"Boogie Fever"
Musical Inspirations
Justin Timberlake-Take Back the Night
Florence + The Machine-Dog Days are Over
Adele-Rumour Has It
Lady Gaga-Bad Romance
Summary
Prompt from Anon on Tumblr: Danny dances with Mindy and not the way he did with Shauna. Smut or unresolved tension are both loved and hugged.
I hope this goes…somewhere in the vicinity you wanted it Anon. Set post-'Mindy Lahiri is a Racist' but pre-'Christmas Party Sex Trap.'
Many thanks to Team_Dandy (Twitter) for pulling the prompt off of Tumblr for me (I'm spoiler-free for TMP).
Thanks to my beta numero uno, 5datesor2000dollars (aka jen_koala on Twitter)! You were awesomely patient.
As usual, I mean no copyright infringement upon Kaling Inc., Fox, Universal, etc, etc.
The club. Somehow everything always seemed to roll back to a club. And really, why shouldn't it? Here she was in the greatest, most dynamic city in the world and all her brain could think about was freaking Danny. Danny "Body Roll" Castellano. Before she started her nightly beauty routine, Mindy's eyes fluttered shut and her mind took her back 6 hours earlier…
9:00 PM-Mindy's Apartment
"Ugh! Why the hell can I never find anything to wear?!" Mindy panic-flipped through the sparkly and short, to the leather and tight dresses in her spacious closet. "I just know Danny's going to be here in 2.5 minutes and find me in my functional but fashionable lingerie!" As none of the dresses gave her that feeling of pizzazz, she was on the brink of a mini-meltdown. Sure, the '2nd Annual Shulman & Associates Club Night' was her idea. And sure, she said to meet at Le Bain atThe Standard, High Line at 10, but that didn't mean 10 on the dot. She was Mindy Lahiri…she always made an entrance.
"Nope. Nuh-uh. Nein. Achhhh," Mindy muttered nonsensically. Each beautiful frock was making her angrier and more put out that she hadn't stopped at her favorite boutique after work. "I may as well just throw on an old pair of sweats and call it a nigh…" her voice trailed off as a beacon in her closet of iniquity screamed out "WEAR ME!" It was one of the few online purchases Mindy allowed herself. The pale gold sequined silk, blouson style dress by A and O by Stacey Bendet appeared to be the antithesis of everything she normally wore. That in and of itself would maybe ensure she caught the eye of a handsome, eligible dude in the club tonight. Preferably a rich, handsome, eligible dude.
"Now to find some shoes!" Mindy enthused while practically skipping through her apartment.
Meanwhile at Casa Castellano-9:02PM
"Get it together Castellano. It's just a work thing. Just people from work…" Danny's thoughts trailed off into infinity as he thought back to the '1st Annual Shulman & Associates Club Night.' He recalled walking up to the club that looked suspiciously like an old bank; he remembers seeing the Shulman gang in line; his ultimate memory is of seeing her. Mindy. Min. Mindy Lahiri. A doctor with an ass like…"that's inappropriate Castellano! Mindy's your friend, maybe your best friend. Keep it together, just keep it together," Danny chastised himself.
Danny crossed his spacious apartment to take a look at himself in his hallway mirror. After being told by Mindy (and his brother Richie) that his normal uniform of casual button down and jeans wouldn't cut it at Le Bain, he was still feeling a bit miffed by his new outfit. Richie referred him to a freaking PERSONAL SHOPPER at the Macy's on W. 34th and Danny felt like he was in Dante's ninth circle of hell when he went. His personal shopper, Johan (pretentious name, ugh) was slim-hipped and impeccably-dressed in the skinniest suit Danny'd ever seen. As they went over his measurements and style, he had the distinct impression that Johan was laughing at his obvious discomfort and inability to say how he wanted to look. In the end, Danny just told him his favorite color and shoe size and let him work his magic.
Looking at himself critically, Danny knew he looked pretty damn good. Sure, the charcoal slacks were seriously narrow. And sure, the deep plum, silk Tom Ford shirt was very, very fitted. Johan had assured him that he wore it well-his fit body complementing the look from H-to-T (whatever that meant).
Giving himself a quick spray of Polo Red by Ralph Lauren cologne, Danny took one final look, grabbed his keys, his wallet and shrugged on his leather jacket. Stepping out into the crisp night air, he hailed a cab and gave the driver Mindy's address. Nervously bopping his hand on his knee, Danny felt apprehension but some excitement too.
Here we go he thought to himself.
Mindy's Apartment (again)-9:23PM
As Mindy hopped around looking for one of her bangin' black & gold, zebra print Zanottis, she couldn't believe how on-time she was. "You've got this on lock Lahiri! Danny's not even here and I'm already dressed; makeup fierce and hair whipped. I just know tonight's the night I find Mr. Right! Or maybe Mr. Right Now," Mindy snickered at her own joke. Flinging shoes left and right, Mindy imagined the vibe at Le Bain to be a 21st century version of The Great Gatsby (the film, not the book thankyouverymuch). Cool cats, sophisticated ladies, champagne flowing-this would be an awesome atmosphere for her to debut her new dress. Still picking through her shoes on the hunt for the other Zanotti, Mindy heard the rapid tattoo of a knock on her door. "It's open," she yelled out in the direction of her foyer.
As Danny marveled at the fact that Mindy kept her door unlocked in New York City, he paused to admire her apartment's interior. Having more of an austere, masculine aesthetic, he could still appreciate Mindy's eclectic style. Slipping out of his shoes to not get her plush orange rug mucked up from the outside elements, Danny called out, "Min? Where are you?"
"Back here Danny!"
"Back where-?" his voice trailed off as he padded down the hallway and into her closet. Greeting him was the sight of the very round, very firm-looking backside of Mindy. In the air. Wiggling.
Gasping quietly (at least in his head), Danny swallowed hard. "Umm, Min, what exactly are you doing?" he managed to croak.
Pushing back on her knees, triumphantly waving her pump in her hand, Mindy grabbed her closet rod for support. "Danny, Danny, Danny, you have no idea what it takes to look this…," her voice trailed off as she took in her colleague for the first time. Hot damn! Mindy thought to herself. "Uh, wow Danny, wow! Where the heck did you learn how to dress like this?!" she asked incredulously.
Taking in Mindy's gold dress-which highlighted her toned legs and slammin' cleavage-Danny barely registered what Mindy was saying. I am dying. I am having an aneurysm he thought nonsensically.
"Danny. Danny. Daniel Castellano!" Mindy's squeaky, but cute voice penetrated his stupor. "Yeah, yeah! Wait, what was the question?" Danny confusedly asked. Mindy tamped down her irritation at him clearly not listening, but only because the way he was looking at her-actually smoldering at her really-was downright bewitching,
"Ya' know what, never mind Danny. It wasn't important. Let me grab my clutch and we can get out of here," Mindy said as she rushed toward her bedroom to grab her cell and purse.
Walking over the threshold of her apartment, Mindy snuck another peak at her colleague. Danny's pants perfectly highlighted his taut legs and muscular butt. The aubergine color of his dress shirt made his skin pop and his toned pecs and arms were almost obscene in how good they looked. Stop ogling Danny! Mindy mentally berated herself. Turning and locking her door, she felt more than saw Danny's eyes on her.
This might be a cool night after all, Mindy thought with a grin.
Le Bain at The Standard, High Line (10:47PM)
Lots and lots of bass. That was the painful thought Danny had as the Shulman & Associates crew were ushered into the rooftop atmosphere. Already the club night had an interesting start with Morgan being, well, Morgan-doing shots (from a flask!) in the line. Other than that, there were no mishaps as the colleagues admired the view of NYC from the 18th floor of the hotel.
"Dr. C! Dr. L! Have you ever seen the city look so gorgeous?!" Betsy enthused.
"Yeah, it's a great view Bets," Danny agreed with the young secretary, who looked like a middle school student amongst adults.
"Um, Betsy, I just, no, I just can't with you right now," Mindy interjected. "I'm gonna take a circuit guys. Don't follow me, 'kay," she instructed semi-sternly.
As Danny tracked Mindy walking toward the bar, he had the thought that the night wasn't going exactly according to plan (not that he had a plan). As Betsy chirped incessantly about the twinkling lights of Manhattan, he let his mind wander back to the last office club night. He remembered enjoying dancing with a bevy of ladies. Danny had pulled out moves he hadn't done since his Staten-teen days. The appreciative looks of the Shulman females hadn't escaped his notice either. Shauna, Betsy and Mindy had stared open-mouthed as he body rolled and gyrated to the hypnotic, old-school beats of the dj.
When Shauna had sidled up to him and tried to get in on the Castellano dance party, Danny instinctively pulled back. Something in his head sounded all sorts of alarms when the pretty brunette approached him with a predatory look in her eye. It wasn't the fact that Shauna wasn't attractive-to be fair, she'd been a beauty. At the time, Danny hadn't given any thought to an office hookup-dance floor or otherwise-because that was, well, unprofessional. In hindsight, it might've been because of some yet unnamed, unlamplike, DEEPLY HIDDEN feelings he'd had for someone else at the practice. Someone who was decidedly not Shauna.
Jolted out of his reverie by Betsy, Danny blinked rapidly to gain his bearings. "Uh, sorry Bets, what'd you say?"
"Oh, I just wanted to let you know I was heading to take a look at the pool with Morgan, Dr. Reed and Tamra. See you later Dr. Castellano." Betsy turned away from him and wandered over toward the cabanas.
Left alone with his wandering thoughts, Danny desperately needed a drink to calm his racing mind and heart. Feeling a slight hint of perspiration on his brow, he made a beeline to the bar. "What can I get you man?" the multiple-pierced bartender yelled at him. "Double bourbon, neat, thanks," Danny shouted back as he pulled his money clip out of his pocket. Gratefully taking the drink the bartender handed over, Danny scoped out the scene in front of him. The dance floor was packed, but the music just wasn't his speed. Or maybe, after he turned down his fifth invitation to dance from four women (and one very persistent guy), he just wasn't feeling it without the right dance partner.
Knocking back the last of his bourbon, Danny pushed off from the bar and trekked his way around the perimeter of the dance floor. Hearing Mindy's high-pitched laughter before he actually saw her, his heart leapt when his eyes finally lit upon her; holding a glass of iced red wine, side swept, glossy ebony locks tumbling down her back, she looked at ease and relaxed. Danny's elation was immediately followed by a scowl and glower toward the tall, blond asshole laughing intimately with her. The jerk leaned in close to whisper in Mindy's ear and Danny's nerves jangled. Trying to formulate a plan to get her attention away from the Norse demigod, he heard a familiar song boom out from Le Bain's sound system.
Prince's 'I Wanna Be Your Lover' pulsed through the crowd, whipping them into a frenzy as the dj undercut it with a deep bass pop that punctuated every time the artist sang "love-rrrrrrr!" Spying the blonde douchebag taking Mindy's empty wineglass and walking back toward the bar area, Danny knew this was his shot to impress her again with some smooth moves. His courage gathered, he walked as confidently as he knew how toward his destiny, toward his best friend, toward her. Mindy. Crazy, impetuous, spectacularly beautiful Mindy. He reached out to make contact and-
"Mindy! What're you doing just standing around?"
"Hey Danny! Um, well I was waiting on another iced wine from Braedan. What have you been up to? No hot chicks trying to grind on your weird body?" Mindy said, while simultaneously thinking your body is soooo not weird.
"Nope. Hey, I know he's not 'new school,' but he's music royalty. C'mon and dance with me to some old school Prince!" he implored while praying his traitorous exocrine system wouldn't alert her to his nervousness.
Mindy shot him a grin, grabbed his hand and chirped, "let's do it! I didn't take dance classes or anything, but I'll try to keep up!"
Danny's spirit soared as he placed his hand lightly at the small of her back and steered Mindy toward the crowded and enthusiastic dancers. Facing each other, they shyly sized one another up. Danny had the thought it's now or never and stepped into Mindy's personal bubble to grasp her hips with purpose and intent. Winding his body to Prince's cries of "I love herrrrrr, yeahhhhhh," he made eye contact with her and liked what he saw.
Mindy didn't know what the hell was happening, but she liked where it was going. Feeling Danny's strong hands grip her gave her a heady feeling, like she had too much champagne. She was intoxicated, she was flying and she was damn sure taking Danny along for the ride. Wrapping an arm around his neck, she placed her other arm on his ripped bicep and clung to him.
Spinning her around, Danny pressed up against Mindy as close as two people can on a dance floor. Running his fingers lightly up and down her arms, he felt her shiver and could feel the raised flesh of goosebumps. He leaned in and practically nuzzled her neck while grinding rhythmically to the beat. Smelling her sweet, floral perfume and her tangy, citrus shampoo, Danny was sure this was bliss.
Mindy thought this is ahmazeballs! Danny looks so good, smells even better and his dancing's outta this world! Ermagerd! Is he, is he grinding on my ass?! He is! I knew he was an ass man! Her mind in a whirlwind from her best friend's proximity, Mindy focused on keeping the beat but was fighting a losing effort over the feel of Danny's body-his hard and muscular body which was engaged in some delightfully naughty dirty dancing at the moment. Closing her eyes and feeling herself swept up and into the rhythm, she bounced her backside and swayed her hips in tune to the music.
The night was very cool, but Danny was sweating bullets. Not from his exertions on the dance floor, butthis. Whatever this was, it was causing a major problem. A major problem in his nether region. Frantically, he tried to block out his body's burgeoning arousal by thinking of anything except Mindy. Yankees' stats. Nonna's Bolognese recipe. Trains. Planes. Automobiles. Food. Indian food. What kind of food did Mindy eat growing up? Mindy's hands eating that food. Mindy moaning that the food was sooo good. Mindy's moans. Mindy moaning while he trailed his tongue between the soft dale of her breasts, her hands winding into his hair and tugging…ughhhh. Danny's eyes popped open with the vivid imagery replaying in his mind. Gulping breaths as he desperately tried to grab hold of his spiraling self-control, he acknowledged that this feeling, this moment was everything he dreamt of.
Hearing the song fade out and something with a techno beat blast in, Mindy made up her mind. Whirling around while Danny's hands were still on her waist, she pressed into his chest and laid a demure kiss against his cheek. Keeping her head near his, she whispered close to his ear, "let's go someplace private and talk."
Danny nodded mutely. His mind heard the words private and talk, but his body heard kisses and clutches. As Mindy grabbed his hand, he trailed like a blind, deaf and dumb puppy after her. She quickened her pace, avoiding Tamra, Morgan, Jeremy and Betsy near the pool and skirting the outside of the still-packed dance floor.
Seeing a dark and empty lounge near the front of the club, Mindy ushered Danny into it. Swiveling her head left and right and seeing no one, she stroked the hard plane of his face.
"You put on quite a show tonight Castellano. What's going on?" Mindy smiled inquisitively.
"Well, uh, you know, it was Prince and the club atmosphere and whatnot," Danny said with uncertainty.
"That's a load of crap Danny!" Mindy cried out passionately. "What just went down on the dance floor was chemistry man. Deal with it," she smirked.
"Did you like the chemistry?" he asked nervously.
"Well, it wasn't the worst chemistry class I've ever taken Danny. Duh," Mindy shyly joked.
Noticing they were still holding hands, Danny intertwined their fingers. Mindy looked down, semi-shocked at the intimate gesture. "I thought we had great chemistry too Min." Looking deep into her sparkling, brown eyes, Danny felt emboldened. Placing a single finger under her chin, he tilted her face up and laid the softest of kisses on her upturned lips.
A blooming warmth blossomed in her chest. Enveloping Danny in her silky arms, Mindy kissed him back with ardor. The only sounds were the delicate sighs escaping from the back of her throat and his deeper, huskier groans of satisfaction.
The patented Castellano ass-grab made its appearance as both of Danny's hands snaked down past Mindy's waist. He took hold of her succulent flesh and embraced her fully. Swallowing the dreamy sounds Mindy was making, Danny was in heaven.
Mindy, encouraged by Danny's enthusiasm, began a gentle exploration of places she (secretly) always wanted to touch. Feeling the sculpted contours of his back, she moved her dainty hands to his front. Sweeping down from his broad shoulders, she ran her fingers to the smooth and toned muscles of his abdominals. "I knew you were cut Danny, but I didn't know you were cuttttt," Mindy gently teased between kisses.
Danny placed his plush lips along the sweet curve of her neck. "I work with what I've got," he practically leered at her. Touching her lush body more thoroughly, he palmed her soft and supple breasts through her dress. "I can work with what you've got too," he rasped out between gasping breaths.
"Umhm, I like the way you handle work Castellano," Mindy moaned almost incoherently. "Maybe we should take this back to your place or mine?" she breathily said.
"Let's go. Now." Danny sprang apart and holding Mindy's hand firmly, dashed to the coat check. "Slow down man," Mindy wheezed out as she tottered on her stilettos. "These Zanotti pumps are not meant to sprint in!"
Spying the empty coat check line, Danny and Mindy raced forward to the counter and rang the bell. "Where the hell's the coat check person?" Danny muttered with irritation. "Maybe we can just get the coats ourselves and leave the money?" Mindy offered.
"I don't want to get kicked outta here without our stuff Min. This doesn't look like the kinda place that let's you jump the countertop," Danny stated practically.
Hearing a ruckus behind them, they smelled the rancid odor of Axe Body Spray, Don Perro tequila and cinnamon Certs a full 5 feet before the odor's owner weaved his way toward them.
"Heyyyyy Mindyyyyy. Heyyyyy little buddy," Peter slurred almost unintelligibly.
"Ugh, Peter! You smell like a Mexican whorehouse! Not in a sexy way either!" Mindy dramatically waved the fumes away from her offended nose.
"Min's right Pete; you look and smell terrible. You need to head home, sleep it off man," Danny said with the knowledge of one that's imbibed too much in the past.
"I'm fine you guysss, like seriously. I B to D. I know how to HMS," Peter whined.
"I literally understood nothing you just said," Mindy said while Danny asked, "what?"
"Um, guys, I don't feel so well," Peter belched out.
"Peter, you need to go find a cab, get in that cab, go home to your gross man-cave and snooze it off dude, ugh," Mindy complained.
"But, I really feel like…oh no. Oh nooooo!" Peter dramatically slapped his hand over his mouth, jerkily turning around.
As he whirled around to find anything to toss the contents of his stomach (specifically the foulness that was Don Perro tequila and 8 food truck taquitos he had earlier), Peter had the fleeting thought that Mindy and Danny looked a little too chummy. It was that moment that Don Perro and the taquitos decided to make an explosive appearance out of his mouth. Exorcist-style. All over the front of Mindy's dress with Danny getting splattered in the splash zone.
"What. The. Hell?! Peter!" Mindy screamed out theatrically while Danny groaned, "Pete, man! You couldn't have held it?!"
"Guys, I feel soooo much better. I think I'll go mack on that Montana 7 I saw earlier. Catch you later," he nodded over his shoulder as he sauntered off.
"I feel violated right now Danny. So very violated. And my outfit is ruined! Ruined!" Mindy screeched angrily.
"Let's just grab the coats and get a cab Min," Danny dejectedly whispered. He had droplets of vomit on him and felt like his night with Mindy was coming to an inconclusive end. Disappointment didn't begin to describe what he was feeling.
Heading down the elevator, covered in Peter's disgusting barf, Mindy felt pinpricks of tears behind her closed eyelids. She and Danny came thisclose to a very satisfying end of the night; now she didn't know where they stood.
Standing on the corner, Danny blew a sharp whistle and a cab came screeching to a halt right in front of them. He really is a smooth New Yorker Mindy thought with admiration (and a LOT of horniness).
"Soo, I had a really nice time tonight Danny. Even with the last 5 minutes of grossness" Mindy drew out his name, stalling in the cool early morning air,
"Yeah, me too Min. We should do it again."
"Really? Like, just me and you?"
"Oh, uh, uhh," Danny stuttered. "That'd be nice. Yeah, we should do that."
Mindy beamed her thousand watt smile, swiftly grabbed Danny into an intimate hug and planted a long, lingering smooch on his billowy lips. "Okay, I know that was super gross since my spectacular outsides are covered in Peter's yucky insides, but whatevs," she confidently crowed. "Let me know the whens and the wheres Castellano. You and me have some alone time to get to."
Mindy hopped in the cab and Danny stood looking at it long after it turned the corner two blocks down. Hailing another cab, he smiled to himself and thought oh boy.
Fin