The Scars That Define Us (The Devil's Dust #2)(34)

We follow Cherry over to a booth next to the DJ station. “Hey, I’m going to go tell my brother I’m here real quick and then we’ll dance,” she says, skipping off. I slide into the center of the booth, making room for the girls.

“Ha. I ain’t dancing, but I’ll drink,” Babs tells us, pointing toward the bar.

“I’ll join you,” Molly says, leaving me at the booth by myself.

I tap my fingers against the tabletop as I watch Molly and Babs order drinks when suddenly a tall, blue beverage is placed in my line of sight.

“This is from Mr. Ross,” the girl states. She’s wearing a gold shiny dress, and her black wavy hair sways down her back.

“Who?” I ask, confused.

“Mr. Ross,” she answers, pointing to a booth across the way. I push myself up to look over the crowd and see a man wearing a white button down shirt wave slightly. He has dark hair and seems to be middle aged. I’ve never met him before.

I look at the drink. Aren’t you suppose to reject drinks from strangers at a bar, or do I watch too many CSI shows?

“Uh, no thanks,” I reply, pushing the drink away.

The girl looks at me surprised then shrugs, taking the drink away.

Molly and Babs come back to the booth with drinks in their hands, laughing about something.

“So, I hear you went on a date with some rich guy,” Babs says, taking a small sip from her shot glass and shimmying back into the booth.

“Yeah, I did. He was a gentleman. Well, at least I thought he was.” I give a weak smile. I still find it hard to believe Parker would treat a woman ill, but Shadow insisted he saw it with his own eyes.

Babs laughs in hysteria. “I bet Shadow f*cked that guy up.”

“That boy must have had serious balls messing with a Devil’s property,” Molly says with a grin. I groan with frustration. Only the Devil himself knows what happened to Parker, and I’m not about to ask him.

“Let’s dance; he’s playing my song next,” Cherry orders, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the booth. She drags me through sweaty bodies into a small opening on the dance floor. The club roars lyrics from ”Turn Down For What” by DJ Snake & Lil Jon, and Cherry starts throwing her arms up with the beat. She bends her knees and shakes her hips, dancing like nobody’s watching. I, on the other hand, just stand there, not sure what to do. I’ve never been to a club; my mother never allowed it.

“Just let loose. Nobody is watching you!” Cherry yells above the music.

I start to bob my head to the music, trying to follow her advice.

Suddenly, Cherry grabs me by the hips and grinds herself onto my pelvis.

“Like this,” she says, showing me how to move my body seductively.

She grabs me around my neck, and her floral perfume suffocates me. Her body rolls against mine as if we were in a lovers’ embrace. I take her lead and start to twist my body against hers just like she showed me.

“You got it,” she smirks.

I smile back and grab her hips, feeling like I got the hang of things as I grind myself against her hip while she continues to dance.

Feeling the confidence override my insecurities I let go of her and just let loose. I pump my hands in front of me as I shake my ass. The beat is so loud it vibrates through my chest and down my legs. I tangle my fingers into my hair and toss my head back and forth to the music.

“Animals” by Martin Garraix instantly plays next, and I close my eyes and continue to dance. I feel free and sexy. This is exactly what I needed, to just get out and have fun with some girl companions. Hands grasp around my hips and slam me into a hard body, and I suddenly smell weed and alcohol. My body stiffens, and my eyes flare open. I pull away from the foreign body pressed firmly against my backside and spin around to see the guy from across the club, Mr. Ross.

He slides his hands over my ass roughly and slams my body against his.

“I don’t want to dance. Thanks.” I squirm, trying to pry myself from his grasp unsuccessfully.

“I ordered you a drink, and you declined. That wasn’t very nice,” he states against my ear, his grip rough and unsought.

“Fuck you and your drink,” I spit, pushing him away. I look around for Cherry frantically but don’t see her anywhere. I dive across the crowded dance floor, weaving through to make my way back to the booth,

“You *! Take it!” Babs shouts at Molly, handing her a shot glass as I slide into the booth.

Feeling a little paranoid, I stare out into the crowd looking for Mr. Ross.

“Yuck, you’re all sweaty,” Molly says, poking my arm with a finger.

“Yeah, I got a little carried away,” I apologize, trying to smile.

“Hey, there you are! I got a great song coming up next,” Cherry tells me, grabbing my hand and pulling me from the booth. “Come on. You can rest when you’re dead!”

Cherry notices my hesitation and stops to look at me. “You all right?”

“There was this creepy guy out there. He gave me a weird vibe,” I admit, looking at the girls, wondering if I’m being ridiculous or not.

“What guy? I’ll f*ck him up,” Babs threatens.

“You just have to be firm with them. Then they’ll leave you alone,” Cherry advises, tugging me forward. “It happens all the time,” she yells over her shoulder.