Florida Heat: Book One in the Clearwater Pack Series

Chapter 4: Slow Dancing in a burning room

Mason’s Point of View:

Walking the beach toward Jamminz, I cannot help but take in the earth around me even if it’s for a moment. The sand between my toes, the sun setting off to the east and the smell of salt in the air. It’s paradise, but it’s not my paradise. I shake my head out of the fog that I had just created for myself. Yeah, I’m getting drunk tonight, that’s for sure.

When we arrive at the bar its already pretty packed, but our table is of course reserved and opened for us as it always is. There are a couple bars within the town that tables are spoken for on behalf of my family, people think its because he is the mayor – those people are idiots. I throw my arm in the air and wave to the waitress informing her to come over to us. When she does, she is a medium height brunette with a nice rear and not a half bad chest – her eyes do nothing for me though, dark pools of misery, clearly. I order the table, the three of us each 4 shots and myself any IPA they have on tap. I throw her 100 dollars and tell her to make it quick.

Theodore looks at me with a smirk, he knows what I’m up to. “Ted don’t p***y out on me tonight. Sophia is a great wingman but I’m looking to get laid tonight,” I wink at her. He looks up at me, “Ted? Is that a joke or are you trying to piss me off?” I laugh and throw him a devilish smile, “What you want to be Teddy the baby for the rest of your life?” He crosses his arms over his chest, not an easy task with how big his arms are in general and throws his lip out at me giving me the tantrum i deserve. “Theo,” I adjust myself in my seat as to not piss him off more this evening.

Our beverages come the first round of shots I push to the middle I hold the little cup up and say, “To rattle snakes and condoms, two things I don’t f**k with.” The group slams their glasses down cheers and then slams them down once more prior to tipping them back and swallowing their contents. Sophia looks at me and slaps my arm as if I had said something that offended her and to my pleasure she laughs along with me, “that was a good one.” She is one of us, from the moment we met – Teddy and I vowed to protect her forever. My father too, he pledged his and my mother’s life to protect her, she is family. My parents even went as far as asking if they could adopt her, she smiled at the notion but never pushed it further. It doesn’t matter, whenever we introduce one another, I claim she is my sister and she claims I’m her brother, were closer than blood. If we need to fall in the suit of protecting one another, we do. There have been many times that I have had to grab her ass or place my arm around her and kiss her in front of a group of people to get them to lay off her. Don’t think for a second it’s not been reciprocated on my behalf she has slapped the s**t out of a handful of women who were trying to take advantage of me or the situation.

The next round of shots Theo pushes forward and as we hold up the beverage in our hands he cheers, “To no commitments” we again down, cheers down and drink the liquid. I’m about to laugh and celebrate with him because he too isn’t excited about the path we are both heading and he too doesn’t believe in the aspect of finding that one person and being with them forever. Sophia though, she believes in it, in fact she is hoping to find it. She wants that love that our parents talk about that sparks and ignites your soul leaving no room for another, unless you have kids she says your soul grows. I find it disgusting honestly, there are plenty of women out there, any of them would be happy to be waking up in my bed the next morning. I have no complaints. I’m just happy…

I feel a weird tingle in my fingers and look up to Theo who is looking at me with concern. “Do you guys feel that?” They both look at me, “What Mase have you went soft on us and are you becoming a lightweight?” I laugh and shake it off, no it couldn’t be the booze we drink way more than this, all the time. But something just lit a fire within me, and I cannot figure it out. I look at the table and push the last two shots to them holding them both into the air, “To family” and we down cheers, down and drink.

I take a gander at the floor and the bar looking for someone, for anything and looking for nothing all at the same time. It’s a weird world we live in, constantly wondering if you are being followed, hunted down or investigated, but it’s the life we were all born into, at least the three of us were. These people out here at least the majority of them haven’t the slightest clue in the world that we really live in. They believe in their fairy tales and that this world owes them something. They believe in the American dream, if you work really hard in this life you will get what you deserve. That’s not the case. This world is full of misery and pain and if people stopped pretending like it didn’t, the world would be a better place for it.

I look at the stage and the first artist of open mic night takes her seat on a stool and begins singing a cappella “Cups” the song that was played during Pitch Perfect. I will admit I’ve seen it, but I was curious when they indicated Green Bay Packers were in it, I had to understand why. She is halfway decent, but I’m buzzed now and feeling pretty good, good enough to go home with her. I wave to the bartender asking for 2 more shots and she gives me a hard look. I let her know I’m walking home and don’t live far, she must be new, most people wouldn’t second guess my request.

As she finishes up the song the two shots are sat down in front of me both of which I down quickly, giving my own inner cheers to myself, “lets get laid.” I laugh after I finish both of them and realize just how childish I sound within my own mind. The Host comes up and ask if there is anyone who wants to participate to please sign up at the table near the bars end. I look to the bar and Sophia is clapping and screaming for me to sign up and to my utter displacement, I hear “Ace” being called by the host and I look over at Theo who is laughing hysterically. That would be the stage name I used while in New York because I never wanted anyone to know my identity, even when I modeled it was “Ace”. To be fair, its just short for Mase which is short for Mason, so it’s not like I’m lying.

I shake my head and the host once again asks for Ace to come to the stage, so without really thinking and allowing my feet and heart to do the walking I end up on the stage in front of the Mic I whisper to the host and inform him of the song I want to be played, and he makes sure he gets right on it.

I smile out to the crowd, as if I’m in my own element, my natural habitat. I breath out and then speak into the microphone, “Alright, Welcome to the water of the Clear folks, does anyone out there have a guitar that this sorry ass could borrow for a song or two?” A guy from the side of me holds up his guitar, I walk over to him and grab it bring it up to the stage and begin strumming it and tuning in the same instance. I strum the start of Loaded Gun by Tyler Hilton and look for a set of eyes I can focus on in the audience and to my surprise I find a pair of Blue ones focused intently on me. Yum.

“You ready?

I’m ready

One, two, three, four”

I find the eyes that had struct me keep focused on them and continue to play the first starter chords that lead into the first verse, never breaking contact with her. She’s mouthwatering.

Wheels running fast down the one-eighteen

Every kiss is sweeter with some nicotine

The little white lightning underneath my seat, oh yeah

I notice a handful of people get up and start dancing, I’m attracting a crowd. I knew they needed a more upbeat tune than f*****g “cups”.

The sun’s going down like a sinking stone

A dog’s barking in the distance I'ma throw him a bone

You got that look on your face

Like something’s gonna go wrong, oh yeah yeah

These next lines in the song are for her though, I find her again and sing the next words into her soul. I want her to feel it in her panties. You know, most women love them a musician, she is probably just the same another groupie of sorts.

The way you looking so good in your cotton dress

There’s just no telling what I’ll do next

But one thing’s for sure and it’ll sure be fun

Stay away from my trigger, I'm a loaded gun

Stay away from my trigger, I'm a loaded gun

I hold up my thing and pointer finger while the other three are collapsed making the look of a gun for a brief second and slap my guitar.

I'm a moving target, baby

No one’s gotten through me yet (huh)

But it’s worth a shot

It’ll be something that you won’t forget

I toss the girl a wink, she deserves that much at this point as I am basically eye f*****g her while singing these lyrics.

I got ‘em lined up and crying from Georgia to Tex

But to learn to swim, you gotta wanna get wet

There’s no turning back once I’m ready to run

Stay away from my trigger, I'm a loaded gun

Stay away from my trigger, I'm a loaded gun (ha)

While I strum the guitar for a bit getting the crowd to go wild. I’m well versed in the guitar, odd habit I picked up was Instruments, I was obsessed as to how they worked and operated, and it always just seemed to come easy to me. At this point I notice that my girl is not alone she is with another girl and a man. My hope at this specific moment is that the girl and guy are together and that my blue eyed queen is being left for me. I strum slower and play the dirty version of this song, normally I’d skip it but either it’s the booze or the gorgeous woman who has yet to break eye contact with me.

Watch out now

Oh, yeah

Alright, break it down

Yeah, just keep it down

Alright

Load me

Squeeze me

Cock me

Shoot me

Yeah, load me

Squeeze me

Cock me

Ah, shoot me, shoot me sugar

She breaks contact for one brief second and tosses back two shots and then winks at me, the girl fricken winks at me. I totally forget about the other two at her table and continue with the song. Taking my hands off the guitar from strumming and begin to smack the guitar in the rhythm.

I'm a moving target, baby

No one’s gotten through me yet

But it’s worth a shot

It’ll be something that you won’t forget

Are we clear?

I go back to strumming the guitar and continue to stare at the women who is now dancing with her friend from the table. The two girls are dancing and clapping for me while they sing along, they must be One Tree Hill fans to know this s**t, I think.

I’m gonna be your next tattoo

After all the things I'ma do to you

I don’t have to run the bases 'cause I hit home runs

Stay away from my trigger, I'm a loaded gun

Stay away from my trigger, I'm a loaded gun

Give it comes down five, four, three, two, one

Stay away from my trigger, I'm a loaded gun”

I end the song, the crowd goes wild and I blow the blue eyed goddess a kiss. To my disgust the guy who was at the table with them comes up behind her back and places his arms around her waist, her face appears in shock as if though what we were doing was cheating and she turns her head to look over at the guy. Me on stage watching this unfold and becoming incredibly agitated that this guy has his hands on this beautiful woman who I’m pretty sure was into me.

I’m about to storm off the stage when the crowd screams for one more song. f*****g Teddy has them chanting “ACE, ACE, ACE!!” I look down at my feet, f**k it the girl is with some other dude lets give them what they want, a slow song and I’ll make her wish she had never laid eyes on me with my soft sensual voice singing these lyrics by John Mayer, Slow dancing in a burning room. I strum the first cord and some of the girls in the audience start hollering clearly knowing I’m about to play John Mayer. My voice has been described as a mixture of John Mayer and Jason Mraz.

“It's not a silly little moment

It's not the storm before the calm

This is the deep and dying breath of

This love that we've been working on

I see him grab her hips rather roughly, kind of like how I would want to grab her hips and he sways himself into her. The entire time instead of focus on what she is doing she is staring at me.

Can't seem to hold you like I want to

So I can feel you in my arms

Nobody's gonna come and save you

We pulled too many false alarms

I decide to melt my voice a little lower allowing her to hear the clicks in my tongue when I pronounce words making it more sensual. I don’t split from loosing eye contact with her as I go into the chorus.

We're going down

And you can see it too

We're going down

And you know that we're doomed

My dear

We're slow dancing in a burning room

I decide ill belt this next part, she will love it.

I was the one you always dreamed of

You were the one I tried to draw

How dare you say it's nothing to me?

Baby, you're the only light I ever saw

I'll make the most of all the sadness

You'll be a b***h because you can

You try to hit me just to hurt me

So you leave me feeling dirty

'Cause you can't understand

Those words have a rather dramatic effect on me so I fall deep into the song.

We're going down

And you can see it too

We're going down

And you know that we're doomed

My dear

We're slow dancing in a burning room

Go cry about it, why don't you?

My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room



I end the song abruptly and storm off the stage handing the guitar the guest on my way toward the back door. I need some air, even though this place is half opened I feel smothered, and I cannot seem to get this weird sensation out of my arms and legs. I thought playing would help deplete it, but it made it worse. Perhaps I’m having a heart attack or something?