Kiss the Tiger by Raquel Lyon

place wasn’t such a good idea. It’s
not exactly classy, and I don’t think my stomach could take another drink.”
    “Lightweight,” she said, before
nudging me. “Ooo, hottie alert.”
    I followed her line of sight and
had to agree. The guy would definitely do as Nessie’s next target. He looked
like he spent every minute at the gym. He was gorgeous, and so was the friend
handing him a beer. I considered inching closer to them to get their attention,
but the thought evaporated when they grabbed hold of each other and kissed, with
tongues. Maybe not.
    Nessie cringed and carried on
walking.
    “Ness, wait. I-I want to go
home,” I shouted.
    I caught her up at the opposite
end of the room, where there was another bar. A familiar face stood behind it.
    “Ah, you come,” said the lounger
attendant. “I show you good time. Can I get you drink?”
    My head was already starting to
fuzz. Another drink and I’d be flat on my back. “We’re okay. Thanks anyway.” I
slurred my answer out.
    The lounger attendant stepped out
from behind the bar, laid an arm across the shoulders of a boy unloading a tray
of dirty glasses, and said, “My name is Thassos, and this is my little cousin,
Niko.”
    “Oh, is he the owner?” Nessie
asked.
    Thassos laughed. “No, that is my
other cousin.”
    Niko’s eyes landed firmly on my
cleavage. He cocked a brow and his lip curled lasciviously. I decided he was oddly
handsome in a dark and brooding way, and if it hadn’t been for his dark irises
and larger nose, he could have passed for Josh in the dimness of the club.
    He stepped towards me, stopping
inches from my face. “Hello,” he said. “You very pretty.”
    I stared at his face alternating
different coloured hues under the lights, and the alcohol gave my stomach a
final kick. I swayed, and in the absence of anything to halt my fall, grabbed hold
of Niko’s arms.
    He smiled, grabbed my waist, and held
me upright. “You okay?”
    My eyes blurred and I tried to
blink them clear. “Actually, I feel a bit…”
    “Come. We go somewhere quiet.”
    I stole a look at Nessie. I
wanted my bed, and I needed help from my sister, not a stranger. But all I saw
was her back, and Thassos stroking her hair, so I let Niko steer me through a
door. If I could just sit down for a minute, my head might stop spinning. The
door led to a storage room of some sort, with shelves filling the walls and a
mop bucket in the corner that smelled faintly of vomit. The odour set my
stomach swirling as much as my head. I shouldn’t have mixed my drinks. I
decided he must have made a mistake and opened the wrong door. I turned to
leave. Niko clicked the door closed and everything went black.
    It was dark. Dark meant
night-time, and night-time meant sleep. I wanted to sleep so badly. I wanted to
sleep with Josh. My eyelids dropped, and I leaned against the shelving. Arms
encircled my waist and hot breath warmed my ear, quickly turning into kisses
down the line of my jaw.
    Josh .
    A hand moved up to cup my breast
and the thumb circled my nipple. I let out a soft sigh as my body responded.
    “Josh.” His name escaped my lips
for real.
    He pushed against me. “Shh, baby.
I make you feel better. I love you good.” The buttons on my top sprang undone
at his touch.
    I couldn’t tell if it was his
words that were jumbled up or if it was just my brain, but I didn’t care. I had
him there and he wanted me.
    His lips pressed against mine,
but it wasn’t what I expected. They were full and soft, and his tongue was large
and probing. He delved further, making me gag. I managed to pull my head away, and
gasped for breath.
    “You English girls smell like ice
cream.” He nuzzled into my neck and started to suck. Oh geez . I hadn’t
had a hickey since I was fifteen. What would Mum think?
    The room spun, and I hiccupped at
the same time that the button popped open on my shorts. The zip scraped apart
and fingers slid down over the fabric of my panties. I moaned, not