“Yes, I do.”
He shrugged. “A one night stand’s probably what you need. Maybe then you won’t be so uptight all the time.”
I hated it. I hated how he made me so angry, and how I always reacted. Even though my head was screaming for me to walk away, my mouth refused to let me.
“A quickie in some groupie’s hotel room might satisfy you,” I snapped, “but that’s not my thing.”
“How do you know if you’ve never tried it?”
“I have! It made me feel cheap and dirty, and that’s why I don’t do it anymore!”
He stared at me in surprise. He’d been trying to get under my skin, he hadn’t expected me to confess the sins of my past.
Nice work. Now he thinks you’re a harlot, he’ll never leave you alone.
A warm hand tugged at my arm. “Leah, come and dance!”
Bree was bouncing on the balls of her feet like a toddler waiting for her mum to quit talking and start playing. Her enthusiasm waned when she noticed McCoy staring intently at me, his eyes heavy with questions. I could almost see her brain trying to figure out a way to save me from dealing with him.
“Mr McCoy,” she said, flashing her most charming smile, “may I have this dance?”
Bree subtly winked at me, and gratitude flooded through me that she was so well versed in the girl code. She stepped forward and McCoy’s gaze travelled up and down her curvy frame. It took all of my strength not to throw myself in front of her to protect her from his leering, but she took it in her stride.
“I would love to dance with you, Mrs Collinson,” he answered, taking her hand.
I mouthed the words, ‘thank you,’ as he whisked her away. With a slight twinge of guilt, I moved back towards Freya and Miguel.
Miguel’s dance moves were as wild as his hair. His craziness allowed me to really let loose and I immersed myself in his zany dancing spirit, shoving my revelation to McCoy to the back of my mind. He probably wouldn’t even remember in the morning anyway. Miguel kept me far too entertained to worry. He made me laugh until my ribs hurt, and it was in the middle of one of those fits of laughter that Bree caught our attention by squealing, “Yes! They’re free at last!”
She grabbed my hand and dragged me along behind her to the middle of the dance floor where four raised, well-spaced poles stood. Judging by the people who’d been using them earlier, I thought they were for staff only, but I spotted several other clubbers racing towards them too. Bree had obviously been keeping a close eye on them and we just managed to beat out a group of young girls dressed as nuns.
“Sorry,” Freya called. “No sinning for you!”
Bree pulled herself up on to the platform.
“You’re kidding?” I asked, already knowing full well she had her heart set on shaking her booty in front of the masses of strangers.
Bree shook her head. “Come on!”
Freya had already started dancing and as she swung round the pole towards me, she laughed and gestured for me to join her. The alcohol I’d consumed had lowered my inhibitions so I smiled back at her before stepping up to one of the available poles.
“Imagine it’s a man,” Bree said with a cheeky smile on her face.
Laughing, I placed my hands on the cool metal pole and wiggled towards it. I spun around, swaying my hips from side to side and sliding up and down. Bree abandoned her pole to join mine, mirroring my moves perfectly. I looked round at her and grinned.
“Go Leah,” she giggled before returning to her own pole.
I started to get a feel for it so I hoisted myself up into the air and swung round, bottom leg straight, top leg slightly bent.
As I whizzed round the pole, I let out a shriek. One of my expensive black heels flew off my foot into the crowd.
Fuck!
I landed - lopsidedly - glancing around like Cinderella for my missing shoe, praying it hadn’t injured anyone. I was lucky not to have broken McCoy’s toes when I stood on them but a flying six-inch heel could take someone’s eye out.
I scanned the people nearby, searching for someone who looked angry but my eyes rested on a smiling Miguel.
He held my shoe.