A Touch of Heaven (5 page)

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Chapter 5

"I can't believe you did that!" Amy laughed,
staring at Paige. "I mean you didn't even want to come."

"I bet she does now!" Kim blurted out. They
all burst into another round of giggles.

Paige tried to hold back her smile, but she
couldn’t stop thinking about the feel of Simon's hands on her. The
look in his eyes during their dance sent a thrill of excitement
right through her. No one had ever looked at her like that
before.

Raising her glass to her lips, Paige drained
it quickly, the wet liquid doing nothing to quench her thirst. Kim
and Amy continued to discuss the finer details of the dance with
the others and Paige sat her empty glass down before she leaned
forward and said, "I'll be back, guys."

"Where you going?" Megan asked her.

"Restroom."

"Yeah, splash some cold water on it, that'll
cool it down," Kim said, grinning.

"Huh?" Paige raised her eyebrows in question
until they all burst out laughing again and she finally caught on
to what Kim had meant.

Rolling her eyes, Paige walked away from the
table and through a crowd of women. Many of them smiled at her when
she passed by them. The announcer stepped back on stage and she
grinned when she heard him mention "the dance." A loud whooping
roar arose from the crowd when the next dancer was introduced.

Paige walked the darkened halls to the
bathroom. She still couldn't believe what had happened. Never in
her wildest dreams did she think she'd ever get lost in someone's
touch the way she did with Simon. She still couldn't believe
it.

Her friends' reaction left her at a loss.
She'd never been the bold one. She always did what everyone else
said to do. She felt liberated. She floated on a cloud of lust and
laughed to herself.

She fought the idea of coming to the club
tooth and nail. Now, she was glad they out-voted her. Five minutes
in Simon's arms and the night couldn't get any better.

That little dance would provide her many
nights of happy dreams.

She reached the bathroom door, a frown
covering her face at the large "Out of Order" sign on it. She
sighed before whispering, "Great," and looking back down the hall.
A waiter walked her way and she smiled when he got closer to
her.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked, giving
her a long look from head to toe.

Paige almost blushed under his gaze, but
after what she'd just done on stage in front of lord-knew how many
people, she really didn't see the point. She smiled to herself
before she said, "Yes actually. Is there another restroom? This one
seems to be out of order."

"Sure. Down the hall, through the
double-doors, and it's the first door on the left."

Paige looked to where he pointed. "Thanks."
She turned, walked down the hall, and quickly found the bathroom.
Once inside, she looked in the mirror, surprised to see how flushed
her skin looked. She smiled at her reflection, shaking her head
before freshening up.

She gave her hair a toss,
and got her over-zealous smile to return to normal before walking
back to the door. She swung it open and came face to face
with
him
.

Simon froze when he saw her. A look of
complete shock covered her face before she smiled and looked away
briefly. He watched her, grinning at her attempt to avoid his stare
before letting his eyes travel slowly over her body.

"God, she's so
beautiful,"
he thought staring at her. He
thought his lust-clouded mind had swayed his judgment earlier. It
hadn't of course. Paige would always be beautiful to him: the
embodiment of perfection. She felt like a tiny slice of heaven in
his arms.

He grinned at the memory of
their
dance
. Her
body so hot and tight around him, her limbs quivering, her mouth
begging for a taste… he'd die happy now.

Just as well. His boss would probably kill
him for the dance. Personal contact with the customers was a big
no-no. You just don't get that close to someone in this line of
business. It was dangerous. And he agreed. Especially now. Looking
at the small slip of a girl in front of him, Simon knew he was
doomed. She'd killed him once, heart and soul, and she'd probably
do it again.

He didn't care though. Not at the moment.
His mind flashed back to the dance. Her arms around his neck, her
sweet breath on his neck and her legs wrapped around him while she
rocked her hips with him.

He still couldn't believe she was here. Of
all the people to walk through the front door, Paige Foster was the
last person he expected.

She fidgeted and he tried to quickly think
of something to say before she ran. He could tell by the look on
her face she was contemplating it. All the ladies he came into
contact with looked scared at one point or another. He laughed to
himself thinking it. Paige, scared of him? It was ridiculous. If
she only knew who he was she'd run as far and as fast as she could.
Back to her group of friends waiting out front.

Of course, she probably hadn't figured it
out. Dying his hair blonde helped and he'd traded his glasses for
contacts years ago. The added muscle probably helped to. The
scrawny, gangly boy he used to see in the mirror, gone forever. He
knew for certain she didn't recognize him.

At least not yet.

She looked up at him then and he froze,
wondering if she'd guessed. When she only smiled before saying,
"Hey," he sighed in relief.

"Hey yourself," he said before taking a step
closer to her. "I didn't expect to see you back here."

She giggled, the response obviously a
nervous reaction. "The other bathroom wasn't working."

He saw her eyes roll slightly before she
sighed and looked down the hall. He stared at her, seeing a bright
pink blush staining her cheeks. He almost laughed at the sight. He
didn't remember her ever blushing around him in high school; it was
always him doing the blushing.

She looked nervous. He could tell by the way
she wouldn't look at him. The way she chewed on her bottom lip. She
looked away from him like a shy schoolgirl and he wanted to dance
for joy.

Paige felt completely stupid in that moment.
Could she have said anything more lame? Who gives a shit if the
bathroom isn't working? She wanted a hole to crawl in to. A very
deep hole.

She stole another quick look at him and felt
her cheeks burn hotter. Why did he affect her like this? She'd
never been scared to talk to a man. Of course, most men she found
herself talking to didn't look like a walking poster for sex
addicts. He was without a doubt, the hottest thing she'd ever
seen.

Her face flamed then. He caused her to act
like a giddy teenager with her first crush. A big sign of trouble.
She would screw this up. No doubt about it.

"So, enjoying your evening?" he asked.

"Can't complain," Paige said, softly. Her
mind flashed back to their dance and the way his body felt pressed
up against her. Her smile widened before she got it under control
and looked up at him.

Paige felt all the air leave her body at the
look on his face. She wondered if he could hear her heart beating
when it started pounding against her rib cage. He smiled that
wonderfully seductive smile and his eyes traveled slowly over her
body.

He stood there unmoving, staring at her for
long minutes. He tilted his head to the side before saying, "That's
a nice color on you."

Oh God, I'm probably three
shades of red!
Paige felt her face burn
hotter at the thought. She lifted a hand to her cheeks, feeling to
see if they were as hot as they felt before giggling lightly.
"Well, it is kind of hot in here," she said, looking away from him
for a second.

Simon grinned then, sucking his bottom lip
in between his teeth before looking at her from head to toe. "I was
talking about the dress, gorgeous," he said quietly.

His eyes drank her in, roaming over her
flesh to the point she could have swore she felt something brush
against her skin. A small tingle started in the pit of her stomach,
working its way through her limbs until it landed between her legs.
She clamped her thighs together hoping to stop the sensation.

"Oh! Of course you were,"
Paige laughed, embarrassed. She closed her eyes briefly and hoped
for the mother of all earthquakes to shake the building down around
her.
"Oh.My.God, kill
me now."

"So, tell me gorgeous, did you come back
here in hopes of finding me, or is that just wishful thinking on my
part?"

Paige looked back up and instantly noticed
he'd stepped closer to her. She swallowed the lump in her throat,
watching him lean his head to one side. He couldn’t seem to stop
looking at her. Not that she minded any.

She smiled, watching his eyes drink her in.
She didn't know why but, the word, "maybe," was out of her mouth in
an instant. Sure it was a lie, but what he didn't know wouldn't
hurt, right?

The smile he gave her almost did her in.
"You do realize, that I'll be obligated to repeat tonight's
performance every night now, don't you?"

"That wasn't your normal routine?" She
looked up with heavy lidded eyes, hopping it wasn't. His gaze
burned into her flesh and she’d never wanted anything so badly in
her life.

She stared at his lips, wondering if they
were as soft as they looked before biting down lightly on her own.
She wanted just a taste. A small sip from his lips and she could
die a happy woman.

Simon stepped closer to her, his eyes
roaming over her face before traveling the length of her body. It
was the same look he'd given her on stage and just one tiny glance
from him had her restless.

"No. Rules state no touching," he
whispered.

Paige nodded her head at him, watching as
his attention turned to her neck. She swallowed hard when he lifted
his hand and ran his finger down the side of it.

"That's too bad," she said
in a breathy whisper. His finger trailed down the column of her
neck before skimming her collarbone. Lazy patterns were drawn on
her skin, leading to her chest. He stopped when he reached the top
of her left breast and she almost cried out,
"Don't Stop!"

"That it is," he replied, his eyes roaming
over the flesh his finger circled.

The soft skin of her breast burnt from his
touch. Paige fought the urge to close her eyes as his fingers
ghosted across her skin. Her breasts ached with need. She felt her
nipples harden in response before she took a deep breath and
glanced down the hall.

They were alone in the dimly lit corridor
and the music coming from out front caused her mind to race with
thoughts of how he'd felt pressed against her body earlier.

She looked back up at him and could tell by
the look on his face what he wanted.

Lord help her, she wanted it too. Right here
on the floor, if that were as far as he'd go. She didn't care as
long as those perfect lips were searing her skin and those hands
held her close.

Of course, reality reared its ugly head. He
was a total stranger and good girls like her didn't fuck total
strangers, but…

Would it be so bad to see where this could
lead? Surely he wasn't all about sex, right? He was, after all, a
human. He had feelings and stuff. His entire life didn't revolve
around getting naked for a hoard of screaming woman.

But what would her friends think? Would they
encourage her or tell her how stupid she was like they use to do?
He was an exotic dancer, after all. He could have any girl he
wanted. He was proving the point now.

Looking up into Simon's blue eyes, she knew
one thing. She wanted him. She wanted him more than anything she'd
wanted in a long time. Her body practically screamed with the need
for him. Sure, it was probably the alcohol talking, but she'd hate
herself in the morning if she didn't at least get a small taste of
him. What would it hurt?

She smiled before looking down at his hand
where his fingers grazed the tops of her breast. She clung to every
ounce of courage she had before saying, "That's a little unfair,
don't you think?"

"What's that?"

Paige took a step closer to him, closing the
distance between them and leaned into his hand, smiling when it
flattened out over her chest. "That you get to touch and I
don't?"

Simon raised his eyes, looking up at her and
a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "No one's stopping you,
beautiful."

Paige grinned in triumph and threw all her
reservations out the window. She raised her arm, hesitating for
only a few seconds, before running a hand over his robe-covered
chest and slipping inside the material.

She knew it had to be the alcohol making her
act so brazenly but didn't care. She ran her hand over his chest,
once again feeling the muscles under her fingertips. His small
nipples were pulled tight and she heard him suck in a quick breath
when she flicked one with her fingernail.

She glanced up at his face and felt her
heart skip a beat. The heat in his gaze caused her entire body to
clench. She wasn't sure what it was about him that drew her to him,
but she wanted more. She wanted his arms around her, his breath
tickling her skin and his hands caressing her flesh.

She could feel his breathing increase as his
chest expanded quickly under her hand. She almost moaned in
response when her hand rounded over the muscles under his flesh.
They were hard and lean and she brought her hand lower, tracing the
dips around the defined abdominal muscles and explored the smooth
skin she found. A thin line of hair started just below his navel
and she ran her fingers through it before she looked back up at
him.