Once they were done, the punk guy went up to the mic. “Thank you all for your support. We will definitely be back!” Everyone hooted and hollered at that, and he and Dani went backstage, leaving it empty for the next performer.
“I told her we were here. She said she’d stop by,” Theo informed me as I took a swig of the amber liquid in front of me.
“I thought the whore worked upstairs.” Lauren smoothed out hersage greendress and she cleared her throat. She was lucky I even brought her along. She needed to shut her mouth and enjoy it.
I clenched my fist and tightened my jaw. This wasn’t what I wanted to be doing tonight. “Keep your mouth shut about her. I’m not dealing with this bullshit right now. It was bad enough having to entertain your parents’ friends for hours.”
Lauren snapped her mouth shut and her eyes burned holes into me. I didn’t give a fuck. She was a bitch and I didn’t have the energy to referee for her and Dani.
“Fine, I’ll be good.” I felt a pointy shoe touch my leg beneath the table. Lauren smirked as her foot moved up. “I told Portia and Lexy to come here and they would be let in. I hope that’s okay.”
Eyeroll.Another thing I had to do to kiss Lauren’s father’s ass. Dad owed me big time for this shit.
I nodded in agreement and shot a text to our security guy. We didn’t let anyone under twenty-one get in unless we approved it.
“Hey, there she is,” Theo said as Dani and her singing partner walked up the steps to the VIP platform.
The guy was scrawny and about the same height as her. Didn’t seem like her type, but what the fuck did I know. They were probably screwing.
“Hey, this is Hail,” Dani said as she looked around the table. Her eyes flitted momentarily when she saw Lauren, but then made their way back to me.
Everyone said hello–except me. I poured more whiskey into my glass from the chilled bottle in the center of our table and threw it back, not giving a shit when some spilled down my chin.
“Nice to meet y’all,” Hail smiled and then plucked his phone from his pocket, handing it to Dani. “Number.”
She took it and punched her number in, handing it back to him and smiling once she was done. “Let me know when you’ll be around.”
“Sure thing, partner.” Hail tipped an imaginary cowboy hat and fist-bumped her.Okay, they weren’t screwing. “I’ll see y’all later.”
“Dude was good,” Theo said once Hail left.
Dani climbed over my lap, brushing her plump ass against my groin, and sat between me and Theo. She earned a growl from Lauren, who I forgot was even at our table. “Yes he is. He was nice enough to share his spot with me tonight.”
“Do you know him?” I grunted, avoiding eye contact, swirling my glass on the table.
“We just met. He knew me though. I guess I made quite an impression upstairs.” She grabbed an empty glass and poured herself some whiskey.
Lauren scoffed and I kicked her under the table. She gasped but I ignored her.
“I’m going to wait for the girls by the door to make sure they get in,” she announced. No one responded. She left in a huff once she accepted that no one gave a fuck.
“You gonna fuck him?” I asked. Poking the bear wasn’t a great idea, but I had a shit night and the whiskey was flowing, so whatever. Bring it on.
Dani slammed her glass down on the table and I could see her glaring at me in my peripheral vision. “Maybe. Why? Do I need your permission first?”
I shrugged, sipping my drink. “Nope. Just curious.”
“Heyyyy,” Theo cut in, slurring his words from the whiskey. “You remember what happened the last time you took Lauren on a date.”
My spine stiffened as I clutched my glass. Of course I remembered. They fucked. Did we need to bring it up again?
“Don’t remind me,” Dani muttered.
Theo threw his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “C’mon, it wasn’t that bad, was it?”
“I don’t even remember it.”
Theo chuckled and grabbed his glass, taking a sip. “Probably because it didn’t happen.”