Chapter Five

There was merriment in those eyes, and warmth and friendliness. Not jaded awareness, not arrogance. Just…niceness. And pure laid-back sex appeal. 

“Work?” he asked, sounding as though he’d never heard the word. 

Well, maybe he hadn’t. Kelly lifted her chin, ignoring those eyes, that half smile on his sensual mouth, and forced herself to act unaffected by this brown-eyed, kind-looking hottie.

“Yes. Work,” she snapped. “I came here to help my friend. I’ve done it, and now I’m leaving.”

He put a hand out, touching her elbow lightly, though not trying to restrain her. But all the same, the touch was binding, rooting her where she stood. 

“Look, I have the feeling we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot.... somehow. I don't know how. But I’d really like for us to go sit down somewhere, and just talk. Maybe get to know you a little more.”

He shook his head, smiled slightly and rubbed a hand across his strong jaw, the slide of his fingers rasping the tiniest bit across his very faint five-o’clock shadow.

“You saved me from having a terrible, boring time tonight.” he added. 

“As if that's even remotely true.” Kelly replied. 

“You never know.” he said, as he shrugged his shoulder. 

“Well, if you weren't enjoying the shows, then why are you here?” she asked, only out of curiosity. Not out of genuine interest. Definitely not, she told herself. 

Shrugging again, he admitted, “Because my friends made me. It's his birthday so we have to do what he wants... However crazy it is"

Kelly almost smiled. 

"But then if I had known that I was going to meet you, I wouldn't have protested us coming here so much" he added. "Honestly, if they find out that the reason why I left my seat was to go find a certain redhead, and not go to rest room like I told them, they are gonna tease the fuck out of me months" 

She couldn’t prevent a trill of amused laughter from escaping her lips at the very thought of this man getting out of here to find her. But she stopped herself immediately, what did she expect him to do? She had given the man the green light when she had openly flirted with him on stage. He was reacting the way any red blooded man would... He'd come to take what she'd offered him.

What exactly was she offering anyways? Kelly wasn't a virgin, but she wasn't the crazy kind either. She had never had a one night stand, and the idea had never appealed to her.

Except tonight. 

What was it about this man that made every moral and principle fly right out of her head. He hadn't even made a move on her yet, but just as the idea of flirting with him on stage had seemed appealing to her, so did the idea of spending the night with him began to form in her head...and she welcomed it. Would it really be such a bad thing? She liked his company and she had to admit she was enjoying talking to him now. Enjoying that she had his attention, even for a short time. Would it be such a bad thing if she had one night stand with him? One night of steamy, wild, mind blowing sex.... She didn't even have to see him again after tonight. 

Dimitri watched her laugh, those soft, dreamy eyes resting on her lips, his own curling up at the edges in response.

“Your eyes” he said, his voice low. 

She looked at feet, feeling very shy suddenly. 

“They’re beautiful.” he added. 

Kelly quivered at that. Though she knew the man was probably an expert at such come-ons, and he probably made a practice of making every woman he wanted feel beautiful and desirable, she couldn’t help the warm flow of pleasure surging through her veins.

Because he made her believe it. 

His lips quirked. “You really are stunning,” he murmured, not handing her a line, not at all sleazy. Just confident of what he said. “You stood out... Like a dark and vibrant flame next to all those dancers.”

Kelly swallowed. He was using his lines, she thought, telling her what he thought she wanted to hear. Because she was far from being a 'vibrant flame,' whatever he meant by that. Did he really see her that way? 

“You looked entirely alive on that stage…the only person who did.”

Okay, the man was good at getting around a woman’s defenses with that sexy-smooth delivery. Too good. Especially since she knew there was no way she could have him. She had to leave before she gave in to another crazy thing tonight, and the shots she had taken with the girls backstage was making it harder for her to think clearly. Just the thought what could happen between them if she stayed made her legs feel weak. 

“Thanks, I'm glad you liked my performance, but I really have to go.” she said. 

“Oh, come on,” he urged, “Please don’t leave. You’ve got to at least let me buy you a drink for.... I don't know.... I just... Want to spend some time with you I guess”

Her eyebrows lifted. 

“And maybe I want to get away from my friends too....” he added. His tone said he didn’t care, but she could see there was a genuine fondness between him and friends.

Well, Kelly understood that. She understood the concept of loving someone even if you didn’t completely understand or agree with them. It was the kind of relationship she had with her father. 

She couldn't help chuckling again, unable to keep a smile off her face. The movement brought his attention to her breasts and he glanced down at her chest. 

His gaze lingered before it rose to her face, but not so quickly that she didn’t see the way his jaw flexed and his eyes narrowed, shining with dark intensity and appreciation, all traces of that easygoing good humor disappearing. 

He smelled delicious, of warm, male flesh, though she tried her best not to notice. But his body was too fine to ignore for long, despite her resolve not to give in to unladylike tendencies--such as overwhelming lust. 

She licked her dry lips, then met his eyes. His gaze lingered on her mouth, then slowly coasted over the rest of her body. 

She cleared her throat. Stiffening her spine, which already felt close to snapping. He didn't say anything, but she got the message all right. And for the second time that night, she made another wild decision. All rules be damned.