Samantha

Laughter filled the night as the girls got more excited. It was the first time we'd been able to hang out together in months, and they wanted to enjoy it.

No one could judge us for being in a bar on a Monday night because we live in Las Vegas and this was our day off.

We were five women, and we all worked as showgirls in the city, which left us with a complicated routine. On some nights, we only had one show scheduled, on others we attended up to five shows, turning meetings like this into moments that were almost impossible to happen.

"Charlie, take it easy on the tequila," advised Elleanor, or Elle, as we used to call our group leader.

She was about twelve years older than me at twenty-five, and she always tried to take care of all of us, not just professionally.

"Let her enjoy being able to get in here without having to show ID the first time, Elle," Marie teased Charlie.

Because of her jovial appearance, Charlie was almost always barred from places. Despite being the same age as the rest of us, her short hair and rosy cheeks gave her an almost adolescent look that always got her into trouble, but she would be grateful for that look in a few years.

Argument took over the group, as the girls were torn between mocking and defending Charlie. I, on the other hand, remained silent, wanting only to go home and sleep.

The last few months have been difficult, physically and emotionally.

Eu estava enfrentando uma rotina diária puxada com as aulas de balé durante a tarde para me preparar para a audição de uma companhia de teatro que estava selecionando dançarinos para um musical, I participated in the countless shows that Elle arranged for us, and two months ago, I broke up a long-term relationship.

As much as I chose to break up with Jack, it was still hard to walk away from someone who was as present in my life as he was.

I continued to witness that interaction between the girls without much desire to get involved, not escaping the occasional questioning looks that Elle sent me. Despite the others being distracted, nothing escaped her notice.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, she motioned with her head for us to move away. I followed her to the bar, leaning against the counter waiting for the bartender to come over to serve us.

“Then…”

“Then?” I frowned, watching her.

“Something tells me you wish you were somewhere else” she shrugged “and we thought today would be a good opportunity for you to distract yourself.”

“Don't get me wrong, Elle, I'm just so tired and it's not just physically,” I groaned, “I don't feel like being around so many people.

"You and Jack...

“It's not because of him,” I denied after grabbing a dry martini from the bartender. “I just had so much on my mind the last few days.”

"And you don't think that's a reason to try and relax a little?" she came back, tasting her own drink “you say it's not because of Jack, but you didn't get involved with anyone after him.”

“Because I haven't met anyone worthwhile.” I rolled my eyes. “It doesn't mean anything.

The look she shot me next showed that she wasn't believing a single word that came out of my mouth, and maybe she had a point. I needed to distract myself a little, and I wasn't taking advantage of the opportunities.

“Look, I'll try harder,” I assured, drinking some more.

“Really?” She looked in disbelief.

"What do I have to do to convince you? Get up on that counter and dance?" I challenged her, hearing the beat of Nothing breaks like a heart envelop us.

"Sam," she laughed, not putting much faith in it.

I returned a defiant smile before downing the rest of my martini in one gulp, placing the glass on the counter, supporting myself with both hands in an attempt to climb up.

“Sam!” she exclaimed, holding me.

“What matters? It's nothing I've never done” I chuckled, giving up on the idea, but that seems to have convinced my friend, at least for the moment.

“Yeah, but we do this at work, and today we're not here to be the center of attention” she returned, taking me back to where the girls were “ if you want to dance, do it with the others.”

"And how is that going to draw less attention?" I challenged her, although I didn't contradict her.

The only response I got was a smile. We joined the other girls, and I allowed my mind to wander from everything that had been surrounding it for the last few days.

As the night wore on, I felt lighter and less inhibited, both from the drink and the distraction. Some time later, I left the girls still dancing to join Elle, who had sat down where we'd been sitting before.

"You're drunk!” she accused, laughing.

"I'm not." And it was true, although I had enough to relax, it wasn't enough to get me completely drunk.

“Really? So why are you here?”

“I don't see you dancing either.”

“I'm not twenty anymore,” she laughed, drinking from a glass of water she'd taken, “and I've got appointments tomorrow. I have to be fine.

Before I could respond, a young man approached us, standing there without saying anything. Elle noticed him too, frowning.

“Hi?”

"You are here alone," he declared suddenly.

"Wow, how observant you are!" I raised my eyebrows, earning an amused look from Elle.

Then, to our surprise, he simply sat down next to us, smiling at us.

“You shouldn't be alone,” he explained, “I'll keep you company.

“We don't want your company,” Elle shot back bluntly, “but thanks for offering.

The boy laughed, taking a sip of his beer, looking unconvinced by his words.

“Come on, I have money… I can buy you guys some drinks.” He offered us a smug smile.

“Great, if you insist, you can leave your money on the table and leave.” I rolled my eyes.

“You don't have to play hard to get, sweetie.” He ran his fingers down my arm, making me stare at him, surprised by the unexpected physical contact.

“If you want to walk home with that hand, I suggest you stop touching me, sweetie,” I pointed out.

"She's not kidding." Elle shrugged at the astonished look the boy shot me.

"Excuse me, girls, is there a problem?" The bar bouncer approached with a serious expression.

“I don't know, Francis,” Elle sighed before looking at our unwanted companion, “do we have a problem?

The man muttered a few disgruntled words before getting up and walking away under Francis' watchful eye.

thanks to our work routine, we often found the bouncer in bars, clubs and events, so we felt comfortable in Francis' presence.

“Thanks, Francis” – Elle smiled – “I swear I don't know how you know when we need help.

“It wasn't my merit this time, girls” he smiled “ a man saw the situation and warned me.”

“Then you should ask him to come down here so we can thank him.” Elle winked at the bouncer who then walked away, nodding in understanding.

I threw her an irritated look, which she pretended not to understand.

“What's it?”

“What's it!? We just got rid of a complete asshole, and you ask Francis to introduce us to some stranger?”

“ Hey, he was nice to us” she defended him “ it doesn't hurt to buy him a drink as a thank you.”

“ No? He can be just as disgusting an Jerk as the other.”

“If he's another Jerk, we'll call Francis to get rid of him too,” she cut me off, “and I believe that's him coming over there.

“I bet he's a, WOW…” Still moaning, I turned around to get a better view “I'm going to stop talking now.”

The man coming towards us was quite tall, with brown hair and fair skin, which set off his green eyes and a well-groomed beard. His features were strong, well defined and his posture was confident.

And by God, he was hot. He didn't look like a complete Jerk, he still could be one despite his appearance, but I really hoped he wasn't.

"Good evening, I'm Theon Adamos," the man declared as he approached, in a soft, foreign accent, could he get any better?

“Good night Theon, my name is Samantha Hurst.” I hurried to my feet, holding out my hand, with my best smile plastered on my face, ignoring the amused expression on Elle's face.

“It's nice to meet you, Theon. I'm Elleonor, but you can call me Elle” she got up, greeting him equally.

“We want to thank you for what you did earlier, warning Francis about that guy,” I babbled, “he was really bothering us.

“It was nothing, you didn't seem to want company… It was the least I could do” he assured.

"We didn't want to..."

“His company,” I emphasized, interrupting Elle.

Theon smiled back, making my breath catch for a few seconds.

“Well, I think we owe you a thank you drink,” Elle spoke again, “I'm sure Sam can handle that.

"You don't owe me anything," he assured her.

“I insist, Theon” I nodded toward the bar, offering him an inviting smile “just a drink, what do you say?

He looked around, giving me the opportunity to glance toward Elle who mouthed a soundless "Good job."

"I couldn't deny it then." He smiled again before escorting me to the bar.

I got another martini and Theon opted for a shot of cognac. I sipped some of my cocktail, once again admiring the man beside me. I looked back towards Elle who nodded surreptitiously encouraging me.

"So you're in town for fun, Theon?" I asked, devoting all my attention to him.

“I came for a bachelor party,” he explained. “I know how it sounds, but my cousin insisted I come with him.

He gave a small laugh, lowering his head a little, as if that revelation was cause for reprimand.

Besides, he's a good guy!

"So you're here for some crazy fun?" I teased him.

"Not the way you think," he returned, looking back at me, taking a sip of his drink.

"You don't know what I'm thinking," I challenged him with a smile.

"I know what most people think about bachelor parties in Vegas," he returned in the same tone.

“I'm not most people, Theon,” I assured her, “and I live here, nothing takes me by surprise.

"And what's it like living in Vegas?"

He motioned for the bartender to bring us new drinks.

"It can't be so different from living in the...

“Colorado, I live in Colorado.” He took the hint.

“Ohh no, I think it's really really different.” I smiled. “We don't have snow here.

"That's not all there is to Colorado," he warned with an amused look.

I was about to respond when a notification on his cell phone caught Theon's attention, he opened a message before glancing toward one of the tables where two other men were seated.

“You have to go?” I asked uncertainly.

“No, it's just my cousin,” he explained, looking disconcerted, “he wants to know why I haven't taken you somewhere else yet.

“That's a good question,” I scoffed, smiling again.

That answer seems to have taken him by surprise, he didn't expect me to be so direct.

“And then?”

“I'm staying at a hotel nearby.” A smile lit up his face.

Theon grabbed a wallet, but I was quicker to hand my card over to the bartender to charge us for our drinks.

"No, I'm going to…"

“I invited you, Theon, I'll pay” I assured, taking the card from his hands “wait, Theon Apolo Adamos?”

Theon closed his eyes with a sheepish smile on his face, as if I'd discovered an embarrassing secret.

“Apollo? Is your middle name Apollo?

He took the card from my hands, still smiling.

“Theon A. Adamos.”

"Apollo, as the god?" I continued to tease him.

He got to his feet, helping me to my feet as the bartender returned my card.

“Yes, like the god. But if you want to leave here with me, you'll have to forget about this story.”

“Come on, Theon.” I blinked at the man.

We both walked together to the exit, he held my hand, guiding me along the way.

"Bye Sam." Francis smiled as he saw me pass.

“Bye Francis.”

“Do you know the bouncer?” Theon asked when we were already on the street.

“Ahh yeah, we work together sometimes.

'Do you work at the bar?'

“I'm a ShowGirl, Theon,” I explained, smiling as I wrapped my hands around his arm, “we run into each other sometimes.

“A showgirl? Will you stop surprising me? he asked, still smiling.

“I sincerely hope not.” I smiled at him, receiving an almost anxious look in return.

I was also anxious to see what he might offer me, and I hoped it was a lot.

“I'm staying at the Holliday Bally.” He indicated the hotel across the street.

Theon returned to place his hand on my lower back exposed by the dress I wore, causing a small shiver to originate from the point where he touched me. My heart was pounding with anxiety, because I hadn't done something like this in a long time and that was wonderful.

We walked straight through the hotel lobby and soon we were in the elevator, I watched the doors close in what seemed like an eternity, but once we were alone he finally stopped wasting time.

In a quick movement I found myself pressed between his body and the wall of the elevator, with one of his hands tangled in my hair while the other went up my thigh in a subtle touch, exploring the skin inside the fabric that covered part of my thighs. His lips were soft on mine and his kiss was demanding, deepening as the seconds passed.

The elevator door opened, forcing us to step aside, luckily Theon's room was one of the first in the hall.

As soon as we entered the room, he returned to kiss me urgently. My fingers worked quickly on the buttons of his shirt, trying to get rid of that piece as quickly as possible. I pulled back a little to enjoy the view of his bare abdomen, that was better than I had imagined.

“Man, I'm lucky,” I smiled before reaching his face with one hand, while wrapping the other around his waist, bringing him back to me.

My hand went to the back of his neck, lightly scratching the skin as he took care to get rid of my dress for good.

His touch was warm on my skin, causing me to let out a small moan as I felt him apply pressure to my thighs, propelling me to wrap my legs around his waist.

“God, you're beautiful,” he gasped as I transferred my lips to his neck, nibbling his skin and sucking a few spots, not caring one bit if I was leaving marks.

He crossed the small space between the door and the bed quickly, laying me down before laying on top of me. I scraped my nails across his abdomen, panting when I felt him nibbling my earlobe, I lowered my hand to the waistband of his pants, trying to get rid of that piece once and for all.

It wasn't fair that I was only in my underwear and he was still so dressed up.

He trailed his lips across my collarbone before trailing down my neck to my breasts, taking in my scent in deep breaths. His tongue roamed over my almost feverish skin, past the valley of my breasts and my abdomen to my navel, making me squirm beneath him.

“Samantha, you are amazing” His hands went down my thigh, lifting my leg, supporting my calf in order to get rid of the sandals that were still on my feet.

"I want to see how amazing you are, Apollo," I teased, indicating the pants I'd managed to unbutton and unzip.

“I thought you'd forget about this Apollo thing.

“I want to know if you deserve the name of a god.” I blinked.

That teasing smile lit up his face once more as he stood up, shrugging off his own shoes and last few pieces of clothing as I watched. Once he was done, he got back on the bed, slowly climbing on top of me, making me gasp as I felt every inch of his skin in contact with mine. His member brushed my intimate area over the panties I was still wearing, causing me to let out a small moan before Theon's mouth descended on mine again.

That urgency flared through both of us again, he undulated his hips against mine as I arched my body in need of more. He soon reached over, reached into the bedside table drawer, pulling out a condom. It didn't take long until my panties were gone and Theon fit my entrance, penetrating me slowly, enjoying the sensation.

My breathing was labored as my gaze locked with his. Theon soon began to move, gradually increasing the pace causing small shocks to spread through my body from the point where our bodies connected.

My nails ran down his back, scoring the flesh there, pulling him even closer to me. I felt the orgasm building inside me, no longer controlling me as the pleasure spread through my body. Theon's orgasm arrived a little later, he remained a few seconds still panting over me before throwing himself beside me on the bed.

"I need some water," I asked after a few seconds of silence, receiving a stifled laugh in return.

"Sure, I'll get it for you." He got up, going to the mini fridge and grabbing a bottle.

He handed it to me before heading to the bathroom, leaving me still lying there on the bed, sipping the water. He came back some time later, already without the condom.

“You know, I was thinking. How old are you?” he asked, climbing into bed and settling down next to me.

I couldn't help but laugh at that question. After all we've done, that's what he thinks about?

“Afraid of being arrested, Apollo?” I scoffed.

“Hardly. It just dawned on me that we didn't get to that part” he offered me a half smile that made him even cuter “I don't know anything about you.”

I returned the smile, offering the half-empty bottle of water to him.

“I'm twenty five years old. No crime being committed here” I teased him before making a thoughtful expression “at least not on your part, how old are you again?”

This time he actually laughed, before looking at me with an amused expression still on his face.

“I'm thirty-two, Samantha.”

“No crime in this room then” I climbed back onto his lap, settling there with one leg on either side of his body “and I feel like I know you better.”

"really?" His hands moved up my thighs, circling my body.

“Ohh yes, and I must say it's been a huge pleasure meeting you, Theon A Adamos.” I winked at him before leaning in and kissing him.