A REASON FOR MARRIAGE

Sara chuckled. He made her feel like she was in high school again… Blushing uncontrollably because the cute boy in class noticed her, “I wouldn’t dare,” she replied.

“I haven’t seen you in three days and I miss you,” said Simon.

It was one of the things she liked so much about him. He never failed to tell her that he missed her whenever they were away from each other and she had no doubt that he craved her presence as much as she craved his.

“That’s your fault, not mine,” Sara shot back, “Besides I have other clients to attend to. You do not get to have me all to yourself all the time,”

“Hmmmm…. I will make you pay for that,” he said, but it was a threat Sara was looking forward to. “What do you say I take you out tonight?”

“What? Where?”

He paused for a moment, and then just said, “Dancing.”

She chuckled, “I’m not a very good dancer, Simon”

He scoffed, “Oh please, I saw you dance with Kelvin at your brother’s reception.”

“That was not dancing…. That was -”

“-Dirty dancing,” he completed for her.

Sara tired hard not to laugh, “I was not going to say that,”Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

“Yeah, whatever, but that was what it was. I won’t lie, I was tempted to punch him in the face for holding you the way he did. It was very inappropriate,”

Sara let out the laughter now, “Oh you’re one to talk. Simon, I’ve never met a man who does very inappropriate things with so much confidence the way you do. This is a case of a pot calling the kettle black, and let me add that you were very rude in the way you interrupted us”

Simon hissed, clearly he felt no remorse at her accusation, “No one touches my woman that way. He can go get his somewhere else,” he said.

His woman? Those words shouldn’t have made her feel all tingly inside but it did, and Sara fought to keep her thoughts and feelings under control. She couldn’t afford to get carried away.

“Anyway,” Simon continued, “A friend of mine invited me. He runs out a small bar in town and he assured me that the drinks and music are good, so I thought you’d like to come with me,”

How could she say no? They’d not seen each other in a while and she missed him too, “Fine,” Sara agreed, “But if I embarrass myself, we have no one but you to blame,”

“I don’t really care about the dancing Sara. I plan to pump you full of drinks and have my wicked way with you at the end of the night. I’ll pick you up at eight,”

————-

Sara’s hand was in Simon’s as he led them into the dimly lit bar. A throbbing pulsing beat of music enveloped them instantly, along with the heat of bodies and muted conversations.

He’d picked her up from her place at eight as he said, and he had brought his driver with him. He led her to the bar now, only letting go of her hand to put an arm around her waist and draw her in close. Sara saw the bartender spot him and come over with a huge smile on his face.

“Simon, my man! It’s good to see you.”

The barman’s openly curious and very flirty glance took Sara in with blatant appreciation. She felt embarrassed, and very out of her depth. Simon kept surprising her at every turn, and the thought that he might have read her trepidation and kept doing things to somehow make things easier for her made her feel vulnerable.

“And your beautiful guest…” the barman completed.

Simon felt the intense spiking of jealousy as his friend, Rick looked Sara up and down with what seemed to be insulting impunity. He’d noticed some men’s heads swiveling too, as they’d walked into the bar. Sara stood out like a magnificent bird of paradise.

Resisting the unfathomable urge to walk straight back out again, he forced himself to sound civil and say, “Rick, good to see you too. We’ll have two of your best rums.” He looked down at Sara and was surprised to see her looking almost…self-conscious. He tugged her in closer and she looked up, a flare of color racing across her cheekbones.

“Is that OK?”

Sara felt almost disembodied, looking up into Simon’s eyes. “Is what OK?”

“Martinique rum-you should try it.” he told her,

She just nodded, still barely aware of what he was saying. Their solicitous host insisted on showing them over to a secluded booth with a view over the faded grandeur of the bar, which was open to the street. They were on the ground floor of the building. The crowd were local, the music was a kind of sexy upbeat Salsa. And then it changed smoothly to something slow and very hot. Some of the couples on the dance floor certainly looked as if they were just moments away from disappearing to a dark corner where-

Sara willed down the intense blush she could feel on her face as she looked at the couples, and just then Simon’s hand cupped her jaw, turning her to face him.

She felt feverish. He shook his head, and a thumb moved back and forth across her cheek. “Enchanting. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone blush the way you do.”

Sara burned inside and out. The enormity of where she was and who she was sitting with was hitting her anew all over again. “It’s just my coloring.”

Their eyes stayed locked for a long moment, until Sara felt as if she was melting inside. Just as she was about to beg to be released from that intense gaze, Simon suddenly broke it and looked away, making Sara feel absurdly bereft all of a sudden. She was a mass of contradictions and warring desires.

Simon’s friend approached with two glasses, and left again with a mischievous smile and a look that Sara didn’t miss. When Simon had introduced them briefly she’d thought he’d been uncharacteristically curt to the other man, but Rick didn’t seem to mind. She took a sip of the dark liquid and coughed immediately, her eyes smarting.

Simon quirked a brow and smiled. “Strong stuff.”

Sara grabbed for some water and drank it down. “You could have warned me.”