The situation doesn’t get any easier when we arrive at JayCee’s club. Rob and I immediately slouch down in the VIP booth we’ve booked, eager to catch up, talking about songwriting and the latest gossip from our circles. I’ve missed a lot in my time at Rose Manor. One of our pals is out of rehab; another one just started rehab; there’s been breakups and makeups; the works. Rob fills me in on everything. Meanwhile, I notice Ella grab Lacy by the hand and get her on her feet, dancing. Lacy looks nervous for a second, biting her lip, and looking back at me.
“Hang on,” I put up my hand to Rob quickly, quieting him, and stand up.
“You good?” I raise my voice so Lacy can hear me above the music.
“Yeah, this club is really nice!” She says, gesturing to the dancefloor below us. The VIP tables are on a balcony above the main floor, giving us space and, more importantly, privacy. As long as Rob and I stay seated, people below can’t see us. On the main floor, throngs of people are already dancing, and the DJ is playing some new hip hop tracks from JayCee himself.
“And your friends are nice too!” Lacy adds, clearly trying to reassure me that she’s having fun.
“They love you!” I tell her. “I’m just going to catch up with Rob a little bit, if that’s cool?”
“Of course!” She nods, but I can see a nervous look in her eyes. Next to her, Ella, a former club dancer, is gyrating and bopping, hanging on to the railing.
“Okay. But let me know if you want to leave. And Lace?”
“Yeah?” She gives me a timid look.
“You’re my rock’n’roll goddess tonight. Remember that.”
She shoots me a grateful look, clearly getting what I’m trying to say.
“Yeah. Thanks, Ben.”
I watch with a smile as she grabs her glass from the table, toasts Ella, and starts dancing to the beat, looking out over the crowd with a smile on her face. She gives me one last peek over her shoulder and then starts dancing with Ella, chatting and drinking. Relieved that she seems to be comfortable, I sit back down with Rob.
“Lacy’s really cool, Ben,” he says with a nod toward her. “She’s a real one.”
“I know, man. Super talented too.”
“You two could be quite the power duo.”
“You think? I’m not sure LA is her scene,” I say. It’s fun to have Lace here for the weekend but I’m not sure she’d like living in LA full time. When I’m not touring, it’s where I spend most of my time.
“Looks to me like she fits right in,” Rob replies with a grin, nodding towards the girls.
Lacy’s head is thrown back in laughter at something Ella is telling her, and her face is shining with a sexy new confidence.
“Excuse me, man,” I say to Rob apologetically. “I think I’ve got to—”
“Yeah, yeah, go get your girl,” he cuts me off with a big smile. “You know you’ve always got me around when you want me.”
He gives me a fist bump and then gets up himself, in hot pursuit of Ella, who greets him with a giant kiss.
Meanwhile, I sidle up behind Lacy, who peeks over her shoulder and backs into me suggestively. She’s shaking her butt to the beat, and having her grinding against my jeans is not helping with the half-boner I’ve been nurturing all night.
“You still got those red panties on?” I murmur in her ear as I bring my hands forward around her waist, running them over the curves of her hips.
“Yeah, you want them?” She asks with a giggle.
I’m so astounded by the bold move, I don’t get a chance to answer before Lacy has given me a wink, wriggled her thong down, down, down her legs, over her heels, and kicked them to the floor. She then bends over suggestively, snatching them up before Ella and Rob notice, and jamming them into the front pocket of my jeans.
Shit.
My hard-on just went from half to full-mast I shift uncomfortably.
Lacy turns around to face me, dancing seductively, making sure I can see all her curves on display. The club is hot and sweaty, and we’re surrounded by the noise of steady beats and murmuring people. I can’t take this anymore.
I lean forward to murmur in Lacy’s ear, “Let’s go back to my place.”