Rosa grins, apparently also realizing Julian’s agenda. She’s even more excited than me, her eyes sparkling as she shakes her booty to the latest Lady Gaga song. Before long, a couple of good-looking young guys sidle up to her, and I watch, grinning, as she begins to flirt with them and gradually moves away from me and Julian.

As soon as she’s occupied, Julian turns me around to face him. “How are you feeling, baby?” he asks, his deep voice cutting through the blasting music. The colored lights flicker over his face, making him look surreally handsome. “Any tiredness? Nausea?”

“No.” Smiling, I vigorously shake my head. “I’m perfect. Better than perfect, in fact.”

“Yes, you are,” he murmurs, pulling me tighter against him, and I flush all over as I feel the hard bulge in his pants. He wants me, and my body responds immediately, the pulsing beat of the music echoing the sudden ache in my core. We’re surrounded by people, but all of them seem to fade away as we stare at one another, our bodies beginning to move together in a primal, sexual rhythm. My breasts swell, my nipples pebbling as I press my chest against his, and even through the layers of clothing we’re wearing, I can feel the heat coming off his large body… the same kind of heat that’s building within myself.

“Fuck, baby,” he breathes, staring down at me. His hips rock back and forth as we sway together, driven as much by our need for each other as the music’s beat. “You can’t wear this fucking dress ever again.”

“The dress?” I stare up at him, my body burning. “You think it’s the dress?”

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before opening them to meet my gaze. “No,” he says hoarsely. “It’s not the dress, Nora. It’s you. It’s always fucking you.”

I half-expect him to drag me away then, but he doesn’t. Instead, he loosens his grip on me, putting a couple of inches of space between us. I can still feel his body against mine, but the raw sexuality of the moment is reduced, enabling me to breathe again. We dance like that for a few more songs, and then I begin to feel thirsty.

“Can I please get some water?” I ask, raising my voice to be heard above the music, and Julian nods, leading me toward the bar. As we pass by Rosa, I see that she’s still dancing with those two guys, seemingly content to be sandwiched between them. I give her a wink and a discreet thumbs-up, and then we’re out of the dancing, writhing crowd.

Julian gets me a glass filled with ice water, and I gratefully chug it down, feeling parched. He smiles as he watches me drink, and I know he’s remembering it too—our first meeting, right here by this bar.

As we turn to go back to the dance floor, I see Rosa walking toward the back, where the bathrooms are. She waves at me, grinning, and I wave back before turning to Julian.