The uncomfortable warmth accelerates down low. The space between my legs is molten and ready to erupt.
Finally, he shakes his head, opens those sexy lips to answer when the band leader’s voice bellows through the ballroom.
“Everyone ready?” The crowd cheers and claps. “Good, time to do theeeeeeeeee…Hokey Pokey!”
Kill. Me. Now.
“Calgon, please, take me away…” I mutter.
Before the horror of the song takes hold, strong arms whip around my waist, tugging me next to him, ushering us both through the little throng of guests between us and the door, out into the hall.
My brain feels like mashed potatoes as Reginald whisks me down the hallway, just as the band lights into the first few notes of the song. I’m giggling as he basically pulls me against him, his body hard and strong but comfortable, like there is a spot carved there just for me.
I’m out of breath when we finally stop outside of another set of double doors. From inside, the blast of BTS is pulsing through.
“Better than the Hokey Pokey, at least,” he says as his hand roams down, entwining his fingers with mine as the doors fly open and three young women fall out, laughing as only teen girls can in their cheap glittery tiaras and short sequined dresses.
“This is just what we need to wash the Hokey Pokey straight out of our hair.” I pull him forward before the doors shut, winding through the tables. A black Range Rover is parked toward the back of the room, with an enormous pink bow on top. The centerpieces on each table have pink and gold balloons with twinkling lights inside and there’s an enormous balloon archway across the dance floor with a huge number 16 at the top.
I drag us onto the dance floor, where a multitude of overly-expressive teenagers huddle together in groups while a few concerned-looking adults look on.
The booming base vibrates through the floor as I look up, expecting my new fake boyfriend to be horrified or disgusted at my antics, but instead, he’s smiling.
Well, grinning. Sexy. Crooked. Very old-school Sean Connery sort of smiling.
On the dance floor, he pulls me toward him, one arm solid around my back, the other clapping my hand, pulling it in that sexy sort of twist, then pressing it over his heart as he literally sweeps me off my feet.
Two huge men are looking at us then a second later one of them is tapping Reid on the shoulder.
“S’cuz me.” He says with a thick Russian accent. “You don’ belong here.”
“Sure we do. I know the birthday…girl.” I smile.
“Oh ya?” He nods crossing his arms. “You tell me her name.”
“Ginger.” Reid says, twirling me around then dipping me like Ginger Rodgers. “Or, wait…” He pulls me back to standing, arms tightening. “Peaches? Right honey? Her name is Peaches.”
I choke back my laugh as the bigger guy standing behind the big guy steps forward.
“I take them out.” He says keeping his eyes on Reid. “You need find a party? I find you a party.”
“No!” I interject, my heart speeding. “Honey,” I widen my eyes at Reid.
“Baby,” He spins me around, crouches down and nods over his shoulder. “Hop on. I know when when the party’s over.”
I squeal and hop on his back as the two men swear in Russian and English. Reid gives me a bouncing piggyback ride to a side door of the hall and plows through as I burst into laughter.
He walks down a dark corridor and I hear the mixture of the boy band music and the final verses of the Hokey Pokey from the wedding.
I’m out of breath from laughter as Reid shoulders us through another door and into a small sort of waiting room of some kind. There’s floor to ceiling mirrors along one wall, shelves stacked with folded white linens, a small table and a gold fabric loveseat.
“Must be like a bride’s room.” I look around then catch Reid in the mirror watching me and adjusting his hard-on. “I don’t know how you guys walk around with those things. They have a mind of their own.”
He closes in on me like a predator. My heartbeat is thundering as he grabs me by the waist and backs me against the wall.
“I can’t stop thinking of you kissing me.” His voice thickens along with the thickness pressing against my belly. “You liked doing that to me. Pretending I was your boyfriend. Tempting me.”
The tension between us heightens until my ears are ringing and I open my mouth to speak but the only thing I want to say is take me now.
He runs his fingers down my throat, over the color of my sweater and down to my chest then palms one of my breasts as I arch my neck and look up to see the fire I his eyes.