Chapter 2 - Nic

I stare at Lex's outstretched hand with its long, beautiful fingers. I am actually noticing a guy's fingers and finding them beautiful. The moment I saw him, I knew he'd be trouble. His smoky gray eyes have a predatory glint in them. But the first time his hand touched mine, I felt a shiver run down my spine which had me totally freaking out. When he brushed his thumb over my wrist, I had to suppress a moan. I am not sure that dancing with him is such a good idea. I am scared of what it might lead to.

But I can almost feel the air sizzle around us. The attraction, the chemistry is undeniable. And according to Penny, the whole purpose of coming out tonight was to find a hot guy for a one-night stand. You apparently don't move on from a broken relationship till you have had sex with a random stranger. At least, that's what Penny says. I have tried telling her that I am so over Manuel that I don't even spare him a single thought anymore, but she clearly doesn't believe me. Tonight, she was like a woman possessed, hounding me till I gave in. So I put on a killer dress, applied some makeup, threw on my highest heels, and we set out from the apartment we share in West Village to this secret bar she'd heard about from a friend.

I had my reservations about the whole thing, but when I spotted him, I thought perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea after all. I wasn't really planning on doing anything, no matter how much Penny pushed me, other than ogling the sexy hunk from a safe distance. That was until Lex and his friend TJ approached us.

There's something magnetic about him. The guys he is with are drop-dead gorgeous as well, but I'm finding myself simply being pulled to Lex, even when I see the glint that screams danger in his smoky gray eyes. He is not wearing a tie and a few of the buttons of his shirt are open. I have this crazy image flash across my mind where I'm undoing all the other buttons and running my hands all over his muscular chest. Even from underneath his suit jacket, it is easy to see the bulge of his arms.

The sane part of my brain tells me to refuse him the dance. Being in close proximity to him, moving in arms, feeling his touch on my skin will be nothing short of playing with fire. But my hand moves out of its own volition and grasps his, allowing him to lead me to the center of the room. The song has a slow, languorous beat and I feel my body swaying in tune to the rhythm.

He places a hand on my waist, pulling me closer to him. The warmth from his body makes me want to press my body against his and breathe in his musky, spicy scent. When his eyes lock with mine, I blush under the intensity of his gaze and look away, even as I feel desire burning in the pit of my stomach. My arms snake around his neck as I interlace my fingers at the nape. My body is not obeying the commands of my brain at all.

I am tall at five feet nine inches, but even with my four-inch heels adding to my height, he is still taller than me. My fingers are itching to run over his sexy end-of-the-day stubble. He looks like one of those sculpted statues of the Greek gods come to life.

We don't say a thing as we hold each other and look into each others' eyes. I am oblivious to everything but the man who has his arms around me. His gaze is pure lust as his eyes wander leisurely down my body, making my breath hitch. I never knew it was possible to get so turned on by a mere look, but the increasing wetness between my legs says otherwise.

I realize that the song has ended only when he stops moving. Neither of us wants to let go, but we can't keep standing in the middle of the room either. But before we can move away, another song starts playing. It is a fast number; we don't really have an excuse to keep holding each other as all his other friends along with TJ and Penny also join us on the dance floor. Soon, I find myself dancing with all his friends one after another. It is a surreal experience, dancing with so many extremely attractive men, but my gaze keeps wandering to Lex, and he keeps looking at me as well.

After about half an hour of dancing, I'm tired and walk to the bar to get a drink. I'm glad when Lex follows me. Penny is taking turns dancing with the guys as they ply her with champagne. I can tell that she's having the time of her life.

"Let's take it back to where we are sitting," Lex says. When I nod my assent, he leads me by my hand to their corner. It feels good to be alone with him. I find myself wishing that the others don't come back at least for a little while more.

We sit on a comfortable couch and even though there is plenty of space, Lex sits next to me, with our thighs almost touching. He casually places a hand on my exposed knee; I jerk when his hand makes contact with my bare skin, biting my lip to suppress a moan. I absolutely do not understand my body's reaction to his touch. Nobody, not even my long-term ex-boyfriend Manuel has ever made me feel this way.

"Are you having a good time?" he asks, leaning forward, almost whispering the question in my ear. His warm breath on my ear is like a caress.

"Yes, more than I imagined," I say with a small smile, looking up at him. His face is inches away from mine and it is tempting, very tempting to lean forward and kiss his lips, but we are in a very public place. Besides, I don't go around kissing virtual strangers.

I clear my throat as I try to move away from him, wanting to put some distance between us. But his arm comes around my waist, pressing me to his side.

"Come back to my place," he whispers in my ear.

My shoulders tense when I hear his words. There's nothing I want more than have one crazy night of passion in Lex's arms, but I hesitate.

"We hardly know each other!" I object.

"Don't say no just yet. The night is still young. Give me your answer when it is time to leave," he says, turning his body to face me as his fingers play with the ends of my hair. I find myself agreeing to his request, but I need to talk to Penny. I desperately want to go back to Lex's place and Penny is just the person to convince me to do so.

"I need to use the restroom," I say, getting up abruptly. It is a miracle that I catch Penny's eye with her surrounded by four sexy men. I gesture for her to follow me to the restroom, making a beeline for it, hoping she'll join me soon.

I'm sure I did not fool Lex with my excuse, but I don't care. I push the door and enter a restroom with classy, antique décor. Shortly after I enter, the door opens and Penny comes in.

"What's up, babe?" she asks, pulling out a tube of lipstick from her dainty purse that has a long golden metal chain for a strap that is slung across her shoulder.

"He wants me to go back to his place," I say, placing both my hands on my cheeks to cool them down.

"Woot woot! Mission accomplished!" Penny pumps a fist in the air and grins.

"I don't know if I should! Penny, you know I've never done anything like this ever in my life!"

"There's always a first time," she grins wider, and I notice that she is more than slightly drunk.

"I can't do it. This is not me. Penny, talk me out of it!"

She squints at my reflection in the mirror, pulling a face.

"Don't be a wuss. Do it! Go back to his place! Have some fun, babe. Live a little."

"You think I should do it?" I ask, chewing on my lips nervously.

"God yes! Go for it."

"Alright. I can do this. I can do this. I can have a no-strings-attached one-night stand with a crazy attractive guy," I tell my reflection in the mirror.

"That's my girl! Whoops!" Penny enthusiastically tries to slap me on my back, but misses, almost losing her balance. She is definitely drunk.

"Now you put on some lipstick since you've chewed it off, powder your nose, head back out there; tell him you are going to rock his world tonight," Penny says with a giggle. "I gotta head back. The hunks are awaiting my return. I might jump the tall, blue-eyed one myself," she says, winking at my reflection in the mirror before heading out, teetering slightly.

A part of me wants to stop her from going back, but I instinctively know that she'll be safe with Lex's friends.

I look at my reflection in the mirror again, squaring my shoulders.

"I can do this," I tell my reflection aloud. "I am a consenting, unattached, healthy adult woman. I can be a doer. I can be spontaneous like Penny is."

Calming myself with a deep breath, I head out of the restroom, walking straight to Lex.

He is leaning back on the couch with his long legs stretched in front of him, one ankle crossed over the other. His lips are curved into a half smile as he watches his friend TJ dance with Penny. I want him so badly.

I walk behind him, bend down, and whisper ‘yes' in his ear. His eyes widen slightly as his head jerks up. Then his lips curve into a slow, seductive smile. His smoky gray eyes have gone dark with desire. In an instant, he is on his feet, guiding me out of the bar with a hand on my elbow.

My heart is beating like a drum against my ribcage. What the hell am I doing?

"Let me call my driver," he says, walking through the small barber shop and out of the door. I don't follow him out.

"I forgot to tell Penny that we're going back to your place. I don't want her to worry. Let me just talk to her," I say with a strained smile, lying through my teeth, when he is halfway out of the door. He gives me a strange look but shrugs and heads out.

The minute he leaves, I rush back into the bar on unsteady legs. I feel as if a tight band is constricting my chest, making it extremely difficult to breathe. I cannot do this! This isn't me!