A Beautiful Struggle (14 page)

I stood watching her dance with Connor and
Beth with David. My irritation swirling inside my stomach and rising throughout
my body until something inside me clicked, I needed to take action.

Lacking the mental faculties, due to my
slight intoxication, to stop myself, I marched right up onto the dance floor
and started dancing in Connor’s line of sight. Something told me that getting
him away from Bianca would piss all three of them off. It was selfish of me, I
know, but at the time I wasn’t focusing on the fact that I was using Connor... again.
I just wanted to strike out some way, and I didn’t really care how.

When he caught my eye, I smiled seductively
at him, closing my eyes to let the music flow through me as I danced. That’s
all it took to switch his attention to me.

He sidled up behind me, slipping his hands
around my waist and moving side to side with me. I lifted my arms and let them
drop, running my hands lightly over his head before I opened my eyes slightly
to see that Bianca’s dance had dropped to a slow bounce, as she remerged with
the group.

Sway by sway, Connor led me deeper into the
throng. We danced together until my saliva grew thick, and the ache in my feet
could no longer be ignored.

“I need water!” I yelled over the music.
Connor nodded, and taking my hand, he led me through the crowd, toward the bar.
He went to pay, but I shook my head no and paid for both instead.

Looking a little surprised, he nodded his
thanks, inclining his head to ask if I wanted to go outside to the table we had
been sitting at earlier. I nodded yes, and he followed me out with his hand
resting at the small of my back.

As soon as we were outside the noise wasn’t
quite so booming, but we still had to lean close to be heard, our ears still
humming from the deafening sound inside. He leaned into me and said, “I really
want to kiss you, but I’m afraid you’ll run off again.”

I laughed and replied, “I think you should
listen to your fears on that one.”

He sat back and looked at me thoughtfully.
“You know. I don’t normally have that reaction on beautiful women such as
yourself.”

I tilted my head and smiled, picking up a
bottle cap from the table and twisting it my fingers. “That’s because they
probably all swoon over your accent. They’d be putty in your hands.”

He sat forward again, closing the small
distance between us so he could speak softer in my ear. “Well why isn’t it
working on you? Is it because of that guy from last time? Or is it because of
that guy dancing with Beth?”

I laughed nervously, “Maybe,” I answered,
scrunching my nose up a bit. “I don’t really want to talk about it though if
that’s ok.”

“That’s fine, but you’re breaking my heart
here.”

“I’m sorry I’m not meaning to. I do like
you – it’s just all a bit… complicated.”

He moved my hair behind my shoulder and
said, “I can wait until it’s uncomplicated.”

I laughed through my nose replying, “That
could take a while.”

He shrugged and smiled like it was no big
deal, “There're plenty of girls to keep me busy in the meantime,” he told me
with a lopsided grin.

I laughed as I took a swig of my water, “Be
careful Connor, your dick will fall off.”

He returned my laughter, “You ready to go
back in?”

I looked at my watch; it was one-thirty in
the morning, “No. I'd better find David, so we can catch the train home.”

I went back inside to where I had last seen
him on the dance floor and couldn’t find him, I scanned the bar and didn't see
him there either. Pulling my phone out of my bag, I tapped out a message.
Where
are you???

Pushing through the crowds with Connor
following close by, I searched in every corner for him, coming back empty. I
checked my phone again and found no reply.
Shit!

”I need to go outside and make a phone
call,” I yelled to Connor.

“I’ll come with you.”

“Don't, I’ll be fine.”

He indicated that he didn’t care, and that
he was coming anyway so I dragged him back out with me again, further onto the
wharf to try to hear over the music.

I tried to call David and got no answer.
Instead, I got his voicemail – after listening to his upbeat message, I left an
irate voicemail to tell him that he was going to make us miss the train. I then
tried calling Carmen to see if she was still in town, so I could at least ride
the train back with her, but I just got her voicemail as well.

“FUCK!” I stomped my foot like a petulant
child.

“Listen, I’ve heard stories about what
happens on the train line, and I don’t think it’s safe for you to catch it home
on your own. How about, we wait and see if David shows up before the next
train, and if he doesn’t you can just come home and stay with me for tonight?”
The look on his face was sincere enough, but I was pretty sure I knew why he
wanted me there.

I laughed at his boldness, “That’s really
nice of you Connor, but I have met you twice and my parents would pitch a fit.”

“That’s fair enough,” he conceded. “How
about we go back inside and ask around for your friend David, surely someone
would have seen him leave – he’s a pretty tall guy.”

I agreed, and we pushed our way through the
crowds again, asking everyone we knew if they had seen David leaving. An hour
later and still no luck, I hadn’t gotten a text from him and when I called once
more, it didn’t even ring, it went straight to voicemail.

Weighing my options, I could wait around
until closing time in the hope that David would show up, or I could catch the train
home on my own, but the western suburbs line wasn’t the safest train line at
three o’clock on a Saturday morning, not to mention waiting around the front of
the station to catch a cab home on my own. It would be better if I could stay
with someone else for the night. I realised there was only one person my mother
would be ok with me going to because she was friends with his mother.

Taking a deep breath, I scrolled through my
contacts list and put a call through to Elliot, hoping he wasn’t somewhere too
loud to hear the ring.

“Hey, I was hoping you’d call – what time
is it?” he asked groggily. I could hear the smile in his voice, and he sounded
sleepy.

“Did I wake you?”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. What’s
up?”

“I’m kind of stranded. I can’t find David,
and I don’t really want to catch the train all the way home on my own.”

Without missing a beat he said, “I’ll come
and get you.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure, can you get to the casino?”

“Hang on,” I put my hand over the phone and
asked Connor, “How far is it to walk to Star City?”

“15 - 20 minutes?” he said.

“Yeah I can make it there.”

“Who are you with?”

“Kayley’s cousin.”

“It isn’t that guy you were dancing with
last time is it?” my silence answered for me. “Are you serious!” he exclaimed,
sounding annoyed.

“Are you coming to get me or not?” I asked,
not reacting to his change in tone.

He sighed, “Yes. I'm coming. Meet me
outside the sports bar.”

“Alright, I’m on my way.” I pressed the end
call button and looked at Connor.

“So he’s the complication hey?”

“Something like that,” I smiled reticently,
“I have to get to the casino, which way do I go?”

“You are seriously planning on walking
there by yourself?”

“It’s only 15 minutes. I'll be fine. It’s
safer than catching the train on my own.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’ll walk you.”

“Connor, no, I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You aren’t asking Katrina. I'm insisting.
Now let me just tell the others to wait until I get back.” He trotted over to
the table where some of his friends are sitting, leaning down to talk to them,
inclining his head towards me as he spoke. One guy gave him a pat on the back,
and he returned to me to the tune of cat calls from the table.

“What did you just tell them?” I asked him,
an accusatory tone to my voice.

“Nothing really, I just said that I was
taking you somewhere for a ride.”

My mouth dropped open, and he started
laughing at me.

“I’m joking, I’m joking! I would never lie
about sex with you Katrina. I will wait my turn like a man.” I gave him a very
unimpressed look, “Seriously though, I just told them I was going to walk you
to your car. That's all”

“That’s all?”

He nodded earnestly. “Shall we?” he asked,
gesturing for me to walk with him.

“Thanks, Connor. For walking me,” I told
him after a while.

“It’s no trouble, can’t have your mugging
on my conscience…So, um, this guy we’re meeting, why wasn’t he with you
tonight?”

“That’s the complicated part.”

“I see. You work together and there’s that
no dating thing at your office right?”

I gave him a confused look.

“Kayley told me about it, that’s how I
know.”

“Oh ok, I can’t really talk about it though
Connor. We could both lose our jobs if people think we’re dating.”

“I’m not going to tell anyone Katrina, I
don’t want to be the reason you lose your job. Besides that would be
counterproductive on my part wouldn’t it?”

“Oh yeah, how so?”

“Well, if you get fired, you won’t be
coming out with Kayley anymore so I won’t get to see you and continue working
my Irish charm on you. Plus, statistically office romances don’t tend to work
out so I want to make sure I’m around to swoop in and pick up the pieces when
the inevitable happens,” he grinned.

I laughed at him, “Well, as long as your
motives are pure.”

“They are pure – purely in my own
self-interest!”

We arrived at the front entrance to Star
City Casino, and I turned to him again to say thank you.

“You're sure you don’t want me to walk you
in?” he asked.

“I’ll be fine. Thank you for walking me
Connor.” I leaned toward him and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

“It was my pleasure Katrina. I hope to see
you again soon,” he said, as he stood and watched until I had walked through
the doors, before he left to return to his friends.

Elliot was already there when I reached the sports bar, leaning up
against the wall outside it looking at his phone. He was wearing a pair of
faded blue jeans and a white v-neck t-shirt. His hair was sticking up and messy
from sleeping - he looked positively delicious.

The corridor we were in was pretty quiet so
the clack of my heels could be heard as I walked towards him, alerting him to
my presence. He stood up properly and gave me the most brilliant smile I have
ever seen on him. It made chest swell, and I impulsively started to run to him,
jumping into his arms as he captured me in a passionate kiss that had me
melting on the spot.

He broke away and smiled at me, brushing my
hair out of my face. “I was dreaming about you when you called me,” he
murmered.

A little ripple skittered through my
stomach and shot down between my legs. “Good dreams I hope,” I purred, leaning
into him.

“Let’s get out of here, and I’ll show you”

The sexual tension was ubiquitous on the
drive home, it was hard for me to keep myself in my seat and not jump in his
lap to ride him while he drove. He told me to wait when he pulled over and got
out of the car, walking around to my side to help me out. Holding my hand, he
led me to the entrance of a block of brown brick flats, it was dark and fairly
surrounded by trees, so I couldn’t see much, but I could hear the whoosh of the
ocean as I waited for him to unlock the main door.

“How far away from the ocean are you?” I
couldn’t help but ask.

“One street,” he replied, “you can see the
beach from the balcony.” We climbed the beige carpeted stairs quietly and stopped
in front of a brown wooden door at the top of the second flight.

“This is it,” he said looking back over his
shoulder at me. With a click the door was open, and we stepped inside a narrow
hall. The door swung shut, and he turned and pinned me to it, his arms either
side of me. I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading over my face as he looked
hungrily into my eyes, clamping his mouth down on mine as he kissed me deeply.
I slid my arms around his neck and pressed myself to him curling my fingers through
the back of his already messy hair.

He reached his hands down to my backside
and hoisted me up, so I had to wrap my legs around his waist. He carried me
down the hallway, past a formal dining room, kissing me all the way until he
reached the lounge room and set me down, kneeling in front of me. Only then did
he pause and look at me.

“You drive me wild, Katrina.”

He smoothed my hair away from my face and
started to kiss a trail down my neck and chest, his hands moving to cup my
small breasts and squeeze my already hard nipples. I let out a short moan as I
leaned my body into his hands, wanting more from him. He pulled my dress aside
and took one little bud into his mouth causing me to drop my head back and moan
with pleasure. Guiding me until I was lying, he slid his hand down my body and
between my thighs, I parted them willingly as I felt his fingertips brush the
edges of my thoroughly damp panties.