Page 3 of The Encounter
Maddie tugged on the top of her costume making sure it was securely in place. She caught his eye and smiled before taking a sip of her drink.
“Do you come here often?” he asked.
She shrugged. “It’s not really my scene. I prefer to be at home curled up with a good book.”
“So why come?”
“My friend Kayla wanted me to. I promised her I’d get out and try to have some fun.”
“Verdict?”
She looked over at him and blushed. “It’s fun now.”
He smiled and downed the rest of his drink.
“Do you come here often?” she asked.
He nodded. “Quite frequently.”
She was beginning to think she would have to make more of a habit to get out to this club, especially if it meant she would see him. “Fan of Phantom of the Opera?”
“I do enjoy the theater.”
Man after her own heart. “Me too. All the arts, really.”
Maddie finished her drink, and he ordered them more. She slowly nursed the next drink between sips of water to keep herself from getting drunk. She didn’t know how Kayla was doing on alcohol, and she didn’t want to have to get an Uber home tonight.
He stood and held a hand out to her. “Shall we dance?”
She giggled and put her hand in his. “I promise I won’t grind up on you like that other lady.”
He laughed loudly. “She was very drunk. I’m not interested in being with drunk girls.”
Did that mean he was looking for someone to sleep with tonight? And if he was, was he considering her? Her body pulsed with heat between her legs, and she swallowed hard, her throat suddenly feeling dry. Then her mind immediately went to Kayla offering to block the bathroom door for her, and she blushed.
They walked down the stairs and out onto the crammed dance floor, and she was immediately shoved into him. He caught her and held her close.
“Now, this, I don’t mind.” His breath tickled her ear with the slight smell of the scotch he had just been drinking.
She stared into his dark eyes. Being so dark in the club and with the mask casting shadows on his face, she assumed they were brown but was having trouble making out the color. She wondered why she hadn’t asked him to take off his mask so she could see his face, but she realized she didn’t care. She knew she would like this man regardless of what he looked like under the mask, and the little she could make out of his face, she liked.
Kayla bumped her from behind. “Hey girl!”
Maddie smiled. Kayla was now dancing with Robert, the security guard from the front door. Robert and the Phantom exchanged nods.
Phantom held her close as they swayed to the music. One song turned into five songs and soon they were grinding up on each other. She wasn’t sure what it was, but the Phantom stirred something in her. Something naughty. Something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Something she hadn’t allowed herself to feel in a long time.
She turned to face him and decided it was her time to be bold. She pressed her body into his and pressed her mouth against his. He immediately responded and kissed her back.
His fingers delved into her hair and hers grabbed at his mask, but he caught her hand.
“Come with me,” he said, gruffly.
Leading her from the dance floor and away from Kayla, she followed him away from the crowds, past a security guard who only nodded at them, and down a long dark hallway. She looked back toward the crowd and the noise decreased the further they went. Part of her felt like she should be nervous to have a man she didn’t know leading her from all other people, but she wasn’t. Careless as it was, she wanted to see what would happen.
He opened a door to what looked to be a private office and pulled her inside. After he shut the door behind her, he flipped the lock.
