Free Enemies and Playmates by Darcia Helle Page B

club’s muted lighting and overall ambiance gave it an erotic undertone. Like love and sex happened in the darkened corner booths where the music vibrated the floors and the drinks went down too easily.
    Lauren gave a little shake of her head as she noticed how crazy her thoughts had become. Maybe not so much crazy as obsessed. With Jesse. With sex. With sex with Jesse. She turned to see him looking at her and her skin immediately grew red hot.
    Jesse motioned to one of the few empty tables near the back of the room. “This table okay?” he asked.
    “Perfect,” Lauren replied.
    Jesse led the way. Then, as Lauren settled into her seat, he said, “Want a drink?”
    “Sure.”
    “What would you like?”
    “Surprise me.”
    Jesse grinned. “Now there’s trust.” He made his way to the crowded bar and soon returned with two frothy drinks. Placing one in front of Lauren, he said, “I hope you like it.”
    Lauren took a sip. “Mmm, what is this?”
    “My secret,” Jesse said with a wink.
    The band started into a slow, grinding beat. The vocals fell somewhere between a plea and a groan. Jesse took Lauren’s hand, pulling her to her feet. “Let’s dance,” he said.
    Lauren’s knees threatened to give out on the way to the dance floor. Jesse settled his warm hands on her waist. Her skin tingled. His breath was warm against her neck. For a few moments the music and Jesse’s overpowering presence replaced all thought. No one else existed on that dance floor.
    When the song came to an end, Lauren realized that she had all but melted into Jesse’s arms. Embarrassed, she started to pull away. Jesse ran his finger lightly over her bottom lip, slipped his hand beneath her chin and gently directed her mouth up to meet his. The kiss was soft and slow and she was lost in its depths.
    When their lips parted, Lauren suddenly became aware of the people around them, dancing to a new song with a new beat, while they stood still, lost in that kiss. Heat rose to her cheeks. Jesse laughed. “You blush easily, don’t you?” he said.
    “Unfortunately, yes,” she said.
    Jesse pulled her close. “Want to dance some more?”
    Nerves got the better of her. And, as often happened, with the discomfort came thoughts of her father. No doubt he would find out she’d been with Jesse tonight. He’d be furious. No one disobeyed him, particularly the women in his life. Would there be more threats? Or worse?
    She had to be honest with Jesse. He deserved to know that her father wanted him out of her life. He should be allowed to decide whether he wanted to stick around, despite that. And she deserved to know where her father’s raw hatred came from.
    Lauren took a deep breath, met Jesse’s eyes. She said, “I need to talk to you about something.”
    “Okay, let’s sit down.”
    Back at the table, Lauren silently cursed her father. He had not only ruined her childhood, but now he was verging on ruining her adult life as well. Why was she allowing him to do this to her? She looked down at her hands and fought the compulsion to pick at her lavender nail polish. She said, “You already know my father’s not a very nice man when he doesn’t get his way.”
    Jesse nodded. “Yeah.”
    “Well, I don’t know what happened between you two but, well, he doesn’t want me to see you anymore.”
    “I know.”
    Lauren met Jesse’s eyes. “You do?”
    “Yeah, he told me.”
    “Oh.”
    “Did he threaten you?”
    Lauren looked away. “No…”
    “Ahh, the threat was directed at me.”
    “You could say that.”
    “I’m sorry,” Jesse said. “I don’t know why he insists on involving you in this.”
    “What’s going on with you two?”
    “I refused to do a job for him and he’s pissed.”
    “That’s it?”
    “Pretty much.”
    “That seems awfully trivial,” Lauren said. “Even for my father.”
    Jesse reached out, covering Lauren’s hand with his. “Look Lauren,” he said, “I don’t want to start trouble between you