Page 18 of Sinful Nights
“We kiss all the time,” Oak deadpans, planting another kiss on my nose.
“Not best friend kisses. Like an actual kiss on the lips.”
“Okay, let’s try it.”
My mind goes blank as I try to process what he said. “Right now?”
“Why not?” he asks, scooting closer to me, resting his knee against mine. “Let’s try it.”
“All right.” I shrug my shoulders, my stomach tightening. “How do we do this?” Fuck, why am I nervous? It’s just Oakley. And yeah, kissing Oakley. Yeah, it’s a different type of kiss, but it’s still the same.
“Well, you see, when two people kiss on the lips, it typically involves their lips touching, so maybe we can start with that.” Oakley jokes, my body instantly relaxing. Of course he knows exactly what to say to calm me down.
Using my other hand, I slap his chest. “Jeez, why didn’t I think of that?”
“Here, let’s stand up and try it that way.” Oak and I each stand up, staring at one another. I’m no longer nervous per se; I’m more worried about what to do. “Relax.”
“You relax,” I retort, stepping closer to him. “All right, let’s do this. Kiss me. On the lips.”
Oakley chuckles, placing his hand on my waist. I put one hand on his chest, taking one inch step closer. I close my eyes, my heart beating when I feel the breath of his mouth closer to mine. He doesn’t leave me waiting for long when I feel the soft touch of his lips against mine. It’s soft and gentle and so familiar, even though I’ve never felt it this way before. We slowly pull away, my eyes blinking open. Once my vision clears, I see Oak staring intently at me.
“Can we do that again?” He rasps, his fingers digging into the side of my waist. His other hand finds its way around my back as he pulls me closer.
Nodding my head, I place my arms around his neck, bringing him toward me again. Our mouths meet, his lips separating as I slide my tongue out to mingle with his. A moan flies out of mymouth, and I pause, pulling away to stare at him. Holy shit, I don’t think I’ve ever moaned before. Definitely not from kissing. My heart is beating wildly, butterflies appear in my stomach, and I don’t want the feeling to end. Not giving him more than a second to catch his breath, I attack his mouth again. His hands tighten on my shirt as he pulls me closer to him. We stand in place, our mouths fused together as we kiss in a way we never have before. Fuck, this is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before and I don’t want it to end.
“Wow,” I whisper when we finally pull apart, my chest rising and falling rapidly. “Why haven’t we been kissing that way this whole time?”
“I have no idea,” Oak breathes, placing another kiss on my lips before pulling away. “We’ll start now, though. That’s for damn sure.”
We step away from each other, my breathing not calming down. “I have to get ready for work. Are you going to come tonight?” I gasp, trying to catch my breath.
“Of course,” his voice squeaks. Oak clears his throat, smiling, “I wouldn’t miss it at all. I’m going to shower, and I’ll be ready soon.”
A few hours later, I’m on the stage at Peaches, trying to concentrate on making sure I don’t fall on my ass again. Bash skips my way, drifting his arm down my leg as I wrap it around the pole. I spin around the rod and lock my knee to avoid sliding down. As I’m spinning, my eyes lock on Oak’s, who’s gazing at me intently. My skin prickles when I remember the kiss from earlier. I did not expect to actually enjoy it, and I’ve spent the last two hours wondering if it’s going to happen again. And hoping like hell it does.
“Do you want to be in the chair or me?” Bash whispers, as we pass each other to switch sides of the stage.
I point to myself, knowing I’m too in my head to try to remember the chair choreography we made up earlier. Bash nods, and when the music dies down, I head toward the chair at center stage, sitting down and letting Bash take the lead. He uses me as a prop to grind down on, his weight easily fitting in my lap. My vision drifts to Oak, who’s watching us intently with a smile on his face.
“Slap my ass,” Bash tells me before he leans over me. I playfully slap his ass, smiling to the crowd when there’s a collection of groans, moans, and wolf whistles. “I knew they’d like that,” he jokes, climbing off my lap.
We finish strong, striking a seductive pose when the music ends. We each head down from the stage, walking around collecting all the tips. Once we’re in the safety of the dressing room, Bash squeals excitedly, jumping up and down. “Fuck, I’m so glad I get to dance with you. I’ve never made as many tips as I do with you. You’re not allowed to partner with anyone else. Got it?”
I laugh, nodding my head. “Got it. Tonight was a fucking amazing night. I’m gonna go grab some water from Preston.”
Moving down the darkened hallway, I make my way over to the bar, grabbing Preston’s attention. “Water, please,” I say when he reaches my part of the counter.
“You got it,” he reaches down into the small cooler at the bottom, grabbing me a bottle of water. “You and Bash were amazing, as always. I saw Oakley going crazy from here. Honestly, I’m surprised he hasn’t tried to jump up on that stage and dance himself.”
“You know what?” Oak replies, appearing at my back. “I’ve thought about it so many times, but I see him up there on the stage, and I know there’s no way in hell I can do that. Not just because of the nerves, but I can’t dance for shit.”
“I can attest to that; he can’t dance for shit.”
“Neither can I, so I guess Oakley and I are in the ‘stay off the stage’ crew,” Preston laughs, sliding the water bottle across the counter.
“I like being part of that crew.” Oakley and Preston do some awkward fist-bump thing because it seems as though Preston has never done a fist bump in his life. Preston chuckles, his cheeks turning red even in the dark lightning of the room. “Was that your last dance of the night?”
“Yep,” I tell him, hopping off my stool. “I just need to change, and then we can head out.”
