Fate Loves (Twist of Fate Book 3)

by Tina Saxon

  “Okay. Are we ready to go in?” Bryn squeaks, avoiding the bouncer’s heated stare. She blows out a breath. “It’s really hot in here. I need a drink.”

  I laugh at her while grabbing the girls to come inside. Finding out what he said is a conversation that will happen later. We walk through a small gift shop before getting to the front doors and then we’re escorted to our seats. Couches surround the stage and there’s a row of tables with chairs right behind it. That’s where we are. Our new friends just happen to be sitting to our left. Harper pulls their table closer so they can join us. We find out their names are Coryn and Abby.

  I run my hand across the red velvety couch in front of us. Fancy. Sitting down, I watch as the crowd fills the room. Coryn orders a lemon drop shot for everyone as soon as our waiter comes and introduces himself. Trey. Trey is freaking hot. I’m wondering why he’s not one of the guys on stage because he certainly could be.

  We talk with our new friends, waiting for our drinks and for the show to start. Syd keeps smiling at me. I can feel it. She’s planned something, and I’m sure I’m not going to like it. She knows if I get dragged on stage, she’s going to die. A slow and painful death.

  “You know, payback is a bitch, right?” I say, glaring at her.

  She bursts out laughing. “Just remember, I love you.” She blows me a kiss. I itch my nose with my middle finger.

  A couple shots later and after downing a fishbowl drink called XXL Voodoo, with glowing ice cubes, the lights begin to dim. You’d think we were out in the wild with how many women start howling and screaming. It’s like their mating call. My friends? They’re the loudest of them all.

  Strobe lights spear through the fog, permeating the air from the ground up. Heavy bass music blares all around us, and I can feel the vibration deep inside me. Syd bounces in her chair, her hands in the air as she screams. I can barely hear her over the music. When the screams elevate to a deafening level, I turn toward the stage. The lights go out. When they turn back on, ten beautifully sculpted men are dancing on stage.

  Right in front of me. Holy hotness.

  Everyone is up on their feet, including me. I can’t help it. I move my hips to the music while I watch their bodies move around on stage. One guy drops down, walks in front of me, and runs his hand down my face. “Hey, beautiful,” he whispers in my ear. Oh, hell. I should not be getting goose bumps from the heat of his breath. Before I can regain my senses and back away, he’s moved into the crowd. Thank God!

  “He was hot,” Harper screams. I nod and smile wide in agreement. That same guy brings a woman from the crowd onto the stage, and I blow out a sigh of relief that it wasn’t me. The guys surround her on stage, each one taking their turn with her. Then she starts talking about safe words and unicorns. Nope, not a random girl. She must be the MC.

  As the show progresses, the level of heat in this place rises. Between the gorgeous men and the show they put on to the drinks I’m inhaling, I’m feeling really good…and turned on. I clench my crossed legs, watching a number where a woman and man are on the stage with water falling on them.

  I lean over to Syd. “What’s the name of this song? Because the next time I’m in the shower with Aiden, I want it to be playing,” I say, fanning my face.

  “I don’t know, but when you find out, please share.” I nod and go back to watching the erotic scene in front of us.

  The songs continue and each time a guy hops off stage and walks in our direction, my heart starts to beat faster. I turn and look at one of the girls. Don’t make eye contact, I keep telling myself. I really don’t want to go on stage.

  Then it happens. Two guys are on stage dancing and both hop off and head right for us. I do my normal, look away routine, but when I look back he’s standing right in front of me with a sexy ass grin.

  It’s the same guy who called me beautiful at the start of the show. “Come on, beautiful, you can’t ignore me anymore,” he says, pulling my hand. The other guy walks Syd on the stage, too. She’s certainly more willing than I am. She practically jumps into his arms. We’re seated on two wooden chairs opposite of each other on the stage. The guys dance between us. I glare at Sydney and shake my head. I knew I should have had more to drink.

  I have my legs crossed so I don’t flash anyone, but Mr. Hottie comes and uncrosses them, straddling me. Oh, God. I’m holding on to the chair for dear life.

  “Relax,” he breathes into my ear. “I’ve got you.” No. No, you don’t have me. My heart is beating so fast I can’t relax even if I wanted to. Between my nerves, the music, and the man rubbing his groin on my lap, I think I might have a heart attack. I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly. God, I hope no one is getting video of this; Aiden would hunt this guy down.

  Mr. Hottie grabs my hands and puts them around his neck. His hands glide down my sides. Oh. I bite my lip. Oh, SHIT! He grabs my thighs and picks me up.

  “Wrap your legs around me. Don’t worry.”

  Don’t worry? That’s easy for him to say. My crotch is going to be rubbing against his cock and only my panties are going to be between us. Oh, no. This is not good. I’m going to kill Sydney. I wrap my legs around him because I start to slide down his sweaty body. I close my eyes and try not to think about what’s happening right now. It’ll be done in a minute. He nuzzles his face in my neck.

  “I need you to hold on. We’re about to go up,” he whispers. Go up? Go the fuck up where?

  I don’t have time to resist because he jumps up on a ladder. Whoa! He gyrates against me and flashes me a wicked smile. I laugh at the insanity of all of this. Next thing I know, I’m on the floor and he’s dancing over me, on me, against me. My body starts to tingle from the heat coming off him. Our eyes lock for a few seconds.

  “Goddamn, you’re gorgeous. Too bad you’re getting married,” he says into my ear, all the while dancing on me. Wait, what? Do they normally say that kind of thing to the girls? Yes, they do. This is all part of the show, I tell myself. I shrug and smile. “Find me after the show,” he says, finally bringing me to my feet and walking me back to my chair.

  Okay, that was not part of the show.

  When the show ends, I practically drag the girls out of there before Mr. Hottie can find me. I don’t know if he was serious, but I don’t want to find out.

  “I think I need to change my panties,” Syd says as we walk out. “Why are you rushing to get out of here?” She looks at me.

  “Did your dancer friend tell you to find him after the show?”

  Her eyes widen. “Um…no.”

  The girls all whistle and moan. “You guys were hot up there. I felt a little weird getting excited,” Katie jokes.

  I whip my head toward Katie. “This does not get repeated to Aiden. Ever. That goes for all of you.” I point to each girl.

  “Is your fiancé the jealous type?” Coryn asks.

  All the girls bust out laughing. “He is definitely an alpha male,” Syd says.

  “Mmm, he sounds hot,” Coryn purrs. I lift a brow to the girl who is still a stranger to me. I don’t know why her comment rubs me the wrong way, but it does. Syd notices my expression and jumps in between us.

  “Alright, girls, next stop!” She gestures for us to start walking. She walks beside me and leans into me. “We can ditch the new girls if you don’t want them to come.”

  I exhale. “No, they seem fun. I think my nerves are just overstimulated, and I overreacted to her comment.” I look down at her, eyes narrowed. “And you are going to pay very, very badly for that back there.” I point back to the club.

  She beams. “It was hot.”

  Okay, I’ll admit it. It was a little hot.

  ***

  The blue ambiance of the club glows from down below. It seems Ryker called in a favor and we were escorted up to the VIP section. Our hands are never with an empty glass either. I’m sure everyone up here wonders who we are. We only have an hour left before we meet the guys at a different bar. I’m excited to see Aiden, put my ha
nds and lips on him. Since we left the Magic Mike Live show, I’ve been horny as hell, and I’m looking forward to our time tonight more than ever.

  A remix of the song “That’s What I Like” from Bruno Mars starts to play. “Let’s go down there,” Syd screams, pointing to the crowd. I nod my head and grab her hand.

  We tell the other girls we’re going to dance. Harper comes with us, but the other four stay to watch from above. We hang onto each other’s hands, weaving our way onto the center of the dancefloor. I put my hands up in the air, moving my hips to the beat of the music. Syd looks at me and giggles before bringing my hands back down. I feel my dress creep up and tug it down. I mouth thanks. No need to say it, she’d never hear it.

  It’s probably the first time I’m thankful I’m wearing just a scrap of fabric. It’s so freaking hot in here. I look around at all the bodies. It’s packed. Sweat drips along my brow. I wipe it away and take a few breaths, blowing it up into my face. I’m not drunk but I’m feeling good. A glass of water sounds great right now, though. I lift my thumb and pinky and do the universal sign for “I need a drink.” Sydney and Harper both nod in agreement.

  Harper goes first, then me, and Sydney behind. I have Syd’s hand in mine. When I feel it drop, I turn around. Some guy is holding her around the waist, trying to get her to dance with him. She rolls her eyes and tells him no thanks. When she tries to keep walking, he tightens his grip on her. Come on, fucker. She said no. I walk back and grab her hand.

  “She doesn’t want to dance, dude,” I scream and pull her out of his grasp. He pins his gaze on me. His eyes creep down my body and back up, meeting mine again. There’s heat in them now. I shake my head. Not going to happen. We start walking again and the asshole flings his arm around my waist and slams me into his hard chest.

  “It looks like you want to dance with me,” he hisses.

  “No, asshole, I don’t,” I snap, trying to get out of his grasp.

  “I think you do.” He runs his other hand down my side and moves his hips to the rhythm of the song. I take a couple deep breaths, trying to calm my anger. I attempt to move again, but this time he grabs my ass. “Your ass is gorgeous.”

  Red. Flaming red is all I see. The stench of cigarette smoke and sweat makes me feel sick to my stomach. I can’t even tell if it’s reality or a flashback. I can feel his hand grabbing my ass. My mind turns off and my automatic defense mechanism kicks in. I grab the hand holding me and ram my elbow back as hard as I can. When he lets go, I turn and bring my knee up to his groin and then punch him right in the face. He goes down and everyone steps to the side. You’d think I would have stopped; he’s down, but the rage running through my veins doesn’t let me. I kick him, making sure to move my pointed heel to his groin area. He screams out in pain. I’m pulled off him by a very large bouncer. Max-sized bouncer. I fight him until my brain kicks back on and I’m able to process the situation.

  I’m hauled outside. “What are you kicking her out for? That asshole was sexually assaulting her, and she was defending herself!” Syd screams as she follows us outside.

  “Stand there and don’t move,” he demands, looking down at me. I glare back at him until he goes back inside.

  I look down at my hand and it’s red and swollen. Shit, that’s going to hurt when my adrenaline calms down. I pace along the sidewalk, my body trembling with anger. I groan a few times out of frustration.

  “Addie, are you okay?” Syd asks.

  I don’t answer because I’m not okay. I continue my path, back and forth, taking deep breaths in and blowing them out. I take off my shoes and throw them against the wall. The large bouncer is still not out here, but another one stands to the side, watching me. Breathe in, breathe out. It’s all I concentrate on. I’m safe. He can’t hurt me.

  Ten minutes later a cop car pulls up and a cop gets out and walks over to me. Thank God they called the cops. That guy can’t get away with grabbing women however the hell he wants.

  “Miss?” he asks.

  “Addison Mason.”

  “Miss Mason, are you the one who attacked the guy in there.” He points to the club. I’m caught off guard by how he used the word attacked.

  “I defended myself from being sexually assaulted,” I deadpan.

  “That’s not what he said. He said he asked you to dance and you attacked him out of the blue.”

  “That is not what happened,” Sydney sneers and jumps in between us.

  “Ma’am, please stand aside,” the cop says as he puts his hand on his gun. I look up for a second. Shit!

  I pull Sydney behind me. “Syd, I got this.” I glare at her and hope she listens.

  “Officer…” I pause and look at his badge, “…Romero, that isn’t what happened.” I try to sound calm.

  “We have other witnesses who tell the same story.”

  “Other witnesses? It happened fifteen minutes ago. How can you have already talked with other witnesses?” So much for being calm. This asshole cop is lying, and I’m not sure why.

  “Ms. Mason, please turn around. You’re being arrested for aggravated assault.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t make me use force, Ms. Mason.”

  I can’t believe this is happening. By now the bouncer has come back outside with my friends. They are all freaking out. I have a feeling if I don’t go, someone is going to get hurt. I turn around and put my hands behind my back. I’m facing the girls and most of them have tears rolling down their faces. The cop tugs on my hands more than necessary and I let out a grunt.

  “You’re going to regret this,” Syd warns. “You don’t know who she is.” I look at Syd like what the hell are you doing? That is not going to help this situation.

  The large bouncer steps forward. “Officer, I can tell you it wasn’t her fault,” he says in a deep voice.

  “Well, she can tell it to the judge,” he responds. The bouncer’s expression turns hard at the officer and softens when he looks back at me. I mouth “thanks.” The asshole cop pushes me toward the car.

  “Can I at least get my shoes?” I ask, walking barefoot on the cement. Now that I’m able to form a coherent thought, it’s gross thinking about not wearing shoes. He doesn’t reply, just pushes my head down into the back of his police car. By now a crowd has formed and many are taking video of the whole thing. Aiden is going to have a heart attack if he sees that video.

  I’m taken into custody at the Las Vegas Detention Center and escorted into a holding cell—at least they gave me some flip-flops—and have a seat on the long bench off to one side. The cold steel hits the back of my legs and I shiver. I pull down my dress a little and curse Sydney at the same time. There is another long bench on the other wall where a woman sits. Must be a slow night for only one person to be in here.

  “What are you in here for, hun?” she says, popping her gum.

  “Defending myself.” I wrap my arms around my chest. It’s freezing in here and it stinks like urine. I glance down to the floor and can see stains of God knows what. I don’t even want to think what I could pick up with one little swab.

  Her snicker makes me look back up at her. “That’s what they all say.” I tilt my head, wondering what the hell she’s talking about.

  “I was,” I say.

  “Oh, I believe you, sweetie,” she says in an accent. It sounds southern, but not like Texas southern. “I’m just sayin’, that’s the first thing someone says when they’re caught.”

  I can’t even comprehend that answer. Caught from what? I look away from her over to the passing guards. A couple of them look over and smile at as they walk by the cell. I roll my eyes and look back to her.

  I sigh. I guess talking to her is better than sitting her doing nothing. “So, what are you in for?”

  “Defending myself,” she says, her tone serious. I chuckle awkwardly. She’s a weird one. “I know what you’re thinking, our stories are exactly the same. We need to stick together. Girl power.” She throws her fist in the air. I’m not
sure if she’s drunk or high, but she’s not right. I look closer and her eyes are dilated, which tells me she’s on something. This keeps getting better and better. I hope Syd finds Aiden soon. “Did you run over your husband, too?” My mouth gapes open before I snap it shut. I giggle to myself, wondering what she would say if I said yes. She stares at me with a serious gaze.

  “Um…no.” I shake my head. “I didn’t. I kicked some guy’s ass who sexually assaulted me.”

  “Good for you.” She jumps up on her feet. I sit up straighter against the cold cement wall, wondering if she’s going to come over to me. “See, us girls need to stick together. Men are all assholes,” she yells down the hallway.

  “Sit down, Barb,” a male’s voice says from around the corner.

  “Fuck you, Nate,” she replies and sits back down.

  I know I’m going to regret asking, but it seems I don’t have anything better to do. “So, Barb, tell me why you ran over your husband.”

  Chapter eighteen

  Aiden

  “Come on, Aiden, just one lap dance,” Damon says, holding up some dollar bills. He’s been begging me for the last hour. Like I told Addison before, she’s the only woman I want in my lap tonight. Seeing these naked women hasn’t changed my mind. “We just have half an hour left before we have to meet the women.”

  I groan and look up to the ceiling. He’s never going to shut up. “Fine. One dance.” I hold up my finger. Max chuckles and shakes his head. “What, asshole?”

  He shrugs. “I just remember a time when you couldn’t get enough of that…” He points to the girls.

  I nod my head and smile. “Times have changed.”

  He grabs my shoulder. “That they have, brother.” I look around and see Damon talking to a brunette woman. I can’t deny that’s she beautiful. Beautiful boobs and a great body, but she doesn’t even come close to how beautiful Addison is. I make a mental note to take a shower before we go to our room tonight.

  I see Max pull out his phone and his expression hardens. “Max!” Ryker screams at us from across the room, throwing his hands out. A girl grinds against his lap. He looks bored, obviously more interested in Max than the girl. “We said no phones until we meet up with the girls.”