The Game (11 page)

“No!” she protested.  “Just a little … relaxed
, jet lagged, sleep deprived, and maybe a little…drunk.”

“Excellent,” Stephen stated.  “Let’s dance.  Enough of the chattering, let’s shake it.  Where shall we go?”

“There is a place on Orchard Road,” Damon said.

“Really?”
Jane said.  “How exactly do you know this?  Are you a regular?  Somehow I didn’t really envision you as an enthusiastic dancer.”  Alright, she had to check herself; she was stating her thoughts a little too easily.  Things she should perhaps keep to herself.

“It would amuse me to tell you that I am an excellent dancer, but it would be a lie. I don’t. 
Period.”

“Then how do you know of this place on Orchard Road?”

“Things one picks up.”

“But you’ve been there?”

“I have, Jane.  There are always times when others want to dance, such as now.  Shall we go?”

Jane sobered a bit.  It sounded like a goo
d idea when Stephen mentioned dancing, not equally as good now that she realized that Damon was going to be watching.  She wasn’t entirely sure she could or should shake her thing with him watching.  It seemed all levels of wrong.  She wondered if maybe she should excuse herself and head back to the hotel.  Stephen would be very disappointed and she would sound like a bore even to herself.  That gut deep fear reasserted itself, being thought of as boring Jane.  She wasn’t boring, she knew it wasn’t true, but there was always that little niggle that wondered if that was how people saw her.

Jane could hear the music as they walked up the stairs to the club.  It wasn’t one of those clubs that played the dance music with a hard loud beat where it was too loud to do anything but dance.  This club was more sedate; it had proper songs rather than an endless stream of relentless beats.  It was some songs she loved too, as did Stephen apparently.  He grabbed her hand and headed straight for the dance floor.  The other grabbed a table at the edge of the dance floor and busied themselves ordering drinks.

Jane did feel a bit self-conscious at first, but Stephen had no qualms and no concern what he looked like.  He was flapping his arms and shimmying down.  He was having a great time and Jane decided that she would too.  The sheer joy of dancing just took over.  She was singing along without a care and just letting the beat take her where it wanted to.  It was just straight out fun, there was no other way of describing it.  They might be looking like idiots but she didn’t care.  Stephen was having a fantastic time and his enjoyment made her laugh throughout.

Damon hadn’t planned on going to a club that evening, but the
boys wanted to celebrate and now was the time for it.  They deserved to cut loose and if they wanted to dance, let them dance.  Stephen wasn’t holding anything back and he was dragging Jane along with him.  She was clearly getting caught in the moment.  She looked completely carefree, like she loved what she was doing.  She didn’t seem conscious of anyone else there, other than Stephen and the little dance competition that was evolving between them.

He’d ne
ver seen her like this before, completely unaware of the people around her.  He’d be lying if he said the little jiggles she did with her backside didn’t affect him, because they did.  In fact, before long he was honed in on her completely.  She wasn’t trying and that was much sexier than when they did try.  He was used to women who tried very hard to make themselves appealing.   Something very deep inside him was annoyed that she didn’t seem to notice him, because at the moment he could do nothing but notice her.

There was a part of him that wanted to dance, not a part he would give in
to.  He hadn’t danced since his first year in High School, when he’d danced with this girl who had later gone on and dumped him brutally in front of the entire school.  He’d never really allowed himself to be put in positions of vulnerability since, and that included dancing.

Now that he was watching Jane’s body and the way
she moved, he had to admit that she had a fantastic body under her corporate uniform.  She was slim, but at no place could you actually see her bones.  Smooth soft muscles covered her extremities and a flat stomach.  It affected him in a way it probably shouldn’t.  Then again he’d had a ridiculous little amount of sleep in the last few days.  Irrespective, he wanted her, probably more than he’d wanted anyone for a while.  Maybe a little bit more thrilling because she wasn’t throwing herself at him.  It had been a very long time since there had been anything like a chase in his affairs.

She was succumbing to the heat and had to stop.  He had ordered a gin and tonic for her, but she bypassed the table and headed out to the balcony behind them.  He grabbed her drink and followed.  She was leaning on the edge of the balcony looking down.  He hadn’t noticed the balcony before, it was large with seating.

“Here,” he said and handed her the gin and tonic.

“I figured it would be cool outside,” she said, “I forgot this was Singapore.  At least there is some breathing room.”  She did look warm.  She had red spots on her
cheeks and she was breathing heavily.  It did nothing to quell this response he had for her, particularly as she looked like she’d engaged in some very strenuous activity.

“This will cool you down.”  She took the drink and sipped from the tiny black straw.

“So you don’t dance?” she said and turned her gaze on him.

“No.”

“You’re missing out,” she teased.

“Clearly,” he said with sarcasm.

“If this bid is successful, you will have to spend a lot of time here.”

“It is likely,” he said.  “At least to get the project started.”

He urged her toward a seat in a cluster just behind them.

“I don’t know if I can get used to this heat.”

“It takes a while, but you do get used to it.  You even learn to relish it.”

“I get so confused.  When it rains, it looks so cold outside, but you get shocked when you actually step outside.”

“You should go swimming in the rain sometime,” he said.  “That is an interesting experience.  You can hear the raindrops on the water when you’re under.”

“I’ll have to try it,” she said.  She was considering him.  He didn’t know for what purpose.
  “Do you like working here?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not sure I could be away from my mom.”

“My mom is a bit more independent.”

“By choice or by necessity?”

“Are you asking if I neglect my mother?” he asked with a smile.
  She laughed.

“No, just pointing out that maybe the relationship between mother and sons are different than between mothers and daughters,” she said and stroked the material of her skirt.  He couldn’t help noticing the action, wondering what it felt like.  “Maybe you should take her sailing sometime.”

“My mother?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think she’d like it.  Besides, the point of going sailing is to get away from it all.  That typically doesn’t include taking my mother.”

“Does she nag you?” Jane smiled like she’d just uncovered a secret.  She was bright; he had to concede, maybe in light of the last few days, she was much brighter than he’d given her credit for.  Incidentally, it was true; his mother was demanding grandchildren, something
that was pretty far from in his lifestyle.  He wondered how far it would be from Jane Burrows’s life, some man wanting to claim her in a more permanent way.  He could definitely feel the temptation.  Not so much of the permanence, but the claiming part.  He could feel the appeal down to his bones.

“She wants you to be happy.”

“No, she wants me to make her happy.”

“Oh dear, sounds like a bit of strife in the
D’Arth family,” Jane teased.  This teasing thing was not good, not if she wanted to finish this night unmolested.  She teased and challenged, and he was having trouble not rising to it.  “Anyway, I think it might be time to head back to the dance floor.”

They rose and walked back inside.  She walked first giving him a nice view of the gentle jiggle of her hips as she walked.  He hadn’t expected being attracted to her, but it was nice to feel light and innocent desire.  Their table was empty when they got inside.

“The others must have gone,” she said.

“I’m not
surprised.  It was only a matter of time before they ran out of steam.  They’re probably asleep in a taxi already.”

“You must be exhausted as well,” she said and looked at him with concern.  “I had a few hours last night, when did y
ou last sleep?”

“I had a few hours to.  The couches at the office are
surprisingly comfortable.”

“I suspect a park bench would have been comfortable last night.”

“I think I have higher standards tonight than a couch.”

“Let’s get you home then,” she said.  She headed
toward the door and again he followed.  He liked walking behind her; it made the world a more interesting place.  He had a little twinge of regret though.  There was a part of him that wanted to dance with her, just the two of them, but he wouldn’t give into such urges even if they were both due some sleep. 

The taxis were lined up outside so they didn’t have to wait.  They slipped into the back of one and informed the driver of their destination.  He watched as the lights from the street moved along the skin of her thigh.  Her skirt had ridden up slightly exposing a bit more of
her lovely thigh.  He closed his eyes trying to avoid the thought of running his hand up it, pushing the skirt back.  He stopped watching her, he was going to send himself into a frenzy if he kept this up, and that wasn’t his style.

Jane stepped out of the cab.  She’d had a wonderful evening, and she was sorry it was over.  She’d been thrilled when Damon had joined her on the balcony.  He looked relaxed and he was friendly, not something she’d ever thought she’d receive from him.  She had been a bit tipsy and maybe been a little
provoking with the teasing, but he’d taken it good naturedly, and she was more than impressed with that.  It was nice to realize that he was human under the unapproachable exterior. 

She had butterflies in her stom
ach every time she looked at him, because he had that intense gaze that implied that he saw everything, even the butterflies tickling her from the inside.  He was just so ridiculously attractive.   She’d wondered what it’d feel like to be kissed by him, to feel his strong hands around her waist.  She’d wondered what it’d feel like to be wanted by him.   The thought sent a thrill of excitement down her spine.

Now the night was almost over, the extraordinary night when they were actually close to being friends.  Like a gazelle having a truce with a lion.

She stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for her floor.  He followed suit, he was a few floors further up.  She suspected she might lie in bed wondering where he was above her.  A few yards and some layers of concrete, he was lying in bed, potentially naked.

She leaned back against the railing along the wall and watched him.  He had this furtive look on his face.  The elevator dinged as they arrived at her floor.

“Stay,” he said quietly.  Jane’s heartbeat rose to the point where she could feel her pulse pounding in her palms.  He’d just asked her to stay.  She knew full well it wasn’t for another drink; she’d be going to his room, and not for a drink.  For sex.

The seconds felt like minutes.  She should be stepping out of the elevators, something in the back of her mind was screaming for her to get moving, but she didn’t.  The doors started closing and she just watched them.  Her hands felt clammy with nervousness.  She was going to his room.  She
was going to see him naked, run her hands all over him and feel him inside her.  Her core pulsed with anticipation.  This was by far the naughtiest thing she had ever done.

It wasn’t that
bad; it wasn’t like he was her boss.  He was just a colleague and colleagues sometimes got together.  It wasn’t like either of them were cheating.  He didn’t seem to have a significant other, or even a girlfriend, unless he was close to that girl she’d met at the Hyatt.

“You don’t have anyone back home who would be offended?” she asked.  She did not want to engage in something that meant heartache for someone else.

“No.”

Jane felt her temperature rise again.  She couldn’t believe she was doing this.  The elevator stopped and they stepped out.  They didn’t have to walk far to get to his room.  He pulled out a card and unlocked the door.

Jane conceded her last point of backing out, but she stepped inside the darkened room lit only by the light in the bathroom.  He wasn’t far away, just far enough for the door to close behind him.  He wasted no time; he advanced toward her and kissed her deeply.  Jane moved back until the wall was behind her.  She couldn’t quite get her head around what was happening, she was kissing Damon D’Arth and it was fantastic.  His kiss was just right, demanding, coaxing and deliciously decadent.  She was enveloped in his scent again and it, along with the kiss sent waves of sensation along every one of her nerve endings.  He tasted glorious, spicy and woody, and nothing but male.