Cocky Prince

by Jules Barnard

  She stares like she can’t believe what she’s hearing. “Those punks nearly killed me.”

  I rub my forehead. “I’m not trying to lessen what happened. It’s just—This is different. If you keep pushing, you’ll be hit with much worse than rocks.” I gentle my voice, because I need for her to listen. “Whatever you’re thinking about doing? Don’t. Just give me time, Hayden. You said that you would.”

  “To do what? Get yourself put in prison? I care about you.” Her voice quavers and her eyes grow watery. “But if I find something—even if it involves you—I’m taking it to the police.”

  “You think I’d willingly be a part of this?”

  “Aren’t you? You accepted the ring. And you’re involved in the Bliss suites.” She steps forward and hits my chest with the side of her fist. Not hard, but laden with frustration. “Why, Adam? Why the hell did you do it?”

  I capture her fist in both of mine. “The simple answer is, because my father ordered me to work at Blue. That Blackwell brought me into his…exclusive group…was coincidental. The ring means nothing.”

  “It’s symbolic.” She shakes her head. “Do you do everything your father says?”

  “Historically? Yes.”

  Her chin wobbles and her voice softens. “Well, maybe it’s time you didn’t. You can walk away.”

  I glance past her out the window, barely seeing the mountains and lake. “No. I can’t.” My gaze tracks back to hers. “I’m serious when I say you need to stay out of this.”

  She pulls away and grabs her purse.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Out.” She doesn’t look back as she heads for the door. “Don’t wait up.”

  I return to my house, which feels like a shell of a place. How have I lived here for so long without feeling lonely?

  Right. I did. I just never knew the difference until I started seeing Hayden. I filled the void with shallow women, nice cars, and trips to Ibiza. Now I don’t give a damn about any of that. I just want tonight to be over with so that I can make things up to Hayden.

  I change into an evening suit and check my phone. I texted Jaeg an hour ago and told him to call me as soon as he could, but my screen shows no messages. I pull up Tyler’s contact information.

  “It’s Adam,” I say after he answers. “Have you—heard anything? Something that might be going on tonight? Hayden left work and I got the impression she was going out, or had plans.”

  There’s a pause on the other line. “You two not talking?”

  “We’re talking, we’re just having a slight disagreement.”

  Tyler lets out a loud breath. “I can’t say anything or Mira will kill me.”

  “Jesus Christ, Morgan. You’re afraid of a hundred-pound female?”

  “She’s a buck twenty, and shit yes, I’m afraid. She holds my balls in her tiny little hands. And don’t even think to respond to that. I see the way you are with Hayden. You’re not one to talk.”

  I squeeze my forehead. “I’m worried about Hayden. I think she’s getting involved in something that could make her a target for the wrong people. She’s pissed at me for keeping things from her, and I’m worried she’s going to do something reckless.” I press my fingers against my eyebrows, pushing back the pressure that’s building there. “The thought of anything happening to her is making me crazy.”

  “I hate to say it, Cade, but you’re right. She is up to something.”

  My voice lowers menacingly. “You fucking asshole. If anything happens to her—”

  “Hold on. First of all, I can’t control Mira or Hayden. They’re a vicious force when combined, and if that makes me a wuss, so be it. Second, it’s my understanding that this—thing—Hayden is doing tonight is harmless. A bit of dress-up. Mira’s convinced it’s safe.”

  “Will Mira be there too?”

  “Well—no. We have dinner plans with my editor, who flew in for the weekend.”

  “Then who will look after her? Jaeg? I haven’t been able to reach him.”

  “Yeahhh, that’s because he’s out of town. Something about needing to talk to Cali’s mom.”

  “What the fuck! Who is keeping an eye on Hayden?”

  “Dude. That’s your job.”

  “She won’t let me! Whatever she’s doing, it’s behind my back. She’s pissed as hell at me right now.”

  “For starters, try simmering down, or you’re going to push that girl away.”

  “Son of a bitch,” I mutter. “I’ve turned into my father.” I stalk across my living room, turn, and stalk the other way.

  “So your girlfriend’s pissed at you, and you can’t control her?” At my grunt of assent, he chuckles. “In that case, welcome to the club, buddy. The women we’re with are smart and ruthless.”

  “Too smart. Too headstrong.”

  “Yep. That about sums it up. Wish I could help you, but Mira and I are about to walk out the door. Hayden left a while ago. I’ll have Mira check in with her, but like I said, my understanding is that whatever she’s doing, it’s safe.”

  Why do I doubt that?

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  The goal of tonight’s auction isn’t completely philanthropic. The burlesque show seduces celebrities into the club, and the auction to raise funds for cancer gives them a legitimate excuse to be here. In the end, the casino rakes in an inordinate amount of money from wealthy patrons hitting the tables afterward, not to mention the profit earned once a select group of individuals visits the Bliss suites and signs on the dotted line.

  I’m not sure how much longer I can take this. And I’m not referring to the club, though I am sick of the din of music and voices—the shuffle for attention. Hayden is the only one I want to spend time with. And if that’s not evidence some serious shit has gone down for me, I don’t know what is. Because I didn’t want anything serious, and here I am in the most serious relationship of my life that’s teetering on the edge of destruction because I can’t separate my old life from my new one.

  Hayden was right. I should have told my father to screw himself when he asked me to take the job at Blue. But then I might not have run into Hayden, and being with her has changed me. I was changing before I showed up on Blue’s doorstep—sick of my old life—but she helped me round that corner.

  Bliss wasn’t what I signed up for when I first started working at Blue. Now that I’ve risen to management and obtained the coveted Blue Star designation, I’d like to step down. Because this shit Blackwell is into is too much. Even for a jaded asshole like me.

  I know what went down with Lewis’s girlfriend and Cali when they worked here a couple of summers ago. That was one guy, and I thought it ended with him. But it didn’t. Blackwell and Paul and William, and even Eve—they’re taking advantage of people, rich or not. They’re hiding the truth through subcontractors and escorts and encrypted clouds designed to destroy evidence. I’ve seen enough, and if Hayden weren’t still working at Blue Casino, I’d quit, my father be damned. But Hayden is still here. In fact…

  I scan a pair of shapely legs over at the bar—one of the pinup lookalikes that came in for the evening. This one has black hair. But the curve of leg into ass that swells over a handful of generous hip, pulling in at a trim waist…

  I can only see her from behind. But behind is all I need.

  Goddammit.

  I stand and smooth down my tie. “Excuse me, gentlemen,” I say to Paul and the other men at the table in the club’s lounge. “I see something I like.”

  The men laugh lewdly, which is exactly what I want. I need them to believe I’m picking up a beautiful woman, not hauling my infuriating girlfriend from the premises.

  In a black wig, Hayden is standing beside a tall barstool, sipping a clear drink and stealthily looking around.

  I lean against the bar beside her, and sense her stiffen. “What are you doing?” I say casually, swirling the gin and tonic in my hand and taking a gulp.

  Her head turns slightly. “How did you know it was
me?” she says, her voice low, her mouth barely moving.

  I take in the fake eyelashes and heavy makeup that, granted, gives her a different look. I might have missed identifying Hayden as the shy girl I went to school with when I first started at Blue, but I know her now. I could target her with my eyes closed based on the way the air shifts when she’s in the room.

  I flash her a look of irritation. “I know the shape of your body, the way you move your feet when you’re nervous—the way you smell.” Her chest rises on an intake of breath.

  She turns her back to the bar and pulls her shoulders back, staring out at the sea of bodies in the club. “I’m here to enjoy myself. You?”

  I level her a look that calls bullshit.

  Her beautifully made-up face, which rivals any pinup poster I’ve ever seen, pulls into a sexy pout. For a second, I forget where I am.

  Then I remember and my annoyance returns tenfold. “You shouldn’t be here. And what the hell are you doing dressed like that? Are you trying to attract danger?”

  “Danger? For dressing like the rest of the girls in this place? I think not. Paul’s already grabbed my ass once. He and the others have no idea it’s me.” She pats her ridiculous fifties bouffant wig.

  “Grabbed your ass,” I say irritably. I blow out a breath of frustration through my nose. Of course Paul would try to touch her.

  My gaze takes in her figure, her sun-streaked brown eyes, and I look away. “You may have fooled Paul, but not everyone is oblivious. I knew it was you.” I flash a mocking smile. “I’m attentive like that.”

  “You just know the size of my…”

  I inch closer until the arm of my suit jacket brushes her creamy skin, bared at the shoulder by her halter top. “Do tell.” I’ve been primed all week, and my patience is dwindling. I will not be held accountable for tossing her over my shoulder and hauling her out of this place.

  She glares at me. “My assets. That’s what you do, isn’t it? Size up assets and decide whether something’s worth your time? Which apparently Blue and the Bliss suites are, because you’re here, working for the devil.”

  “As are you,” I remind her. “And if we’re talking ass-ets, then yes, I’m rather good at sizing up yours.” I let my gaze drop to her beautiful breasts pushed up for my perusal, then lower it to her hips and round ass. She snaps her fingers in front of my face and I lift my eyes. “But you’re wrong if you think I choose my friends based on their financial worth.”

  “Jaeger, Lewis,” she rattles off. “You’re telling me you don’t choose rich friends?”

  I stare at her for a beat, genuinely surprised. “I thought we were beyond this.” Her glare falters and she blinks. “You know me, Hayden. My brothers have no money, and they are a huge part of my life. I don’t give a fuck what someone’s stock portfolio is worth.”

  “Your brothers have access to the family money, if they want it. And you don’t have to work here and cater to Blackwell, but you do.”

  “As do you,” I remind her again, growing more agitated by the minute. “You could choose to find a different job. The reason I’m staying is because I don’t want to spend my life dependent on my father’s money. I want to build something for myself.”

  “At the expense of others.” She glances stubbornly away. “Go back to Paul, Adam. I wouldn’t want to interfere in your fortune making. Besides, you’re not the only one who’s working.”

  My jaw shifts. “You’re off duty. You have no reason to be here. Blackwell kicked you off this event.” Her spine stiffens. “And you shouldn’t be dressed like that. Here. Tonight.”

  Suspicion fills her eyes. “Why not?”

  I walked into that one.

  I can’t tell her that Paul and William, and the rest of the Bliss-supported execs, are recruiting this evening. Not simply for new Bliss members, but for burlesque dancers too. “Trust me, okay? I need for you to go home. I’ll meet you there in a couple of hours. Three tops.”

  She turns to me, her body pressing close, but not close enough. “Well, I need for you to tell me what’s going on, but you won’t. So I’m staying.”

  My jaw tightens. I might explode. No one infuriates me more than Hayden. I lean forward until my lips are inches from hers. “Stay. Out. Of. Trouble.”

  Her eyes dart between my mouth and my gaze, then narrow. “Don’t you threaten me, Adam Cade. I have every right to be here.”

  “Is that why you’re in disguise?” Her lips part, and then she presses them closed. “Remember what I said.” I stride away before I drag her away.

  I return to the exec table where my colleagues are entertaining a few athletes, plus one billionaire who owns an island—all here for Bliss. If Blackwell hadn’t been so adamant we attend tonight, I wouldn’t have. But it’s a good thing I did, or I wouldn’t have known Hayden was here too.

  I ease back in my seat and tap my fingers on the table, signaling the waitress with my other hand for another drink. Stubborn, stubborn woman.

  Every few seconds, I glance at the bar, keeping an eye on her. Just once, I wish she’d listen to me. But I can’t blame her. I’m lying by omission. I wouldn’t be happy with me either.

  William’s attention falls on Hayden. “Beautiful girl you were talking to. I didn’t see her in the show, but she should have been.” He waggles his brow. “Or maybe a part of Bliss?”

  “Nasty disposition, that one.” I pound the last of my drink. “She wouldn’t fit.”

  William’s gaze continues to rake over Hayden. “You sure? Maybe she just needs the right touch.”

  I squeeze my empty glass and rest my elbow over the back of the velvet club chair I’m in. “She’s a lesbian.”

  William’s mouth twists and he glances again, as though it were possible to read that sort of thing. “Really? Still—”

  Jesus, what will it take? “William, she’s not interested. Her girlfriend was right next to her.” He opens his mouth to say something, and I cut him off. “No, she’s not interested in a threesome.”

  His eyes brighten. “With you, but—”

  For the love of God. “You think I can’t get a lady to consider it?” I smile roguishly.

  He frowns. “You’re a good-looking bastard. I don’t suppose you get too many rejections.”

  Except from the woman who would prefer hanging me by my balls to sleeping with me right now.

  I’ve kept an eye on Pinup Hayden for the last thirty minutes. Three different men have approached her. The current pair hovers like vultures, causing a frown to mar her beautiful features. I intended to remain at the club until the midnight grand opening party, but I can’t sit here and watch Hayden be harassed by idiots.

  “Please excuse me.” I stand, and William looks up, then over at Hayden.

  “I thought you said she was a lesbian.” He sounds annoyed.

  “I must have been mistaken. I’m about to rectify that.” I nod to the others. “Gentlemen? See you upstairs in the suite.”

  William’s mouth hooks down on one side as I turn and walk away, but I don’t care what he thinks. One of the men near Hayden is touching her shoulder with his fat finger, and I’m about to rip it off his body.

  I approach the bar and reach around Hayden’s waist, drawing her to my side. “Ready to go?”

  She glances up, her expression about the same as William’s a second ago. To resist is futile. I’m not leaving her side.

  She must realize this, because she plasters on a smile. “It was nice to meet you,” she says to the men.

  “You can’t leave.” The one with long hair and a ridiculous scarf glares at me. “We were just getting to know each other. I’d be happy to give you a ride home,” he says to her.

  “Hell no,” I say, and walk away, pulling Hayden along with me.

  “Was that necessary?” She skips to keep up as we make our way to the club’s exit.

  “Yes.”

  Outside the club, Hayden stops abruptly. “Adam, you’re being a caveman again. I don’t nee
d you to protect me from jackasses like that. I had it under control.”

  “Did you?” I turn on her. “Because it didn’t seem like you were comfortable over there.”

  Her brow furrows. “Well, no, but I still had it under control. That wasn’t the first time a man has come on too strong. I didn’t need rescuing.”

  I look up in exasperation. “Hayden, this is more than two guys. I can’t express how badly I need for you to be home safe. William’s been asking about you. He doesn’t know it’s you, but that doesn’t mean he won’t figure it out. You’re courting trouble by being here, dressed like that. Please go home.”

  She studies my face. “You’re really worried?”

  “Yes,” I say emphatically.

  She crosses her arms. “I’m pissed at you.” She lets out a loud sigh. “I can’t believe I’m considering this.” She gives me a heated stare—one I wish I could say was sexual, but which I fear might be the look a black widow gives her mate before she bites his head off. “I have a good reason for being here tonight, and you’re ruining it for me.”

  “Do I want to know what it is?”

  “It doesn’t have to do with picking up men, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  I graze my thumb along her jaw. “I didn’t think it did. I trust you.”

  “Well,” she says huffily. “I wish I could say the same about you.”

  I grab her hands and wrap them around her back, locking them in place at the curve of her spine and pressing her chest to mine. “If you didn’t trust me, you wouldn’t do as I ask.” I kiss her mouth gently and let go of her hands.

  She wavers on her feet and grabs my arms for balance. Her gaze goes from dazed to angry in a flash. “Don’t use my attraction to you to get me to do what you want. You underestimated me back there. This is totally unnecessary. I’m not helpless, Adam.”

  I frown. “I don’t think you’re helpless. That doesn’t stop me from wanting to protect you. It’s a dormant instinct for me, I know, but it seems to be functioning and lively where you’re concerned.”