as pussy power.
He wants this.
Pity my mind is on the dickhead behind me, who, when I glance over my shoulder at him, is still watching me.
This guy is truly insufferable.
Luckily, the night is young.
I whisper into the guy’s ear with a smile. “Come find me later. I’m not done with my girlfriends yet, but I’ll go home with you.”
“What, just like that, you’re going to leave?” he asks, and I wave goodbye as I go back to where Hope and Posie are.
“Damn, girl, you’re like a Venus flytrap,” Posie says approvingly.
Hope is shaking her head. “Care to explain what’s happening between you and Hawke? And don’t tell me nothing. You two have so much sexual tension, it makes me want to be sick.”
I laugh as a waitress comes over with a tray of drinks for us. We look up at Jewel, Eli, and Dutton, who are watching us. Jewel salutes with her drink, obviously, the one who sent the drinks. I definitely like her.
I grab what smells like vodka and Red Bull. Come to Mama.
“You girls don’t fuck around,” Posie says, throwing back her drink as Hope does the same. I try not to laugh as I finally respond to Hope.
“I like to toy with him, and he does the same in return,” I tell her with a shrug of my shoulders. It’s not a total lie. I do love to toy with him.
“Looks like I’m not the only one playing games,” I say as I look pointedly at her detective, who’s pushing his way through the crowd.
Hope pauses when she sees Braxton. I can’t help but smirk as I look back up at Eli and Dutton, who are staring at him.
He’s welcome here, to a degree, but everyone is still on edge about Hope’s new boyfriend.
He’s shown his loyalty to her father, but respect has to be earned amongst these ranks.
Macho shit, even though I’m certain they have already accepted him, they like busting newcomers balls.
I sense Hawke’s approach and put my hand up in his direction before I even face him, knowing him well enough. He stops in his tracks, always overtly protective of the women in our group, like a big brother. He scowls at me, and I make a shooing motion with my hands.
Braxton joins us, and I can’t help but feel overjoyed for Hope and the way she looks at him.
She’s found someone who accepts her exactly how she is.
Yet there’s a small part of me that feels like I’m being left behind.
Basically, everyone is part of a couple now, and I still can’t understand the appeal.
But that’s above my pay grade. I grab another drink from the tray and hand it to Braxton. He frowns at it, but I encourage him to take it. “What’s wrong, detective? A little sugar gives you heart palpitations?”
“I’ve been warned about what nights out with you can be like,” he says with a charming smile as he accepts it.
Hope tries not to grin as he scoops her in for a kiss.
“It’s not me you might have to worry about tonight,” I say as I take another sip, my hips finding the rhythm again as I dance.