She turned around to offer him her back, and instantly felt his fingers trail down the column of her spine. “What do you say we get out of here?”
She pulled in a breath, wanting nothing more, but turned around to take his paper and place it on the bar.
He frowned. “I guess that’s a no?”
She took another sip of her martini and filled out the paper. “Later,” she promised.
He leaned in close to her ear, his perfectly shaved cheek like silk against her skin. “Later.”
And then he was gone.
The game passed by in a rush. By the end of it, the agenda had been completed. Everyone was laughing and talking, and much looser than before. Samantha stood at a cocktail table by the dance floor, deliberately selecting the spot because she had a perfect view of Tristan. He was still surrounded by women, but for some reason she didn’t mind as much now. He was hers, and she knew he’d come to her the moment she curved her finger.
Mark came to stand beside her then, holding a beer in one hand, and martini in the other. “You look thirsty,” he stated, placing her drink in the middle of the table. “Are you still trying to pretend not to care about that blond dude over in the corner?”
She pulled in a breath, shaking her head, and turned to face him “I don’t know whatever you mean—”
But he winked at her, interrupting her words. He took a swig of his beer. “Samantha, your secret’s safe with me. But I find it hilarious you think no one notices.”
She bit her lip and glanced over at Mark. “Is it that obvious?”
He took another swig of beer before answering. “Yeah…it kinda is. Though don’t worry, most people are too drunk to notice—plus, they’re not as perceptive as I am.” He then stepped closer, hunching down to whisper in her ear. “But my question is this, if he could have you, why is he making out with that brunette over there?”
Samantha whipped around, her eyes finding Tristan immediately, standing in the same spot she’d left him, with a blond woman by his side. But his eyes were narrowed and focused on Samantha.
She hit Mark’s arm and shook her head. “You’re trying to make him jealous.”
Mark laughed. “Or make him realize what he’s missing. There are two sides to every coin.”
“True,” she agreed, as a deep voice broke through the music again.
Phin was up on the stage this time, his arm around Renee, and the microphone in his hand. “Now that you’ve had a chance to get to know one another, we have another game.”
The crowd erupted with laughter, and he held his finger to his mouth to shush them. “As I’m sure you’re aware, Renee and I met at the Hamilton Ballet. We’ve since moved in other directions, but the company will forever have a special place in our hearts.”
Mumbles began coursing through the crowd, and Phin motioned with his hands for them to settle down. “We’re going to play a game,” he said again. “One we learned not too long ago in an improv class and we’d like you to join us. There are only two rules.” He grinned. “One, you have to have a partner; and Two, never stop touching.”
He took Renee in his arms and started swaying. “It can be only fingers.” He turned her out, letting her travel until only the tips of their fingers connected. “Or the whole body.” He yanked her forward again, slamming her body against his, her thigh between his legs. “When the song changes, so does the person you’re dancing with. Fair enough?”
Renee grinned and took the microphone. “Couples will be eliminated as we go, so be creative and don’t let that happen.” She raised her eyebrows. “There’s a prize at the end, but you’ll have to wait to find out what it is. Have fun everyone!”
Chapter Twenty-eight
It didn’t take long before everyone was grabbing a partner and heading for the dance floor. There were different couples, some conservative, some not, yet it didn’t take long before the scene that unfolded in front of them looked like it could have come out of a Vegas nightclub. Deciding she didn’t really care about prizes, Samantha turned to leave, but then she felt a hand rest on her lower back.
Mark stood just behind her, his lips close to her ear as he spoke to her. “What do you say—want to make him jealous?”
She laughed, because this was a horrible idea. She wasn’t a dancer, and she wasn’t about to start now.
But then Devon came to stand beside her and draped his arm around her shoulder. “Who are we making jealous?” he asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked over the dance floor.
Her eyes shifted downward, then she looked over at Mark. He caught her eye and winked to let her know it would be okay, then handed her a shot glass filled with some sort of brown liquid.
“Drink,” he said to Samantha. Then he turned to Devon and lifted his chin. “It seems,” Mark began, taking her glass that was now empty, “that Samantha has an admirer—but he’s too much of a pussy to come over here and get her. So we’ll have to draw him out.”
Devon choked on his bottle of Corona and glanced around the dance floor. “Who?”
Mark waved him off. “Doesn’t matter, Devon. What matters is that we make Samantha look like the most delicious morsel in the room.” He took Samantha’s arm, handed Devin her clutch, and bowed to her. “May I have this dance?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think this is a good idea.” But then she saw Tristan already out there, dancing with the redheaded hussy she’d seen him with earlier. The ginger turned to face him, her legs long and elegant as she walked around him, trailing her finger along his body.
Mark pushed her toward the dance floor, then pulled her around and gripped her fingers firmly in one hand. “Change your mind?”
Her lips curled in a playful grin and she nodded. “Do your worst.”
As though her invitation flipped on a switch, Mark grinned and starting dancing like a Latin lover. He lifted her up at the arms—just high enough where her breasts almost hit his chin. He grinned. “Good girl.” Then he gripped the backs of her thighs, adding enough pressure to urge them to spread. Her eyes widened, but he lifted again, causing her legs to straddle his waist. “Lean back,” he whispered.
She did as he said, and he used her body to form a soft sweeping motion across the floor, causing her long hair to dust the ground. The people around them squealed with approval, and he pulled her up again. “I think we got his attention.” But then he placed her on her feet again and whipped her out in a turn.
Tristan was right there watching her, staring at Mark before raking his eyes over Samantha. But he wasn’t angry like she feared; he was actually grinning. She bit her lip, her stomach tightening with deliciousness, because the look on his face told her he knew exactly what game she was playing, and she was pretty sure she’d just started a war.
Tristan placed his hand on the small of the redhead’s back and lifted her thigh to hook it on the top of his hip.
Mark turned her back in to his chest, and soon her body was pressed against his again.
“Looks like we have a challenger,” he said, placing both of her hands around his neck and gripping her hips to move them to the rhythm. She took his lead, moving when he told her to, letting her body sway with each beat, each pulse, and soon they were dancing as one. Hips together, hands laced.
The music changed a second later, and the DJ’s voice sounded from the loud speakers. “Now switch!”
Samantha spun around, looking for her next partner, and right there behind her was Devon. He grabbed hold of her hand and spun her into his chest. “I don’t know who this other guy is, but I still owe you for the dirt incident.” He grinned.
She giggled, partly because she was having so much fun, but partly because the alcohol was starting to affect her beyond her own control. She took hold of Devon’s hand and turned herself around again. Wiggling her bottom against Devon’s thighs, she glanced over at Tristan.
He had the blond he’d been talking to earlier, but he was barely paying her any attention. His eyes were focused on Samantha, eating her up with every move. She grinned again, then turned around and hooked her leg up to the top of Devon’s hip. He caught it with his hand, lifting her up to drag her foot along the floor. She had no idea how she’d gotten so lucky, but her two dance partners could have easily been finalists on Dancing with the Stars.