The Job (Auctioned) by Cara Dee (highly illogical behavior txt) 📕

“Good.” He threw back a shot too, and I narrowed my eyes at him. But I forgot why. What was good? That we were heading to a club? Yeah, I agreed. I needed to shake what my mama had given me.

Unfortunately, going to a house club meant there wouldn’t be a whole lot of shaking going on. After closing our tab and taking a cab over to Hakkasan, we got treated like sexy women. Aka, no line, no entry fee. We went straight through, and Boone fist-bumped his buddies at the entrance. We made it past the bars and went to the main club area where a sea of people were jumping up and down to the deafening music. Modern music. House music that shot its heartbeat through us along with a bolt of adrenaline.

A sped-up version of Tiësto’s “Red Lights” pumped through the massive club, accompanied by a light show that matched the beat and the title of the song.

Even though it wasn’t my favorite genre, it kinda took my breath away and sucked me in. Without glancing behind me, without making sure Boone was with me, I surrendered to the pull and lost myself in the crowd.

Holy shit, it’d been too long since I’d done this. It was liberating. Maybe Boone was right. Maybe I still had some hell-raisin’ in me. Red lights traveled across the floor, and smoke billowed out next, followed by red lasers and a bright static that made everything look like life was shot in slow motion.

The only thing missing now was a pair of strong hands on me, but we couldn’t get everything we wanted.

I closed my eyes instead, as the song started morphing into something very familiar, and it plastered a wide smile on my face. Fuck. Yes. Darude, “Sandstorm.” Now, this shit brought me back. It was nothing short of electrifying. The people around me went wild, and the lights changed to blue and neon green. My heart pounded faster than I could jump, sweat beaded across my body, my breaths came out shallow, and my mind swam in flashing colors and alcohol.

I lost track of time and space. The music owned my body, and Boone owned the rest. I didn’t know where he was, but I knew he was close. I felt it in my gut. Knowing him, he’d bought a drink or something. He wasn’t one to lose it on the dance floor.

Thinking about him made my heart squeeze. I’d gone too long without checking in with him, and the new song sealed the deal. An Avicii track. The lyrics told me to live a life that I would remember, to have nights that would never die, and it punched an urgency into me. I swallowed dryly and stopped moving. Everyone around me did the opposite. It was a calmer song compared to the rest, one actually worth dancing to, and I stared blearily at the excitement I was surrounded by.

Then my gaze landed on an unmoving figure. Boone. Spotlights in reds, yellows, and oranges blazed a trail of fire through the crowd, and he was the only one standing still. Watching me.

I smiled, feeling weirdly unsure. I had a knot in my stomach that alcohol usually took care of. It was supposed to.

I maneuvered my way past a group of dancers and their flailing limbs, which were more like weapons, and dodged a couple elbows before I reached him.

I didn’t even try to say something. I could barely hear my own thoughts.

Boone stuck an empty beer bottle into his pocket, then closed the distance between us by gripping my belt. I grinned, wondering if he was actually gonna attempt a conversation here. Spoiler alert, it wouldn’t work. But that didn’t stop him from cupping the back of my neck and dipping down to press his forehead to mine. Seriously, I wouldn’t hear a word— Except, he had no intention of saying anything. He kissed me. His warm lips touched mine softly, one brush, two.

I reeled back as the shock hit me with a sharp twinge, and I frowned. What was he— Fuck. He couldn’t fucking do that to me.

The alcohol made me see things that weren’t there. There was no way he was staring at me with desire. The hesitation in his eyes made sense, not the rest. But when he tried again, all my defenses shut down. He kissed me harder and moved his hands to frame my jaw, to keep me in place.

Don’t hurt me. Asshole.

A sluggish stream of lust started coursing through my system. I collapsed like a house of cards, and I screwed my eyes shut. This was gonna kill me tomorrow, wasn’t it? Not that it stopped me from kissing him back. Even as I kept my hands against my sides, balled into fists, I couldn’t resist kissing him. Oh, fuck me sideways, the lust took over and heated me up, and before I knew it, my traitorous hands were sliding up his chest.

I sucked in a breath and locked my arms around his neck, and he pulled me even closer with a hand on my back. We deepened the kiss at the same time, and when our tongues met, I went off the deep end. There would be no going back. Ever.

Bizarre, absurd, crazy, surreal, unreal, no word was good enough to describe how well and truly he’d fucked up my head now, to stand here in the middle of a nightclub with people bumping into us while I made out with him. My everything.

My lungs burned, and all I did was go deeper. I pushed my tongue into his mouth and kissed him hungrily, desperately, figuring I might as well take as much as I could. Enjoy the ride. Make the night last. Right? The song had told me to chase unforgettable nights.

He gave me an overwhelming, passionate, drugging kiss that cracked my chest wide open,