Tugging Becky along as she held onto Nicole, we searched for Max. Carefully avoiding others, we weaved through the crowd of people. They all looked like they had a head start drinking. Someone suddenly bumped into me from the side.

“Watch it!” I heard her say. Turning my head, I spotted the person who smacked into me. She was tall and blonde, with a tight red dress. She looked very familiar, but I couldn’t place her.

About midpoint on the bar, I spotted Max. He was all dressed up in a crisp shirt, sleeves rolled up half way. One of his legs was propped up as he leaned forward on the bar, holding a drink. My heart skipped and flipped, taking him in, just like the first time I saw him; then we set our eyes on each other. He was dangerously good-looking, too good to be true in every way, and I was the lucky one who got to say—he’s mine.

Instead of approaching him, I waited. I saw he was talking to the lady beside him. Actually, she was talking to him, but I could tell Max was being polite, trying not to lead her on by his posture. He was leaning away as she was leaning toward him. It was time to rescue my man, and time to tell the lady to back off. Becky nudged me, letting me know she was seeing the same thing. “Wait right here,” I told Becky.

“Max.” I placed my hand on his back.

Max swung around and was all smiles, embracing me. “Babe, you finally made it. You look beautiful.” He looked so relieved. When he released me, his eyes twinkled and his face radiated blissfully. It was comforting to know that I could make him look this happy. I was also quite relieved to see that the lady he had been chatting with disappeared into the crowd. After, he hugged Becky and Nicole and shook hands with Craig, he led the way to our table.

Holding Max’s hand, I followed behind as we weaved through tables and people. Finally, we ended up in a cozy corner, with a big reserved sign. It was a big kidney shaped table with a plush, black cushioned booth seat. It was definitely big enough for all of us. The volume of the music was lower in this area, too. When Matthew spotted us, he excused himself from the crowd of women who surrounded him and came to our table. Then, we spotted Kate and Keith. Now everyone was here.

After the introductions and greetings, we ordered our dinners. As we ate, we laughed and talked about our jobs, Kate and Keith’s daughter, and Nicole and Craig’s wedding. It was the first time we were all together having a great time, and getting to know each other. Occasionally, it seemed as though Matthew and Becky held their own private conversation. They were getting along very well, compared to the first time they met, but surprisingly they acted as if they were old friends. I wondered what had changed and what Becky was keeping from me.

Still feeling self-conscious because of the dress I was wearing, I looked at my friends’ attire. I was the only one with a shawl draped over my shoulders. Becky’s dress showed more cle**age than mine. Kate wore a dark gray spaghetti strap dress, but didn’t show much cle**age and Nicole wore a snake print tube dress, which was way too much for me to handle. I felt like I was looking at a sexy serpent. I swore I would never wear a dress like that, but to each her own.

Every so often, Becky would gesture for me to take off my shawl. I would reply by shaking my head and giving her a “you can’t make me” smile. By the time we’d finished our dinner, two hours had passed. Since we had this table all night, we kicked back and relaxed with the cocktails the waitress brought back from the bar. I knew my limitations, so I only took a few small sips of my drink. It totally sucked to be allergic to alcohol.

The dance floor was packed, as was the second floor. Nicole and Kate had already joined the fun. Matthew went to the restroom and never came back, so I figured he went off with a girl. Not wanting to leave Becky here by herself, Max and I stayed behind.

“Well, I see an old friend from college. You two go have fun and I’ll meet you back at the table before the count down.” Becky took a last sip of her drink and scooted out. Just before she was out of my sight, she yanked on my black shawl, exposing me. She dropped the shawl on top of Max, and left giggling. OH, she was going to get it!

Pulling the shawl off his lap, Max reached for me. Backing up as far as he could, he bit and sucked my lip. His naughty hands glided all over my body as he engulfed me, unashamed of where we were; but then again, we were in the far back corner, with a lot more privacy than any of the other tables.

“I’ve wanted to do this since you first came in. Seeing what you’re wearing under that shawl, I can’t help myself. I missed you last night,” he said between pressing his lips to mine.

“I missed you too, Max,” I breathed heavily, feeling his lips travel down to my breast. The lower he went, the faster my pulse raced. Tugging the dress to one side, Max’s tongue found my nipple and I exploded. He didn’t stop there, as one of his hands slipped up my dress to rub between my legs. If we were home, I would’ve been begging him to take my clothes off.

Max suddenly stopped as my urges raged out of control. “I think we need to stop now,” he panted. “I’m practically molesting you.” Max fixed my dress and kissed me on my forehead, making sure I was still in one piece, and sitting properly. “If your friends weren’t here to ring in the New Year with you, I would’ve picked you up and taken you home. Now I need a drink.”

I was dazed and dumbfounded as I watched Max gulp down a full glass of ice water. The waitress left several glasses just in case, so I took one and gulped it down too.

“Let’s go dance, babe. If we stay here, I won’t be able to keep my hands to myself, and you already know how my hands can be.”