eyes. Ella’s cheeks flush. I know she’s thinking about it.
I know I want to see her again, but she said she’s leaving London tomorrow. Chances are, I won’t see her after tonight. I only know her name; will that be enough to find her? I don’t know where she lives in the States. This chance encounter isn’t going to last long enough.
She hasn’t told me what she wants if she wins. I don’t ask. I’m just focusing on winning this game so I can get her email.
Ella and I battle it out ferociously on the pinball machine. Our yelps are so loud, her fist-pumps are so ecstatic, that a small crowd gathers around us to watch us play.
I haven’t felt this much pressure in a long time. I’m literally sweating under my collar.
“Yes!” she hisses after the last round, skipping around the floor in her high stilettos. A cry of cheer rings out in the crowd while she does her little victory dance. She’s laughing, and I’m laughing too. Her energy is infectious. Then it dawns on me that she’s won and I won’t get her email. No means of contact between us after tonight.
Some guys in my peripheral vision have stepped up to her. They’re interested. I can see it in their body language as they flirt with her, chucking compliments in her direction. She giggles and flicks her hair over her shoulder, but there’s something in her mannerisms that tells me she’s not interested. She’s reaching for an excuse to walk away from them.
Maybe she doesn’t expect me to come to her rescue, but I do it anyway.
I come up to them, put an arm around her, and hold her close to myself. I’m relieved to find that she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she’s looking up at me endearingly. Those hazel eyes are like a deer’s.
“All done, babe? Should we head out and hit the next spot?” I ask, looking deep into her eyes. Ella gulps; she doesn’t even bother answering the question. The other guys have already started walking away.
She turns to face me directly as my hands graze down to her hips. She’s pressed to my chest now. I don’t want to release her. Her perfume is very sweet. I know I’ll remember it.
“I won, so it means I get a prize,” she says, almost in a whisper. I’m amazed that I can even hear her over all the loud music and the chatter.
“What do you want? Anything you want. It’s yours.”
“I guess I want you to kiss me.”
She doesn’t have to ask me twice. She barely even finishes the sentence, and I lean into her. My mouth meets hers. She tastes of slushie. She smells of that sweet perfume. My tongue dives deep into her mouth, and she leans back. I have a firm grip on her waist. Her arms are around my neck. I can feel every cell of her. She purrs lightly as our mouths move together. I can feel my cock growing. Throbbing. I want to pull up her dress. Pin her to the wall. To the pinball machine.
Then she starts to pull away and I zoom back down to Earth. The realization hits me—we are still inside this blasted arcade!
Ella’s eyes are glazed over. She runs a hand through her curls, shakes them out. I watch her closely to see if she thinks the kiss was a mistake.
“Do you want to get out of here?” I ask and hold out a hand, giving her the opportunity to walk away now if she wants to. She nods and weaves her fingers with mine. In the next moment, we’re running out of the place and back in the cool night air.
Soho is still buzzing. It will never stop, but I don’t care. Her hand is still in mine and fuck me, but I don’t want to let go.
I don’t know what’s come over me, I can’t remember the last time a woman’s had this effect on me. She must be from outer space.
We’ve found a bench in St. Anne’s Churchyard. It took us fifteen minutes to find a park that was fairly deserted and also open at this time of the night. The gate was low enough to jump over, and we strolled in casually.
Ella is sitting beside me, with her legs crossed. I have my hands stuck deep in the pockets of my pants. My head is tilted back. I’m staring up at the starry night sky, but I’m thinking about her.