edges of the dance floor. The ceiling had hundreds of custom fluorescent blue lights rippling like glowing water, casting light on the packed dance floor onto which Becca promptly dragged us.
I tried to move my body to the pounding beat as Becca danced in circles around me. It took almost no time at all before guys began to gravitate toward Becca. Feeling awkward, I took my chance for escape.
"I'm going to get something to drink!" I yelled to them over the music.
Becca smiled at me and continued moving her body to the music, wrapping her arms around the guy she was currently dancing with. Miguel's attention was quickly diverted as he focused on a good-looking blonde and danced near him, giving him a flirtatious smile. He caught my gaze and winked and waved at me. I flashed him a grin in reply before I made my way out of the sea of bodies on the dance floor and worked through the crowd to the bar at the far end of the room. The bar was already crowded, and I tried unsuccessfully to squeeze my way in when a familiar pair of bright blue eyes caught my attention.
"Hey there," Dom smiled, moving himself to the side and giving me space to step up. "Squeeze on in here or you'll never catch his attention. It's packed tonight."
"Thanks," I smiled nervously back at him, feeling butterflies dancing in my stomach. Up close I could see that there was the tiniest cleft in his nose, as if the indentation in his chin had extended too far upwards.
"Let me see your hand," interrupted the bartender, startling me from my study of Dom's cleft.
I flushed red and thrust my right hand toward the bar, showing the neon green band that indicated my status as an underage patron. "Just a Sprite please," I called, fishing in my too small pockets for the billfold I had stowed there earlier in the evening.
"Make that two," said Dom, his voice deep and resonating. He threw a couple of bills on the bar, accepted both of the plastic red cups from the bartender, and indicated that I should follow him. I wasn't about to argue, so I trailed awkwardly after him, trying not to fall in my heels. I glanced over to where Becca and Miguel were still dancing and caught her eye, flashing a smile and nodding toward Dom, letting her know where I was heading. She winked and gave me a thumbs up. Somehow Dom had managed to find a table with two empty chairs and put the cups on the table, pulling one chair out for me.
"I'm glad I ran into you," he said as he pushed my chair in, his breath tickling my ear and causing an involuntary shiver to ripple across my skin. "I didn't get a chance to ask you your name earlier. Your boss seems like a bit of a dragon lady."
I laughed at the image he presented of Sharon. "That's a pretty accurate description," I smirked. "My name is Cassie."
"So how old are you, Cassie?" He gestured toward my green paper bracelet.
"She's nineteen today!" Becca trilled, appearing next to me and taking my red cup from my hands, taking a deep drink of the sugary liquid, clearly too thirsty to remember her stance on sugar. I scowled at my empty cup as she pushed it back into my hands.
"Oh," Dom smiled brightly, exposing his even, white teeth, and my breath caught in my throat. He should warn people before he did that. "Well, happy birthday, Cassie. Did you get everything you wished for?"
"It's starting to look that way, but there's still time for everything to go horribly wrong," I replied, tapping my fingers on the tabletop nervously.
Becca eyed me suspiciously, her eyes screaming at me to relax and flirt. I shrugged at her helplessly, and she excused herself to go back onto the dance floor. I knew I was going to be in for a slightly milder version of the Spanish Inquisition when we got home and now I wasn't as anxious to leave as I had been.
"Do you want to dance?" he asked abruptly, standing up and offering me his hand. I took his outstretched hand and let him lead me onto the dance floor, praying that I wouldn't trip over
I tried to move my body to the pounding beat as Becca danced in circles around me. It took almost no time at all before guys began to gravitate toward Becca. Feeling awkward, I took my chance for escape.
"I'm going to get something to drink!" I yelled to them over the music.
Becca smiled at me and continued moving her body to the music, wrapping her arms around the guy she was currently dancing with. Miguel's attention was quickly diverted as he focused on a good-looking blonde and danced near him, giving him a flirtatious smile. He caught my gaze and winked and waved at me. I flashed him a grin in reply before I made my way out of the sea of bodies on the dance floor and worked through the crowd to the bar at the far end of the room. The bar was already crowded, and I tried unsuccessfully to squeeze my way in when a familiar pair of bright blue eyes caught my attention.
"Hey there," Dom smiled, moving himself to the side and giving me space to step up. "Squeeze on in here or you'll never catch his attention. It's packed tonight."
"Thanks," I smiled nervously back at him, feeling butterflies dancing in my stomach. Up close I could see that there was the tiniest cleft in his nose, as if the indentation in his chin had extended too far upwards.
"Let me see your hand," interrupted the bartender, startling me from my study of Dom's cleft.
I flushed red and thrust my right hand toward the bar, showing the neon green band that indicated my status as an underage patron. "Just a Sprite please," I called, fishing in my too small pockets for the billfold I had stowed there earlier in the evening.
"Make that two," said Dom, his voice deep and resonating. He threw a couple of bills on the bar, accepted both of the plastic red cups from the bartender, and indicated that I should follow him. I wasn't about to argue, so I trailed awkwardly after him, trying not to fall in my heels. I glanced over to where Becca and Miguel were still dancing and caught her eye, flashing a smile and nodding toward Dom, letting her know where I was heading. She winked and gave me a thumbs up. Somehow Dom had managed to find a table with two empty chairs and put the cups on the table, pulling one chair out for me.
"I'm glad I ran into you," he said as he pushed my chair in, his breath tickling my ear and causing an involuntary shiver to ripple across my skin. "I didn't get a chance to ask you your name earlier. Your boss seems like a bit of a dragon lady."
I laughed at the image he presented of Sharon. "That's a pretty accurate description," I smirked. "My name is Cassie."
"So how old are you, Cassie?" He gestured toward my green paper bracelet.
"She's nineteen today!" Becca trilled, appearing next to me and taking my red cup from my hands, taking a deep drink of the sugary liquid, clearly too thirsty to remember her stance on sugar. I scowled at my empty cup as she pushed it back into my hands.
"Oh," Dom smiled brightly, exposing his even, white teeth, and my breath caught in my throat. He should warn people before he did that. "Well, happy birthday, Cassie. Did you get everything you wished for?"
"It's starting to look that way, but there's still time for everything to go horribly wrong," I replied, tapping my fingers on the tabletop nervously.
Becca eyed me suspiciously, her eyes screaming at me to relax and flirt. I shrugged at her helplessly, and she excused herself to go back onto the dance floor. I knew I was going to be in for a slightly milder version of the Spanish Inquisition when we got home and now I wasn't as anxious to leave as I had been.
"Do you want to dance?" he asked abruptly, standing up and offering me his hand. I took his outstretched hand and let him lead me onto the dance floor, praying that I wouldn't trip over
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