And to be honest, she felt fantastic. So fantastic that the word ‘sexy’ didn’t even cut it. She felt like a goddess of desire, a being that men would look upon and worship. She was invincible.
Except the girls hadn’t told her that the guys would be there. Alex, Nathanael and William. Or had they said something, but she had been too wrapped up in the excitement of dressing up for a change that she hadn’t heard?
Whatever. Now, here she stood, on the main floor, looking up, and there William was, looking down at her. Eyes locking. Burning.
She felt her body go hot all over, and her skin began to tingle. Her core heated up, filled with rolling waves of sensation and emotion.
First came embarrassment, almost shyness, at being so completely revealed to him, in this barely there dress that suddenly felt terribly, terribly short. My god, the thing was open on both sides, all the way up to her upper hip!
Did he still think of models as loose women, who dressed shamelessly and partied too hard?
And then there was the rush of desire. She’d avoided him so long since their kiss, and now, here he was, looking more handsome than ever. She’d grown used to seeing him in business suits, with his tie done up so tight she figured it might one day choke him. Now, he was in dress slacks and an open shirt, and even from all the way up here his physique was magnificent. She felt desire for him race through her veins, colliding with desperate wanting at the apex of her thighs.
She had to shake herself to dislodge the thought.
And finally, there was a deadly cocktail of anger and jealousy. Because there were two skanks up there who had taken it upon themselves to make a William sandwich. One girl was behind him, diligently rubbing up against his perfect butt, while the other faced him, her arms wrapped around his neck, her lips moving as if she was trying to get his attention. Skinny mini-skirted hips grinding, without rhythm, without grace.
Girl,she thought,that’s not how you do it.
“You gonna stand there all night, or are we gonna have some fun?” Shaundra asked, poking her with an elbow.
Naisha hadn’t realized she’d frozen in place, and that the others had been waiting for her.
“Fun. Definitely fun.” She followed them down, internally yelling at herself not to look up at William, but her eyes disobeyed.
He seemed to have no such compunction. His gaze was fixed on her as if she had cast some sort of spell on him. Even the two idiots who were throwing their bodies at him knew it, because they were doubling their efforts, rubbing up and down his body as if they were trying to erase graffiti with their boobs. It would have made Naisha laugh, if she hadn’t been so pissed off.
This man thoughthehad the moral high ground? This guy had the audacity to talk about models and poor morals? Give those girls two more minutes and they’d be twisting and twining all over him like escapees from the Cirque du Soleil.
As Jacyn and Shaundra raced upstairs to throw their arms around their husbands, Sienna and Naisha exchanged glances. Their exchange was wordless, but immediately understood.
Bathroom?
Sure.
They stood at the huge, ornate mirrors and rechecked makeup that didn’t need checking, catching their breath before returning to the fray. Before they could say anything, the vibe in the dance area changed from house to reggae. It was the Jamaican stars, Vybes Kartel and Spice, with “Conjugal Visit”, a raunchy favorite of Naisha’s. The girls looked at each other with delight. Now they were talking!
Gleefully, they hurried out to the dance floor, and all Naisha could think about was the music. William—damn him—was shoved from her mind. She hoped he was happy with his scrawny little East End girls. She was of Caribbean blood, and Caribbean music was playing.
This was one set she wasn’t sitting out.
The music entered her like an African spirit, calling to her from over the centuries. The Diaspora knew her name, and her hips responded. She felt the undulations ripple through her belly, groin and thighs. And Naisha began to move.
Sienna was at her side, equally transported by the tempo, but it was Naisha who stole the show. Naisha whose movements described arcs of fire, her hips becoming a Mobius strip of sensual movement, a swiveling loop that never ended. On and on and on, until other dancers nearby noticed and stood back to admire.
The clapping started, slow, in time with the music, and Naisha felt her body groove down to the floor and back up. Felt her breasts swell and rise with each breath, her belly following. She was no longer human. She was a serpent. No, she was fire, a tongue of flame that lashed and licked, rose and towered above everyone around her.
She was pure power, a deity who demanded respect, and received it from admirers and supplicants.
Worship me,she thought.I am movement. I am life. I am everything.
She closed her eyes.
There’s no way she could be wearing panties under there,William thought as he watched Naisha step onto the dance floor. That dress was too short, too clingy, too thin. And the way she looked, he was sure there were other men out there who were holding the same debate in their heads. Panties or no panties?
He wanted to poke their eyes out with his thumbs.
He saw Naisha and Sienna exchange looks, even as Jacyn and Shaundra pelted upstairs as if they hadn’t seen their husbands in a year. Then the two women below slipped through the crowd. He had to stifle the urge to follow her just to make sure she didn’t get creeped on by some dude who was looking to lose a kidney tonight.