Maggie-

"This is awful." I complain to Sam, my eyes wide with a sense of urgency and desperation.

Sam only smiles and shakes his head from the left to the right before I feel an arm snake around my waist from behind.

Goosebumps appear where my shirt slightly lifts and his arm touches my bare skin.

Sam quickly turns to face the other end of the bar giving us privacy as Jackson's lips almost touch my ear.

"What's so awful?" Jackson's warm breath skims off my ear and a short gasp escapes my lips.

"Nothing." I lie, my eyes darting from person to person sitting at the bar but no one seems to be paying us any mind as his lips graze my neck.

"If you kiss my neck I can't be responsible for what happens next." I attempt teasing him but my voice trails off in response to my tingling skin under the heat of his breath.

"Is that a threat?" He taunts without bothering to take a step back.

"I can't possibly do my job in this state." I whisper, allowing my eyes to close as I concentrate on the feeling of his arms around my waist.

"So sorry Love, it just so happens I've already ordered from another waitress." He responds and my eyes fly open.

"Well then what was the point-" I'm cut off as he lifts me off the floor.

"I wanted you to know how we met." He answers as he sits me on the barstool and takes his place beside me. "I've already ordered for you as well."

"I was your waitress then?" I assume. "And theirs?" I glance at the second floor and realize both Alex and Christian are watching us.

Jack's eyes follow mine to the curious eyes above.

"Sorry Love, I thought it was necessary to bring them." Jack shouts above the music.

"It's alright." I shrug and I notice him straining to hear me. "Is it just me or did the music just get so much louder?"

Jack's eyes glance at the dance floor where bodies glimmering with sweat rub against each other as if they're all in heat.

"I suppose I didn't quite think this through." He murmurs as we're both handed a shot of whiskey.

The amber liquid burns as it slides down my throat and my face briefly scrunches in disgust.

"What?" I shout as he makes a come hither gesture with his finger.

I stand from my stool and lean closer in order to hear him better but he quickly lifts me up and begins carrying me away from the bar.

"Where are we going?" I shout, wrapping my arms around his neck. "You know I'm capable of walking right?"

Jack enters the elevator and sets me down on my feet before slamming his palm into the VIP button.

"You know employees aren't supposed to-" but before I can finish explaining the rules his lips are on mine.

A familiar jolt of electricity heats my blood to boiling and sends my heart racing. His fingers gently grasp my hips urging me a bit closer as my fingers thread through his chocolate hair.

A faint bell signals our arrival on the second floor and we slowly pull apart, his forehead pressing gently against mine.

"I'm not complaining-" I whisper before swallowing harshly and attempting to find my voice again. "But I find it difficult to believe this happened the first night we met."

"It didn't, I just had to do that." He whispers as the doors begin to open and he takes my hand in his.

When we approach the men sitting at table five Christian glances at our entwined hands and nudges Alex.

"Let's give these two some space." Christian orders, and although Alex seems to be preoccupied with his phone, they both stand and make their way to the elevator.

Jackson's hand runs through his hair before plopping down on the leather couch and I take my place beside him.

"So-" I start, attempting to forget the electric shock I just received in the elevator while Jack casually lays his arm behind me. "If we didn't make out in the elevator, how did it actually happen?"

"Well-" Jack clears his throat and runs his hand through his hair, giving it a slight tug. "Let's just say this is the way I wish our meeting would have gone."

Jackson's nerves surprisingly calm my own and I instinctively want to calm him.

"Yeah but-" I start, before taking his hand in mine.

"I was here with Christian, Alex, and a few women." He says the last part a little more hushed as he reads my face. "You walked in confident to take our drink order, but stopped in your tracks and stuttered over your words."

I drop his hands and quickly cover my face with my palms in embarrassment.  Jack grabs both of my wrists in one hand to lower them.

"Not unlike tonight then." I bite my lip to hide my shame.

"I was intrigued by you." He pauses as he thinks over his next words carefully. "I was with someone else, and you must have thought I was such an ass to chase you downstairs behind her back."

"That's definitely an ass move." I agree with past me and wonder who this girl was that he was with.  He's never mentioned another woman before, my stomach churns as I imagine seeing him with someone else.

Jack notices my faraway look and quickly attempts to catch my attention.

"I wasn't dating her, she was more like a groupie who I just couldn't shake." He corrects my wandering mind. "Ultimately, I ended up making a total wanker out of myself and you shut me down pretty quickly. Yet despite you shutting me out, I couldn't get you out of my head."

I feel a blush paint my cheeks and my face grows hot.

"So how did we end up together then?" I ask curiously.

"Well, it took a few tries, but I'm nothing if not persistent when it comes to getting what I want."

My nose scrunches in response and he realizes he hasn't revealed quite enough.

"Alright, I came to your club alone the morning after, hoping to run into you again." He shrugs. "I asked the bartender if you would be in today, then sat here with a cup of coffee and worked on my book."

"The bartender?" I ask before my mind catches up. "Sam?"

"Yep, I could tell he wasn't a fan of me from the start." Jack adds and we both glance down at Sam where he's pouring drinks for other customers. "He was reluctant in answering me, to say the least."

"Well, did you charm me then?" I ask, nudging his ribs.

"No." He responds, rubbing his side and I laugh aloud, unsurprised that my stubbornness won out once again. "Despite the fact that I came here with one solitary goal, to court you, I was a complete ass."

I laugh in response and he hushes me.

"Don't laugh, my head was very muddled at the time!" He teases before wrapping his arm around my waist. "I've had this wall up for so long that by nature I pushed you away, yet at the same time I desperately wanted you to stay."

I nestle closer into Jackson's chest, feeling the rise and fall of his breath as I listen intently.

"We ran into one another a third time, fate had us intertwined and I realized I just had to win you over that night."

"And?" I lift my head to meet his eyes.

"Finally, my ocean-eyed girl had given in and I won a date with her." He answers as I lay my head back on his shoulder. "There are many things I would have done differently in the time we had together."

"Like what?" I ask.

"For starters, how we met was a bloody mess. Now, I've never really courted anyone before but if I were to go back in time I'd like to think I would have introduced myself properly."

I wait with bated breath for his reasoning.

"I'd have taken you to the side, told you how beautiful you were and I'd have laid my cards right out on the table, no hiding, no lies or misdirection."

"I think-" I swallow hard after downing one of the shots at our table for a little liquid courage. "I think even if I could remember how we started, I wouldn't change a thing."

"And why is that?" Jackson asks, his head swiveling down to watch my face.

"Because if whatever past decisions we made were altered, maybe we wouldn't be together now." I lift my head to meet his gaze. "Did you ever think that maybe your stubbornness is exactly what intrigued me about you in the first place?"

Jackson's brows furrow.

"Think about it Jack, I've met hundreds of men who have walked through these doors and countless have tried some lame pick-up line in order to gain my attention but none of them worked.  I think things played out exactly as they were supposed to, and you and I ended up together regardless."

Jack's eyes seem to glaze over but I continue speaking, lost in an attempt to explain the unexplainable that maybe we were just destined to fall for one another.

"Maybe I sensed a kindred spirit in you, or I felt your pain or maybe you were just mysterious, or-"

But before I can make sense of the words spewing about in my jumbled mind his lips collide with mine.

I forget my breath as sparks of lightning shred through my veins and fireworks light up under my skin. One of Jack's hands quickly cups my jaw as the other wraps around my waist pressing me tighter against his chest.

Music pumping through the club fades and I can only hear the pounding of my heart threatening to escape my chest.

The thought of being in a public area doesn't even cross my mind and my fingers begin frantically pulling at his shirt before they dip below. His breath catches and his body briefly tenses as my fingers play with the elastic on his boxer briefs.

My fingers teasingly lay a trail back and forth, biding my time while my nails graze his smooth skin and I savor the taste of his tongue swirling mine.

"You drive me crazy, but I fucking love it." Jack whispers before I pull his lips back to mine.

Something maddening has taken over my body, otherworldly desire fogging my mind and driving me forward as I push Jack's chest so he's lying on his back and my legs straddle either side of him.

I feel his hands everywhere at once, sliding up my skirt and the other cupping my breast as my own gathers enough courage to slide further down his pants.

Jack jumps slightly, a mixture of shock that I've made the first move and that I now firmly have my hand wrapped around him. He falters only a second before he groans and pulls me closer.

My heart lurches in my chest, pounding so hard that I can almost feel it climbing out of my throat. Jackson's hand gently guides mine in a fluid motion, the fingers on his other hand working circles after slipping past my underwear.

Our lips entwine between gasped breaths and a quiet moan escapes my lips but it's immediately drowned out by the sound of music flowing from the dance floor.

Soft groans radiate through Jackson as my body shudders and pleasure wraps me in its embrace, crushing every other sensation.

I collapse on Jack's chest, unable to will a single muscle to move. We lay tangled in one another until our gasping breaths come easier.

I slowly roll off of Jack and bring myself to my feet before my eyes drift to the floor below.

"Oh my god, Jack-" My eyes widen and his head snaps to follows my gaze where people are pounding drinks and dancing erratically one floor and a glass wall between us.

His shoulders relax and a laugh rolls through him.

"Why are you laughing?" I ask, crossing my arms protectively in front of my chest. "Do you think anyone saw us?"

Jack's hands grab my hips and pull me back down to the couch.

"Relax, no one can see us down here." He answers, placing a kiss on my shoulder. "You worry too much."

He's right, the couch is against the wall and when laying down we're out of their view.

I hope.

"You know, I'm beginning to think reliving the past with you might not be so bad." I murmur, leaning further back into his arms.

He doesn't answer, but I feel him smile as he presses a kiss into my temple.

"I missed you all this week." I admit. "You didn't have to be so distant you know."

"You wanted space." Jack laughs. "How am I supposed to give you space if I'm by your side every day."

"I don't know if you've noticed," I grumble. "but I don't know what I want yet."

"I've noticed." Jack whispers, a bit of remorse in his voice.

"Oh!" I pull away to face him. "I didn't mean you-"

Jack's brows crumple with confusion.

"I'm confused about a lot of things, but not about you." I confess. "You're the only thing I'm sure about."

Jack smiles before pulling me back into his chest and I succumb to being entwined in his arms. 

As we relax into one another, we spend the next few hours talking about family, friends, the office, our future, anything and everything that crosses our minds.

This is the most comfortable I've been in my own skin since the moment I woke up from a coma. It's as if the club has faded away and we're in our own private world in the clouds, far away from the drunkards below.

Sensing the end of the night coming, I excuse myself to visit the restroom before we leave. I check myself out in the mirror and despite my resolute calm I notice my hair is a mess, my dress is wrinkled and my eyeliner is smudged from the moment we shared earlier.

I get to work attempting to make myself look presentable again, smoothing out my hair with my fingers, and rubbing off the excess eyeliner.  There's not much I can do with the wrinkles, but I try stretching the fabric out anyway.

I make my way to meet Jack at the bar downstairs, but hesitate when I realize Jack's no longer alone.  Alex, Christian, and a blonde woman in a gold gown sit together sharing a drink between hushed whispers.

"You said you wanted us all to be here, Jack. So yeah, I called her." Alex grumbles before straightening up at the sight of me.

I don't know who this woman is, or why she thinks it's appropriate to intrude, but I straighten my shoulders and plop down right between her and Jackson.

I don't bother paying her any mind, instead, I flip my hair over my shoulder and smile at Jack, avoiding the blonde woman's gaze. 

Inside I'm steaming, unsure if the aggressive stance is coming from the little green monster in my chest, and I'm attempting to stake my claim or if I'm just tired of running.

I finally know what I want, and I'll be damned if anyone else gets in the way.

It isn't until I've finished debating my own inner turmoil that I notice the tension in Jack's shoulders and the awkward way he glances over to the woman behind me.

"Maggie?" The woman asks, her irritatingly high-pitched voice strikes a familiar chord, so I turn to get a good look.

"I don't know if you remember me but-" Her words blather on as her face lingers in my memories, that sheer gold dress, the short platinum hair, her almond-shaped emerald eyes-

Memories flood my mind as if it's an old movie picture, peering into the past in fragments.

Hushed whispers behind a large grey door-

Jackson dripping wet, clutching a large white towel-

"Julie?"