Take A Bite Of My Heart Tonight Read online

  One of his hands leans against the wall near my head. The contact between us is sending flames through my body. I knew it was wrong, but I had to admit, I enjoyed the feeling coursing through me right now at his touch. With his other hand, he reaches around my back, never breaking eye contact. His hand skims down my skin gently, making me shiver again. His face inches closer to mine, until the tips of our noses are nearly touching.

  Too distracted by his rugged sexiness and the way his hands feel on my body, he snatches the letter out of my hand before I have the chance to react. Then he walks to the other wall, opening it up and reading it quietly to himself.

  He beams at me, as I stand against the wall, breathless from our little exchange.

  "Impressive Louise. Well done. We should celebrate. How about a good old fashioned fuck?"

  My mouth falls open in shock at how forward he is. Is it even normal for a guy of eighteen to be so.... so.... confident. And sexy. He was nothing like any of the other guys I had ever known. They all wanted it, sure, but they tried to keep it well hidden. At least to us girls they did anyway.

  "I, uh, I have to go and find my friends. You can go and bother someone else for your uh, well ... you know....."

  My cheeks, still pink from before start turning red again at the thought of saying the word ‘fuck’. It obviously didn't come as easy to me as it did to him.

  "How cute. Louise Hart. Prim and proper. You can say it you know baby. Fuck. Sex. Shag. It's not hard.” My cheeks by now are a deep crimson. I had never in my life heard a guy speak so crudely. He sneers at my obvious embarrassment, before continuing. “But anyway, bad news sweetheart. Your friends have all left to go to the hotel already. That's why I came to find you. I thought we could walk back together. "

  I start walking away, this Drew Evans was clearly insane.

  "Why would I want to walk anywhere with you?"

  He catches up with me easily. I jump as he wraps his arm around my waist, his fingers pressing into my skin.

  "The question is, why wouldn't you want to walk with me?"

  I roll my eyes at his arrogance, trying to pry his arm off me. If anything, his grip becomes stronger.

  "Besides, you don't have a choice baby. You may have declined my offer of mad passionate sex, but I would never let any girl walk to a hotel alone in the dark."

  I can’t believe the way my body is reacting to his words right now. He’s turning me on. I hate myself for being so aroused by an obvious jackass.

  "The hotel is five minutes away. I am sure I can make it without your help thanks."

  He keeps a firm grip on me, not letting up for a second. I consider reporting him for harassment, before realising that I don’t want him to let go of me.

  "Maybe so, but like I said, you really don't have a choice in the matter. What's the worst that could happen?"

  I give up trying to push him away, resigned to the fact that I must put up with him until we get to the hotel. His words are echoing in my brain.

  What's the worst that could happen?

  Chapter Two - Louise

  As we step outside into the cold night air, I shiver. It had been a whirlwind of a night, with all the ups and downs finally catching up on me. I can’t help but tremble as I think how things could have turned out so differently. It could have been the end of my dreams. Drew, who still has a tight hold on my waist, notices me shudder in the cold. He lets go of me and shrugs out of his blazer. I fold my arms across my chest in defiance, shaking my head.

  "I don't want to wear your stupid blazer."

  He chuckles deeply as he puts it around my shoulders anyway. The rudeness of this boy was on another level.

  "Are you deaf or something? I said I didn’t want it."

  As I try to take it off, he wraps his arm around my shoulders. With the weight of his arm, I can’t shift the blazer. I groan in frustration. This guy was infuriating. And yet, I felt way too comfortable in the dark night with him next to me. I felt safe.

  "Sorry Miss Hart. You are going to wear it. Just until we get to the hotel. Then I will gladly take it off you. And hopefully I can get you out of that dress too. I hope you aren't too fond of it, I might make a bit of a mess of it while I rip it off. It looks kind of flimsy."

  Even though it’s dark, I can make out the smile on his face. I roll my eyes; it’s becoming a habit in his company.

  "Why are you so rude? Does this seriously work on other girls? Because they are dumb if this is all it takes to get them into bed. "

  He pulls me even closer to him as we cross the road. His presence makes me feel protected. It feels like he is never going to let me go. But does he seriously think I can’t cross the road by myself?

  I must admit, he smells good. His scent is vanilla and mint mixed into one. I can’t tell if it is an aftershave or some sort of body wash, but whatever it is has made all the butterflies in my stomach wake up. I don't mind being this close to him really, it isn't completely awful.

  "I don't have to try with other girls. They take one look at me and they literally jump into my bed. What can I say? I'm a catch."

  His confidence is new to me. I don't know if I find it repulsive or a turn on. A bit of both, probably. I bet he has loads of girls drawn to him all the time, it is hard not to be taken in by him. Still, I’m not going to let on to him that I think he’s a girl magnet. I don’t need to make his head any bigger.

  "Yeah, a catch they throw straight back in the ocean with all the other sharks."

  He doesn’t look remotely hurt or offended by my comment, much to my dismay.

  "Ah, that's where you are wrong. It is always me doing the throwing. I throw them back in the ocean right after I am done throwing them around the bedroom... Or the kitchen .... Or the street. "

  Wow. He is so self-assured he has kind of left me speechless.

  I have decided I’ve had enough of him now. His over-confidence is too much. I need to get away from him.

  "Yeah, right. I get it. You like sex. Blah, blah, blah. I can see my hotel now, you can go. Thanks for walking me I guess. I would say it's been a pleasure but you are gross so...bye."

  I have never been more relieved to see a building in my life. Just a few more seconds and I would be away from this jerk.

  "Luckily for you gorgeous, we are staying at the same hotel. I am room eighty-nine if you want to have a little fun later?"

  We reach the entrance of the hotel. I take his blazer off, throwing it at him. He is staring at me, a mildly amused smile on his lips. His lips are soft and red. I just know he would be a great kisser. I blush as I remember my thoughts from earlier. As much as I hate myself for saying it, I want those lips all over my body. But I wouldn't ever let him know that.

  "In your dreams Drew. Go and find some other poor girl to get into bed."

  He licks his lips, his eyes glinting in the hotel lobby light.

  "Who said anything about a bed? We can do it up against a wall, or get dirty on the floor. I'm not fussy about where it happens, just as long as it does."

  His forward comment has me blushing even more. I look down at the ground, kicking at a loose stone on the sidewalk. I try not to imagine me up against the wall, breathless with delight as he presses his naked body up against mine.

  "I know you are thinking about it. You are going redder by the second. I know you want it Louise. I know you want me."

  My eyes meet his as he speaks. He obviously has a sixth sense or something. He knew exactly what was going through my mind earlier on stage as well. He really is sexy. His eyes are like a sea, they are swimming with life, songs, knowledge and dirty thoughts. I try to snap out of the spell he has me under. This isn’t like me at all.

  "Get real. This has been the worst fifteen minutes of my life. Give the rest of The Harmonies my congratulations on winning tonight. Bye Drew."

  As I walk through the doors, I hear him call after me.

  "The offer still stands Louise. Room eighty-nine. I'll be waiting."

 
; I hear that low chuckle again, then walk away quickly until I can't hear him anymore. I have only known him fifteen minutes and I have never had a guy confuse my mind so much.

  Melissa and Amy from The Never Notes are just about to walk up the stairs. I run to the reception desk, check myself in with lightning speed, then sprint to catch up with the girls.

  "Hey! Wait up."

  They stop on the stairs, surprised to see me running towards them. As I reach them, I throw my arms around them in a big hug, my earlier feelings of guilt for abandoning them returning.

  "I am so sorry for bailing on you. I was being selfish again. I didn't even think of how you guys must be feeling."

  They return my hug and each grab one of my hands as we start our climb up the stairs.

  "It's OK Louise. We all know how devastated you must be. You had more riding on this than anyone. We are really sorry about NYSSA."

  Melissa could be stroppy sometimes when she wasn't getting enough solos in the club, but she was always a friend to everyone. Her sweet words made me smile. I beam as I hold the brown envelope up in the air, unable to contain my excitement.

  "What's that?" Amy asks, taking the envelope out of my hand. As she takes the letter out and starts reading, she shrieks and jumps in the air with excitement.

  "Oh my god, Melissa... quick. Read this!"

  I can’t stop smiling as Amy passes the letter over. Melissas eyes widen as she reads the letter, her smile growing by the second.

  "Oh my Louise! This is amazing. It was all worth it. You got in! We are so happy for you."

  "I wanted to tell the others, but it looks like they are all in their rooms already. I am so happy. I mean...it's a dream come true. It's what I've worked for my whole life but I still feel so bad about The Never Notes losing.”

  Amy and Melissa come to a stop outside their room. They are sharing together. I have been paired up with Zoe, but she will be sneaking into Frankies room for the night anyway so it doesn’t matter.

  "Don't feel bad Louise, it's not your fault. The whole gang understands why you ran off. We thought your dreams had been crushed. Listen, we are all going to meet in the lobby tonight, Mr Saunders is fine with it. He's such a cool teacher. I think he is planning on sneaking off with Miss Hare anyway to discuss wedding plans and he said as long as we don't drink and behave ourselves then we can stay up until whenever. So, you can tell everyone then. They are all going to be so happy for you! "

  "That's a brilliant idea! I'm sure Lucas will break the no alcohol rule, but it sounds fun. I hope my news does cheer everyone up, I can't believe we lost to The Singing Academy Harmonies. "

  I groan, gently placing my head on the wall next to me. Every so often, it hits me that we lost to them.

  "The Harmonies were good Louise. At least we lost to some healthy competition."

  I glare at Amy. I knew she was right, but I didn't want to hear it. All I could picture was Drews smug face in my mind, it was the last thing I wanted to think about.

  "No, they were not good. They were average. And way too cocky. They needed to be taken down a peg or two. We should have beat them."

  The girls were staring at me, a look of confusion on their faces. They obviously couldn't understand why I was making such a fuss about losing when I had what I wanted. A place at NYSSA.

  "Well, we liked them. So did the judges unfortunately. Look Louise, we are going to get out of these dresses now, we will meet you in the lobby later yeah?"

  I nod as I grab them both into another hug, grateful to them that they were being so kind after I ran off in a strop.

  I make my way to my room, noting that the room number is two hundred and ten. I hadn't noticed the number earlier when I checked in, but it meant that I was far away from Drews room, which made me happy. I open the door with my key, trying to take in all that has happened tonight.

  Before I can get lost in my thoughts, Zoe looking fresh-faced and giggly in just her underwear runs over to me, hugging me tight. She had always been comfortable strutting around like this, her body was stunning, so it didn’t surprise me. She was the head cheerleader after all. However, what did surprise me, was Frankie, lying on one of the twin beds topless, motioning for Zoe to go back to him. I pull away from her, grimacing.

  "Ugh. You guys. I know we have all moved on now, but I really don't feel comfortable with you doing it on my bed. Move Frankie."

  He laughs carelessly as I chuck his t-shirt at him, standing up and stretching.

  "Sorry Louise. I take it you’ve heard about our little meet up later? We will see you in the lobby tonight. Come on beautiful!" He grabs Zoe by the hand, leading her towards the door. "My room is free, Lucas is downstairs chatting up one of the barmaids."

  I can't help but giggle as they tumble out of the room, kissing each other the way love struck teenagers do. Zoe was still in just her underwear, which made me laugh more. I wished I had her confidence sometimes.

  I collapse on to a bed, clutching my letter to my chest, not daring to believe it was true. I stay in this position for half an hour, before I realize it is already quarter past nine and I should be downstairs soon. I take a lightning quick shower. Then I throw on a black V-neck t-shirt, with black and white checked shorts and my black knee high boots. I tie my long hair in a braid on the side. I take a deep breath as I exit the room, shutting the door behind me. I can’t wait to tell everyone my news.

  I run down the stairs quickly. What if everyone isn't as kind as what Melissa and Amy were? Nerves were getting the better of me again. I deserved their anger after running away from them all when they were upset as well.

  The gang were already gathered in the lobby. I counted heads wanting to make sure they were all here. I clear my throat and call out to the room loudly.

  "Excuse me everyone, can I talk to you all?"

  The Never Notes turn to look at me. I stand on one of the chairs to make me taller, even though one of the hotel staff is giving me daggers.

  "I...I just wanted to say…. well.... I ...."

  I clutch my envelope tight, looking at their faces. No-one seems angry. I hope they will all be happy for me. Samantha rolls her eyes.

  "Get on with it shorty. I've booked a late night swim for Becky and I. We have things to be getting on with." She nudges Becky and strokes her arm. Nobody knew why they denied they were a couple when they made it so obvious they were.

  I frown at Samantha. Whenever I need to make one of my long, meaningful speeches she cuts me off rudely.

  "OK, OK... What I wanted to say was, I am so sorry for being selfish earlier and running away. It felt like my whole world had just....."

  I trail off again, not sure on what I want to say. Distraught doesn’t even begin to cover what I felt earlier.

  I try to carry on, changing the tone of my speech into a happier one.

  "Anyway, I am so proud of you all for earlier. It doesn’t matter that we lost because we owned that stage. We were connected as a group. I felt that with every bit of my being. So well done. Also, huge thanks to Amy for our gorgeous costumes. Oh…..and…. I got into NYSSA!"

  I hold my letter up for all to see, screaming as Frankie and Lucas race over, lifting me on to their shoulders. I smile with delight as they carry me around the lobby with everyone congratulating me.

  When they set me down, Samantha runs over to me, dragging a confused looking Becky behind her.

  "That outfit is hideous short stuff. Did the seventies throw up on you or something? Anyway…..I just wanted to say congratulations."

  She grins at me as I reluctantly hold out my arms for her to hug me. It isn’t really Samanthas style to cuddle or say a kind word to me for that matter, so I am pleasantly surprised at her sentiments.

  She hugs me and whispers in my ear.

  "I knew you could do it dwarf. "

  I giggle at her insult. Samantha may come across hard as nails on the outside, but on the inside, she is very loving and sweet. I am going to miss her so much when I go to
NYSSA. It makes me realise that maybe she is a friend after all. I hope we can come back into each other’s lives someday.

  "Thank you" I whisper back. I look at Becky who still looks confused. She has never been the brightest bulb in the bunch.

  "Are you OK Becks?"

  She’s staring at the fan light on the ceiling now, her forehead crinkling in puzzlement.

  "Not really no." She answers, not taking her eyes off it. "That thing is really freaking me out. I mean, is it a fan or a light? It looks bright, but It's making me feel cold. How am I supposed to deal with that? It's so confusing. "

  I open my mouth to answer, then close it again, not knowing what to say. Samantha shakes her head at me, warning me not to say anything as she drags Becky away to the direction of the pool.

  As I watch them go, Lucas bounds over to me with a glass of what looks suspiciously like white wine in his hand. I knew he would have found a way to bust some alcohol in.

  "Congratulations babe. We are all super proud. Now let's get wasted to toast your good success."

  I refuse to take the glass from him, crossing my arms over my chest. I know a look of distaste has spread on my face, but I can't help it. I wasn't a rule breaker.

  "Thank you Lucas. But no, no drink for me. Mr Saunders told us not to, it wouldn't be right."

  Lucas groans, forcing me to take the glass by placing it in the crook of my arm. I didn't want it to break so I get it before it falls.

  "Louise, you may be hot like me, but you are so boring. Mr S is off drinking himself with that sweet piece of ass Miss Hare. Now she is hot. I like the older ladies." He smiles dreamily, then shakes his head as if to rid himself of the thought. "Anyway, all of us have been drinking to help us get over the embarrassment of losing tonight. You should have a glass; it might take the edge off.” He looks past me, clearly distracted by something. “ Ah sweet, that hot bar chick is back. I am going to go all Lucas charm on her. How do I look? Are my arms looking good?"

  He flexes his muscles and kisses each bicep, making me laugh. What a stupid thing to ask.

  "Your arms look lovely Lucas. Go have fun."

  He grins at me and runs off. More of the club come up to congratulate me while I sip at my wine. I have never liked the taste of alcohol, but I supposed one glass wouldn't hurt. I had to be sociable.