More Than Once by Dominique Wolf

CHAPTER 2:

M

aybe this wasn't such a bad idea.

We were standing in the entrance line to the club, which was already packed with people. I was feeling surprisingly good about myself, and a glimmer of excitement was bubbling inside of me. I curled my hair, and thankfully it cooperated tonight. Katrina loaned me an off-the-shoulder long sleeve black dress with an uncomfortably high but beautiful pair of black heels.

Would I normally put on an outfit like this? Certainly not. Was I in love with how it looked on me tonight? Surprisingly, yes.

I'd never felt this confident before, so it was both terrifying and exciting for me. It could be related to the shots Reyna forced us to take before leaving the apartment. Right now, I needed all the liquid confidence I could get. We made it to the front, paid the cover charge, and received our stamp.

We were all set to go.

When I walked into Mala Mía, I was immediately consumed by it. We took the stairs down to the dance floor, which was already flooded with people. The club was fantastic. The high ceilings made you feel as if you were in a place like no other. The interior was extremely modern, which, like most places in Barcelona, was in stark contrast to the architecture on the outside. The walls were gold-plated, and the flashing lights bouncing off them caused you to lose your senses. The most expensive alcohol was placed in a pyramid formation in the middle of the dance floor. Long leather couches and booths lined the sides of the dance floor, filled with people having a good time. I followed Reyna's gaze as she pointed up to the VIP section. The DJ booth was elevated and extended above parts of the dance floor in the same section. As the DJ played a hot reggaeton beat, I watched as the crowd threw their hands in the air. Strangely, even I couldn't stop moving to the music. You immediately were entranced by the atmosphere.

“Let's get a drink.” Reyna shouted over the music.

I nodded and followed her. She looked like a goddess in her tight gold dress. If this club was a kingdom, she would be the queen. She walked effortlessly in her heels, turning heads as we made our way to the bar.

The music blaring from the speakers had an effect on me, and I couldn't help but continue to move to it as we walked. We came to a halt at the bar's counter, and I was relieved when she ordered another round of shots. Her go-to drink was always tequila, and while I despised the taste, I needed all the confidence I could get right now. She handed two of them to me.

“Two?” I shouted.

“Go big or go home baby!”

I laughed and knew I was in for a treat tonight. I took the shots, one right after the other. It burned going down, but I could already feel it making its way through my body. I needed a night to just let go of everything I was holding on to. I decided to allow myself to have fun for a change.

“Come on, let's dance!” Reyna exclaimed and pulled me to the dance floor.

We pushed our way through the crowd until we were in the middle of the dance floor, right under a huge gold chandelier that dangled and shimmered above us. It was extravagant for a club but it added a touch of sophistication to it.

I put my hands in the air as we moved from side to side, allowing the music to take over.

I danced and danced. Not once stopping to care if anyone was watching me. Not once stopping to think too much about what I was doing.

I was living my best life.

After dancing for what seemed like an eternity, Reyna grabbed me and led me through the club and up the stairs to the VIP section she had pointed out when we first arrived. Katrina and Sergio were at the private bar in the back of it when we noticed them. We made our way over to join them.

“Isabella!” Sergio shouted over the music. “I didn't expect to see you here!”

“Well, I never expected to be here either and yet, here I am,” I said excitedly as he pulled me in for a quick hug.

Sergio was at the apartment so often, we already considered them a couple. Their choice not to put a label on it didn't make it any less of a relationship. When I first arrived in Barcelona, the lack of relationship was a culture shock to me - everyone avoided it. It was unusual to someone like me, who had always been around long-term commitments. I liked Sergio a lot - he was a genuinely nice guy and I couldn’t deny he had a certain attractiveness to him that was underrated. He stood out with his dirty blonde hair and beautiful green eyes, always hidden behind a pair of glasses. He was tall, a full head taller than the rest of us. And he was attractive in the sense that he was a smart looking guy, bordering on the cliché of the nerdy typecast. Sergio ordered another round of tequila shots for us, and we threw them down.

“Where's the rest of your clan?” Reyna asked Sergio.

“They actually just arrived,” Sergio nodded to a group of men walking towards us.“Perfect timing.”

Our group got bigger now with the addition of Sergio's friends. Two of them introduced themselves to be Jose and Alonzo but I couldn't keep my eyes off the third one who just walked in.

Oh my...

He took my breath away. I allowed myself a moment to take him in. With his dark olive skin and dark brown hair, he was undeniably Spanish. His hair almost appeared black, but when the lights flashed, I noticed it was a rich chestnut color. He had a full dark brown beard to match and it was so perfectly kept that I wanted to reach out and touch it. His deep dark brown eyes surprised me, and I had to physically restrain myself from reacting to these new impulses.

Everything about him was the polar opposite of what I had ever thought of as “my type.” I usually prefer lighter hair and eyes, but I was drawn to his dark features. In his leather jacket and all-black ensemble, he exuded sex appeal. If this were a teen movie, he'd be the bad boy character everyone warned you to avoid.

“Hola, I'm Giovanni,” he smiled and extended his hand to me.

I reached out and took it in mine. That touch alone was enough to confirm this strange sensation I suddenly felt over me. He leaned in and kissed both of my cheeks, as was the customary greeting here. I was completely taken back by him. Who was this dark handsome man and why did he have such an impact on me?

Was it the alcohol?

Probably.

“Nice to meet you,” I stammered. “I'm Isabella”

The music was becoming louder, and I could tell he wasn't hearing what I was saying. He leaned in closer, prompting me to say it again.

“Isabella,” I murmured in his ear.

He pulled back to look at me but was still close enough that I could hear him.

“Beautiful.” he said.

The dormant arousal deep in the pit of my stomach came to life and I couldn't fight the urge to bite my lip. I was thankful for Reyna shoving a drink in my face to distract me from this new physical reaction I had no control over. He went over to stand with Sergio and I couldn't help but steal a glance in his direction while they were attempting to have a conversation over the blaring music in the club. His leather jacket hugged his arms in the perfect way, exposing his muscles. The jacket fits him like a glove and I wanted nothing more than to rip it off him.

What was happening to me?

I gulped down more of my drink in an attempt to drown out these thoughts. Was it the fact that I hadn't been with anyone in months? Or was he just that attractive?

I watched as a beautiful blonde walked over to him, her long hair flicking side to side as she strutted toward him. She threw her arms around him and he wrapped his around her waist. There was definite chemistry between them - you could see it with their body language. She kept close to him as they spoke and his arms remained around her. Just observing their close proximity caused an unexpected stir inside and I realized I wanted that to be me. I was so taken aback by this sudden wave of jealousy I was feeling for this attractive stranger. What the fuck Isabella?

I shook my head and turned my attention back to the music. I was here to have fun - not to get jealous over some stranger I just met. He was just so hot and I had never experienced this kind of physical attraction before - it was unusual for me. I handed my empty glass back to Reyna, suddenly, desperately needing her to top me off.

“Look at you!” she shouted, laughing as she reached for the vodka bottle. “Who would've thought you'd be out drinking with us?”

“Not a big drinker huh?” Giovanni suddenly joined the conversation.

I took my glass from Reyna and turned away from him, glancing down at the dance floor. He stepped closer and casually stood next to me with his hands in his pockets.

“Not usually.” I admitted, sipping my drink.

“So, where do you usually spend your Saturday nights then, Isabella?” my name rolled off his tongue.

Fuck.I wanted him to keep saying my name.

“I'm more of a book or Netflix kind of person.”

“Netflix and chill?” he winked at me and I couldn't help but laugh knowing the urban culture meaning of that phrase.

Oh, what I'd give to Netflix and chill with him right now.

“So what do you do?” I asked him, changing the subject before my mind wandered off again.

“Just run a few businesses here and there,” he replied.

“How vague,” I scoffed. “I'm not asking you to spill trade secrets here.”

“You never know,” he challenged. “These businesses could be top secret.”

“Guess I'll never know.”

“Well, I'll give you a hint about one of them,” hemurmured in my ear.

I pulled back to look at him, waiting for him to give me the hint.

“You're currently standing in one of them,” he said, smiling at me.

“You own this club?” I blurted out.

He shrugged, “Family business.”

There was no doubt that they were doing very well for themselves here. Every weekend this place was packed and judging by the amount of alcohol our group alone had bought, I could only imagine how much their bars made per night. Not to mention the cover charge..

“Well, good for you guys.” I sipped on my drink as Reyna stumbled into the conversation.

“I see you've met Giovanni.” she smiled smugly.

“Hola, Reyna.” he greeted.

“How do you two know each other?” I asked.

“She used to sleep with my brother.” Giovanni said bluntly.

Reyna laughed, “I did but that was years ago.”

Giovanni laughed and what a beautiful sound it was. He was so close to me now that his arm brushed up against mine. The most simple physical touch and yet it went beyond just that - it crawled across my body, lighting it up with desire.

“Nice to see you out and about and not stuck in that office of yours,” Reyna continued to say to Giovanni. “I was starting to think you were becoming an old man.”

He scoffed, “Someone has to keep this place running.”

She rolled her eyes.

“How come you've never brought Isabella out here before?”

He turned and smiled at me. There was a flicker of interest in his eyes and I was surprised to see he was reciprocating the very obvious chemistry between us.

“Oh trust me, I've tried,” Reyna rolled her eyes. “After months of convincing her to come out, she finally gave in.”

“Lucky me.” Giovanni smirked revealing a deep dimple in his left cheek that I never noticed till now.

I blushed, surprised by his blatant flirting. I had never experienced this kind of attention and I couldn't deny the excitement I felt. I was careful not to give anything away on the surface but deep down I was enjoying how he was making me feel.

“This really isn't her scene,” Reyna started again, her intoxicated state allowing her to run her mouth. “She's usually hiding out in our soon-to-be coffee shop.”

“You guys own a coffee store?” Giovanni asked me.

“We're trying to,” I mumbled awkwardly. “There's so much we still have to fix up.”

“That's great though,” he said, smiling. “I'd love to come by.”

“You really should! It's going to be great,” Reyna interrupted. “Coffee would be so great right now!”

She was definitely starting to feel the alcohol.

Ignoring her, Giovanni turned to me. “Well, I hope you'll be coming around here more often,” he continued, stepping closer to me.

He was so close now that I could smell the cologne he was wearing and it was intoxicating. I breathed him in and allowed my mind to wander to where it truly wanted to be.

“That really depends.” The alcohol was turning my flirt on.

“Oh?” he smirked.

“Yeah, it has to be worth my while.”

The tension between us was palpable. Pure, raw, sexual tension surrounded us and for the first time in my life, I was completely overcome by it. Desire was a strong sensation and there was no fighting it now. We clearly weren't the only ones who noticed it - even Reyna picked up on what was happening between us.

“What the fuck you guys?” she started and reached for my hand. “Come, Isabella, you need to dance girl.”

She started to lead me away from him. He laughed but never took his eyes off me and I couldn't help but steal a glance or two back at him. I was drawn to him in a way I had never been drawn to anyone before. Sure, I had been attracted to people in the past but this was different. This was the kind of desire that came from a deep pit in my stomach. It was the kind of desire that I had never experienced but always craved. I craved the attention. I craved having someone look at me in the way he was looking at me right now. The alcohol was definitely assisting the situation by giving me the confidence I usually kept hidden. My intoxicated state just allowed me to be free - it allowed me to give in to what I truly wanted and what I had always fought so hard to keep hidden. Right now, I wanted Giovanni. I tried to keep my cool as we made our way back to the center of the dance floor and let the music consume me once more.