Play With Me

to the beach in record time.
    “Is that all you
can do?” Ryan teased with a look at the speedometer.
    I considered
telling him that I got a ticket for speeding not long ago. But then I decided, why
should my first bit of fun be cut short after such a horrid day?
    Since he assured
me the car would stick to the asphalt, no matter how fast I went, I pushed down
on the accelerator. It was amazing. The power, the speed, the purr of the engine.
I laughed as I took a curve on a speed that would have carried my parents’ car
off the road. Hunter’s Audi didn’t budge an inch.
    “Have you ever
been to Club Tuscany?”
    I cut him the
briefest sideways glance, concentrating on that small part of the road that was
brightened by the headlights at this killer speed. “I’m sixteen for another few
weeks. Of course not.”
    “Ah, right.”
    That he sounded
surprised made me a little uncomfortable. “How old are you?”
    “Eighteen.”
    “Since when?” I
blurted out.
    “Last month.”
    Yeah, it would
fit. Ryan was now a senior at High School. “But that’s still not old enough to
go clubbing.”
    “It is when your
brother in law owns the club.” He smirked at me then pulled his ball cap lower
down his forehead and scooted deeper into the seat. “Follow that road for
another ten miles.”
    I did, feeling
the rush of adrenaline streaming through my system. Everything was so dangerous
about him. And I happened to just enjoy that. Especially tonight.
    A few minutes
later, he gave me directions which road to take and where to park the car. I
climbed out to stand face to face with a bald bouncer who blocked the entrance
to a square building painted dark red. ‘Club Tuscany’ spelled in huge beaming
letters across the second floor level.
    “You need to
wait till you turn twenty-one to get in, sweetness,” the burly man said. I
backed off instantly.
    Ryan came around
the car, caught me, and with his arm draped around my shoulders he moved me
forward again. “Hi Paul. She’s with me. Is Rachel in tonight?”
    “Hey, Ryan.
Didn’t know you were coming. Rachel won’t be in until later, but Philip’s
here.”
    “Cool.” He gave
the bouncer a knuckle-pound then led me through the heavy, gray metal door Paul
held open for us.
    “Is Rachel your
sister?” I whispered.
    “Yeah. Philip is
her husband. He’s cool. You will like him.”
    Thumps of a
stomping beat drifted to us, growing louder with each step we walked down the
narrow aisle. I became hesitant, pulling on Ryan’s arm to stop him. “I don’t
think I should be here. On second thought, you shouldn’t be here either.”
    “You worry too
much. I’m here most every weekend. Everyone knows me. And no one will bother,”
he added as he dragged me with him.
    Another door
opened at his push. We entered a huge place tainted in blue light, brimming
with people and smelling of dry smoke. Strobe-light on the dance floor created
a robotic atmosphere as people jumped to the music and bodies ground against
each other.
    Ryan rolled up
the sleeves of his white shirt, then took my hand, and pulled me toward the bumping
mass. “C’mon, let’s dance.”
    Heck, I wasn’t a
dancer. Protest was useless, because he wouldn’t hear me shout in this club
unless I plastered myself against him and yelled in his ear. I followed. He
didn’t stop until we stood in the middle of the dancing crowd.
    My hand was
captured in his, maybe because he knew I would have fled otherwise. Ryan moved
closer, his free hand planted in the small of my back. “Loosen up, Matthews.
You’re supposed to have fun.” He pressed his lips to my ear to speak. “Or at
least look like you do.”
    He gave me a
soft push and made me twirl under his arm. Ryan did things so nonchalantly. The
lightness of his demeanor, his unconcern, rubbed off on me at this moment. I laughed
as he caught me again in an easy hug and swayed with me to the music. The dry
smoke troubled my breathing a little, but this close to Ryan, all I smelled was
him. And he smelled fantastic. Just like the other morning when I woke up next
to him.
    I didn’t know
what brought him to my house tonight. Could be he just felt pity for me for
what had happened with Tony, and as the captain of our team he made it his
solitary duty to cheer me up. Or he simply liked me. Whichever, I was thankful
he didn’t give up when I told him no in the text message. Because he was a
wonderful lift for my mood. He made me forget. He made me smile.
    And