31. Take What You Need
TAKE WHAT YOU NEED
AIDEN
After yet another boring conference session that felt like it would never end, I’m so grateful that the second day is over.
Attempting to care about insurance while imagining all the things I could be doing with - or to - Tara has been driving me nuts since we sat down for the morning session.
Knowing that we still have to sit through dinner with everyone is excruciating.
At least this time, dinner is out at a different location, so we can maybe sneak off early without being noticed.
The event organisers had arranged for dinner to take place at the hotel where the Singapore Sling was invented, and I figure maybe we can swing by the dance club again.
We only have one more night here, as we’re on the red-eye flight home tomorrow, and I’m determined to spend as much time with Tara as possible before we return to reality.
The fear that she’ll push me away once we’re back on Australian soil is real, so I want to make sure she realises how good it could be between us, if she just gives it a chance .
When she opens the door between our rooms, I can’t help but run my eyes over her.
Swallowing hard, I take in the black dress that skims along every curve, stopping just above her knees.
The new confidence she exudes since her little makeover with Sylvia is amazing, and I love that she seems to be embracing her figure, rather than hiding it away behind the baggy clothes.
Her long red hair is out, and I’m pretty sure she’s spent some time curling it, as it’s falling in waves over her right shoulder.
“You look… Fuck…” Words have completely escaped me.
It takes all my willpower to stop myself from pressing her against the wall and having my way with her right now, but we need to get downstairs for the shuttles they’ve arranged for us all to get to the hotel.
“Are there other words in that sentence?” She smiles, looking a little nervous while she fidgets with the one of the straps on her dress.
I step closer and take her hand, pulling it away gently. “You look absolutely stunning. And if we didn’t have to leave right now, I’d be stripping that dress off you immediately.”
Her eyes widen a little, and she blushes, which is very cute. It also doesn’t help my desire to just spend the rest of the evening alone with her in one of our rooms and no clothes on either of us.
“We should go,” she says.
I nod. “Agreed. I have plans for us tonight, so let’s get the dinner part out of the way.” I take her hand and lead her out the door of my room.
“And what are these plans?” she asks while we wait for the lift.
“Well, I figure, we make an appearance at dinner, then head back to the club? And then, we’ll see where the night takes us.”
A smile grows steadily on her face and she nods. “That sounds good.”
I squeeze her hand and grin. “Good. It’s a date.”
Her breath hitches a little, and she looks down at our hands before meeting my gaze again. “Yes. It is. ”
Whilst dinner has been good, I’m struggling to concentrate on anything that Travis and Barry have been saying for the last hour.
When we arrived, Tara had excused herself to go to the bathroom and I’d gone to find our table.
But when I’d sat down, both uncles had sat on either side of me, and I’ve been forced to endure endless shop talk while Tara has been smirking at me from across the table.
Travis has been droning on for the last twenty minutes about the importance of remaining compliant, and when Barry jumped in to point out we need to review our internal dispute resolution process, I could have easily throttled him, because it meant the wait staff has been holding off on serving us our dessert while he’s been gesturing wildly.
By the time the final course is done, I’m desperate to be free of the rest of the conference goers.
“So, shall we go out for a drink?” Travis asks, getting to his feet as the staff clear our table.
I flick my gaze towards Tara before shaking my head. “I need an early night, unfortunately. But I’ll see you at breakfast.”
“Oh, that’s a shame. What about you, Tara? Will you be joining us?”
Tara stares at me for a moment, doing her best impression of a deer caught in headlights, before shaking her head. “Oh, I’m pretty tired, too. I didn’t sleep very well last night, so I’ll sit this one out.”
I cough to cover my laugh when she adds a very convincing fake yawn to really drive it home.
“You kids have no stamina. Back when I was your age, I was partying all night at these events.” Barry looks put out, but I shrug.
“Sorry guys, what can I say? Our generation is just weak, I guess,” I say with a smile, and Tara looks away while she attempts to keep a straight face.
“Fine. We’ll see you in the morning, then.”
“Yep, bye,” I reply, ushering Tara ahead of me.
We make it outside before we start laughing, and manage to flag down a taxi with relative ease, heading off towards the club once again.
It’s just as busy tonight as it was on Sunday, and we don’t bother with drinks when we arrive.
I lead her straight out onto the dance floor as soon as we get inside, grateful that the current song is a fast salsa.
It feels like we need to ease into this part of the night, and a repeat of Sunday’s bachata may cause us both to spontaneously combust if we start that way.
I lead her into a spin, loving the smile that makes her entire face light up.
I don’t know if she has any idea how sexy she looks when she’s dancing, but it’s honestly one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen.
I’ve danced with quite a few women over the years, most more experienced than Tara, but the way she surrenders to the music and allows me to lead her into each move without resistance makes the experience of dancing with her better than anyone else I’ve danced with in the past. It’s like she’s tapped into a new side of herself since starting lessons, and I’m glad she’s found something that brings her joy.
It’s even better that it’s something we can enjoy together.
Pulling her in close after the next spin, I wrap one arm around her, keeping our bodies pressed together while we continue moving to the music, and I can’t stop myself from running my nose up her neck, breathing in the scent of her perfume.
I feel her shudder a little, and press my lips just below her ear when she melts into my arms. Perhaps dancing in the club wasn’t the right way to go. It would be better if we weren’t surrounded by other people right now, cause all I want to do is undress her and kiss every inch of her body.
The song changes, and Tara clears her throat.
“Maybe we should get a drink?” She sounds breathless, and I’m relieved to see that she’s just as flushed as I feel.
“Sure, come on.” I lead her off the dance floor and order our drinks at the bar.
Once the bartender hands us our cocktails, we move to the side of the dance floor, watching the other couples while we sip our drinks.
Not wanting to let her go, I step behind her and wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her close to my chest. She rests her head back against my shoulder, and we continue to stand like this until we finish our drinks.
Placing our glasses down on a nearby table, I move to lead her back out onto the dance floor, but she tugs me close and kisses me.
“I know you really want to make this feel like a date, but my entire body feels like it’s going to explode from how badly I want you right now,” she says after bringing her lips close to my ear.
I look down at her while she steps back, watching me through lowered lashes.
Knowing the amount of courage it would have taken her to admit that, all I can do is nod and take her hand, leading her back outside.
Thankfully, there’s a taxi rank nearby, and we slide in to the back seat of the one at the front of the line, sitting as close as possible without her actually sitting in my lap.
The drive to get to the hotel is almost painful, hands exploring discreetly so as not to draw attention from our driver. By the time we get there, I need to keep her in front of me to keep my raging hard on from the view of others.
I’ve never been more grateful to see an empty elevator when one arrives, and as soon as the doors close, I tug her around to face me.
Pushing her back against the wall, I kiss her hungrily, and she returns it with enthusiasm.
Hitching her leg up to my hip, I grind myself against her centre, and she moans against my lips while her grip on my shoulders tightens.
Once we reach our floor, we’re both out of breath. Her hair is a mess, her lipstick smudged, and I’m ready to tear our clothes off right here in the hall.
She leads the way into her room, and as soon as the door is closed, the intense need to feel her body under mine is overwhelming.
Pressing her against the closed door, I run my hand up her leg, pushing the skirt of her dress aside to grab her ass before hiking her leg up to my hip and resuming grinding against her, needing to hear those moans grow louder.
When I can tell she’s on the edge of coming undone, I pull away, and she huffs out a frustrated sigh.
Grinning, I pull her towards the bed, turning her so that I can unzip her dress.
Letting it fall to the floor, I look towards the mirror and appreciate her reflection in yet another gorgeous matching underwear set.
This one is a deep red, moulding to her curves perfectly, and it sends my desire for her sky rocketing.
“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” I whisper into her ear, watching her face in the mirror.