Free Dancing Together by Wendi Zwaduk

Chapter One
     
    “I need some Christmas cheer.” Jordy Murphy stood in front
of the mirror in his Las Vegas hotel room and groaned. He raked his fingers
over the top of his head. He’d cut his hair the week before and still wasn’t
sure about the new look. The shorter ’do was too severe. He preferred the longer,
floppy style with highlights streaked into his blond hair. The change wasn’t
awful, just different—and he’d be able to hide it under a Santa hat anyway.
    He adjusted his tie, emblazoned with snowballs, then
smoothed out the suit coat. He snorted. The outfit was rather formal for
clubbing in Vegas, but he wasn’t headed to just any club on any given night.
This was Christmas Eve. According to the e-invite he’d received, he was to go
upstairs to Club49 for the holiday extravaganza. Fifty bucks a head with all
drinks and a buffet included as well. Unless the unnamed item had the name of
the club emblazoned on it, he’d re-gift to his brother or sister.
    He turned away from the mirror and fiddled with the band on
his smart watch. The device had been the best investment and his Christmas
present to himself. He’d inputted his identification and credit card
information so he wouldn’t have to worry about losing his wallet at the party.
As he swiped across the screens on his watch, he noticed an image. His breath clogged
in his throat. Allyson Benson. According to her email, she’d be in Vegas at the
same party. She’d been the reason he’d decided to duck out of Cleveland in
favor of the lights in Sin City. Was she really waiting upstairs? He wasn’t
sure, but he knew he wanted her in his stocking for Christmas.
    The lights on the Strip flashed in his hotel room. He’d left
the curtains for his bank of windows open. The play of color calmed him. He
strolled over to the wall of glass and gazed out at the Strip below. No snow,
unlike Cleveland and northern Ohio. Back home, his favorite state was buried in
a foot of the white stuff. He glanced up at the sky, expecting to see stars,
but there were none. He liked stars.
    For a moment he wondered if there was any peace on the Strip.
There probably wasn’t much silence back home. He shuddered. He loved his
brother and sister, and their spouses. Hell, he’d been the best man in both of
his brother Corey’s weddings.—both to the same woman He shook his head. Only
Corey could fuck up his love life and still come out on top. Katie, Corey’s
wife, had more patience than a saint to put up with Corey and to marry him
twice.
    Jordy pinched the bridge of his nose. Maybe it was the jet
lag from the long flight or the time change, but part of him wished he wasn’t
going to the party. A tiny bit of him wanted to be home with his family—despite
the fact that they drove him berserk. He wasn’t about to listen to more baby
talk or help his sister and brother-in-law decide on baby names. So they were
going to make him an uncle? Wonderful, but he didn’t give a shit what they
named the kid. Was that bad? Did that make him an awful uncle? Oh well.
    Something his father said came to mind. “Never stick with
one woman and never let anyone tie you down.” His father certainly lived by
that motto. Each of his children was created with a different woman. Whenever
Dear Old Dad showed up for a family gathering, he always had a new female on
his arm. Jordy wished his father would’ve stuck with one woman to birth his children—that
would’ve made life easier and removed most of the tension from the holidays.
But no. Gary Murphy needed to keep his love life interesting. Jordy swore he’d
never turn into a womanizer like his father.
    At least his family wouldn’t be in Vegas for Christmas.
    Thinking about children and relationships made his head
ache. This was Christmas. He should be wanting to get together, not shove them
all aside. He wasn’t good at relationships and loved his somewhat easy life. He
spent a lot of time on his own. Being alone was great to a