Lacie Ch. 13

"You want to dance... with me?" Lacie asked incredulously, as if she were unable to believe him.

"Of course, I'm amazed that no one has asked you yet." he responded enthusiastically.

Lacie made a show of glancing at the big open dance floor nearby, nervously biting her lip as she continued to absently play with her hair. Turning back, she nodded at the tall boy.

"I think I'd like to dance with you, Eric." Lacie said, setting her untouched drink down on a nearby table. She lifted her left hand, holding it out for him. Eric nearly spilled his own drink in his haste to set it down, flushing as he turned back to accept her hand. Lacie smiled, amused at the effect she was having on the boy. Eric led her out onto the dance floor, stopping only a short way onto the lacquered wood. Turning, Eric stood stock still, his face flushing again as he held his hands up in front of himself.

"Problem?" Lacie asked.

"I... uh... well... I've..."

"Are you trying to say you've never danced with a girl before Eric?" Lacie asked, trying to hide her smile. She didn't want to look like she was laughing at him.

"Of course I have." His brow furrowed as he frowned at Lacie.

"A girl your age?"

"...uh... not so much." He looked at her with a sheepish grin. "My dance instructor is like, sixty."

Lacie laughed as she reached up. Gently grasping his wrists, Lacie pulled his arms around her waist, setting them at the small of her back.

"Those go there." she smiled. Lacie schooled her expression, turning it into a short glower. "Not one inch lower, mister. Got it?"

A smile tugged at the corners of Eric's mouth.

"Got it."

Lacie set her hands against his shoulders, gently letting her hands drift behind his neck before she twined her fingers together. The band started playing a new song, and Lacie smiled up at him as they gently started swaying.

"You have a dance instructor?" Lacie asked, curious.

"Well, yeah. My mother wanted me to learn. Says it's good practice."

"For what?" Lacie asked quizzically.

"I... you know, I have no idea." Eric laughed. "Other than dancing, which I almost never do."

"Well, you're not bad at it." Lacie praised him.

"Not bad? This is swaying in a circle. This isn't dancing." He said, a teasing frown on his face.

"Oh, is that a challenge?" Lacie leaned her head back, pausing their gentle motions as she stared into his eyes. "You're the one leading, mister."

"You know how to ballroom dance?" Eric asked, surprise lending a slightly higher pitch to his voice. "Most girls our age think dancing is either this or grinding their rears into something."

Lacie smirked up at him.

"Try me."

With a grin, Eric pulled Lacie's hands away from his neck, pulling her close with one arm while twining his fingers through her other hand. Slowly, but with increasing speed, Eric began to take bold steps, confidently moving across the dance floor. For her part, Lacie simply let him lead her wherever, allowing Eric to control the pace and length of their movement. It was almost effortless, but she could feel her dress billowing out beneath her as she twirled next to him. Lacie almost forgot where she was as she grinned up at Eric.

As the realization of where she was and what she was doing washed over her, Lacie couldn't help but be amazed at the unexpected turn her life had taken. Lacie's past few months ran through her mind like a movie on fast forward. She could hardly believe where she had ended up, how happy she was with her new life. Images of Master filled her mind, and Lacie couldn't help but smile. She could clearly remember practicing this very same dance with him only a few days ago. The memory swirled through her mind as she remembered the feel of his body against hers, the smell of his skin, the soft zip of electricity that tingled in her body anywhere his skin touched her.

As the song, and her twirling, slowed to a stop, Lacie closed her eyes and leaned forward, inhaling, trying to catch Master's scent off his broad chest. The musky, woodsy, yet clean odor she was expecting didn't materialize. Instead, a strong, unfamiliar cologne filled her nose. Lacie's eyes flew open and she leaned back, confusion in her eyes for a split second. Eric was standing in front of her, looking away and softly clapping for the band as they stood and bowed, taking a short break. Lacie realized that she had, only for a moment, wanted to be dancing with Master so badly she had actually convinced herself that she really was. Eric looked down at her and opened his mouth to say something, but he never got the chance. A large, strong hand settled on the boy's shoulder, prompting Eric to look up. Lacie turned to the newcomer, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she saw Master standing next to Eric.

"Excuse me, can I cut in?" his soft, velvet voice washed over Lacie's ears and a strange sense of release accompanied his arrival, as if she had been in pain and not even realized it until the unnoticed agony was absent. He spoke at the same time as Lacie, who, unable to contain her excitement at seeing him again, blurted out his name.

"Master!" Lacie grinned at him. She took a step back, pulling herself free from Eric. Lifting her hands, Lacie looked up at the men, preparing to introduce them. Eric's hissing voice cut through the air first, silencing her.

"Master!? You're a slave?" he asked incredulously.

Caught off guard, Lacie stuttered.

"I...well... yes. Of course."

A look of absolute revulsion filled Eric's face as he stepped back, pulling his arms away from her as fast as he could.

"Ugh!! I can't believe I touched a slave! Disgusting creature!"

Eric's disgust at the concept of touching a slave was obvious, his tone dripping with revulsion. Lacie's jaw dropped. Instinctively she wanted to lash out, hurt by the connection that Eric had made in his mind. She was a slave, and therefore unclean. Unfit for even the slightest contact. As if she were a disease. All her beauty, all her maturity, all of her courage, ceased to matter the moment he discovered she didn't have enough money to buy her own freedom. Tears filled her eyes as rejection washed through her, her anger at his unjust judgment of her almost sending her running from the room.

A firm, gentle hand cupped her cheek, pulling her face up as tears threatened to overflow. Master smoothly stepped between Lacie and Eric, placing himself in front of her like a shield.

"Yes, she's a slave. And as a slave, she has a thousand times more worth to this world than you could ever hope to have, young man. If I may suggest, I think it would be best if you were to leave." Master looked at Lacie tenderly, brushing her tears away before they fell.

His tone left no room for misinterpretation. His 'suggestion' was not a suggestion at all. It was an order. One that carried the promise of swift violence if not obeyed immediately.

"I think you may be right." Eric said, trying to salvage some dignity. He turned and stalked away, casting one last glance over his shoulder at Lacie, before shuddering in horror at what he had done. Eric vanished into the crowd a moment later.

"I...but...he...I...I..."Lacie stammered, trying to stop the flow of tears from her eyes. "But...I didn't do anything wrong!" Lacie whispered, looking up at Master for an explanation of Eric's behavior.

Master closed his eyes and sighed, wrapping his arms around her as he pulled Lacie in close.

"Sometimes people equate money with worth. Those are the kind of people who value girls like you as dollar amounts, rather than people. The kind of people you and I are fighting right now."

Despite her suddenly unhappy mood, Lacie felt a little thrill when he said 'you and I'.

"Why did he do that? I didn't hurt him, so why did he say that to me?" Lacie almost whispered, still hurt.

"His father is a very... uncaring man. It looks like the elitism of his parents has rubbed off. I'm sorry. I would have interrupted sooner, but it looked like you were enjoying yourself." He growled, looking up and away. Lacie had a sneaking suspicion that the anger she felt radiating off him wasn't just because of how rudely Eric had treated her.

Lacie looked up, confused by the aggressive tone of his voice.

"You're angry that I was having fun?" she asked, lifting one hand to set her palm along the solid line of his chin, turning his face so she could look him in the eye.

"Well...no... not exactly." He hedged, turning to look up and away.

Lacie stared up at him, distracted by his uncharacteristically gruff behavior. Then it struck her like a lightning bolt.

"Wow!"

"Wow, what?" Master asked, meeting her gaze again.

"You're jealous!" Lacie laughed, pushing off his chest with her hands, leaning back to see his face better. "You're jealous that I danced with someone else!!"

"What?! No, I'm not!" Master shot back.

Lacie curled one corner of her mouth up in a knowing smirk as she cocked an eyebrow.

Master looked at her, and his mask of denial slowly began to crack before it fell away completely.

"Much." He amended. "I'm not jealous, much." He hedged again, looking away once more. Lacie caught his eye and he crumbled. "Okay, fine, I wanted to wring his scrawny little neck." Master sighed, looking down. "When I saw you, at first I was happy, but then I saw who you were dancing with, and I was suddenly absolutely furious." Master's arms pulled Lacie tighter, crushing her into his warm, hard chest. "You're mine. I don't want to share you with anyone."

Lacie could feel that he was squeezing her too tightly, but in that moment, she could not have cared less. Her heart hammered in her chest as she heard him claim her as his, melting into his embrace, leaning her head against his chest with a blissful sigh. She knew he didn't mean that she was his property, he was claiming her as his partner. His friend. She was his responsibility, he was her protector, her provider. Lacie knew that she was no less his responsibility than he was hers. It was her job to care for him, to help him, to be there when he needed her.

It was not her job to love him, but in that moment, Lacie understood that she loved him all the same. She loved him so much it hurt. She needed the wonderful, caring, brave man that stood in her arms more than she needed food, water, or oxygen. She needed him in her life more than she needed life itself. Reaching up, Lacie grabbed his chin and pulled him down to her, kissing him fiercely. Lacie didn't know how long they stood there, and honestly, she didn't care who saw.

Lacie gently moaned into his lips as she slid her fingers through his hair. Her lips burned with tiny bolts of crackling electricity, fire and lightning ripped through her veins as a warm yearning blossomed in the pit of her stomach. Master's fingertips slid up and down her exposed back, sending shivers and goosebumps racing through Lacie's body as she moaned. Lacie's world spun as she fought her need to breathe, not wanting to move one inch away from the perfect place she had found in his kiss. Finally, though, Master's strong hands gently gripped her shoulders and pushed her back, knowing they both needed to breathe.

Gasping for breath, Lacie took a half step back, desperately trying to get her world to stop spinning around her. Literally dizzy from the kiss, Lacie held up her arm, knowing that Master would understand what she wanted. A moment later, just as she knew would happen, Master's warm hand grasped hers, steadying the panting brunette. Slowly, her world swam back into focus, the trembling in her belly not fading at all. Lacie looked up at him hungrily, her breath shuddering in her lungs. She wanted him.

Lacie caught Master's eye. She couldn't help but frown when she saw the smug, slightly cocky grin on his face.

"I didn't think I was that good of a kisser."

Lacie wanted to come up with a snappy comeback, something witty that would take him down a notch, but instead, she found herself leaning into him, burying her face in his chest as she inhaled the wonderful smell of his skin. Her hand gently smacked his arm, so lacking in force it was almost a pat. Snuggling closer, Lacie simply smiled as she held him close.

"Well, that's not true. I am that good a kisser, but I usually need a bit more buildup first." he teased.

"Buildup?" Lacie asked, unwilling to look up and put even an inch of space between them.

"Sure, like dancing, or a massage, or a tickle fight. You know, something to work up to the inevitable make-out session."

Lacie smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Stop acting like a teenager." She admonished halfheartedly.

Without turning her head, Lacie saw Claire standing at the edge of the dance floor, watching Lacie and Master with a huge smile on her face. Lacie lifted an hand and gave a little wave, smiling as Claire waved back.

"That took a lot of courage. I'm proud of you, Lace." Master's voice whispered. Lacie could feel his voice vibrating in his chest as he spoke.

"What did?"

"Covering for Claire like that. She told me everything. That was very brave, what you did."

"I didn't do anything." Lacie protested innocently, finally pushing away to look Master in the eye. "I spilled my drink." she said firmly.

Master smirked at the brunette girl in his arms.

"If that's the way you want it remembered..." he trailed off.

"It is." Lacie smiled with a sigh, leaning back into the comfort of his chest. Absently she noticed that the band was coming back and sitting down, readying themselves to play more.

"You're a very selfless person Lacie." Lacie laughed once in protest, but he continued. "You help where you see something needing to be done, you give more than you have to, and the only time you ever complain is when someone wrongs you like I di..." One of Lacie's fingers pressed into his lips, cutting off the rest of his sentence.

"First off, I'm nothing compared to you. Second, you did what you had to do. I'm more grateful for that than you will ever know. Thirdly, we're at a party, so no moping or pity parties. Tonight is a good night, if only because I say so, Master." Lacie's tone made a joke of the word 'master', prompting a short, barked laugh from him. "So, it's a good day, we're at a party, on a dance floor and we've established that you're jealous because someone else got to dance with me." Lacie grinned up at him. "Would you care to correct that oversight in your evening, Sir?"

Shaking his head at her logic, Master laughed.

"Absolutely."

Lacie's face lit up in a dazzling smile.

"One second."

Despite never wanting to leave his arms ever again, Lacie pulled away. Turning around, Lacie forced herself to walk in a slow sashay, knowing dozens of men's eyes were gluing themselves to her ass as she walked. Lacie didn't care. She was only giving one man a show. Somehow, despite that, she knew he would never be so crass as to stare at her. Still, the thought of making him jealous again was... amusing. He was fun when he was acting all protective and possessive. Walking up next to Claire, Lacie handed off her tiny silver bag to the other girl.

"Can you watch this for a minute? I have something I need to do."

"Something? Or someone?" At Lacie's confused look, Claire elaborated. "I saw that kiss." Claire teased as she took Lacie's bag, setting it on the table next to her as she sat down. Lacie flushed and giggled, shushing Claire as she did. Pausing for a moment, Lacie looked at Claire then cast her gaze around. Claire understood why immediately.

"She left already Lace. That won't happen again. We're safe. Go dance. Just try not to start losing clothes out there."

Lacie grinned at her friend, gently shushing Claire again as she blushed and turned back to Master. It was a struggle to keep from dashing headlong across the dance floor into his arms. She reached him just as a new song started playing, a faster paced salsa. Grinning, Lacie held out her hands, allowing Master to sweep her up and pull her in close, stepping with her in time to the slow starting music. Soon, the music picked up in it's beat, and Master began spinning her in tight circles, keeping pace with the rapid music.

Fast trills would sound in the air and Master would pull on her arms, sending Lacie careening towards him, always stopping a fingers breadth from his body as she leaned into him before twirling away, allowing him to stalk her across the dance floor once again. They came together only to have him lift her into the air, tossing her around, always in complete control. Other couples moved aside to make room for Master and Lacie to twirl and pace across the dance floor, drawing even more eyes to the dancing couple.

Lacie set a sultry smile on her face and didn't let it recede as she twirled across the hardwood floor. Master pulled her in before slinging his arm out, twirling Lacie in tight spins before he gently tugged her off balance, forcing Lacie to fall backwards. He lifted his arms up high and twirled his elbow, using Lacie's inertia to spin her in a circle before tugging sharply, bringing her back up to her feet. Taking a single step backwards, Lacie ended up with Master's chest pressed to her spine, her hair swinging around her head as she crossed her arms and leaned backwards. Master leaned with her, allowing Lacie to bend far over him, almost seeming to lay on top of his body as they danced.

With a quick sidestep, Master spun out from under her, capturing her arm as he did, tugging her upright sharply, pulling her out of her slow fall backwards. Lacie almost seemed to flit up to him, her chest instantly pressed into his, their faces only inches from each other as they stalked each other in a slow, tiny circle, always looking each other in the eye. Lacie's hand slid up to his face, not quite making contact with his cheek before he back stepped, lifting his arms out to one side before stepping into a rapid stepping spin around Lacie. Lacie coped his movement, and for a moment they spun like tops around each other. With a sudden snap, Master halted his spin and leaned to one side, holding his arm out.

Lacie stopped her spin and allowed herself to fall into his arms. Master pulled her upright, crushed her to his chest and leaned back down over her, almost holding Lacie horizontal. The song ended with a strong guitar note, and the crowd around them broke into applause. Lacie didn't hear a single bit of it. All she could see was Master's face slowly descending towards her. Lacie's breath came in short, gasping pants. Slowly, Master's lips pressed to hers.

Once again, blood boiled in Lacie's veins, her lips were on delicious fire and her breath came in wild gasps as he pulled her to his body, feeling every delectably rock hard muscle of him pressing into her. His arms held her against him, almost crushing her as she gently curled her fingers around the collar of his shirt, holding his lips to hers. Slowly, Lacie felt her world tilt around her as Master straightened up, gently breaking the kiss as Lacie flushed, panting from both the dance and the incredible kiss.

Weakly smiling up at him, Lacie fanned herself off with one hand. Lacie tried to take a step forward, but almost stumbled from dizziness. Master quickly caught and steadied her. Lacie weakly smacked his arm when she heard him chuckle at her disorientation. Master slid his arm around her waist and turned her. Gently leading her off the dance floor, Master angled his path towards Claire. The raven haired girl sat in the same chair Lacie had left her in. Lacie smiled breathlessly at her and Claire's answering smile was so smug, Lacie swore the purple clad woman should have had canary feathers on her lips.

Still holding her close, Lacie felt when Master's phone vibrated in his pocket. Reaching down, he approached Claire while digging for his phone. Hugging her with one arm, he pulled the phone free and stepped off to one side. Pulling away from Master, Claire leaned into Lacie, giggling as she pressed her head into the brunette girl's. Giggling like schoolgirls, Lacie and Claire began a whispered conversation.