Wearing Number Eight: For Arda

[The Club]

The music pounded through her chest while the wine coursed through her veins, creating a dizzying sensation in her head as she walked into the club. Mikaela had never been clubbing before, and even though it was exactly like what she'd seen on TV, she still felt underprepared for the wave of intense sensations. A sea of people writhed to the techno beat. She couldn't tell where one body started and the other ended. The air was thick, and hot.

"We have a table over here." Zeki motioned over to a private section on the far side of the club. Candice hadn't made it past the wine bar. Her boss' drunk slurring of words and stumbling around the restaurant had prompted Zeki to call her a car. Mikaela didn't realize how much of a culture shock it was for them to see someone so inebriated during a business dinner. In the U.S. it was kind of assumed at least one person might have too much in your group. It was seen as normal. But here, they were concerned, and also slightly offended, from what Mikaela had gathered from their subtle sour glances. So now Mikaela was on her own. And she needed to remedy Candice's display. She recognized some of the players at the table Zeki pointed towards, but her eyes instantly zeroed in on the man staring directly at her. Arda. Her heart fluttered in her chest. She got the sudden urge to turn around, make up some excuse to Zeki, and go back to the hotel. But she needed this. She needed Zeki and the rest of these players to invest in a partnership deal. Candice had failed, and if Mikaela could swoop in as the hero, make them all clients, Candice would be all but assured to give her a raise. Or even better, a promotion. Mikaela followed Zeki closely around the mass of people to their table. When she arrived, she could feel the burn of Arda's stare on her, as she greeted the rest of the players. When she finally moved to greet Arda, she tripped over her own foot, bumping into him. Instantly a blush broke out over her face. 

"Sorry. Hey." She'd managed to stammer out, whilst trying to collect herself. Her attention snagged on his chest, peeking out from his white collared shirt, which was unbuttoned dangerously low. He'd rolled up the sleeves too, likely due to the heat. Mikaela found herself practically drooling at the sight. A small smile spread on his lips, before he bent down to speak closer to her ear.

"Do you want to dance?"

Her heart stopped in her chest. She gulped, looking out over the crowd, how the bodies writhed and grinded against each other. She was trying to formulate how to politely turn him down, how to tell him she had two left feet and did not want to embarrass herself any further in front of him.

"Go dance!" Ferdi, one of the players, yelled at them. The rest of them shooed them out of the table area and onto the dancefloor. Arda gently grabbed onto her hand, leading her into the crowd. Her heart beat matched the fast rhythm of the song as they weaved their way through the bodies. Once they had gotten near the DJ, he turned to her. The various colored lights cast across his face made him look almost angelic. Rather, like a fallen angel, as his eyes darkened looking up and down her dress. He took both of her hands, and spun her around, so her back was to his front. Heat spread through her core as he situated his hands directly on her hips, moving them in slow, circular motions against him. One of his hands trailed up her arm, before he moved it out of his way, gently folding it against the back of his head. With her arm above her head, his hand swept against the side of her breast and down her torso. She could feel his steady breath in her ear as their bodies continued to move to the beat. The hardness of him pressing against her grew, sending another wave of heat through her body. Suddenly, she made eye contact with Zeki, who grinned at her from across the club, sending her two thumbs up. Embarrassment washed over her, and she became stiff. She pulled away from Arda, mouthing "water", before practically running towards the bar, and leaving him alone on the dancefloor.

She spent the rest of the night mingling with the other players at the table, and trying her best to avoid Arda, even though she could feel his gaze searing through her the entire night. Still, she managed to get a few of the players to agree to meeting her and Candice tomorrow to talk official terms of a partnership. And when she finally cornered Zeki, he'd agreed to do the same. Outside of her embarrassment with Arda, it was turning out to be a successful night. And she was glad she'd stayed instead of running to hide like she so desperately wanted to do whenever she looked at Arda.