The Pact

by Max Monroe

  I weave in and out of a small crowd that’s gathered outside to freeze their balls off waiting to get into the new “hot spot” restaurant, WigWam, and pull my jacket a little tighter. Even though I’m moving, the frost in this bitch tonight could just about nip the nose off Jack himself.

  Fuck, it’s cold.

  Realizing I’m still holding my phone in my bare hand in the freezing air like an idiot, I slide both back inside my pocket and shove them into the depths of warmth, just above the HotHands I slipped inside before I left my apartment. The phone vibrates again, but I’m completely prepared to ignore it—until it goes off again and again and again.

  I sigh, pull my hand back out of my pocket, and look at the screen. Five message notifications from the group chat with my siblings sit front and center. Too curious not to check, I open up my inbox and start reading as I continue carefully making my way down the busy sidewalk.

  Winnie: Uncle Brad’s birthday is coming up, and I am not letting all of the party and gift responsibilities fall on my shoulders again. You bastards are helping this time.

  Ty: But, Winnie, you’re so good at all of it.

  Winnie: Ty, I swear on everything, I will end you.

  Ty: Can you at least make sure you end me AFTER you plan Uncle Brad’s party and figure out what we should get him?

  Remy: LOL.

  I laugh out loud too. I could join in on the amusement—I mean, I am the funniest and funnest sibling of all—but the entrance doors of Club Craze are so close, and indoor warmth sounds like my current idea of a good time. Instead, I slip my phone back into my jacket pocket and focus on the priority task at hand—work.

  I push open the large black glass door and step inside, and instantly, the pounding beats of a popular hip-hop song fill my ears. I can’t not move my head to the bass as I walk through the cavernous space and toward the back hallway where the offices and dancer dressing rooms are located.

  Ah, yes, I fucking love the New York nightlife.

  “Jude!” Ki-Ki, the in-house DJ, shouts from her booth, removing one headphone to offer a wave as she continues to bop around to the catchy music. With a quick swipe of her hand, the song morphs into “Do I Wanna Know?” by Arctic Monkeys. Which she then brilliantly mixes with old-school Beastie Boys.

  “Hell yeah!” I raise my hands in the air. “That’s sick, Keeks!”

  The pink-haired music pixie grins back at me, gives a thumbs-up, and then adjusts her headphones, getting back to prepping music for a busy Saturday night.

  Since it’s only a little after seven, she still has some time to get things prepared before we open the doors, but once nine hits, Ki-Ki’s got to be ready to move and groove. Thankfully, she knows it and takes it seriously, or we would never be able to draw in the numbers we need to.

  And bringing in the big crowds is my job.

  Club Craze is brand-new, but J. Winslow Promotion is notorious for working with the hottest clubs for a reason. I need this place to bring wall-to-wall people and an even bigger personality. It has the potential to be one of my favorite hot spots in Manhattan, and if everything is done right for the launch, the owner says he’d be willing to sign a contract with my company for nightclub promotion for the next four years.

  My job is to create the party, help people let loose, and make damn sure they want to come back and do it over and over again.

  For a guy like me, I can’t think of a better fit.

  Once I’m past Ki-Ki’s booth, I take a swift right and head down the “employees only” hallway. Another few feet and I spot Maverick, a relatively new friend of mine—one I made pretty easily upon finalizing the staff for this club. He walks in through the back door that leads in from the small parking lot off the alleyway on the side of the building. A gray duffel is over his shoulder, and a beanie covers his blondish-brown hair.

  Maverick is hilarious, a real fucking good time, and a dancer for Club Craze. Picture Channing Tatum from Magic Mike doing “Pony” with a grinder, and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what kind of dancing he does.

  “What up, Winslow?” he shouts when we make eye contact. “What are you doing back here?”

  “Actually, I was looking for you.” I wasn’t. “See, I remembered you still owe me money from that play-off game last month, and figured it was high-time I reminded you.” I smirk, shrug, and stop to lean against the wall just outside the dancers’ dressing rooms where I know he’s headed.

  “Of course, you cheap bastard.” He throws his head back on a laugh.

  “Cheap bastard?” I question and put a hand to my chest. “Are you talking about me? The guy who told you the Mavericks were going to win that play-off game, and you definitely shouldn’t take that fucking bet?”

  This isn’t the first time the two of us have bet on something. Surely it won’t be the last either. Maverick is addicted to trying to beat me, and I’m addicted to wagers and challenges.

  He laughs and rolls his eyes, coming to a stop across from me. “Yeah, but the only reason you probably knew is because your sister is married to fucking Wes Lancaster. It’s like goddamn insider trading.”

  “Don’t be bitter, dude. I told you not to bet against them. Hell, the team has your damn name, for fuck’s sake.”

  “Whatever.” He rolls his eyes at that. “What do I owe you again?”

  “One hundred big ones,” I respond. “And don’t try to sweet-talk your way out of it with cries of poverty. Even though you suck ass at dancing, I’ve seen the way women shove dollar bills down your pants. I know you’re good for it.”

  Mav waggles his brows. “You jealous, bro?”

  “Jealous? Of what, exactly? That you spend your nights letting women fawn over the idea of your dick so you don’t have to cry when they see how tiny it actually is?”

  “Fuck off,” he retorts. “We both know there’s a reason why you’re the one who gets the people to the party and I’m the one who entertains the people at the party. Only one of us has real talent.”

  A laugh jumps from my throat. “Get real. I could dance. I could fucking dance circles around your ass. You think your tips are good? Ha. The number of tips I could pull in during one night would blow your mind.”

  “Man, I’d love to see you put your money where your big, obnoxious mouth is,” he snaps back on a hearty chuckle. “There’s a bachelorette party coming in tonight. It might disappoint the bride, but it’d be a fun opportunity to watch you fail.”

  “I’d rock that bride’s world.”

  Mav cracks up. “Jude, with all due respect, you’ve never danced a day in your life. Much less danced like I dance. You’d fail spectacularly.”

  I waggle my brows. I can’t help it. It’s the thrill I’m always chasing, the high I can’t seem to quit. And this bastard is going to pay for doubting my abilities.

  I square my shoulders and lean forward, right in his face, and ask, “Wanna bet?”

  Click to keep reading The Bet!

  First of all, THANK YOU for reading. That goes for anyone who has bought a copy, read an ARC, helped us beta, edited, or found time in their busy schedule just to make sure we stayed on track. Thank you for supporting us, for talking about our books, and for just being so unbelievably loving and supportive of our characters. You’ve made this our MOST favorite adventure thus far.

  THANK YOU to each other. Max is thanking Monroe. Monroe is thanking Max. We know, we know! We do this every book. Every. Single. Book. But guess what? We’re going to keep doing it because that’s how we roll. If you don’t believe us, we challenge you to go read all of them and see for yourself. HA-HA!

  THANK YOU, Lisa, for continuing to kick ebb with our flow. We could NOT do this without your goddess-like ways. WINE! WINE! You get wine!

  THANK YOU, Stacey, for making the insides of our book look so damn pretty and rolling with the crazy schedule punches we throw your way. You are the absolute best!

  THANK YOU, Peter (aka Banana), for rocking our covers and making Flynn Winslow l
ook like the sexy, charming, perfect good-time guy that he is.

  THANK YOU, John, for joining the team like a Bond movie character who has to parkour his way onto a moving train! To the future!

  THANK YOU to every blogger who has read, reviewed, posted, shared, and supported us. Your enthusiasm, support, and hard work do not go unnoticed. We love youuuuuuuuuuuu!

  THANK YOU to the people who love us—our family. You are our biggest supporters and motivators. We couldn’t do this without you. Although, it should be noted, sometimes you guys are hella distracting. But the ones who are the most distracting are under the age of eleven, so we’re not going to hold that against you. HA-HA.

  THANK YOU to our Camp members! You guys are the best! THE BEST, we tell you! You’ve made Camp the coolest place to be and one of our favorite places to go to procrastinate. We can’t wait for all the fun we’ve got planned for this year!

  As always, all our love.

  XOXO,

  Max & Monroe