Circling Vultures

We spend the last ten minutes of the cocktail hour talking to the Gaffans before everyone is asked to take their seats. Cass leads me to our seats with his hand on my lower back and the sensation it stirs in my lower belly makes me have to concentrate on walking so I don't fall and completely embarrass myself.

We sit and he leans in, whispering, "I don't know how you did that, but you just worked a miracle. Now I owe you twice. For the second one, think big because that was a big favour."

I just shrug and say, "I'm not going to come up with anything. I don't feel like you owe me."

He looks at me, slightly put out, then says, "I'll figure out something you want. Believe me, I'm not letting this go."

I just shrug, figuring he'll be too busy to remember. A delicious tomato soup is put in front of me and I'm completely distracted from everything around me. I'm starving and need to focus on eating like a lady. My dress is dark at least, so if I spill nothing will show.

I talk to other people around our table and it helps me to calm my nerves and pull myself back together, which is good because the dancing comes next. At least three girls come up to Cass to ask him to save the first dance and he tells each one the same thing, "I'll be dancing with my date tonight."

I'm starting to get annoyed when I ask Cass, "Should I be taking it personally that these girls are asking you to dance right in front of me? I'm supposed to be your date. It would be a dick move if you said yes. I mean, what kind of crazy person would I have to be for you to want to get away from me the second the music starts?"

Cass chuckles and says, "You know, you're pretty funny Alexa."

I flip my hair dramatically and say, "Obviously."

He laughs again, then grabs my hand saying, "You're the most beautiful girl in the room and any girl who thinks they stand a chance is crazy."

I laugh and say, "Feel free to count that as one of the favours you owe. Complimenting me wasn't part of the deal."

At that moment, the MC takes to the mic to announce that the dance floor is open. Cass stands up, still holding my hand and says, "I guess that's our cue."

I stand up beside him and say, "You better be good. These are the nicest shoes I've ever owned."

"I'm Italian, believe me, I can dance."

The confidence in his voice and the heated look in his eyes are a lethal combination. I would melt on the spot except that nothing focuses me like a challenge. That's part of the reason I said what I said. I knew that I would have a hard time keeping my reaction at bay once we were dancing, so I made it a bit of a competition.

From what I can tell, the music is a samba and from the first step I can tell Cass is the perfect lead. Thankfully, I've had some dance training and I've spent a lot of the last three months clubbing with Tony and his friends, so I'm able to follow just fine.

I love the feel of my dress as it twirls around me and I make a mental note to remind myself to thank Annabelle later for helping me pick this dress.

I see girls eyeing Cass from the sidelines and so does he, so we continue from one dance to the next, not giving them a chance to step in.

We’re dancing a rumba, which has us particularly close, when Cass leans down and murmurs in my ear, “So, do I meet your standards?”

He knows he meets my standards, he’s just teasing me. I turn to say as much, but completely lose my ability to breath when I find my lips a mere inch from his. I can smell his amazing cologne mixed with his natural scent and my brain short circuits.

I can’t stop staring at his lips. They’re so full and smooth and now that I know he’s a good kisser, it only makes it harder to look away.

Cass pulls me closer against him as we continue to dance. Our hips grind against each other sensuously and I can easily imagine how amazing he’d be in bed with moves like that.

He runs his nose lightly against mine and the contact makes me gasp. He takes advantage of the opening to kiss me. The kiss matches the slow tempo of the song but my heart rate skyrockets. Just because the kiss is slow, doesn’t mean it’s not passionate.

I have no clue what we’re doing but I don’t care. We’ve blurred whatever vague line there was between us for this unconventional arrangement this week.

We pull apart to breathe for a moment then dive back in. It’s beyond sexy how he’s able to keep leading me through the dance while kissing me with such skill.

I know I wouldn’t have had the strength to pull away so it’s lucky that the song ends and a more uptempo song comes on. The change in song shakes us both from the trance we seem to have found ourselves in. We stop dancing for a moment when the new song starts but we still hold each other.

I stare at him stunned and he does the same back. I finally smile and let out a nervous chuckle and it breaks the tension. He smiles back and picks up the beat of the new song. We continue dancing for a few songs and successfully avoid a repeat.

“Should we take a break?” I ask, wondering if he needs to talk to more people.

“If you’re tired of dancing we can head out. I’ve done everything I need to,” he answers. His answer throws me for a loop. I had no idea he was dancing with me because he just wanted to. I thought there was some other reason we were still here.

“What time is it?” I ask.

“Ten thirty,” he responds after a quick glance at his watch.

“Let’s dance until eleven, then head out. I don’t know the next time I’ll have such a good dance partner,” I say jokingly, even though I’m quite serious. It’s hard to find a man who can dance as well as Cass. Pure s-x on the dance floor.

He smiles in a way I’ve never seen before, making me falter in my step. “Okay, but try not to step on my toes,” he says with a smile as he steadies me.

I roll my eyes but keep dancing.

It turns out to be a good thing we stayed. A couple of songs later, Mr. and Mrs. Gaffan come over to steal us away from each other for a dance. I can see Ellie talking Cass's ear off while I have a quieter, more serious dance with Mr. Gaffan.

Towards the end of our dance he says, "You're a sweet girl Alexa, I hope you can handle Mr. Conti."

"He's been nothing but amazing to me, I assure you," I respond lightheartedly.

"There's more to the man than what's on the surface. Just make sure you proceed with caution, okay? My wife likes you, I hope we get to keep seeing you around," he says as the song ends.

He doesn't give me a chance to respond, he simply hands me back to Cass.

While we waited for my coat at coat check, I slowly start to feel the pain in my feet. This is how it always happens. While I’m having fun dancing, I’m distracted from the pain, but the second I stop, it comes rushing in.

I try to stand still so that I won’t draw attention to myself, but I really want to dance from foot to foot, giving each foot a break. I look around at the splendor of the venue that impressed me so much earlier in the evening, but even that isn’t enough to distract me from the blisters.

The attendant hands my coat to Cass, who helps me put it on. Now I just have to survive the walk down the never-ending staircase outside the entrance. Hopefully, the cool air freezes my feet a bit, so I can’t feel them as much.