Surviving the Storm

Chapter 1

Storm

 18 months later, present day.

The music in the club was blaring out of the speakers, and the pounding of the beat of the bass was enough to make my ears ring. The air was thick and heavy, with the stench of alcohol, sweat, cigarette smoke and pot, which was mixing in with the smells of s*x, lust and arousal which were also thick in the air. I moved my body seductively to the beat of the music.

My body was on display to the lust-filled eyes of every male in the room. Dressed in a black mini skirt, matched with a silver halter neck top and silver high heels, my clothes certainly didn’t leave much to the imagination.

 I had left my hair out tonight, so my long brown hair was hanging freely, cascading down my back like a waterfall. My fit and well-muscled, sun-tanned body was drawing the eyes of the men around me just like moths to a flame. My scars had been covered up by a top-quality foundation, allowing me the opportunity to at least pretend to be normal while I was out having fun with my best friend.

As I danced to the beat of the music, I tried to keep a safe distance from the other people on the dance floor, not wanting to deal with drunk and s*x-crazed men with wandering hands. I was proud of my toned physique. I worked hard to stay in top shape. But, like a lot of young women, I had a problem with people pushing up on me and gyrating on me.

In my little space on the dance floor, I moved my hips around just like a Latin belly dancer, just letting loose and having a good time. Tonight, I was trying to dance and drink away my problems. I just wanted to forget everything that was going on in my screwed-up life right now and live for the moment. So tonight, I had come here to let loose and forget.

I continued to move my hips to the beat of the music, and as I did, a few guys made their way over to me, getting closer than I would like. One man grabbed me by the hips from behind, pulling me up against him. As he pushed up against me, I felt the evidence of his arousal pressing into me. Ripping his hands away from me and pushing away from them, I threw the guy who had grabbed me a hard glare before I quickly turned away from the group of men and made my way over to the bar.

Hastily pushing through the crowd of bodies on the dance floor and doing my best to avoid the hands of sleazy guys who were trying to grope me as I made my way past them, I quickly approached the bar. I decided I had had enough of dancing for the time being, and I needed a drink or three. Truth be known, I shouldn’t even be here. I was only seventeen, but my best friend and I had been sneaking into this club for a while now with our fake ID’s.

The mere thought of getting away with breaking the law was a rush for us. Standing at the bar, I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand.  Seeing me standing at the bar, the bartender came over to me.

“Two shots of tequila and a bourbon neat, please?” I shouted, so that the bartender could hear me over the loud music.

The bartender nodded in acknowledgement and began getting my drinks. As I stood and waited for my drinks, my attention was drawn to a guy who was standing on the other side of the bar watching me. I had never seen him here before. But the way he was watching me was incredibly unnerving.

I will admit he was an extremely attractive guy from a physical standpoint, and from the arrogant smirk on his face, he knew just how good looking he was.

From where I stood, at a brief glance he appeared to be about six foot four, he had tanned skin, and it appeared as though he spent a substantial amount of time outdoors; his physique was like that of a Greek God. His hair was as black as the ace of spades, and his eyes were a brilliant shade of green.

 As the bartender placed my drinks in front of me, I watched as my admirer slowly made his way around the bar towards me. I quickly knocked back my two shots of tequila and reached for my glass of bourbon. As I took a mouthful of bourbon, the tall drink of water from the other side of the bar approached me.

Giving me a smile, he said in a teasing voice, “So, you’re the one who has been getting my friends all hot and bothered on the dancefloor?”

“If they think they are getting into my pants tonight, then they are mistaken,” I replied, not sparing him a glance. I tossed back the rest of my bourbon in one gulp before setting my now empty glass back on the bar.

He smiled at my response and said, “I should warn you they don’t like to be played with. At least, not the way you have been playing with them. If you keep it up, you could get hurt.”

“Are your friends the sleazy guys on the dance floor, who think it is okay for them to manhandle a girl?” I asked.

“They have a skinful at the moment, so I am sure they are acting sleazy right now as you so eloquently put it,” he replied raising an eyebrow at me, clearly amused by how I was talking about his friends.

“Do I know you?” I asked him. “No, but we can change that, I’m Asher, and you are?” he asked holding his hand out to me.

“Not interested,” I replied, ignoring his outstretched hand, and making my way towards the entrance of the club.