Chapter 20:
"Every time you laugh, you get this cute little partial dimple riiiight there," Alexa commented, giggling as she poked her finger into Taylor's right cheek.
The alcohol was fully taking over Taylor's body as the after party swirled around them, and he could tell that Alexa was feeling the effects as well. As she leaned in toward Taylor, her foot slipped and she practically toppled off of the stool, landing herself in his lap.
Taylor laughed as he helped steady her small frame.
"How many of these have you had?" he asked, grabbing the shot that was sitting in front of her and downing it himself.
"Considering I can still understand what you're saying, not nearly enough," Alexa said, motioning for the bartender to come their way. He brought the bottle of vodka over and poured them each another round.
"Here's to..." Taylor began his toast, holding his glass in the air.
"...Your successful transition back into rock star world," Alexa finished, clinking her glass to his. Taylor chuckled again and threw the shot back quickly, shaking his head as it burned its way down.
"So tell me, what comes next in rock star world?" he asked her. "Since you seem to be the expert."
"We dance!" she yelled, jumping off of the stool excitedly and pulling Taylor over to the small dance floor where plenty of other inebriated people were tangled together in hot, sweaty masses.
Taylor wasn't much of a dancer, but he didn't mind doing some simple side steps to keep rhythm while Alexa grinded up against him. He gently held onto her tiny hips as her hands alternated between hanging loosely on his shoulders and running through his hair.
He didn't know if it was all the people around him, the immense amount of alcohol he had surging through his body, or simply the sight of Alexa shaking her ass the way she was, but Taylor was feeling his insides burn a little hotter with each passing moment, and with every degree his body temperature rose, the more tightly he gripped Alexa and pulled her into him. It was almost animalistic, he felt like he was clawing at her skin, not able to get her close enough to him.
After another hour of dancing and around five more shots later, Taylor and Alexa stumbled out of the bar, barely even able to walk without falling over. Taylor managed to hail a taxi and the two tumbled into the backseat in a shameless heap.
"Where to?" the driver asked gruffly, his tone one of obvious annoyance over their less than graceful entrance into the cab.
"Umm..." Taylor began. "Shit. Lex, what's our address?"
"Fuck if I know!"
They both cracked up, falling against each other in bouts of drunken laughter.
"Wait, isn't there like a pizza place nearby?" he slurred as he snapped his fingers, trying to solve the mystery of their address. He could see the building in his head, but the number and street name had escaped him. That was one surefire consequence of drinking; it always made him ten times more forgetful.
"Yeah!" Alexa exclaimed, grabbing onto Taylor's arm as she craned her neck toward the driver. "Do you know where Rocco's Pizza is?"
The driver nodded.
"Take us there - we live right by it," Taylor ordered, and then the taxi angled itself into the city traffic toward their destination.
"Has anyone told you that your sweat smells amazing?" Alexa asked, nuzzling her nose into Taylor's neck, goosebumps prickling across his skin at the contact. "Very...manly."
"Well, you always smell amazing," he replied.
"I am so fucking drunk," Alexa giggled.
"That's what happens when you try to keep up."
"Oh, don't act like you're not wasted, too."
"I may be drunk, but I'm not nearly as far gone as you are," he pointed out with a smirk.
"Well, I'm a tiny little woman! What do you want from me?" Alexa responded a little too loudly, causing the driver to shoot them a dirty look through the rearview mirror which only made them both laugh harder.
The taxi slowed to a stop in front of the pizzeria just around the corner from their apartment. Taylor pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and handed it to the driver without even glancing at how much he'd given him. It was obviously more than enough to cover what they owed, since the driver let them out of the cab without a word. Taylor had to hold Alexa upright as they walked the short distance to their apartment, but he was having trouble remaining steady on his own feet as he let her lean against him.
He hadn't intended on getting wasted. The original plan was to leave the party shortly after his two brothers had decided to call it a night, but with Alexa beside him, the hours flew by, and he found that he didn't want their time together to end. He knew that they'd been acting more than friendly at the party. In fact, most people who approached either one of them to ask for a dance backed off as soon as they saw the other, assuming that Taylor and Alexa were an item. Apparently, they appeared like a couple who was deeply in love. They didn't bother to correct this misconception; instead, they just clung onto each other more tightly and danced a little closer. Now that they were more or less alone, away from the crowds of people and the ceaseless noise, Taylor wondered what would happen. The energy between them sparked the air in little electric currents, sending jolts of feeling all the way through him whenever their bodies touched.
"Good lord, I'm so hot!" Alexa declared, ripping her black halter top off and over her head as they walked into the apartment following a small debacle involving getting Taylor's key to actually fit into the lock in the front door. "Why am I so fucking hot?"
"Because...you're Alexa?" Taylor replied in a low voice, unable to tear his eyes away from her now bare torso and her skimpy bra made of black lace.
She laughed, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Cute, but that's not what I meant."
"It's still true," he shrugged, stumbling over to the couch and flopping down on it.
"You think I'm hot?" she asked, crossing the room to stand right in front of him with her hands on her hips.
"You're not just hot, you're fucking hot," he pointed out. "You said so yourself, remember?"
"Well just for the record, I think you're pretty fucking hot, too," she said.
Taylor gazed over at her, still completely mesmerized by the sight of her exposed skin. Now that she was closer to him, he could also clearly see that her bra left nothing to the imagination. He tried to discretely adjust his sitting position to accommodate for the tightening of his pants, while he cursed himself for always wearing such insufferably tight jeans. It was never comfortable when he got turned on, and he was definitely more than aroused at that particular moment.
"Sometimes I don't know how attractive Mason thinks I am," Alexa continued, the smile on her face faltering as her voice grew serious. "She doesn't seem to get turned on much by just looking at me."
"Well if that's true, then Mason is an idiot. I'm dying right now looking at you," he admitted, his breathing growing more and more rapid by the second. "It's taking everything in me to not rip the rest of your clothes off."
Holy crap - had he really just said that? He sucked in a deep breath once he realized what his brazen words implied. They studied each other in silence for a moment, and Taylor's heart thudded in his chest as he wondered if he'd crossed a crucial line. But suddenly a smile claimed her lips, sultry and undeniably sexy, and she took a few steps even closer.
"You mean like this?" Alexa asked as she slowly unbuttoned her jeans and pushed them down her legs in a tantalizing fashion, revealing a matching black thong.
Taylor gazed at her in open-mouthed disbelief. Surely she wasn't so drunk that she was no longer aware of what she was doing. Which meant that she was getting practically naked in front of him because she wanted to, because she wanted him. He felt like he was watching the wall between them crumble, the necessary wall that separated their friendship from the obvious attraction between them. The sexually-charged tension in the room was thick and palpable, he felt like his skin was on fire and the only way to cool it was to have Alexa's hands and lips all over him.
Wait...no. This was wrong. It was wrong on so many different levels. But God, it felt so fucking right.
"What are you doing, Lex?" Taylor asked softly, trying to listen to his conscience instead of his falling into the perfect opportunity right in front of him.
"Don't you like it?" she challenged, stepping over his legs so that she was straddling them.
"You know I do," he replied, his vision cloudy with lust. "But are you sure we should be doing this?"
Alexa's only response was to reach behind her back and unhook her bra, letting it fall to the floor as she lowered herself onto his lap. And that was all the persuasion Taylor needed. He tightly wrapped an arm around her waist, roughly pulling her down onto him while he began to assault her lips with his. Alexa slowly grinded herself against him, causing Taylor to drop his head back and let out a small moan. She began to kiss down his throat, reaching down and pulling his shirt off over his head, and then continued her trail of kisses along his chest.
Taylor's hands roamed all over her mostly bare body, up her legs, grabbing her ass, up her back, across her chest, down her stomach. He couldn't get enough of the feeling of her skin under his fingertips. Both of them were breathless as Alexa reached down to begin undoing Taylor's jeans. Unable to wait any longer, he quickly picked her up in one easy swoop, laying her down on the couch, and he was out of his jeans within seconds.
Taylor kissed up her leg as he hooked his fingers around her thong and gently pulled it down, tossing it onto the floor beneath them. He took a moment to absorb the image in front of him. There she was, completely naked before him, and every inch of her was as beautiful as the next. She was gently biting on her lower lip as she watched Taylor's eyes wash over her, a small smile pulling at the corners.
It had been so long since he'd been this close to a woman, Taylor thought he was going to jump out of his own skin. He was desperate, almost trembling with need. He had been fantasizing about this day for quite awhile, never fathoming that he would have a chance to actually experience it. He smiled and lowered his mouth between Alexa's legs. Hearing her gasp and grip onto his hair urged him further, relishing in every moan that escaped her lips.
After a few minutes of pleasuring her, Taylor slid his boxers off and gently lowered himself on top of her. She pulled his face down to hers and planted a deep kiss on his lips. Taking that as a loud and clear affirmation, Taylor positioned himself and felt his whole body pulsing with desire. He was so ready to feel himself inside of her. He was about to gently push himself in, when Alexa suddenly pulled away, breaking their kiss.
"I can't do this," she said quietly, tears springing to her eyes.