Mitch's muscles flexed he leaned his elbows onto the table overlooking the crowded dance floor in the EDM room populated with a mix of the Thai university-aged crowd and a handful of foreigners who were probably expats or tourists who'd looked up Bangkok's popular club districts. Lasers and flashing lights forming alternating patterns on the walls and dance floor were enough to give the average person a seizure, yet Emma danced out there to some electronic dance song with Maria. The Filipina swung her hips in distracting ways while the deep-v in her little black dress hypnotized him. Taking a slow breath, Mitch ran his palms over his rough jeans. He ached to touch Maria and feel her pressed up against him, but he knew better than to tempt himself.

"I don't like the two of you together," Shawn said over the music.

"It's not like that, man. I was just being neighbourly."

Shawn crossed his arms over his tight, gray t-shirt and shook his head before leaning closer to Mitch. "Lingering at her desk all week, flirting with her, and way you were looking at each other at the apartment? I'm not buying it. If you're sleeping together, you're not walking away from it until she leaves Thailand, changes departments, or she ends things. Replacing two teachers in our key stage this year was enough of a nightmare."

"But look what Sun and Dan's departure tossed in your lap." Mitch tilted his head toward the girls, in particular Emma whose crop top sparkled like a disco ball.

Shawn's scowl deepened. "I'm serious, Mitch."

"I'm not sleeping with her."

"But you're trying to," Shawn countered.

"No, I'm..."

Mitch's gaze travelled to Maria in that sexy little black dress he'd never seen before tonight. It was like she wanted to punish him for challenging her earlier offer. Had she been wearing that... heat returned as he imaging of caressing her perky, shapely breasts which peeked out of the dress's v-neck that almost dipped down to her stomach. Sitting beside her during the cab ride had been a Buddhist-level test of self-control, as each bump reminded him no bra was hiding under there. She was no twig where that would go unnoticed, and he liked her even more for it.

"You're what? Undressing her with your eyes?" Shawn shot him an unimpressed look.

"Can you blame me?"

"Just channel it elsewhere."

Mitch wanted to as she'd been overly attached to her last boyfriend, her only boyfriend. That was almost as bad as being untouched. Since her ex had been such an ass, Mitch would become a replacement, and being that he was better than that clown, she'd think they were meant to be together long term. Though if she wore that dress for him once a week...

He shook away the thought, focusing on the colourful strands of light sweeping across the crowd, who jumped up and down as the beat intensified. She already had those family dreams and anyone could fill that space at the moment, even someone as ill-suited as himself. He cringed. Shawn knew why that was a terrible idea, so Mitch understood Shawn's concern.

"We're friends. You know how it is." Mitch's eyes flickered to Emma just long enough for his friend to comprehend. Shawn's shoulders slumped.

He was too by the book to make a move while working as her boss, but it didn't stop them from flirting more than was comfortable. Mitch knew why his buddy was drawn to her, and as unhealthy as it was, he never brought it up. It would mean talking about her. Instead, he kept his distance from Emma, though that grew harder as she befriended Maria and Shawn, and he'd lost Becca as a shield. Driven away was more accurate, but the result was the same.

Two foreign men in their late twenties approached through the crowd of dancers to chat up Maria and Emma. Mitch fought the tension starting in his neck and creeping down his shoulders. Maria could talk to other guys and have a fling, he told himself. He'd pushed that advice for weeks. He tapped his fingers on the water bottle that was about to get upgraded.

"Want anything from the bar?" he asked.

Shawn shook his head and surveyed the club. Mitch wedged through large groups of people hollering in Thai with drinks in hand. Several women in outfits ranging from fitted crop tops to sparkly shorts to skin-tight dresses looked in his direction and smiled as he passed, one even whispering a tempting offer in his ear. He declined and continued to the bar. The mix of body odour, perfume, and cologne left him wishing they could chill on the club's epic patio, but Emma was directing the show tonight.

He waited alongside the other young Thai and older foreign men vying for a minute with one of the hot local bartenders in top-cut tank tops, who greeted most of their patron's leers and comments with a small smirk and a raised eyebrow. One woman moved with precision, plucking limes and straws without needing to stop. At least five minutes passed before he reached a spot where he could place an order with her.

"What can I get for you?" she asked.

"Two Singha, please," Mitch said.

"That'll be 250 baht."

She drifted off, taking a couple more orders on her way to the fridge while he dug through his wallet. She slid him the beers for his 300 baht.

"You must have great intuition," a familiar voice purred in his ear as his shoulders brushed past countless others en route to the dance floor. She kept up with his steps. "That or you're here with someone."

Of all his Bangkok hook-ups, Chelsea was the most relaxed and least put off by his lifestyle. She'd moved to Vietnam to teach English in an orphanage six months ago, and he had found no one as easy-going since. Becca had been a candidate until that blew up.

"I'm not waiting in that line again," Mitch said. "And I'm here with friends."

"As am I," she tilted her head of wavy brown hair toward a loud group of foreigners. "We're only in town for a couple of days, but I can give you my new number if you wanted to reconnect."

Mitch's eyes travelled to the dance floor where the two guys were chatting up Maria and Emma. Her smiles and laughs returned his attention to Chelsea. "Sure, you have a place we could go?"

"What's wrong with your place? Did your neighbour complain?"

"He moved back home, and the current one wouldn't appreciate it."

The guy put his hand on Maria's waist and pulled her close, but she still smiled and darted brief glances at him. Mitch unclenched the fist at his side. Not every man was an asshole looking for a piece of ass. The guy could be interested in her, and she didn't look like she was trying to fight it.

"She's your neighbour? Didn't think you were into blondes."

"I'm not."

"Oh, the Thai girl?"

"She's Filipino." Shit, why couldn't he keep his mouth shut?

"She's cute. What do you have worked out with her?"

Mitch furrowed his brows. "Why are you so god-damned nosy?"

Chelsea smiled. "So nothing yet. Come find me if you want to release that pent-up frustration. This angry, brooding thing you have going on is really working for me tonight. And I have a twin room to myself to answer your question. Bring her too, if she's up for it."

Chelsea turned on her stiletto heels and sauntered to her group, the ass that had been pressed against nearly every surface in his apartment swaying as she left. His body twitched. He should go to relive the hot memories and push away the newer ones of Maria, but something stopped him.

He returned to Shawn, who was trying to stare anywhere but at Emma and a guy playing tonsil hockey on the dance floor. "Want to get some check out the patio or the live stage?" Mitch asked.

"In a minute." Shawn stirred an empty glass of ice cubes. Mitch slid him the other beer.

He avoided looking at Maria by putting his back to her and taking a long swig. Behind him, her voice grew tenser and closer than it had been before.

"I said I'm not interested!"

"Lighten up, sweetheart," said a man with a Californian accent.

"Let go of me!"

Mitch set down his bottle and whirled around. Maria shoved the guy away and pushed through the crowd towards Mitch. With a quick lunge, the man grabbed her arm before she reached Mitch and yanked her back. She elbowed him hard in the ribs as Mitch grew closer. Mitch pulled her shaking body to his side, placing himself between Maria and the douchebag.

"It's okay," he whispered, holding her tight.

Maria nodded against his chest but continued to glare at her narrow-eyed dance partner.

"Fuck off. She said she wasn't interested," Mitch seethed.

The people dancing around them who'd ignored Maria before watched the situation.

"Looks like she's a dirty slut anyway," the jerk replied.

Mitch met Shawn's gaze, and his friend swept over to take his place beside Maria. Mitch lunged forward, his fist smashing into the jerk's cheekbone and nose. The man swung back, sending a skull-rattling jolt through Mitch's brain.

"Mitch!" Maria called out. He could only hope that Shawn had a hold on her.

The hazy target swayed before Mitch. The man took a second swing before Mitch's blurry vision reacted, and his brain staggered again. He braced himself for a third hit as his vision cleared, but it never came. His mouth and chin grew warmer and stickier as the pain in his nose throbbed with more intensity.

"These bitches aren't worth it," yelled another voice. Emma now stood alone, while Maria remained at Shawn's side.

Security pushed through the on-looking crowd, and Mitch groaned. Of course, he had to ruin a fun night of clubbing. He wiped the blood away from his nose and mouth.

"You guys should stay. This is my fault," Mitch said.

"No, it's mine." Maria adjusted her dress to lessen the V-neck. "I thought the guy seemed nice, but I'm a poor judge of character. If anyone should leave, it's me."

Mitch frowned, the action making his nose ache. "Don't apologize. You told him to stop, and he wouldn't listen. That's not your fault."

A muscled security guard grabbed him by the arm. Mitch tried to explain the situation in Thai to both men, but they still pulled him toward the exit. Shawn, Emma, and Maria followed. They walked past the smokers on the plush couches where he'd wanted to spend the evening.

Once Mitch and the others were outside the gates, the security returned inside. Mitch and Shawn assessed the street to see what their other options might be. Maria hugged her arms around her torso. He would have gone to comfort her if he wasn't covered in blood and using his sleeve as a tissue.

"Mitch," a woman called from the opposite side of the fence. Chelsea stood with a wad of paper towels and a smile. Mitch glanced from her to Maria before deciding a quick conversation would draw less attention than ignoring her. Plus, his dress shirt was only so absorbent. She extended the paper towels to him.

"Thanks, Chels."

"Seemed like you needed them more than the other guy."

More security guards were pushing the two reluctant and swearing foreigners out the entrance door. Shawn had stepped closer to both women and kept his arms around them.

"Just one of those nights," Mitch said. "Felt good though. That guy's a piece of shit."

Chelsea chuckled with a little smile. "I guess you won't be needing my number after all. Have a nice night, Mitch, and thanks for the memories." She winked.

Before he could ask what she meant, her heels clicked on the concrete as she returned to the club.

Maria said nothing when he approached her, but let him slide his clean arm around her shoulders. Having her next to him made the unsettled feeling in his stomach disappear.

A few streets away from the busy nightclub district, they found a fast-food restaurant that let them use the washroom so he could clean up. Maria came into the single-stall restroom with him and took her time dabbing a wet paper towel on his bloodied and scraped face. The dirty mirror showed his eye was already going dark where the first blow had landed. He winced when she touched him, and her strokes grew gentler.

She stood and looked at him with a blush growing on her cheeks. Her eyes drifted to the buttons on his dress shirt. He undid the top one, but the action sent a shock wave of pain through his finger. He masked it, but she brushed away his efforts and said, "Let me."

Her fingers were delicate and precise, undoing each button at the same rate. Her fingertips grazed his bare skin but remained steady until she reached the buttons near his abdomen. She bit her lip as her pace slowed. His breathing grew deeper and shakier as she got closer to his jeans. When she'd undone the last one, she stepped back and turned away.

Mitch could only stare at the hands that had made the simple act of undressing him to clean him up so sensual.

"Want me to check if he hurt you at all?" he asked softly, his eyes flickering to her arm. He wished he'd landed an extra blow to send a message.

"I'll be fine."

Maria ran her hands under the fabric against his shoulders, trying to free the shirt from his chest. If they weren't in some seedy restroom, he might have pulled her closer, offered her more than the recreational sex he kept claiming was all that he wanted. He wasn't sure what he could offer, but he longed to find out.

He inhaled and closed his eyes. That wasn't fair to her; she deserved someone who wanted her with certainty, and she would have no trouble finding that person outside of a club.

He leaned back and pulled the shirt off. She sucked in a breath, her gaze lingering on his body. He nearly grabbed her to kiss her properly, not a half-assed, drunken beach kiss, but one that showed she had been the only thing on his mind all night and all week. Would he be that bad for her?

"Maria," he said, his voice coming out raspier than he intended.

Her hands shook as she reached for the paper towel, and she looked at the dirty floor. "I think you've got it from here. I'll see if Shawn found you a new shirt."

With that, she left him cold, aroused and half-dressed in a fast food restroom. His life had taken a turn in the past month, but he wasn't disappointed.