Merely Lust

chapter 11

Just as Nikolas had said, the restaurant turned out to be amazing. As they left the table, Iris couldn't help but wonder how she'd manage to dance without making a fool out of herself. The last thing she needed was to barf up all the Cuban food she had devoured. 

As they moved further into the building, the atmosphere turned sultry. The music grew louder; the sounds of the various instruments pounded in her ears. Iris could feel the music penetrate down to her bones and wondered how anything could sound so vibrant and sexy. As the dancers came into view, her heartbeat picked up its rhythm. Their bodies seemed to merge. As they moved, hips swaying, they melded together and became one. 

"Amazing isn't it?" Nikolas whispered into her ear. His breath tickled her neck and suddenly her entire body was alight with a fire she couldn't seem to extinguish. 

"I don't know if I'll be able to match it," she responded. 

 "Well," he said as he pulled her into the space full of writhing bodies, "There's only one way to find out."

Timed seemed to stop the entire time they were together on the dance floor. As his Nikolas' hands traveled over her body and moved her in ways she hadn't realized she could move, she became more eager. It was pure ecstasy to see the arousal in his eyes when she rolled her hips against his. He spun her twice, caught her as she smoothly fell into his arms and brought her up for a scorching kiss. 

"Shall I go get us a drink?" he asked.

Iris could barely answer. Her breath was stolen by both the exertion from the dance and from his kiss. She watched him head to the nearby bar with a palm to her chest. Ever so slowly, her heart began to settle and she took a dizzying breath as she edged towards a section of tables. she thought she'd take a quick seat and rest while she waited for Nikolas to return. 

When it appeared as though he might never returned, she decided he was probably being held up at the bar so she went in search of him. She stopped suddenly a few feet from the bar when she saw the bartender, a beautiful woman with flowing black hair, reach across the bar top to caress Nikolas on the cheek. He didn't pull away immediately and offered her a smile in response to whatever it was that she said. Iris didn't wait to see the rest unfold. 

It wasn't that she had expected fidelity. After all, the entire marriage was a sham and any time they spent together was just a part of that ruse. Fake or not, it still stung her pride to see him flirt so easily with another woman. It was probably a sign that she was allowing herself to develop feelings she had no business feeling. Jealousy was just too damn close to some other, more dangerous emotions. In fact, Iris stopped in shock when she felt tears prickling at the back of her eyes. She shook her head in a way that must have made her seem absolutely nutty to any passerby and turned around; determined to return and prove to herself that she did not, in fact, care only to bump into a very solid body.   

"Leaving so soon?" came Nikolas' throaty response. He had a drink in each hand and Iris considered it a miracle that she hadn't caused him to spill them both. 

At once, her resolve to drop the issue dissolved in the wake of misplaced bitterness. He was so calm, so blase, as if he hadn't just been flirting with another woman. But of course, instead of admitting to what would surely make it appear as though she wasn't holding her end of the deal, Iris decided to lie. Even though she was rather poor at it. 

"I... I don't feel good."

It was a lame excuse, granted, but it served the purpose. Nikolas placed the drinks on a nearby bar table and placed his hand on the small of her back as they exited the backroom and entered the brighter hallway that lead to the restaurant. They walked in silence all the way out onto the beach.