Chapter six
Present Day
It was actually a short walk from the hotel, but given I was in heels and a dress, Theo insisted on driving. The restaurant was amongst a small village type shopping centre with other bars and for early on a Friday night, the vibe was already pretty hectic.
Theo parked the car and then insisted on helping me get out of the truck. He’d said it was because he didn’t want me to fall and twist my ankle in the stilts I was wearing. I laughed, secretly amused that my stiletto’s had him so concerned.
We met Sloane and Jasper in the lobby of the restaurant. Sloane’s eyes almost popped out of her skull when she saw me. She grabbed my hands and spun me around.
“Holy shit, you look incredible. Babes, you’re eating this confidence thing up. I’m so so so proud of you.”
Theo looked at me and I felt his eyes narrow as if to say ‘what confidence thing.’ but he didn’t actually use any words. At least not until Sloane directly asked him.
“Doesn’t she look great?”
Theo placed his hand on my lower back as we all walked into the restaurant doors, the warmth of his hand radiated through the thin fabric of my dress and I swear if I could have been set on fire from his touch, I would have burned to a crisp then and there.
“She looks beautiful.” he paused. “She always does.”
What the actual fuck.
“I know right! So you’ll have to dance with her tonight right?”
“Yes Sloane. I will dance with Gin… will you stop now?”
Oh, he was placating his sister. Of course he was.
Dinner was good. I’d ordered a salad and a medium rare steak which I finished because I hadn’t eaten properly since the cinnamon roll that morning.
Instead of dessert, Sloane insisted we all go to the bar next door and get a sex on the beach, followed by cocktail after cocktail with increasingly ridiculous names.
I’d never really been a big drinker. College with Sloane and the parties we’d attended there had been probably my only foray into that world.
I’d never really enjoyed it either. Tonight though I need it, mostly so I could go back to the hotel and have a hope in hell of going to sleep.
Sloane and Jasper hit the dance floor and Theo leaned in.
“I’m gonna get a tequila shot. You in?”
I should have said no, but today I should have done a lot of things and my brain wasn’t about doing what it should today so I nodded and walked with Theo to the bar.
“You done a tequila shot before?” he asked as we approached the hardwood counter. I scrunched my face up, and glared at him.
“I’m not the prim and innocent princess you think I am Theo.”
He chuckled. “I know.” He looked at the barman and then said “Two shots of tequila thanks.”
The bar man poured the shots, placed the lime and salt in front of us and then took Theo’s card to pay.
“So, you know how normally you’d lick the salt off your hand, drink and then suck on the lime?” he said, picking up my hand.
I nodded and watched as he licked only my hand, to the base of my thumb.
It was erotic in a way that made my stomach turn over and over with want and confusion.
I could barely breath as he tapped the salt on to my skin.
I managed to look up at him, our eyes met as he shot me a half smile before lifting his hand to his mouth.
I could do nothing but watch as he licked the same spot on his hand and then salted it.
“Lick the salt, drink the shot and then we can hold each other’s lime.”
I nodded, a little too eagerly and it made my already swirling brain swirl even more.
“Why?” My voice was shaky, which I chose not to focus on. I also chose not to focus on the fact that my hand was still tingling where he’d licked it.
“Because it’s fun.”
I shrugged and picked up the lime with one hand and the shot with the other, while he did the same.
He counted down and then we did the shot, Lick, drink and then he placed the lime wedge in my mouth straight after the liquid had passed down my throat.
I managed to find his mouth at the same time.
His finger tips edged under the soft skin of my lips, accidentally touching my teeth at first, and then once I’d sucked the juice from the lime I licked the juice from the tip of his finger.
“Fuck sorry.” I said, pulling my hand back from the wedge in his mouth and placing the shot glass down with the other, covering my mouth. Theo just grinned. “Don’t be.”
“Oh come on you two!” Sloane said a moment later, dragging me on to the dance floor.
I wasn’t a dancer. I’d never been a dancer.
I liked music and the way it made me feel, but I had the rhythm of a pillar.
Theo didn’t seem to care, maybe it was because it was late, and we’d already had the weirdest couple of days only now we’d added copious amounts of alcohol to the mix.
He placed his hands on my hips, and we danced, and for the first time, maybe ever, I didn’t think about how my body felt under his touch, until suddenly I did. We were too close, our bodies were flush, my head was against his cheek and his breath was hitting my ear.
“Karaoke!” I shouted, putting some much needed space between us.
“Yesssss.” Sloane motioned like she’d just scored a goal and Jasper looked slightly defeated.
We moved over to the karaoke machine as sloane ordered us more drinks and then gave us a tablet to go through the songs list.
Five songs, four drinks each and two hours later. Sloane and Jasper called it quits.
I was drunk, and tired, but also still terrified to return to the hotel. What if I said something stupid. Worse, what if I did something stupid.
“One more quiet drink?” Theo placed his hand on my back for the umpteenth time that night. I agreed with a slight nod and we walked together to the bar. I ordered a mojito and he ordered a whiskey neat.
We drank them together, quietly, not really talking and then walked out the door into the night. I could see the hotel, it was down hill within walking distance, but Theo was already getting out his phone for an uber.
“Lets just walk.” Maybe the night air would sober me up.
He looked down at my stilettos, which had only just started to hurt my feet. “You’re not walking anywhere in those.”
I smiled and stepped out of them, and then almost fell as I bent over to pick them up. “Voila, problem solved. Let’s walk.”
Theo sighed and then followed after me as I’d already begun to walk down the path.
We were back at the hotel within a few minutes, and I’m not sure if it was the alcohol but the walk back seemed even quicker than I had anticipated.