Sweet Sins (2 page)

Chapter III

Love Begins

             
By Wednesday, Arianna’s thoughts were only of seeing him again. As she shopped with Nicole for something titillating to wear for their night out, she thought that it was a great time to be alive. Florida was an amazing place to live, disco was the rage, and she was a mere 23 years of age. Young enough to be percolating with dreams, she craved nightlife and waited for romance. Life’s deck of cards still held the hand she was yet to play out.

             
Arianna wore a skin tight white lace body suit, a pink satin vest over and black satin pants, cuffed just below the knee. Shimmering silver hose with high spiked heels completed her sassy look. Nicole’s black jumpsuit was adorned with silver and gold fringe. Arianna thought Nicole looked good, but this night she hoped she was the one Adam would watching.

“Nicole, it’s already 1
0:00PM. The club is still an hour away and I don’t know exactly where it is so we have to account for possibly getting lost.”

She rarely smoked, but liked to when she was nervous. Today she brought cigarettes.

              “Hold on, OK, I want to be perfect for Adam,” she replied.

              Driving across the Howard Frankland Bridge, Arianna was captivated by the running starlight against the water. Florida nights elicited the romantic into its arms. The ocean breeze walked into your soul and you could never get enough of nights like these once you were captured by them.

             
It was nearly 11:00PM when they arrived in the downtown area of St. Pete.

“It’s too late, if he was here at all, he probably came and went. He said he started work at 6:30AM.
Still, if we don’t see him, it looks like we’re going to have a great time; this place is packed. There’s standing room only,” said Arianna.

Nicole was leaning out of the car window, whistling and yelling at almost
every guy who walked by their vehicle. Webster’s was inside The Sea Crest Hotel. They were finally inside the lot, cruising for a place to park. A black mustang swiftly pulled around the corner into another entrance. Arianna’s hands gripped the wheel as her eyes caught sight of Adam. It had to be karma.

“Nicole, that
guy looks like him, can it be? Is it possible that with these hundreds of people we spotted him and we both arrived at the same time?”

             
“Go, go, go, follow him and see if we can see where he’s parking,” replied Nicole.

As they pulled around the corner, there he was. Walking ahead of the car by only a short distance, Nicole leaned out the window and called his name.

             
Adam turned and gave them a crooked half smile and said,

“Hey, I’m glad you guys came. I almost didn’t show because I thought it was too late. I didn’t think I would actually see you guys. I guess it’s just a simple twist of fate. (Arianna would learn quickly that he often quoted lines from
Dylan
songs) I’ll wait for you while you park the car so we can walk in together.”

Nicole jumped from the vehicle and took his hand. All thoughts Arianna was having about him disappeared. Whatever, she
thought; I’m still going to have a good time. He just another guy she told herself.

             
Joining the line to get into Webster’s, Adam stood between them. Just barely touching his arm as they walked up the line, Arianna felt an uncontrollable rush. She tried not to think about him but she knew that would be difficult.

             
Once inside, Arianna knew she would return often. From anywhere in the circular, multi-level room, you could observe anyone. It was laid out like a baseball field. Books were everywhere (on wall structures and shelves). Magazine and comics were strewn about and some people were busy reading them.

             
“Can I get you chicks something to drink?” Adam asked. It was an old term, that word,
chicks
, no one ever used that coined word anymore, but he said it for affect and to be playful and somehow it worked for him.

             
“Cuba Libra for me, please—I’ll see if I can find a place to sit,” Arianna said.

             
“I’ll go with, Adam,” said Nicole wrapping her arms around him.

Arianna wandered through the expansive club, looking for an open spot. She shook off the feeling of losing Adam before she ever even knew him, besides what difference would it make anyway.
The band was playing Clapton’s
Cocaine
, the dominant beat brought dancers onto every inch of the basketball court sized dance floor.

             
A lean surfer boy with a sweet smile grabbed Arianna form behind and started pulling her to the dance floor. She wavered but then spotted Nicole kissing Adam, and followed along. She could see them from the dance floor and as hard as she was trying to dance away his presence, she found herself looking at him, even though he and Nicole were embracing as new found lovers.

             
After several dances with Jimmy, Arianna went to find Nicole and Adam. Nicole was circling him like a bird of prey. From what she observed, he did not seem to be responding to her—she was delighted about that.

“
Thanks for the drink, Adam. What do you think of the band? They sound a little like
Three Dog Night
,” said Arianna.

             
“It’s not
Dylan
, but they’re OK,” he said.

             
She was standing since no chairs were available. Most of the club was designed for standing, long half walls filled with books were there to lean against or prop yourself atop. Feeling uncomfortable around their amorous activities, Arianna decided to accept Jimmy’s offer to dance with her again.

             
Nicole leaned over and kissed him on the neck. Having consumed some vodka shots, she was becoming aggressive in her pursuit of him.

             
“You smell delicious and your damn muscles are driving me crazy. Do you work out?”

             
“Yeah, there’s a club at the beach. Late at night I go there or I run a couple miles every night. I like running at 2 or 3AM. There’s no one around and get home put some Dylan on and I feel good.”

             
“Come on, dance with me.”

Adam danced like most
guys; he stood in place and moved maybe enough to flutter a piece of paper. All the bad boys never let go on the dance floor. Nicole danced around him, grabbing his butt. Lapis Lazuli eyes, the peach and tan safari shirt, his body hugging jeans were enough to attract the attention of most of the young females that seemed to gather around him. A slow dance began and Adam pulled Nicole to him.

             
Arianna and Jimmy had also returned to the dance floor but now she released her partner’s hand; she could not observe them any longer. When her vision landed on the two of them, her heart pinched. Damn, why didn’t she just stop thinking about him? She did not want to, but she felt compelled to watch them. He was holding her unbearably close, his eyes closed. Nicole was contented. Her hands were wrapped around his neck, grabbing onto his mouth as if she were having her last meal. Arianna gasped and watched for another moment, then shook her shoulders as if a raven had landed on her shoulder.

“
Jimmy, let’s get another drink. The dance floor is too crowded.”

She felt if she watched them kissing any longer that it would ruin the rest of the night.

              Jimmy had cropped blonde hair and looked like a beach bum. Endearing in his pursuit of her, she welcomed his company at this moment.

             
“Are you from around here?” he asked.

             
“Close enough—Tampa. I’m originally from Chicago but I am glad to have left that frigid place behind. I’ve only been here a short time but I love it—it’s paradise.”

             
“I’m from Tampa too, going to USF.” Taking her face in his hand he said, “You have the most beautiful smile.”

He started to kiss her, but she pulled away, resting her head against his shoulder.

“Let’s get out of here and get something to eat.”

             
“Thanks, but I’m here with friends. I have to get back with them, but we’ll dance later, OK?”

             
A short distance from the dance floor, Adam and Nicole had found a table and Arianna joined them. Nicole continued to keep her body wrapped around his. Sitting across from Adam, Arianna took the chance to boldly stare at his beautiful eyes. She had enough Rum and Coke’s by this time to no longer feel embarrassed by her feelings about him. With Nicole caressing his arm and her leg rubbing against his, Arianna still could not release herself from his sight. Adam was looking at her now, his butterfly blue eyes holding her prisoner. Silence engulfed them, forming a circle of two. They connected crossing over to a place where only lovers go. His hand pulled away from Nicole’s grasp and he reached across the table to take her hand.

             
He touched her hand as if he were holding a fragile flower, a sensation of overwhelming joy entering into her. Nicole started with hostility, pulling at Adam’s hand.

“Hey, what are you doing, B
abe, come on back over here,” she said.

Nicole threw her arms around Adam and tried to kiss him, this time he pulled away with a disgusted look.

              “Look, chick, you’re an all right babe but I would like to dance with Arianna. Why don’t you get yourself another drink?”

             
Nicole was so agitated that she released him with a jerk, knocking his drink into his lap. Turning, she glared at Arianna and yelled,

“I don’t know why the hell you just did that Ari, but that’s just crap, you knew we were together
.”

“Nicole, I’m sorry but…” She didn’t really have any words of explanation that made sense.

“Forget it, there’s plenty of guys here for me,” she said as she exited, entering the vast arena of people surrounding them.

             
Arianna pulled her chair closer into the table and extended her hand closer to his.

             
“Arianna, you look lovely tonight. The first time I saw you, all I could think about was what it would feel like to hold you in my arms.”

His words turned her skin to a rosy blush and she tilted her head down. Did he really mean that? Was he thinking of her
the way she had been thinking of him. It made her skin tingle.

             
“Adam, I’m so happy you’re here tonight. I know I don’t even know you but I kept thinking how terrible I would have felt if you didn’t show up. The first time you looked at me, I knew I wanted to be with you. I thought I was just idly dreaming about you, but here you are. Life is great.”

             
He guided her to the dance floor, their bodies so close as if someone was trying to pull them apart and they were unwilling to yield. They danced like a carousel spinning; the music played for them their first song, Dylan was singing,
Lay Lady Lay
. This would forever be their song, she clung to him as Dylan’s words echoed her wishes,
stay with your man awhile, until the break of day, let me see you make him smile.

             
He said, “I want to be alone with you. Come on to my place at the beach.”

             
She closed her eyes and nestled closer to him. “Yes, yes I would love that but what about Nicole. She’s so angry; I don’t think she will stand for me taking her home without creating a scene.”

             
“Do you remember I told you about Beau, he’ll be there? I’ll invite him over or maybe she’ll meet someone here she would like to take along.”

             
“Wonderful, maybe we can make it over to your house without her making a scene. I know she is very attracted to you, you’re all she could talk about since we met you.”

             
“She’s cute but it’s not her I want to be with.”

He smiled at her as they nudged through the crowd at Webster’s to meet Nicole.

              “Yes, do you want something?” Nicole snapped.

Her eyes showed her disdain from them both.

              “Would you like to go to Adam’s house? They just announced last call and we thought we would have breakfast there.”

             
Nicole turned to her new conquest and asked, “Jonathan, what do you think?”

             
“Why not, Sweet, you want to get lucky?”

Jonathan’s
fingers walked across her halter top as she unashamedly laughed.