31. ADRIANA
ADRIANA
T he smoky, amber interior of The Wise Guy had an intimate charm, its soft lighting and smooth jazz blending with the low hum of conversation. I sat on a barstool, the cool leather pressing against the backs of my thighs as Lucy adjusted her leopard print scarf beside me. Angela worked the bar, moving with a natural ease that suited her perfectly. I took a small sip of my martini, savoring the tartness that danced on my tongue while my thoughts drifted.
Joey .
It had been days since he’d kissed me, but I could still feel his soft lips pressed against mine.
Angela leaned against the counter, her cigarette dangling between her fingers as her sharp gaze cut through my daydream. “Alright, spill it, Adriana. What’s the story with you and Joey? I see the way he’s been eyeing you since he walked in here.”
I felt heat rise to my cheeks, embarrassment pooling as I tried to find the right words.
Lucy smirked, fiddling with the straw in her glass. “The man’s been undressing you with his eyes. It’s practically a strip show in here.”
I tried to laugh it off, swirling the rim of my martini glass with a practiced detachment, but my heart betrayed me with its quickened pace. “There’s nothing to tell,” I said, though I didn’t sound convinced.
Angela’s expression sharpened into a knowing smirk. “When a woman says ‘nothing ,’ it’s always something . And judging by that guilty face of yours, it’s a big something.”
Lucy nudged my arm, teasing. “Unless you want me to start guessing—’cause I will.”
My heart leaped at the memory, and despite my best efforts, the warmth in my cheeks deepened. I sighed, giving in as I recalled Joey’s lips brushing against mine days ago. “He kissed me,” I admitted.
Angela flung her arms up with triumphant exuberance. “I KNEW IT! Didn’t I say this was gonna happen, Lucy? Didn’t I? I told ya she’d go on that date and then they’d kiss!”
Lucy’s grin widened. “You did! So,” she said, turning back to me, “how was it? I’ve heard he’s a great kisser with that bad boy charm all wrapped up in a three-piece suit. Don’t hold back on us. We need all the details!”
I laughed, covering my face with one hand. “He’s a good kisser.” Lucy squealed so loudly you could hear her over all the talking and music.
Angela’s knowing smirk returned, sharp enough to cut glass. “Is that all that happened?”
“Of course!” I said. “He’s still with Renee. I shouldn’t have even let him kiss me in the first place.”
Angela’s mischievous grin returned, lighting up her face. “Are you two just gonna play coy forever?”
“It was just a little peck. It’s not that serious, and it won’t be happening again.”
“A peck?” Lucy repeated with raised eyebrows, sipping from her glass. “Adriana, if you’ve got any sense, you’ll kiss that man again—and this time, make sure he never forgets it. Coming from someone who knows Renee—screw her.”
“Uh-oh! Trouble is fast approaching. I repeat, a tall, dark, blue-eyed man with sinful desires to take Adriana into the VIP is fast approaching—everyone act normal,” Angela said in an exaggerated announcer voice, her grin wicked.
Lucy and I giggled. My pulse quickened before I even looked up. Joey strode to the bar with his signature confident gait, a smile curling his lips. His presence pulled every ounce of air out of the room. And when his eyes found mine, it felt like the rest of the world blurred into nothing.
“Ladies.” He nodded to Angela and Lucy, his voice smooth and warm, before his attention snapped back to me like a magnet. “Mind if I steal you for a dance?”
Angela leaned against the bar with a playful smirk. “Do you practice this act of yours in the mirror, Joey?”
“Yeah, do we get next on the dance card, or is Adriana the only lucky one tonight?” Lucy added, crossing her arms. “Hector would sooner find himself dead than dance with me.”
Joey didn’t take his eyes off me as he grinned, brushing off their teasing. “Very funny, you two. What do you say, Adriana?”
My heart skipped at the sound of my name leaving his lips. There was no use fighting it. My legs felt like jelly, but I managed to stand as he offered his hand. I smoothed the front of my dress, trying to focus on anything other than the heat coursing through my body.
As we headed for the dance floor, Angela called after us, “Joey, don’t step on her toes. She just got those shoes yesterday.”
“And don’t forget Joey—we’re watchin’!” Lucy chimed in. “No funny business on the dance floor. Hands where we can see ’em!”
Joey glanced over his shoulder with a mock-serious expression. “You two got jokes tonight. ”
Once we were on the dance floor, I leaned in to whisper, “You know they’re going to talk about this all night, right?”
His laugh was low and rich, sending a pleasant shiver down my spine. “Let ’em. Long as I get the dance, they can say whatever they want. Anyone can say what they want. You’re all I care about.”
He pulled me into position, one hand slipping to the small of my back, the other holding mine firmly. The warmth of his touch made my stomach flip. His proximity felt dangerous and safe all at once. I tried to keep my focus on the rhythm of the music, but Joey made me forget where I was entirely. His eyes locked on mine, softening as they searched my face. I wondered if he could feel how my heart raced against his chest.
“Relax,” he murmured. “It’s just a dance. I won’t kiss you in front of everyone. Only in private.”
His words sent a jolt through me, electrifying every nerve ending in my body. My breath caught in my chest, and I forgot how to move, my feet stuttering against the rhythm of the music. Joey’s grip on my waist tightened, steadying me, and his lips quirked into the faintest of smirks, as if he knew exactly the havoc he was stirring inside me.
I tried to focus on the dance—the swish of my dress and the press of my shoes against the polished floor—but Joey was all I could feel and see. His presence consumed me, radiating so much confidence, as though he knew how much control he wielded over me in these moments. I had carefully built walls around myself, walls that were meant to protect my deepest secrets. But Joey didn’t just break through them—he demolished them without hesitation.
My mind screamed at me to snap out of it. But his thumb brushed against my hand, silencing every logical thought I had.
I glanced up, meeting his gaze. His eyes locked onto mine. The music, the other people, and Angela and Lucy’s watchful teasing faded into the background. It was just us, a pull that felt impossible to resist.
The steady movement of the dance floor did little to calm the turmoil inside me. His hand on my back was both grounding and incendiary, like he could sense every part of me I wanted to keep hidden. I felt exposed—like Joey saw through every wall I’d built and still wanted to be close.
“You’re quiet,” he murmured, tilting his head, as though studying me. A slow, knowing grin tugged at his lips. “Still thinking about kissing me?”
I let out a small laugh, shaking my head. “You’re awfully sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
He smirked, his grip tightening at my waist. “Am I wrong?”
I met his gaze, my pulse quickening. “I’m not answering that.”
Joey chuckled, his fingers tracing idle circles against my back. He leaned in, his lips brushing just above my ear. “You look beautiful right now. I wish you could see yourself through my eyes.”
A shiver ran down my spine at his words, the low rasp of his voice making it impossible to think straight.
Despite my mind trying to warn me, I couldn’t deny how right this felt—how alive I felt. For the first time in years, something other than fear and uncertainty was swirling in my chest. Joey’s confidence, unpredictability, and unwavering gaze scared me, but it also made me feel seen. Wanted. Desired. And safe. And I wanted to feel this way for as long as I could remember.
I knew I was in trouble. This moment wasn’t just a dance; it was the start of something much bigger—and whether it would save or destroy me, I had no idea. But I couldn’t stop until I found out.
The dance floor was bathed in warm, golden light that softened the edges of the speakeasy, making everything seem like a dream. Earth Angel played softly through the room, its melody wrapping around us like a secret. I wasn’t sure if it was just a coincidence or if Angela had something to do with it.
“I’m beginning to think this may just be our song,” Joey said, his voice low and teasing as we swayed to the music.
“It’s just a coincidence,” I told him.
He chuckled. “Had a feeling you’d say that,” he murmured, pulling me just a fraction closer. “You can’t give in too quickly, can you?”
I didn’t respond, I just smirked. I was hanging onto my self-composure by a single thread. He didn’t need to know that, though.
As Joey’s arms circled me, I relaxed in a way I hadn’t in years. The strength in his hold, the steady way he moved like nothing could touch us.
His chuckle reverberated in my chest, and I glanced up at him, catching the faintest trace of mischief displayed on his face. It was hard to deny how this— us —felt like fate, no matter how much my rational mind wanted to resist.
“You know, you looked too good sitting over here. Like something out of a dream,” Joey murmured into my hair as we swayed to the soft rhythm of the music. His voice was low and rough, making my pulse hammer. “I’d cross a hundred rooms just to get a minute with you.”
His words sent a warmth curling through me, but his next ones nearly stole my breath. “I’ve been thinking about that kiss. Your lips. Will you let me kiss you again?”
“You’re going to make this complicated,” I said softly, more to myself than him.
He brushed a strand of hair from my face with a touch so gentle, it felt intimate. His eyes locked onto mine, as if he had all the time in the world to convince me. “This feels simple to me. It doesn’t feel complicated at all.”
I swallowed hard, his words settling heavy in my chest. I was stronger than this. I had walked through hell and survived. But as I swayed in Joey’s arms, I felt the ground beneath me shift. Joey made me believe in something I thought I’d lost forever: hope . When he touched me, he knew every wall I had built and how to slip past it.
As his thumb brushed against my cheek and his eyes bore into mine, I knew the truth. I wasn’t losing myself to Joey. I’d already lost myself to him. And as much as I feared it, as much as I wanted to pull away and keep my world neatly contained, there was no denying our fate.
I was falling for him. Falling fast, falling hard—and I wasn’t sure there was a way to stop.