Chapter 7
The elevator doors binged open, lively music greeted her ears, and splashes of revolving lights blinded her.
Stepping out, Soraya found herself on a thriving rooftop bar.
Momentarily overwhelmed by the sudden noise and flashing lasers, she tilted her head back to look at the silent, silver clouds blanketing the black sky above it all.
An overcast night in the heart of Los Angeles made the city dreamlike.
At least, to Soraya it did. She had always liked how the clouds looked illuminated by the urban brilliance, and as they pressed down on the skyscrapers, she felt like all she had to do was reach out a hand to touch them.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Jerking her gaze back to the party, she saw rays of gold and yellow lights beaming down on the excited crowd from the overarching pergola covering the dance floor.
A couple of partygoers had popped champagne and were spraying liquid gold on the people nearby.
Their laughter and shrieks of delight echoed off the buildings surrounding them.
Smiling, Soraya shook herself off and headed into the throng of revelers to become part of the night—and hopefully, find some enjoyable company while she was at it.
The farther she walked through the crowd, the more the crowd seemed to squeeze in on her.
The humidity rolling off their drunk, sweaty skin made her more uncomfortable bit by bit as they danced around her.
Not a single person looked her way as she scouted for the bar where it would be easier to converse with people.
The music shifted into a frantic, upbeat melody. The people around her were jumping up and down or swaying side to side, arms wrapped around each other. There was a lightness in the air she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
She watched as a boy with ice-blonde hair tipped his head back in rapture, lights flashing across his face.
He held a cup of glowing orange liquid, and while he danced, it splashed down his front, even getting on the people near him, but none of them seemed to care.
All were lost in their drinks and good music.
Standing in the middle of this thrumming mass, Soraya felt removed from it all.
Untethered and unbound from the ecstasy, the rhapsody, and even the feel of bodies moving around her.
She had forgotten that…the feeling of being lost and alone in a crowd.
It was why she avoided many places before they showed up in her life.
If Jesmine or Evelyn and even the new addition of Ahvi had been with her, they would have helped her feel more grounded and a part of the moment.
Sighing, Soraya tried to make her way to the bar she’d spotted, pushing against people who didn’t even realize she was there. A drink would help her settle, even though she promised herself she wouldn’t drink beforehand. She wasn’t there for the liquor after all.
As she fought against the current of people, a strange mist began to fall from above.
She watched as it sprinkled over her, and when she inhaled, an overbearing musky scent, edged with subtle sweetness, assaulted her senses.
Coughing, she placed her hand over her nose and looked around to see if anyone else was affected.
If anything, the mist seemed to have the opposite effect on everyone else. People cheered, throwing their hands above their heads and basking in the cool vapor, and within moments, a shift happened. She could feel it as it rippled through the crowd. They became more upbeat, more manic.
Amazed, Soraya watched as a young woman practically jumped a guy as she threw her arms around his neck and clung to him like a stripper’s pole. The guy matched her enthusiasm, wrapping himself around her as they made out on the dance floor.
Someone bumped into her from behind, and when she looked over her shoulder, she saw yet another couple lip-locking and stumbling around as they ravaged each other.
Not everyone was caught in the sexual frenzy; others were still enjoying themselves, hands raised high in the air as they danced to the beat of the music.
Before she could escape the mania, a pair of hands gripped her hips, and she felt a man’s front press into her backside.
“Hey baby, you’ve got a fantastic ass,” a nasal voice leered behind her as he ground his dick into her behind.
Soraya spun around and struck the creep across the face without a second thought. Hard.
“Fucking scumbag, do that again, and you’ll be waking up in the hospital,” Soraya hissed through her teeth.
She meant it, too. The asshole was about her height, and he didn’t look all that muscular.
If she wanted to take him, she was confident she could…
until her legs started to go numb. The sensation hit her out of nowhere.
Perplexed, Soraya tried to shuffle her feet, but they wouldn’t respond quickly enough.
That was a problem, especially as the creep turned his head, rage overtaking his features.
“Stupid slut,” he spat. “If you didn’t want it, then you shouldn’t dress like a whore.
” He raised his hand, aiming to backhand her.
Shit.
Before the blow could land, a hand caught the asshole’s upraised palm.
“Hey, Sweetness,” a smooth, raspy voice said over the music.
“Give me one moment while I take care of this.” A tall, lean man stepped between her and the creep.
The people around them remained oblivious to the confrontation, but somehow, they still managed to give them space.
His back was to her, but from what she could see of her savior, he wore a white dress shirt with rolled-up sleeves tucked into cream-colored pants. Soraya couldn’t make out his face from where she stood, but she watched in shock as he wrapped his hand around the guy’s neck and jerked him forward.
Bending his head slightly, he whispered something in the creep’s ear.
It almost looked sensual if not for the tension bracketing her assailant’s shoulders.
Then, unceremoniously, her savior released the scumbag, who stumbled backward.
A glazed look entered his beady eyes as he turned and disappeared into the crowd, swallowed whole by the mass of people.
Soraya addressed the stranger, “Thanks for that. I—” Her words trailed off when the man turned to face her.
Placing his hands in his dress pants, he gave her a smile dripping with seduction.
His white dress shirt was completely unbuttoned, revealing a sliver of smooth, tanned olive skin stretched over taut muscles.
She fought the urge to look down at his stomach, where she could vaguely see his chiseled abdomen. It was the polite thing to do.
Instead, she focused on his olive-green eyes as he said, “No need to thank me, Sweetness. I was glad to be of service.” He tilted his chin down in a half-nod, causing his sun-kissed brown hair to fall into his eyes.
He was fucking beautiful. His features were angelic, but it was his eyes and mouth that spoke of sin.
Soraya cleared her throat and stated, “Not many men would have done what you just did for me. When I thank you, I mean it.”
His eyes locked on hers, and it was like all the air was sucked out between them. Then, in one smooth movement, he bowed at the waist without breaking eye contact. “Then I most sincerely accept your thanks—my lady.”
A smile tugged at her lips at his theatrics, and she swore she could smell hints of coconut and vanilla wafting off of him.
My lady…she had heard that phrase before.
“It’s a pleasure—” Soraya trailed off as a sudden flare of desire gripped her.
Heat ignited low in her belly, spreading outward. She was reminded that her legs were still numb, feeling heavy and sore. She hadn’t realized how feverishly hot she was getting; being surrounded by a dozen bodies and their collective heat didn’t help.
Trapped in her own skin, a blazing inferno ripped through her. She bit her lip to keep from crying out at its intensity.
“Follow me,” the beautiful man commanded.
Soraya didn’t object as he trailed his fingers down her arm, gripping her hand and leading her out of the throng of people.
It took all her strength to keep her legs moving, one foot in front of the other—a welcome distraction from what was happening inside her body.
Flailing arms and sloshing drinks blurred her vision, overwhelming her, so she focused on his hand wrapped around hers.
She liked the way his veins bulged just beneath his tanned skin.
Once they broke free of the crowd, he released her hand and gripped the back of her neck, guiding her against an empty gray wall.
Soraya sucked in deep, cooling breaths. Her body temperature had lowered somewhat since breaking away from the crowd, but a certain haze crept into her eyes, making everything slightly blurry.
He thumbed her chin to tilt it up. “Eyes up. Let me get a look at you,” his silky voice instructed.
As her eyes lifted of their own accord, Soraya began to pant as she gazed up at him. A steady pulse throbbed through her lower belly, and she squeezed her thighs together, seeking some reprieve.
His gaze was intense as his eyes flickered back and forth between hers. His lips parted as his brows furrowed. Releasing her chin, his fingers brushed her hair back before he traced the curve of her ear.
The simple touch sent shivers down her spine, she sucked in a gasp, and with it, the smell of his coconut cologne fogged her mind.
He gritted his teeth. “Shit. Did you take xoli?”
She had no clue what he was saying—she just wanted him to keep touching her.
“Focus, Sweetness.”
Her thighs rubbed together as she watched his bowed mouth move—she licked her lips. She was focusing all right.
What sounded like a low growl emanated from deep in his throat. A thrill sparked through her to hear it.