Sorry for the delay, life happens. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as I have enjoyed writing it. Please let me know what you think. - SinfulSolace
"Hey Anna, where did you want to go out to tonight? I know of a few places in the city, but wasn't sure if you didn't already have a place in mind."
"Hey girl, there's this amazing place in town called Devil's Dance Floor, I don't know if you've heard of it. It's supposed to be like the best place to go for dancing, and there are plenty of sexy men more than willing to have a good time with us." Erin could practically hear her winking through the phone.
"Jesus, you are horny." Erin told her, smiling as she heard her friends laughter on the other end of the line.
"Oh, come on and you aren't? I mean, I'm a woman and three quarters latino, my dear. We care about nothing but our sexuality. What about you aren't you like, a fucking leprechaun anyway? Those Irish bastards did nothing but hump and eat fucking potatoes!"
"Ha ha ha, very funny. I'll see you tonight, we can meet at my place."
"Sounds good, don't forget to wear something slutty. Also, why don't you leave your standards at home tonight, Erin."
"I'll think about it," she rolled her eyes, "See you later."
Hours later, Erin found herself staring into her black hole of a closet, debating if perhaps she did have an outfit that came close to even whispering slut. She rolled her shoulders in small circular motions, working the muscles that were quickly tensing over such a trivial dilema. Hearing a knock at her door, Erin finally reached for an outfit that seemed like her best chance at standing out as well as being comfortable and tossed it on her bed before rushing to answer the door.
"Your face sure does look sexy but I think you might want to reconsider the pj's," Anna joked, looking down at the other girl's snowflake covered pyjamas. "I thought you'd be ready by now."
Erin wrapped a single arm around Anna to bring her into a half hug, smiling at her humor. "I thought it would perfectly balance out your outfit. Sure looks better than the other dresses I've seen on women working the corner," she quipped.
Anna laughed wholeheartedly as she was led into Erin's bedroom, stepping over piles of clothes thrown about. "Jesus, did you call the police? It looks like you've been burglarized." She picked up a bra that was hanging on the floor and flung it to Erin, the lace fabric hitting her face lightly.
"Sorry for the mess. It's been awhile since I've really been out like this. Most of my outfits I'd gotten rid of or shoved to the back of my closet."
"No worries, just finish getting ready. We have to stop by Anything Goes before we hit the DDF - there's someone there who I have to meet."
"Sure no problem. Give me ten minutes." Erin made her way into the bathroom with her clothes, crossing her fingers in hopes that she still looked as good as she used to in the outfit.
Loki observed the women from the top of Erin's bed, curious of what plans they had in store that night. Once Erin retreated to the bathroom, he surveyed the other woman, Anna, as if she were a bird being watched by a house cat. She stole glances around the room examining Erin's bookshelf, the muscles in her bare legs taut as she leaned forward in her heels. If observed from the right angle, Loki could see her sheer undergarments peeking through underneath her dress. If it could be called a dress, he thought to himself, clear disdain painted on his face. His pet did not have to vy for attention in such a way. She held the attention of every man in the room and she didn't even know it; she held so much control in her very being yet was unaware of the power she had. He felt himself charmed by her oblivious nature, surprised that a creature such as she has remained safe from the harmful ways of men for so long.
Th sound of the bathroom door opening caught both of their attention as Erin came into the room, the sound of her heeled boots hitting the floor in a slow and steady rhythm. Her arms were raised above her head as she pulled her hair into a simple knot, the tresses by her forehead free and framing her face.
"Damn, I'd take you home in that any day of the week," Anna took her hand and spun her around, her eyes taking in the entirety of her simple dress. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah, let me grab my keys," she walked out to her kitchen and reached across the table to retrieve her keychain containing her house keys, leaning forward on the table and stretching her hand across the surface. Before she could reach any further, the keys slid the last few inches to meet her.
Loki's hand was caged over the keys, anticipating her frightened reaction. He found himself surprised though when she froze and, instead of leaping away from them as he had expected, she instead inhaled and filled her lungs deeply with the air around her. She closed her eyes for a moment before taking the keys from the table and meeting her friend at the front door.
"Let's go." Their giggles could be heard as they closed the door behind them and made their way into the streets of Philadelphia.
Loki stood in the empty apartment, contemplating his next move. With a sudden resolve, he walked through the front door and followed the young women from a distance, a few more tricks up his sleeve for his pet.
Erin and Anna had stepped foot into the crowded bar fifteen minutes later, taking in the crowd of people. "Wow, it really does fill up in here," Anna shouted over the music.
"Yeah it gets like this, mostly because of the large female crowd Gabe brings in when he bartends." She glanced over to where said bartender was, smirking as he tried to take drink orders while loud gabbing women surrounded him in an attempt to leave an impression on him that would last longer than an exchange of drink and cash. "He does a good job though, bringing in all the women which ultimately brings in all the men. I have to hand it to him."
"You sure you don't have a hard on for him? He hasn't been shy about staring at you from a distance," Anna nudged her suggestively, "Maybe he should come by after his shift to have a little fun of his own."
"Nice try, but no. He's good looking and all but I just know that we don't have much in common other than this place."
"Who says you need to have stuff in common in order to just fool around? I'm sure he's an animal in the sack - just look at those arms! He could hold you in any position anywhere in your goddamn house!"
"Would you quit it," Erin's eyes widened as Gabe looked over at the two of them that very moment and smiled, his eyes roaming over her body. She blushed in embarrassment, fearing that he had super hearing and could tell what they were talking about. She swallowed and returned the wave he sent her way, throwing him a genuine smile as well. "So, why are we here again? You said something about-" Erin looked next her to discover Anna had disappeared and was bouncing over to Gabe, her breasts barely contained by the dress she wore. She leaned over to whisper into Gabe's ear and giggled like a school girl, catching the attention of the men surrounding her. Erin rolled her eyes and kept her feet planted, sensing that she wouldn't feel very comfortable joining the conversation taking place between the two of them. She surveyed the small bar, taking in the couples wrapped in intimate conversations, their bodies swaying to the music while their liquored breath hung heavily in each other's face; the groups of girls giggling and gabbing away loudly with each other, pretending to be unaware of the groups of men watching them intently. It all made her feel a little out of place, standing in the bar by herself without a man to seduce or a large group of girlfriends that would compliment her on her appearance and joke with about the creepy men lurking around them when in reality all they wanted was the constant attention of a man no matter how unorthodox they may be.
As a few women passed by, no doubt to make their way to the bathroom, Erin took a step back to give them some space to walk by but collided with someone behind her, nearly falling on her rear as her feet tripped over each other. Her fall to the floor was stopped short as a hand reached out to grasp her around the small of her waist, the palm sturdy against her back as its fingers secured themselves around the curve of her body. Her heart rattled in her rib cage momentarily as she tried to get a grasp on the situation. "Thank you for that," she said quietly, her breathe still short from the sudden rush of adrenaline.
"Of course, it seemed you would have had a rather unfriendly encounter with the floor if I hadn't caught you," the mischievous tone in the man's voice brought Erin's eyes to meet his, clearly able to spot the smirk on his face that he made no attempt to hide.
Erin stared at his face a few moments longer than was appropriate, searching for something to place why he seemed so familiar to her. As he helped her steady herself, more patrons shuffled around them, the tight space causing her to push into the man, her hands pressing against his chest lightly as to not be disrespectful or disrupt the unwrinkled black buttoned shirt he wore.
He watched her, clearly amused by her discomfort. "You should let your hair down, it suits you more," he swiftly reached to the nape of her neck, the slight contact with her skin raising her flesh to his delight. He could feel her body still like a startled doe as his fingers easily tugged the band from her hair and sent her locks spilling down her shoulders like in loose waves, shining like rubies in the dimly lit bar..
Before she could react he pushed past her, his all black figure easily disappearing into the shadows. Erin reached up to the back of her head where his slender fingers had been mere moments ago, shocked by the bold move this stranger had made. As her fingers slid around to rest on her chest, she could feel a slight dampness to her skin where his breath had hit her. Her face turned bright as she thought of how devilishly handsome he was, the sharp angles and contours of his face only contributing to the overall impish appearance he exuded.
"Hey, ready to head out?" Anna reached Erin, two shots in her hand. "Here, I figured we could start off the night with this. Jesus, what has you so shook? You look like you just saw a serial flasher."
"Just this guy I bumped into, he looked so familiar," she took the shot from her girlfriend's hand, still trying to place how she could have felt she had known him from somewhere. "It's nothing. Cheers!"
They clinked glasses and emptied the burning liquid into their mouths, a toast to the first of many they would have that night.
The line to get into the Devil's Dance Floor was aggravatingly long as the two women waited in the cold January air. Erin's stocking covered legs stood stiff in attempt to block the wind that assaulted her body. "Remind me again why we're not wearing coats?" she turned to her friend, trying to fight against her chattering teeth.
"Because we'll be too drunk to remember get them from the coat check once we leave."
"Right," the word came out slow in acknowledgment.
They took a step forward, a small feat compared to reaching the doors to the club.
"So when does hubby come back from his 'conference?'"
"Hmm, Monday. He called me yesterday, said he had to drive through Brooklyn to pick up a coworker." Anna's tone grew hard at the mention of her husband. "He refuses to admit to the infidelity because he likes the perks of being married to an marine."
"You're a marine?" Erin's eyes widened at the new information on her friend, "you never said anything.
Anna shrugged, "I was a captain. Years ago, I took on a mission overseas and retired shortly after. I decided that maybe that part of my life was over and it was time to start a new chapter, one that contained settling down and starting a family. So I married Josh and we had a son when we lived in New York, but he passed away." Her voice grew quiet and Erin found herself moving closer to her friend to hear her. "I tried to work through his death and stay strong, even moving away from the city to start fresh, but Josh was staying out all hours of the night, sleeping with other women… We both more or less stay together out of guilt of losing Lucas."
Erin placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
Anna sniffed and ran a hand through her hair, trying to rid herself of the horrors of her past. She turned to the redhead and smiled, "It's all in the past though, let's just focused on getting shit faced tonight, deal?"
Erin smiled at Anna, respecting the strength that lived in the woman after dealing with such a tragedy.
They finally made it through the front doors of Devil's Dance Floor after being frisked by security. Immediately Anna dragged Erin to the bar along the far wall, ordering four shots of tequila. They took each shot with as much vigor as the first.
Anna reached for Erin's hand and pulled the young woman close to her to shout in her ear, "Come to the bathroom with me." Not even waiting for her friend to answer her, Anna continued to pull her along into a secluded corner of the club where they went into a relatively small bathroom compared to the overall size of the nightclub. Anna pulled Erin into a stall and pulled a small baggie from in between her breasts, showing it to her friend.
"Is that coke?"
Anna giggled, "Yeah, I thought it would be a nice party favor for our girl's night out." She sat on the toilet and produced a crisp dollar bill also from betwixt her breast and, after pouring the small amount of the drug onto her lap, started making haphazard lines of the powder on the flesh of her upper thigh.
"Anna," Erin whispered, "where did you get the coke from?" She gasped, "Did Gabe give it to you?"
"No, of course not," Anna laughed, "This guy at the bar, his name doesn't matter. I used to deal with him regularly until he landed in jail for some reason or another…. Now do a damn line before I blow it in your nose myself." She handed the now rolled dollar bill to Erin who grasped it hesitantly.
Erin looked down at the two short lines of coke on Anna's exposed thigh, her skin appearing shades darker against the stark white of the drug. "Fuck it," she stated simply, lowering herself to her knees and, using her hand to steady herself against Anna's thigh, placed the tip of the rolled bill at the start of one of the lines. Inhaling deeply, she ran her makeshift straw over her friend's leg, her nose sucking in the entirety of her line. Erin threw her head back, feeling the distinctly familiar drip in the back of her throat. Standing up, she handed the bill back to Anna, wiping her nose of any leftover traces of the powder.
Anna hunched forward and took a deep breathe through her nose and tossed her head back as well, locking eyes with her girlfriend and sending her a blissful smile. "Ready for the real fun to begin?"
The corners of Erin's mouth tugged upward, sending both women into a fit of laughter before exiting the bathroom stall and making their way out onto the dance floor.
Anna took Erin's hand in hers and held it high above her head as she led the other woman out to the center of the dimly lit dance floor through the throng of other dancers. Spinning around to face her friend, she grabbed Erin's hips and pulled her close, her deep voice taking on a tone of seduction, "Let's put on a show."
Erin nodded in and began swaying her body, her movements in sync with Anna's wide set hips as they rocked back and forth seductively. The sporadic lights in the club made it difficult to see clearly, leaving the sense of sound and touch much more prominent: hands falling to toned legs and ghosting over soft skin; hair damp with sweat sticking to anything in its path as it bounced recklessly on shoulders and reflecting off flashing lights; hushed lips breathing heavy from the intensity of everything - the music, the bodies, the inappropriate absurdity that came with the territory of dancing errotically in a nightclub with your friend. It all felt so taboo, so unwarranted, but the pure ecstacy of submitting to it all felt undoubtedly euphoric.
Erin could feel multiple eyes on her and her dance partner, roaming over their bodies like wolves as Anna ran her fingers through her hair, her dark curls bouncing with every twist and turn of her body. The redhead held her head high as her body swayed in rhythm to her partner's fluid movements. Slowly she turned, pressing her back into Anna and letting her hands reach behind her to press their hips closer together, enjoying the rush of excitement from the drugs she had taken earlier. Anna's grip on her waist was the only constant steadying Erin to this Earth as the flashing lights and and bass of the music shook through her core. She angled her head to her friend and shot her a mischievous smile, throwing her arms in the air and letting the intensity of the cocaine, the music, and the feel of the surrounding bodies overtake her.
Erin allowed herself to become so lost in the music that she didn't even notice her friend's hands leave her hips, or the masculine grip that was soon replaced by Anna's softer one. These calloused hands ravaged her body, grabbing her in ways she would have deemed unsuitable, but Anna held another ounce of clear liquid to her lips, and Erin was happy to oblige her friend, easily swallowing her morals with the burning alcohol. The drink slid down her throat like water and she looked up to the bright lights pulsing from the ceiling, feeling as if she could see through it to the moon and stars. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back onto her partner's shoulder, feeling his breath on her neck and a persistent bulge pressing against her lower back. She raised her hand and snaked her arm around the man's neck, feeling short curls circle her small fingers, and slowly opened her eyes to glance around the sea of bodies dancing in tune with the blaring music filling their ears.
Anna was a few feet away grinding on a man, his dark velvety skin slick with sweat that glistened in the lights. She glanced over at Erin and winked seductively before turning back to her new dance partner and spinning to press her ass into his groin.
The man pressing his body to Erin's back was gripping her thigh, sliding its way dangerously close to the inside of her thigh. His fingers tried to slip under her dress and scale the rest of the way up her covered legs, but a zap of what seemed to be static electricity brought his hand back to rest on her hip. Erin breathed out a sigh of relief, grateful she wouldn't have to be put in an uncomfortable situation, and her eyes fell on a tall figure leaning against the farthest wall by the exit. His tall frame was shrouded in black and mostly obscured by the throng of people dancing, but although he appeared to be leaning casually against the back wall, his frame was noticeably tense, skin like marble yet eyes fueled with fire and pressed under the weight of furrowed brows.
Erin's breath was caught in her throat as she recognized him as the man from the bar earlier, his hair resting about his shoulders like the feathers of a raven. Their eyes locked and Erin thought she could feel her skin burning under his hardened gaze. It wasn't directed to her though but the masculine figure over her shoulder, raising his meaty palm to grasp her breast. Before he could make contact, another spark of electricity prevented his hand from reaching its destination and was once again back to her waist, gripping her with hopeless aggression.
Erin's eyes were still trained on the stranger, afraid that he would disappear into the shadows if she broke contact. Pulling herself from the man, she pushed her way through the various intoxicated people, stepping through grinding couples and pushing men and women alike away from the path she had set to get to the tall stranger. She was so close, his eyes comparable to the light Jay Gatsby gazed upon, yearning for Daisy and all that she stood for. Nearly twenty feet away, the stranger disappeared from Erin's sight and left the young woman alone and confused. She glanced around, sobriety crashing down on the nightlife high and ripping her from the ninth cloud her surrounding peers were still riding on.
Needing fresh air and longing to search for the mysterious stranger, Erin left the Devil's Dance Floor and was soon greeted with a cold rush of air that cleared her senses as quickly as a bucket of cold water thrown at her face. Around her there were some other men and women, either laughing, crying, or puking on the sidewalk - none of which seemed to be the tall figure she was searching for.
She inhaled deeply, the chilly night air filling her lungs and released once again into the night, steaming from the sudden change of temperature in her lungs. Erin glanced around, realizing that if she stayed at the club, her night would most likely end up like the other men and women around her. She started walking in the direction of her home, her mind made up. The wind bit at her cheeks and her legs, but she thanked the alcohol in her body for dulling her senses so it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been.
Nearly a block away from the Devil's Dance Floor, she heard a voice from a ways behind her. Turning around, she found herself with a taller man whom she would not have recognized if it weren't for his dark tousled curls. "Hey, there. You ran out, thought you'd want to come back and have some more fun." His demeanor seemed overall friendly, but the booze on his breath had hit Erin's nose with such force that she took an involuntary step backwards.
"Oh, no I, uh, I decided to call it a night and head home while I still remembered where I live," she joked, still maintaining a kind smile for the inebriated man.
"Well we could always go back to your place and have some fun of our own, dontcha think?" He stepped forward, looming over the woman and making her feel like a rabbit cornered by a dog. A big, dumb dog.
"Oh no thank you I'm fine, you have a good night though. Take care," she made to turn and make her escape, but he reached out and grasped her forearm and pulled her to him, the unwanted close proximity of his body sending chills through her body and raising the hair on the back of her neck.
"Don't be like that, babe, just let's have some fun with me and you whaddaya say?" his slurred speech unnerved the poor woman as she tried pulling away from his grasp.
"I said no," and successfully pulled herself from his grasp, spinning on her heel and trying her best to put distance between herself and the man. He caught up to her and pulled her hair, his fingers pulling strands from her scalp, as he twisted her into him, his breath hot and sticky on her face.
"You can't say no to me, baby doll, no one says no to me."
"I did," Erin's voice was low, just above a whisper, trying to hide her fear and hope that he could only hear the anger in her voice. Anger and this man. Anger at the stranger from the bar that decided to show up once again only to disappear from her. Anger at herself, for allowing herself to get caught in such a terrible situation such as this.
His gripped tightened on her hair, "Well, then you better hope that you change your mind." He must have thought he was clever because he smirked after he said that and it didn't seemed to be directed at her at all. His free hand went to grip her hip and pull her to him but Erin tried with all her might to push him off of her, her hands like steel against his chest which only caused him to push back harder, treating it as if it were a game between friends. However, as Erin collected all the saliva in her mouth and puckered her lips to hurl it at him, the look in his eyes changed and he brought his hand up to smack her across the face, stunning her. Her hand left his chest and she felt the red irritated skin of her cheek while he seized the opportunity to push her around the corner up against the brick wall of the building they were near and out of sight to any passersby. His voice seethed anger and embarrassment as he gripped her, "You little bitch."
Before the man could do much else, a woman staggered into the small alley, stumbling over her feet as she held a flask to her chest. She was giggling uncontrollably, her bare shoulders shaking with each laugh that escaped her body. "Well, hello," she started, looking between the two of them, "am I interrupting anything?"
"Yeah, get outta here," he said, his eye contact not once leaving the woman trapped underneath his vice grip. "We're busy."
Erin could not utter a word, she only matched the man's gave evenly, trying to chase away the fear that stirred inside the pit of her belly.
The woman, taking in Erin's state, placed a hand on the man's arm, pressing her breasts against him. "Why don't you leave her, and come play with me? I can do things with you that this girl couldn't even dream of," she raised herself onto her toes and whispered seductively into his ear, "What do you say, I treat you like the man you are?"
He pushed the woman away from him, sending her back a few steps. "Get the hell out of here you whore! Can't you see that I'm in the middle of something?"
The woman, her coy persona completely diminished, furrowed her brow, "You obviously don't know how to listen." With a blink of an eye the young attractive woman vanished and in her place a tall looking man dressed in black and green armor, his head adorned with a gold horned helmet.
"What the fu-" His words were cut short as an alabaster hand came around to grip the man's shoulder and pulled him from Erin, sending him flying to the ground amongst the littered trash.
The intoxicated man scrambled to get up, trying to mask the confusion on his face by preparing to face off with the strangely dressed man. He rushed him, trying to ram through the taller man's center, but ran right through him and collided with a dumpster. Trying to get a hold of his bearings, he stood and turned to face the mysterious third party only to find his face unreadable, a perfect mask. Making a final attempt to harm the strange man, he lunged for him once again, fist raised to land a swing. However, as if time had stopped for him, his whole body was frozen, fist still positioned mid swing. His pupils contracted, emitting the fear the fear that was quickly overtaking his body.
The pale stranger responsible for his opponent's lack of mobility smirked and raised his hand, sending the man flying into the brick wall and rendering him unconscious
Erin watched her attacker's body crumple to the ground like a ragdoll, his bloodied head slumping forward. Her eyes slowly ventured over to the tall form, observing his slender build and broad shoulders. He turned to face her and Erin's breath stopped short when she was able to properly see his face. She couldn't forget those sharp mischievous eyes and impish grin from the bar earlier in the night.
As he strode towards her with incomparable confidence, his armor disintegrated before her eyes and was replaced with the unwrinkled black suit he had worn earlier. He stopped in front of Erin, his imposing form looming over her much smaller frame.
Erin stared blankly as he raised his chin ever so slightly to address her, but before the words could leave his lips, Erin felt the world spinning around her, ready to collapse at her very feet. The events of the day had caused a tsunami wave of adrenaline that had been subsided by booze and was finally threatening to swallow her whole. Her body was only capable of shutting down at that point and as her knees buckled and gave way, her body fell limp into the arms of her strange savior. As he cradled her weak form in his arms and started walking in the direction of her home, Erin was faced with many questions screaming at her inside of her head. They were all silenced once she breathed in his scent of pine and lavender, and she drifted off soundly in his arms.