Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen

Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen
"What if I'm not interested in being yours?" I ask, trying to sound unimpressed, it is obviously not working. 

"I think you are very interested in being mine. If you weren't you would have already told me to fuck off." 

Damn it. He's right. I hate how arrogant he is. I also hate how I should have already told him to leave me alone, but for some reason I can't force myself to do it. "I think you are very cocky." I answer back. 

Mateo chuckles. "I prefer confident."

"Well you can call it whatever you want. I am going to go back to dancing." I say turning away from him. 

I start swaying to the beat of the music. Swinging my hips, putting my hands in the air, spinning around just like everyone else on the dance floor. I feel hands on my hips and I assume it's Mateo. I turn around and I jump. Startled by the person holding on to me. 

The guy is extremely tall, with bright red hair. "Hey baby! You are sexy as fuck." The guy says, his words slurring from the alcohol. His breath smells strongly of whiskey. 

"Thanks." I say feeling very uncomfortable.

"You want to dance with me baby." The man asks, getting way to close for my comfort. 

"I'm actually here with someone." I say giving him an apologetic smile. 

The guy grabs my hips a little tighter. "I don't see anyone anywhere. So dance with me baby." He says pulling me up against him. 

"My boyfriend is right there." I say when I finally see Mateo, walking back towards the tables. "Mateo baby." I shout, trying to push the guy away from me. 

Mateo turns around and makes eye contact with me. I try and fail to push the guy away again, pleading with my eyes for Mateo's help. Mateo narrows his eyes and starts making his way towards me.

"You want to get your hands off of my girl friend?" Mateo asks in a surprisingly calm voice. 

The guy looks at Mateo and pulls me harder against him, completely ignoring Mateo's question. Mateo grabs the guy's shoulder turning him around. "What the fuck dude?" The guy asks and Mateo punches him so hard he hits the floor with a loud thud. I gasp, surprised. 

Mateo grabs my hand and I step over the guy laying on the floor, holding his nose groaning in pain. "You just punched him." I say in a half question, half statement. 

Mateo shrugs as he leads me off the dance floor. "I asked him nicely to take his hands off my girl. He didn't listen, so I punched him. Now he's in the floor keeping his hands to himself. Problem solved."

I don't know whether I should laugh, thank him, hug him or run the other direction. Who just punches some guy on the dance floor? I decide on the most obvious thing to do. I thank him first. "Thank you." I say just barely loud enough for him to hear me. 

Mateo leads us to a table in the corner of the bar, wow it's actually pretty private over here. He nods to the bodyguard looking guy standing outside of this section. Mateo turns to look at me, his face etched with concern. "You're welcome. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

I shake my head. "No, no he didn't hurt me. I am okay. Thank you for saving me. I didn't know who else to call for. I just couldn't get him off me."

Mateo touches my cheek and I feel a strange kind of calm wash over me. "It's okay. I'm glad you called for me."

Mateo takes a seat on the booth style chair against the wall. He motions to the spot next to him. "Would you like to have a seat, maybe have a drink with me?"

I look back at the dance floor, it is getting pretty late. Everyone is pretty much wasted by now, looking for an easy hookup. "Yeah. That sounds nice." 

I sit as far away from Mateo as I can on the cushioned bench and he smirks at me. "Why are you looking at me like that?" 

Mateo shrugs. "You are sitting as far away from me as you can, I promise I won't bite."

I laugh and slide a little closer to him on the bench. "So is this the VIP section or something?" I ask looking around. There are a couple other really nice tables in this area, but no one is sitting over here. 

Mateo smiles looking around. "Umm yeah, I guess you could call it that. This area is reserved for the owner."

My head spins around so quick I probably could have snapped my own neck. "Wait, you are the owner?" I ask shocked. 

Mateo shrugs, a lazy smirk playing on his lips. "And just think, you keep refusing my dance offers. I should kick you out my club for being so rude."

I feel my cheeks heat up and I can't help but smile. "Well if I had known I would have taken you up on your offer. 

Mateo laughs. "Is that so? I guess money really does change things."

I laugh. "No. I don't care about money. I have plenty of that. I don't need anyone else's."

Mateo smiles. "An independent woman. I like that."

A waitress walks over to us and gives Mateo the most obvious fuck me now smile I have ever seen in my life. "Can I get you anything to drink sir?" She asks in a seductive voice and I roll my eyes. 

Mateo doesn't even look at the woman. "Bourbon on the rocks and my girlfriend would like?" He smiles at me and my eyes go wide. 

"Umm just a soda please." I say caught off guard by his comment.

"You heard her." Mateo says when the waitress glares at me and makes no move to leave. 

She huffs and walks off and I laugh. "So I'm your girlfriend now?" I ask once she's gone. 

Mateo smiles. "I would like for you to be, and you did call me baby earlier. So I guess we are on the right road."

"I- I did not call you baby."