Luna #3
“It wasn’t his fault. I was overthinking about Greg and nearly gave myself a panic attack.
I promise I wouldn't ask him out if it were him.” Olivia nods, her shoulders relaxing.
“I’m sharing this because I’m giving you my location, and if I’m not in my apartment by 3 am without a message saying I’m staying out later, you can start to worry. ”
Olivia hugs me. “I’m sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have pushed you to go when you said you weren’t ready.”
“It’s water under the bridge. I’m sorry for leaving you.” I hug her tighter until the sound of an engine revving separates us, drawing our attention to the front windows.
A few people standing outside, chatting, blocked our view of the commotion beyond. Olivia and I shift to get a better angle when a man on an all-black Yamaha YZF-R6 with blue lights pulls up in front of us. I watch as he takes off his helmet, and my jaw drops. “That’s Dante.”
“Forget what I said. You should absolutely go on a date with Dante and share every detail afterward.” Olivia says, her mouth hanging open, too.
I turn to Olivia, my excitement evident on my face. “I’m grabbing my jacket. I’ll be back later to pick up my car.” She hums in response, nodding. I could sense what she was thinking without her saying it: If you come back later and don’t end up in his bed.
I make it back to her office, grabbing my purse as my phone buzzes inside. I pull it out, a message from Dante flashes on my screen:
I hit 'send' and shared my location with Olivia. I put my phone back in my purse, slip on my jacket, and head towards the front.
Olivia stands there, arms open for a hug. “Get home safe, okay?”
“You, too. Text me when you get home after closing. Does my makeup still look okay?”
“You look gorgeous. Have fun tonight.” Olivia waves me off, and I push through the front door.
Dante stands there front and center, leaning against his motorcycle. His smile is the first thing I notice, followed by how his eyes look over my body from head to toe. “Wow. You look incredible, Luna.”
I look to the ground, feeling shy under his stare. “Thank you. You look pretty good yourself.” I bite my lip, meeting his gaze again. “So, where are you taking me?” I'm curious to see if he’ll tell me yet.
“That would ruin the surprise, Luna. Get on my bike and find out for yourself.” He cocks his brow, tilting his head, his hands folded across his chest. “I promise I don’t bite. Not unless you ask me to.”
I suck in a breath and try not to imagine his lips on my neck from last night. “Yeah, about that. I don’t have a helmet, and I’m not dressed appropriately for riding a bike.”
“Do you trust me?”
It’s a straightforward question with a simple answer.
I shouldn’t trust Dante because he’s still a stranger…
but something about him makes me feel like he wouldn’t hurt me.
It’s silly for me to think that, but Dante seems like the type of guy who would risk himself before he ever let me get hurt. “I do. I trust you.”
Let’s both hope you don’t make me regret it.
Dante smiles and pulls out a full-faced helmet like his, only smaller. “This is for you. It should fit.” He mounts his motorcycle and extends his hand to me. “Let’s get out of here. There are a lot of eyes on you right now.”
I look to my right to see some people from the event lingering and whispering to one another. “Trust me, they are looking at you more than at me.” I grab his hand and straddle his motorcycle. I quickly slip on the helmet and tighten the chin strap.
“How does it fit?” Dante’s voice comes through the helmet, and I gasp, taken aback. He laughs, a low chuckle that sends a shiver right to my clit. God, even his laugh is sexy. “Sorry. I should have told you the helmets have speakers in them.”
“Oh, so you can hear me, too?”
Danted nods. “There’s a button on the side of the helmet, and if you press it, it will turn off the speaker.”
I find the button and click it several times, turning it on and off. “Okay. Got it.”
“Good girl.” I can hear the smile and teasing tone in his voice. It sends another jolt to my clit, and I involuntarily squeeze my thighs together. I quickly recover by scooting back farther, trying to distance myself as much as possible. “You ready?”
“Yeah. I’m ready.” It’s not the entire truth. I’m nervous about being on a motorcycle, but also excited. I feel like my body is buzzing all over.
Dante turns on his motorcycle, the engine roaring to life. My hands grip his sides as he lifts the kickstand. He slowly backs out of the parking space, being careful during the takeoff. Dante takes a right at the stoplight on the corner of E Beverly, his hand sliding back, holding on to my knee.
The act is innocent enough, but he leaves his hand there and begins to caress my leg.
I must be touch-starved because the way he’s touching me feels far better than it should have.
His fingers glide up and down my calf, and I’m so lost in his touch that I don’t catch myself before I let out a soft moan.
Dante stills his hand but doesn’t remove it.
“You alright, Luna?” his voice is low, and the question genuine.
I can’t tell him that the way he’s touching me makes me want to guide that curious hand of his somewhere else, so I opt for a lie. “Just a little nervous on the motorcycle. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on one.”
“I’ve got you, Luna. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Fuck. Stop it, heart. Don’t beat like that.
I’m thankful for the full-face helmet, so Dante can’t see how I bit my lip to avoid embarrassing myself further.
The motorcycle slows, and we pull into a gravel parking lot. The glaring neon purple sign above us reads: Charm.
Dante pulls up next to several other bikes parked right out front.
“Go ahead and get off first. I’ll hold the bike steady.
” I do as he says and dismount. I unfasten the chin strap on my helmet and remove it.
I watch as Dante dismounts, admiring the view as his shirt lifts, exposing the abdominal V-lines I was sure he had.
My eyebrows shoot up to my hairline as I see the tattoo he has, angel wings on opposing sides of the V-lines.
I averted my eyes as if I were a Victorian man seeing an ankle for the first time.
Dante takes off his helmet, his smile reaching from ear to ear. I feel my face flush. He knows one thousand percent what he’s doing.
Soft R if you break them, you get kicked out for good. ”
I smile. “I’ve never heard of it, but I love exploring new places. I’m excited.”
Dante circles his bike, extending his arm so I can take it. “Then let's get you that drink, angel.” My heart flutters at the pet name. I wrap my arm around his as he guides us to the front door. “Hey, Tommy,” Dante says casually to the security guard.
“Hey, Dante.” He opens the door, maintaining a stoic and unreadable expression. I can’t determine whether he likes Dante or just takes his job seriously. Either way, it’s a strange interaction.
Soft R&B is bumping through the speakers, a low vibration and smooth beat inside the club.
The atmosphere is calm, and the neon-purple sign outside mirrors the club's interior.
The club has an expensive, cozy ambiance.
Circle booths line the room, and black leather couches encircle the center pillars.
Tables sit between the couches, and people lounge comfortably while chatting with other patrons.
“Dante! My boy! Your private booth has been reserved and is ready for you and your beautiful guest, " a darkskin bald man in a tan Versace suit says, standing at the host stand. He wears sleek, thin glasses with a dark tint and a killer smile that contrasts with his rich-melanin features.
“Hi, Vin. Thanks for that.” Dante shakes Vin’s hand, drops my arm, and hugs him. He turns, extending his arm to me. “This is my date, Luna Stirling.”
“Welcome to Charm, Ms. Stirling. Please follow me, and I'll take you to your private booth. Would you like something to drink tonight?” Vin asks as he leads us through the club. Dante waves me in front of him.
“I’ll take a Negroni, please,” I say, following behind Vin.
“A perfect choice, Ms. Stirling. Here is your booth, and I will check your jackets at the front.” I slide off my jacket, handing it to Vin, and settle into the semicircular booth.
Our booth is more secluded, tucked away in the club's corner, and farthest from the live band. Dante slides off his leather biker jacket, and I can’t help but keep my jaw from falling to the floor.
Dante’s arms are ripped and covered with tattoos.
The tattoos are mainly black and grey, but I can see hints of color.
The purple lighting of the nightclub makes it hard to see clearly, but I can’t take my eyes off his arms as he slides into the seat across from me, folding his hands in front of him and saying something to Vin before he leaves. “My eyes are up here, angel.”
My eyes meet his, and a nervous laugh escapes me as I feel caught. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just—I didn’t realize you had so many tattoos.”
He cocks a brow, folding his hands under his chin, leaning in. “Is that a problem?”
Problem? I mean, if you call soaking through my panties a problem, then I only want problems from him.“No–No. It surprised me, that's all. I’ve never noticed until now.”