The dance floor partially cleared. The dancing beauty was sitting on a bed at the other side of the dance floor, staring at me. Though I couldn't make out the color of her eyes, I could tell they were as deep as the ocean. Or maybe they were as deep as the crater in my chest. Her gaze was unwavering and captivating, sending a rush of sensation through my body that left me sizzling.
The shimmering green sprinkles on her black dress complemented her red hair, making it stand out even more. See-through sleeves hung off her shoulders, giving me a peek at her breasts, goading my imagination to run wild. My mouth went dry with a passionate appetite I thought I was no longer capable of. I picked up the water on the bed tray and took a sip, staring through the glass at the woman who fascinated me to no end. Our gazes didn’t waver from one another. Two strangers locking eyes across a room, filling the space between them with chemistry and intrigue. It made my heart pound in my chest. She pulled the sleeve of her dress up her shoulder, luscious copper hair kissing her smooth, porcelain skin. When her lips curled up, revealing a shy but luminous smile, the thrill in my dick became unbearable. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood, the mission clear: to know her name before fucking her until the New Year’s sun came up. The DJ’s voice poured through the club, announcing the start of the ten-minute countdown. The place went wild, people cheering and rushing onto the dance floor, their bodies moving to the beat of Justice’s remix of MGMT’s Electric feel and filling the space between us.
I couldn't see her anymore.
Fuck.
I glanced at my friends who were canoodling with their conquests for the night. I’d never been one to sit around waiting for what I wanted. I went after her, wading through the dense crowd, hoping to find her fast. The jungle of bodies was thick, almost impenetrable. It took me several minutes to get to the other side. I pushed away every sweaty body, my eyes fixed on the point I’d seen her last.
She wasn't there.
“Five minutes!” the DJ announced. The energy in the room was intoxicating. Eelke Kleijn’s Lost Souls rebounded off the walls, deep, loud, and fitting to the bellowing of my heart. An earsplitting invocation for rescuing and redemption. I did my best to ignore it, but it only grew louder. I swallowed down my pleas and savored them. Colorful strobe lights pulsated from above, people’s movements freezing under the xenon’s effect. The bass reverberated through my core. The place reeked of pheromones and collective expectations. It urged my desire for her. I imagined her in front of me, arms around my collar, my mouth at the crook of her neck, my hot breath tickling her creamy skin with a carnal pledge she couldn’t reject. My insides quaked at the prospect. If her imaginary touch and proximity were this thrilling, what could I expect if it became a reality? The need to find out swamped me.
The DJ cut the music, counting the last ten seconds through the microphone. The crowd joined her chant, voices threaded with revitalized morale and future resolutions most would drop within days, or weeks.
“Ten! nine!”
My breath became frantic, eyes scurrying everywhere, heart battering its bony cage. My sudden need to find her before the clock struck midnight stoked the dying flames that licked my insides.
“Eight! Seven!”
The Supper Club held the tension of a rocket seconds away from taking off. I rotated on my heels, searching behind me.
And there she was. A wild mane of scarlet framing the most beautiful face I’d ever seen. The crowd surrounded her, pumping their hands and fists in the air and building up to the proverbial dropping of the ball. But she wasn't counting down the seconds with them. She was surveying the space, her wide eyes matching my frenzy, her neck craning left and right looking for something. Or someone.
“Six! Five!”
My legs moved with speed and determination, unwilling to stop until I reached her. I didn’t know whom she was looking for, but I fucking hoped it was me she wanted to spend the last seconds of December with, even if I was a total stranger.
“Four! Three!”
Her back was to me, so I gripped her arm, spinning her around to face me. She yelped, her body recoiling, recognition briefly flashing in her eyes before turning into excitement.
God, she was beautiful. Her irises blue like the ocean, right where the shallows meet the deep. A smattering of freckles covered her face, arms, and shoulders. A refined button nose and heart-shaped lips made her look innocent yet seductive. A single dark freckle stamped the left side of her upper lip. It was so sexy, I wanted to lick it. I wanted to devour her entire face. After a second of apprehension at my presence and touch, her features relaxed, and she flashed me a glorious smile that crushed my self-imposed celibacy.
“Two! One!”
“Happy New Year!!!”
Pandemonium exploded all around us. People hugging, kissing, and spraying champagne on one another. We stared at each other, the sparks flying between our bodies enough to light the Eiffel Tower.
I bowed my head to reach her ear and ask for her name. I wanted to crash my mouth on hers and find out if she tasted as good as she looked, but I didn’t want to risk the success of my plans to fuck her all night long. She lifted her body onto the tips of her toes, gazing at my lips with an impish grin, like a child bent on defying their parents despite the imminent backlash. Her face crept toward mine and my jaw ticked in anticipation. My gaze dropped to her mouth as I held back my animalistic drive to take control of the situation. I braced for her kiss, but a flash of something anxious crossed her pretty blues and she flinched, her mouth deviating from its path and landing on my cheek as the sound of clock tower bells rang, marking the midnight hour and the beginning of a brand-new year. A deluge of confetti fell from the ceiling, dusting our heads with gold and silver specks, increasing the furor of the crowd.
Heat spread through my face, the sensation of her full lips on my skin made my dick jolt with arousal despite the innocence of her kiss. She wasn’t going to make this easy for me, and I liked her all the more for it. I didn’t care to chase after women, but I’d happily chase after her.
I splayed my hands on the steep curve of her back, pulling her closer while her lips lingered on the apple of my cheek. The heat of her body warmed my skin, and I inhaled her scent. She smelled like lavender, vanilla, and peppermint.
God, I wanted more, and I didn’t. The possibility of kissing every inch of her skin and being inside her tore at my insides. But this girl wasn't like the rest. Her energy was intricate yet delicate, like the beautiful crystal crockery my mother pulled out every year for the holidays. It would take time to explore her ridges and valleys, something I wasn't capable or willing to do.
Still, she turned me on so much, I could have taken her right there and not given a fuck about anything or anyone. Her lips left my skin, and we locked eyes again, her expression filled with ecstasy and a hint of embarrassment. I kept my hand on her back, our bodies inches away.
She didn’t try to wriggle away, which pleased me more than I was willing to admit. “Hi.” Her cheeks pinkened, adding to her incomparable beauty.
“Hi, I'm Lorenzo.”
“Very nice to meet you.” She giggled.
God, I already loved that sound. “The pleasure is mine.” I stared into her eyes, hoping to gauge what she wanted from me, how far she was willing to take the evident attraction between us.