Perfect Symmetry

Viktor soon returned with my drink, which I sipped happily while Viktor chatted to season ticket holders and other rich people who came to these events. Kaner showed up an hour late with a hot blonde girl who looked like she’d just rolled out of bed. When I mentioned that to Viktor, he made some sneaky remark about how they both probably just did.

Then we all sat down for dinner. Abby swapped her seating cards around so that we could be at the same table, and I had fun talking and giggling with her. The meal was simple; chicken, beef, or pasta. I had the chicken and ate heartily. Then the swing band began to play and almost everybody got up to dance. I was gossiping with Abby about who danced best when Viktor gently tapped my shoulder.

“Shall we?” he asked with a charming smile.

I got up eagerly. “Yes please!”

Viktor twirled and whirled me at all the right spots as the band played a lively tune. Then as the song settled down, Viktor was more than willing to gather me close. I wrapped my arms around his neck and looked away shyly as his deep blue eyes stared me down.

“I’m having fun tonight,” I murmured as I rested my head on his chest.

“Me too. I’m glad I asked you to come,” Viktor dropped a kiss on my forehead and my knees weakened.

It was getting too hot for me, so I lifted up my head and looked at Viktor properly.

“I could really use another drink,” I fanned myself for effect.

A smile crept onto his lovely features and he nodded understandingly. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and guided me toward the bar. On the way, a man jostled me as he made his way away from the bar.

“Sorry,” I apologized even though it was entirely his fault. As soon as he turned I realized it was Jon.

“Hey Jazz. Having a nice time?” Jon’s voice was slightly cool.

I smiled. “Yeah, I’m having a great time.”

Viktor grabbed a couple of champagne glasses and handed one to me quietly. I squeezed his hand and turned back to Jon. “Where’s your date?”

Jon opened his mouth to respond when somebody clapped Viktor on the back and led him towards a group of men who wanted to say hi. Viktor gave me a helplessly apologetic look and I waved him off. I understood. People came to this benefit to meet the players, after all.

“She had to leave. Wasn’t feeling too well,” Jon answered my question.

“Too bad,” I remarked acidly. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get some air.”

I knew Jon was following me because I could hear his heavy footsteps as I click-clacked toward the doors to the patio.

The lake looked beautiful in the moonlight, and I gazed at it rather dreamily. The cold air quickly dried any lingering sweat on my body. I heard Jon close the door behind him, and the sound of people laughing died away, left only with the echo of the band’s next song.

“Go away, Jon,” I said with gritted teeth.

He chuckled. “If one of us is winning a threat competition, it’s not you, Jazz.”

I rolled my eyes and turned away from him, returning my attention to the luminous lake.

“I’m sorry I was an asshole,” Jon offered. I didn’t respond. “Jazz? Did you hear me?” I remained silent. “Look, I’ve never been very good at sharing.”

I held back a smile. “I’ve noticed.”

“I didn’t want Stalberg to be your friend because I like being your friend, and I didn’t want to share,” he explained childishly.

“I’m not an object to be shared,” I responded quietly.

Jon moved closer “Of course you’re not! I just meant that I wanted to be selfish. I wanted to be the only Blackhawk you spent time with. Except maybe Kaner.”

I shivered and tried to hide it as the wind blew again. The little motion did not go unnoticed by Jon, who immediately took off his jacket and put it around my shoulders.

“Stop,” I ordered, trying to shrug it off.

“What are you doing? You’re cold! Keep it on,” Jon insisted, holding on to my shoulders to keep it on me.

“Well it’s really hard to be mad at you when you’re being so nice to me!” I cried out in annoyance.

Jon laughed. “Good. Stop being mad at me.”

“Can you stop acting like a jealous fool?” I countered.

“That depends. Has he kissed you?” Jon’s voice was teasing, but his eyes were serious.

I blushed. “Not yet.”

“Yet?” his eyebrows shot up.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, not yet. But the night’s still young.”

“Come on, let’s go back inside,” Jon looked at me as I shivered again.

“You haven’t answered my question,” I asserted.

His eyes darkened. “I’ll try and suppress my anger.”

I giggled. “If you do, I won’t be angry at you anymore.”

He sighed in relief and I shed his jacket and gave it back to him. I turned towards the door and I locked eyes with him properly. He looked gorgeous in that suit, and my heart was racing as he put his hand out onto my bare shoulders.

“You look beautiful, by the way,” he murmured as I passed him.

I smiled. “You do too.”

“Save me a dance?” he asked politely.

I didn’t answer him, but I nodded curtly as I walked back inside to the din.
~
Viktor was still talking to people when I came out, so I made my way to Kaner, who was sitting alone at his table while everyone else danced. His blue eyes found mine as I approached him.

“You look gorgeous,” was the first thing he said as I sat next to him.

I beamed. “Thanks, Pat. You look rubbish, if I’m honest.”

Pat shoved my playfully and fixed his mussed hair with a sheepish grin.

“I bet Jon’s eating his heart out,” he teased me.

I cleared my throat in irritation. “We talked, and we’re back to being friends.”

“Being friends?” Pat repeated, “you loser; you know you want more than that.”

I sighed. “I’m over it, Pat. I know he doesn’t want anything like that, and besides. I’m here with Viktor.”

Pat smiled at that. “Stally really is a good guy, Jazz. Don’t fuck him over.”

I laughed. “I don’t plan on it. I really like him.”

He looked out into the crowd and so did I. “You don’t want to dance?” I asked.

“Well I’ve lost my partner, haven’t I?” Pat replied with a wry smile.

I glanced around the room. “Where is she?”

“I told her to go home. She and Jon’s date got slobbering drunk together,” Pat explained bitterly.

“I’m sorry,” I said uselessly.

“It’s okay. She was hot,” he winked. “Would you like to replace her?”

I chuckled. “Just for one dance, sure.”

Kaner stood up and took my hand in a gentlemanly manner. I grinned and allowed him to guide me onto the dance floor. I caught Viktor’s eye and waved cheekily to him. He shook his head in mock anger and shot me a quick wink.

I saw Jon from the corner of my eye staring at me with his usual dark gaze, and I turned away before the red started to spread on my cheeks. Pat wrapped an arm around my waist and took my hand with the other one. I placed one arm on his chest and giggled as he guided me one way before sharply directing me the opposite way. We were both laughing when he spun me as the band played an up-tempo song.

“Do you know how to do that lift from Dirty Dancing?” I asked hopefully.

Patrick was breathing heavily, but he managed to guffaw at my perfectly reasonable request.

“I’ll work on that,” he chuckled, as the song ended.

“Man! That would have been the perfect finale for our routine,” I joked.

Jon approached us as the next song started and asked me to dance with him. Kaner pretended to be hurt as Jon took my hand. In my huge heels I was reasonably close to Patrick’s eye level (still pretty far off), but with Jon it was a whole other story. He was so much taller than me, and when he wrapped his arms around me I felt like a ragdoll being pulled one way and the other.

Knowing my luck, I suspected that the band would play something slow, and I was totally right. The band played a slow, romantic waltz and I reluctantly let Jon pull me close. My heart rate skyrocketed as he pressed me up to him. My breath hitched as he leaned down to whisper in my ear.

“Don’t look so petrified, Jazz; people will think I’m holding a gun to you or something,” Jon whispered to me as he weaved me around other couples.

I stuck my tongue out at him. “I didn’t know you could dance, slick.”

“I’m just full of surprises,” Jon riffed with a small smile.

We danced quietly after that, while I thought about how warm and rough his hands were, and how nice his arm felt on my waist. I didn’t like the awkward music, so I tried to break it.

“I feel like I’m in some Doris Day 1950’s movie,” I blurted out stupidly.

Jon raised his eyebrows seriously. “The dress?”

“The dress, the music, the pretty ballroom,” I explained airily, “all of it.”

“Well you’re much prettier than Doris Day,” he declared nicely.

I rolled my eyes. “Do you even know who she is?”

Jon squeezed my hand indignantly. “I’m not completely uncultured, Jazz. Que sera.”

I blushed in embarrassment after realizing that I had just called out Jon Toews and been wrong. Thankfully, the song ended soon after, and Viktor came to claim me with a glass of champagne in his hand. Sweating from my encounter with Jon, I drank the champagne like a child dying of thirst, throwing it down in a matter of seconds. Viktor looked pleasantly surprised at that, and handed me his. I smiled thankfully and took it, sipping more conservatively this time.

By this time I was finally feeling the buzz of the alcohol, and I felt very warm. I turned to Viktor hopefully.

“Hey, can we go on a walk?” I hiccupped.

He nodded, and took my arm as we walked out the back door and onto the lakeside path. The night was cold, but the champagne I had drunk was keeping me comfortably warm. I slipped off my high heels and walked barefoot on the path.

“It’s nice out here,” I smiled at the open sky and the shiny lake. Somehow, it looked even prettier than it did when I was out with Jon.

Viktor pulled me into him gently. “You’re cold.”

“I’m actually not,” I said cheerfully.

He didn’t listen and wrapped his jacket around me anyway. “Such a gentleman,” I jibed gently.

Viktor laughed. “You were dancing with Jon.”

I nodded. “Nice detective work.”

“I didn’t like it,” he continued gruffly.

I giggled uncharacteristically. “Ooh, the inner caveman comes out.”

Viktor poked me several time in the ribs, and I cracked up.

“Not so snarky now, huh?” he taunted, tickling me more.

I was literally about to pee my pants and I collapsed onto the ground and Viktor followed me down, still attacking me.

“I give,” I gasped in between breaths. “You win.”

“Who’s the best Blackhawk you know?” he prompted with an evil smirk.

I laughed one last time and took a deep breath before giving him my answer lazily.

“Viktor Stalberg,” I sighed in defeat.

He withdrew his hands and just stayed there, lying on top of me, his face alarmingly close. If I weren’t a little bit tipsy, I would have gotten myself out of this situation already, but I was enjoying the warmth of his body on mine. His calloused hands brushed the hair out of my face and he sighed. I closed my eyes and breathed slowly.

“You really are beautiful,” he whispered before starting to crawl off of me.

I’m not sure what possessed me at this point. All I know is that I threw my shoes far away and used both of my hands to grip Viktor’s collar and coax him closer. His eyes were bright with surprise as I brought him towards me.

After that, though, I chickened out. But by then, he took over and gently pressed his lips onto mine. It felt wonderful to be kissing this marvelous man, in this gorgeous dress, in this gorgeous place. Viktor pushed me gently onto the grassy hill next to the lake and I parted my lips to allow his tongue in.

When we finally broke apart, it was Viktor who pulled away. I was breathing heavily again, and my chest was moving up and down quickly as he slowly got off of me.

“Wow,” he murmured as he helped me up into a sitting position. “I don’t think it gets more perfect than that.”

“I think the lake and the moonlight helped,” I added with a teasing grin.

He shoved me jokingly. “I think I had something to do with it.”

“It was all me,” I retorted.

Viktor’s eyes glinted. “Fine. It was all you, my lady.”

My heart just about burst at that, and I leaned in and kissed him again. This one was heavier than the first, but once again, Viktor pulled apart.

“Let’s go back inside,” he breathed, “my self-control can only last so long.”

I laughed, and we stood up to leave our sanctuary and reenter reality.