Chapter 19

*Natalie*

We bump and press through people on the dance floor, the three of us linked together as we push closer to the front along behind Sophie. The dance floor is peppered with tall tables and there are servers walking through with trays of complimentary shots for the guests. I look around as Sophie pulls me through the crowd… There are a lot of women in cut-out dresses with side-cleavage; and nipples showing through seems to be the look here tonight. Thank God April suggested this butterfly dress with the cutout in the center for tonight, she was right on point. At least maybe I can compete…

*Who am I kidding? I can’t compete with models… can’t compete with the women Zane’s been with… What the hell am I doing here? I’m a mom. I’m not an exciting model with a perfect body… I’m just me. Why did I bring Zane here? There are women of every type here, I’m sure there’s someone, or a lot of women, here that he thinks are hot… and exciting…*

This music feels dangerous, the rhythms feeling like my wild heartbeat tonight, the rapper's voice tripping, skipping and flowing over the audience. Everything feels big. Huge. This palace-like interior the perfect place to hold the enormity of my emotions, the columns sweeping up to the sky, the painted scene on the dome above us a ship sailing through tumultuous waters, waves crashing against it. Lights dance over it in morphing flower of life and other sacred geometric shape patterns; and the panels behind the stage are lit up with a projection of lightening lighting up giant clouds rolling across a stormy sky – a fitting scene for how I feel right now.

*I thought I knew Zane. I thought we were solid. But this entire time he’s kept this from me. Our entire marriage, and I never knew… I thought we had intimacy. I thought we had trust. How many women have there been? How beautiful were they? Were they women like these? What did he do with them?*

Questions pound into my head.

*What is Alexander’s sex club like? And what about Sophie… and Stas… what do they really do for Alexander?…*

As we get closer to the stage, the music vibrates through my body and the crowd is moving together like ocean waves, people are singing along, filling in words, and the temperature is a couple of degrees warmer up here. The rapper is close, walking up and down the runway-style stage. He is wearing only dark jeans with a belt and black and white sneakers, his brown skin and toned body glistening with sweat in the lights, a black tee shirt slung over his shoulder and a royal blue Accardi Logo headscarf wrapped around his head pulling back his short dreads. The DJ is in a fuzzy black vest with no shirt underneath and light-wash baggy eighties-style jeans. He has olive skin, curly short black hair, and sharp facial hair creating a line along his jaw.

And there are Vanessa and Soraya, along with some of the other models from the show dancing near the stage, hands in the air, swaying together. Vanessa is in silky vibrant blue minidress, a cutout across her chest, her nipples standing out under the shiny, smooth fabric, one arm bare, one in a long sleeve. Her long, layered platinum hair swaying as she dances. Soraya is wearing a similar one-sleeved black minidress, hers with an asymmetrical cutout going from one shoulder across her stomach to her opposite hip, exposing the sides of her breasts and toned, tan abs. Her caramel-into-honey hair curled and flowing over her shoulders and back. I notice Drea dancing a bit further away in a group of models.

Soraya looks up and notices Sophie, pulling her into their group and us along after her. The crowd presses around us, and Zane is pulled and shoved right into Vanessa. She looks into his eyes, their bodies pressed together, and glances down and back up his body. She gives him a smile with her huge fluffy model-lips, and then Sophie steps in, “This is Zane,” she shouts over the music into Vanessa’s ear, “Natalie’s husband,” Sophie tells her. “And, you remember Natalie,” She says.

Vanessa tips her head up and nods, and backs off of Zane. She extends her hand to him, “Vanessa,” She says. He takes her hand, and she lifts her gorgeous long lashes and stares into his eyes again with her huge, sparkling aqua eyes. He nods at her. She blinks and smiles, holding his gaze longer than she should, and then slides her hand out of his. She sweeps her eyes over to me, giving me a smile and a nod.

Vanessa turns to Soraya, and they begin dancing together.

A server wearing a white button up and a black miniskirt walks through with a tray of shots and offers them to us. I look at Zane. I want to get fucked up tonight. I already *am* fucked up after his revelation tonight... We both reach out and slide one off the tray, and tip them back quickly. It tastes like Kool-aide and warms my chest inside as it goes down. Before she can leave, I slide another one off the tray. I make eye contact with Zane and tip it back. The server walks off into the crowd and we slide our empty shot glasses onto the nearby tall table.

Sophie is swaying her body, her perfect curves drawing me in as she hypnotically circles her hips, her arms floating above her head, her sleeves dropping down her arms… Zane slides his hands onto my hips, guiding me in front of him, pulling me in close to him, dancing with me. I move with his body to the music, letting the rhythms take me over.

*I thought I knew him.*

*Does he know who I am?*

*If he thinks he knows me, I’m going to show him someone he’s never seen before tonight.*

*Someone he never knew I am...*

*Tonight, I am wild.*

*Tonight, I don’t even know myself...*

Sophie looks over at me and reaches out her hand to me. Her face is so gorgeous, I could stare into it for hours, letting my eyes just slide over her doe-eyes, her perfectly shaped brows, her high cheekbones and sharp jaw… Her pink cupcake lips, and her makeup dewy and her lips glossy tonight…

I take her manicured, gold-ringed hand, and she pulls me close, turning toward me. Zane pulls in close behind me as I slide into her. I feel Sophie’s thigh slide up the slit up the front of my dress, and my bare thigh slides right up hers, our bare thighs pressing into each other’s pussy as we dance, our dresses fluttering down around us... She throws her arms into the air, back arched, pressing her body into mine with the surge in the music… I feel my jaw drop open, her body feels so good against mine, Zane pressed up behind me, the music pounding into me.

She looks into my eyes and nods at me, and I feel her nipples hard against mine. I look back into her intense gaze as I slide my hands over her body, her silky dress smooth under my fingers, feeling her curves as she undulates against me… she is so fit and toned, yet so soft and curvy… I have never danced with a woman like this. This feels… dangerous. Hot. My pussy throbs against her, and I press into her harder as we grind into each other, holding her eye contact.

I feel Zane getting hard against me as we dance. I tip my head up, lying my head back on his chest and looking up at him.

And I see he is staring at Vanessa and Soraya… They are dancing close, pressed together, and they are making out now, their dresses working up their thighs. I can see the sides of their tongues slipping in and out of each other’s full lips as they kiss… their round asses and tiny waists twisting as they dance… The light zipps up and down their shiny long hair as it flips and swings with their movements…

He shifts his eyes down to me, and looks into my eyes, and my eyes darken. He was checking out Vanessa and Soraya. Is that why he’s hard? Did he have a thing for women like them? Because neither of them look anything like me. I look around the dance floor, and there are beautiful models dancing everywhere, each one different. Each one looking like candy. Each one looking like her own damn candy store…

And all of the sudden, I feel claustrophobic. I want out. I look back at Sophie. And flashes from that night at the hotel flood my mind. I feel the shots working. The room surging, warping.

“Are you okay?” She asks me, noticing my change in mood.

I shake my head no, gesturing with my eyes to Zane and then over at Vanessa and Soraya.

“Oh…” Sophie says, nodding, eyes lighting up in recognition. She grabs my hand. “Come on, let’s get out of here,” she says, smiling and grabbing my hand, pulling me… I grab Zane’s hand, allowing her to take us…

******

*Sophie*

I lock eyes with Alexander over Zane’s shoulder as I dance with Natalie and Zane, and I slide my fingers away from Zane’s collar. I almost couldn’t resist touching his muscular shoulders and arms as I dance with them… I keep remembering how good this gorgeous man felt inside of me... how surprised I was... how big he is... and I wonder if he and Natalie worked something out?... They *are* here...

Cristello’s has one floor of residences with exclusive access to the second floor restaurant during the lunch and dinner hours, and the library, bank, and gift shop in the building. Four of the residences have balconies that overlook the Grand Ballroom, and one of them is one of Alexander’s many residences. The afterparty in Alexander’s residence is going full swing, guests mingling on the balcony, this party more exclusive than VIP…

Alexander is standing on the balcony of his residence in his royal blue suit, looking down at us dancing in the crowd. His jaw is locked, mouth tight, and he grips his glass, giving it a little swirl. He's not happy to see me touching Zane like that.

I know he wants me up there. I’ll get there, eventually. He hung around my makeup mirror, like, *forever* tonight, and I finally had to tell him that I needed to change. So, I get to enjoy the party a little.

But then I notice Natalie’s upset, and I think it’s me… But she’s looking at Vanessa and Soraya. I can see why they’d be intimidating. Every man stares at Vanessa and Soraya. They look like angels from heaven dripping in sex.

I have been to Alexander’s residence here enough to know my way around… I know where I can take them to get them away from this for a bit… I pull Natalie by the hand, and she looks at me quizzically, but grabs Zane’s hand and follows, and we slip through the crowd and off the ballroom floor. I lead them along the edge of the ballroom, and as we slip between two columns, heading for a darkened hallway, I glance up at Alexander’s balcony once more. He is still staring at me, and his look sears into me. He takes a restrained drink from his glass, a storm behind his eyes.