"Did you say something?"
"She wants to go to Silk," Maverick says with an enigmatic grin, answering before I can.
The playful edge he uses is odd, and the look Kode gives me is definitely piquing my intrigue.
"What?" I ask.
"You don't want to—"
"I think Silk is a fucking perfect idea," Maverick says to interrupt Kode. "Get dressed. We'll go get changed and pick you up in about an hour."
I glance over to see it's nearly eleven at night, so I shrug. "Sure."
Kode starts to say something else, but Maverick gives him a hard shove toward the door. Corbin and Dale snicker softly before waving to me as they follow out Kode and Maverick. I'm not sure what all that was about, but I'll kick their asses the next time they withhold information from me like this. A club in Sterling Shore? That should have been the first thing we discussed.
Now, time to look sexy.
***
DANE
"I wish the damn new would wear off already. I'm sick of hanging out alone," I grumble, huffing lightly as I rest my elbows on the railing that overlooks the club.
"Ouch," Tag murmurs, making me roll my eyes.
"You're here with your wife, the last I checked," I mumble, motioning down below to the beauty at the bar who is giggling with another girl and Billy Prize.
He props up beside me to stare down at the craziness I've created. This club is probably my favorite business because it allows me to just escape.
The girls are dressed in sexy yet tasteful lingerie as they dance on stage, teasing the steel poles that fall from the ceiling and press into the stage. As a means of keeping the seduction with mystery, they wear masks over their eyes, and they usually wear wigs, too. They keep the entertainment up while the dance floor stays loaded almost nightly. I needed this distraction—a way to just relax.
The live band adds some zest to the crowd. The club goers always have fresh music to move to, and the partiers have even more entertainment. Yep. I know how to rock a club.
I take a long drag off my lukewarm beer, cringing as the liquid tastes less than refreshing. All the waitresses are below, serving the heavy crowd. You'd think they'd be catering to the owner, but I've apparently been forgotten.
"I need a fresh beer. You want one?" I ask, turning toward the lucky bastard who is now staring at his woman, dazed, a stupid grin on his face.
"I'll take that as a no," I mutter to myself when he doesn't even manage to hear me.
I groan as I walk away, heading out the door. Even though the top is an open loft, I have a secure doorway to keep the groping women and drunken, jealous boyfriends away. Some guys don't like their girls dancing on my stage, and they usually accuse me of doing less than savory things with them.
I don't fuck the staff. Never have, never will. But they don't know that. Sadly, I can't even remember the last time I did get laid. Maverick always tries getting me to meet girls, but I honestly don't have time for all the drama a relationship would entail.
I prefer using my free time to hang out with my cousins and brother, especially since Tag and Wren are married. It's hard to hang out with married men because they have a completely different set of priorities. And being around Tag is nauseating right now, since he's still in the honeymoon phase.
I'll be happy when Kode, Maverick, Dale, and Corbin get out from under Rain's ass for five damn seconds and come hang out with me again.
This had better not be a nightly deal. I know they've missed her, but this is bullshit. I shouldn't get abandoned just because their girl came back.
Their girl. That makes me sick. There was a time when you couldn't have pulled me from her side, but apparently I was a fucking idiot. Everything was fine. Perfectly fine. Sure, I didn't have her the way I wanted her—other than that one night in Cancun—but we were still us.
I was planning on telling her how I felt—how I really felt. I'm glad I didn't. I would have just made a bigger idiot of myself.
I spent that last night at Beach Grill with her, holding her, kissing on her, wishing I could really kiss her. Then we all walked on the beach like the couple we should have been. Rain and I were side by side all night. I held her hand, walked along the edge where the waves would kiss our feet, and it was perfect.
Then she went home after kissing me just on the corner of my lips, making me want more. The next day, she left—as planned—and I waited by the phone to hear from her.
Nothing.