by Nicky James
The brown-haired Ashton jumped at Donny’s order. “Right away.” He pinned me with another flirtatious smile before spinning and heading back to the bar at the opposite end of the stage.
When Ashton was out of sight, both Donny and Alessio’s gaze fell to me. I was the center of attention. A stage light might as well have been directed my way.
“We just came to enjoy a few drinks, thank you.”
“We didn’t,” Alessio piped in. “You didn’t drag my ass to a gay nightclub for drinks, shithead. No offense,” he said to Donny.
Donny smiled in return. “None taken.”
“You’ve been ogling after this guy for weeks. Point him out, fratello. Who is he?”
If we didn’t have an audience, Alessio would have heard a piece of my mind. He could have at least mentioned he knew the damn owner of the club.
“Whoever he is, I will ensure this man serves your table exclusively all evening. Special privileges for special customers.” Donny winked.
I bit back my irritation with Alessio. I’d gone to try a final time at gaining Soren’s attention. Knowing he danced in a club and probably had hundreds of men after him constantly had already killed my hope of becoming more visible and softening his edge. What was the point?
All the evening would amount to would be having a gorgeous server and perhaps engaging him in some passing conversation one last time. Also, I’d succeed at torturing myself a little more.
Feeling entirely awkward and out of place, I reluctantly nodded to the stage. “Soren.”
Donny didn’t even turn around to look in his direction. His grin widened as he rubbed his palms together. “It will be done. Soren is one of my best dancers. Always catches the eye.”
Wonderful.
My chances plummeted further with every second that passed. Donny left us and headed toward the bar, intercepting Ashton just as Soren’s set ended. Despite Alessio’s smug smile in my peripheral vision, I couldn’t peel my eyes off Soren. As he wandered off stage, Donny waved him over.
There was a fleeting change in Soren’s demeanor. It was there and gone so fast, had I not been studying him so closely, I’d have surely missed it. As he approached Donny, he passed a look to the man he’d been on stage with and they shared a silent conversation before the other man disappeared in the crowd. Soren’s eyes darted about to a few tables as he approached Donny, an uncertainty shone in his eyes.
“You really think that young thing is going to look twice at your old ass?”
“Nope,” I said, trying to hide my defeat. Alessio chuckled.
Donny was explaining something to Soren—whose back was turned to me—and as he spoke, Ashton’s shoulders dropped. The brown-haired guy passed a glance in my direction, the smile no longer beaming from his face. He was hurt, that much I could tell.
“Aww, you’re breaking hearts already, Giuss.”
I ignored Alessio as Soren glanced over his shoulder as well. When our gazes locked, he once again appeared off balanced or unnerved. The reaction was minimal, but his shoulders squared, and the light muscles on his almost naked body tensed when he saw me. Again, as quickly as it was there, it was gone, and he smiled weakly in my direction before turning back to Donny.
Donny removed the tray with our drinks from Ashton’s hands and pressed it into Soren’s. Ashton’s nose curled and he shot an unimpressed glare at Soren—he didn’t try to hide himself in the least—and spun, walking away. His agitation caused Soren and Donny to shake their heads. Donny continued to have a word with Soren before squeezing his shoulder and sending him off in our direction with the drinks.
As he approached, I sat straighter in my chair and dashed a glance at Alessio. “Tieni la bocca chiusa.”
He chuckled and kicked my foot under the table. “Relax, I won’t embarrass you.”
I wished I could believe him. His lifelong reputation of being my older brother proved otherwise and made me leery.
Soren walked with arrogant confidence. His disquiet left behind and all that remained was assuredness and a cocksure swagger that made my skin prickle with heat.
His smile, once he was beside our table, glowed and creased his eyes like I’d seen only once before. It was the same alluring smile he’d had at the other bar when he’d mingled with the group of young men.
However, for all the confidence he radiated, deep within remained a sliver of tension. His gaze flicked to Alessio, and recognition swam briefly to the surface before he shoved his reaction away and turned back to me.
“We meet again,” he said as he lifted the drinks from the tray and sat them in front of us. “The coincidence is uncanny. But this is a bar and you are thirsty I assume. Just like everyone else.” He slid the White Russian closer on its cardboard coaster and nodded to the glass. “Should I grab you extra napkins? You know, for the drips?”
Alessio failed to cover a snort of laughter before it squeaked out. “You’ve known the guy thirty seconds, Giuss, and he already has you pegged.”
My foot shot out and connected with his shin. He yelped and jumped up, grabbing his leg under the table. It didn’t shut him up as I hoped. Instead, it encouraged more laughter. Alessio’s amusement reflected in Soren who smirked, quite pleased with how his jab had gone over.
“I’ll be fine without. Thank you.” I held Soren’s gaze, returning his smile and showing him I was not at all put off by his comment. In fact, his sass and sarcasm were a strong part of his personality, and the more time I spent in his presence, the more tantalized by it I became. “Any chance you carry—”
“Sierra Nevada?” he interrupted. His smirk grew when my eyebrows shot up, and he rested his empty tray on his hip, swaying his slender frame. “Surprise! Turns out I’m not just a sexy body, huh? Hope that doesn’t disappoint you too much. But, yes, I can hook you up this time. It’s a little fancier in here than where you found me last time. But only a smidgen,” he showed me with his fingers, “so don’t set your hopes too high.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle and shake my head. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”
He drew his bottom lip into his teeth and winked before flipping around to address Alessio. The attention and suggestiveness behind his demeanor were in direct contradiction to the man I’d met a week and a half ago on the other end of town. The atmosphere at our table was thick with innuendo. His brazen attitude may have been the same, but his manner toward me was oddly warmer. I tried not to think to much about it and decided to simply enjoy it while I could.
“And you?” he asked Alessio.
“Same, thank you. And bring the napkins so I don’t need to hear him whine for the next couple hours over drips.”
“Not a problem.” Soren dashed a glance back at me, grinning arrogantly. “Also, Donny asked me to assure you that drinks are on the house tonight, so please enjoy your evening. I’ll be right back.”
With that, he turned and glided through the crowd. His walk of confidence drew my eyes to his teal-colored, skin-tight shorts that barely covered the round globes of his backside. The way his ass swung gave the distinct impression he knew my eyes followed him, and I snapped my head back around to Alessio.
Alessio laughed again and pulled his chair in closer. He picked up his drink and held it out to me. “My germophobic brother is so desperate to get laid, he goes to a seedy nightclub to chase after a man who has probably had more hands on his ass than there are fecal organisms on this table. Cheers, Giuss, I think your OCD has finally found its limits. I never thought I’d see the day.”
My elbows shot off the table at his words, and I curled my nose at its surface. “Must you do that?”
I picked up my drink cautiously, trying not to think about where I was and just how many people had sat at that table before me. I refused to clang glasses with Alessio.
Drinking deep, my gaze trailed to Soren where he leaned against the bar, talking to another server. “He’s feisty. I like him. I don’t stand a chance though. I mean look at him. He’s yo
ung, he’s gorgeous, he’s—”
“Flirting with you? You can’t be that blind.”
After another sip of my drink, I set it down as Soren accepted a small tray with our beers on it across the room. “He’s working for tips. Most servers do. Let’s be serious. He already turned me down once.”
Alessio shrugged and smirked as he followed my gaze to where Soren crossed the room toward us. “Maybe things have changed. Maybe he’ll surprise you.”
Before he got to us, I drained my glass and placed it aside at the far end of the table to be taken away, freeing my coaster for the coming beer. “Do me a favor and call me Remy tonight, would you? You’ll just confuse the guy.”
Alessio moved his empty glass next to mine and chuckled. He didn’t have time for a response before Soren was within earshot.
He slid up next to our table and placed our beers on the newly vacated coasters. “Here ya are. Fancy beer for the fancy folk. And,” he rounded the table, shimmied up beside me and jutted out a hip. There was a small folded pile of napkins shoved in the side of his shorts. He shook his hip and waggled his eyebrows. “Napkins for you, sexy.”
It was too over-the-top considering our past rendezvous. When I met his shinning blue eyes with my own look of confusion, a flicker of uncertainty passed over them. Although, it vanished so abruptly, I questioned if I’d truly seen it.
Because I hadn’t reached to take them, he diverted his gaze to his side and plucked them out, placing them in my hand. “Hope my cooties don’t scare you off.”
His grin was boyish when he met my gaze again. He’d noticeably pulled back on the flirtations. Whether it was my reaction a moment ago, or his own sudden discomfort I didn’t know. Soren moved back around the table, passing a glance again to Alessio, before zeroing in on me.
“Donny has asked me to serve your table exclusively this evening. Anything you need, just ask. I am completely at your service.”
His self-assuredness returned and his gaze never wavered when he spoke. It was as though Alessio had been instantly forgotten.
“Thank you. I think we are all right for a few minutes.” I passed a quick glance to Alessio who nodded.
“I’ll check back in a little while then.”
Just as he was about to spin and walk away, I interrupted.
“Do you dance again later?” I surprised myself with the question and swallowed hard, hiding my nerves behind a gentle smile. I’d only caught the tail-end of his stage time before and regretted it. We’d been so distracted finding a table and meeting Donny that I’d missed seeing him dance.
“I do. I’m the closing set tonight. If you are still around.”
I smiled and nodded. Soren dipped his head and once again disappeared into the crowd.
“So, we are here until closing now I take it?”
“Please don’t abandon me.”
Alessio sipped from his beer and sighed. “Fine, but next time, you come alone.”
There probably wouldn’t be a next time. Soren had been clear that dating wasn’t his thing. It wasn’t likely he’d change his mind.
“Fine, deal.”
Chapter Seven
SOREN
The bus ride home was silent. Ash’s head remained downcast the entire time as he sulked. Eventually, I’d need to draw attention to his issue, but I was too tired right then to be bothered. He didn’t even seem to care that I’d waited around for him when I could have gone home early for a change. I stuck around because I knew he was upset.
Donny assigning me to pay special attention to our cop friends was bittersweet relief. It meant remaining up front and being exempt from any sort of backroom activities.
On the downside, a small niggling part of the night concerned me because I didn’t know if that Remy—or whatever his name was—guy was going to end up as one of Donny’s new exclusives. A thousand red flags stood at attention inside my head, heeding warnings about suspicions brewing. There were cop’s eyes on the club. Was Donny acquainted with those men or did they draw his attention as potential exclusive members because of their age and obvious higher social status?
Remy showing up that night shone a glaring light on my mistrust for him. He’d claimed he wasn’t a cop, but the man with him certainly was.
“Why didn’t you just tell Donny I was handling it fine on my own?”
I cracked an eye open and glared at his dejection. Shuffling up from where I leaned against the window, I rolled my eyes. “Donny was adamant it be me. I don’t know why, but you know how it goes, Ash. I was just doing as I was told.”
Ashton curled his nose at my response and peered out the window into the dark night. “You know I thought that guy was hot. It just stings. I bet he asked for you. They always request you.”
I knew he probably had. The coincidence of him showing up at the club after having tracked me down at the bar was too much to avoid.
“Ashton, he’s a cop and if he’s at the club now then—”
“I thought he said he wasn’t.” Ashton’s head turned to me. His innocence made him look even younger. How could he be so naïve after working for Donny that long? “He told you he worked for a magazine.”
“Don’t believe everything people tell you. Call it a hunch, but I think we are being investigated, and if they find out what goes on in that place we’re fucked. When that happens and shit hits the fan, you’ll be glad it’s not you in the spotlight so shut up and stop fucking moping around like I stole your puppy or something. The only good thing about tonight is that I got a bloody night off of that backroom shit for a change. That never happens to me.”
The bus slowed, and I dashed a look out the window to see we were at our stop. I grabbed my backpack and shot up, walking to the doors before the bus stopped or Ash had time to respond.
Back in our apartment, I threw my bag on my bed and disappeared into the bathroom. I should have allowed Ash to shower first, considering our night’s, but I wasn’t feeling overly courteous.
After a hot shower, cleansing my irritation, I walked naked back into our apartment and retrieved a pair of yellow and red striped briefs from my dresser before putting them on. Ash slunk past me, saying nothing, and went to shower.
I pulled back my comforter and laid in bed, not bothering to cover myself. It was warm in the apartment and despite September sneaking in, the air was sticky and humid. I worried my lip as I played over the evening.
“I want all your charm on the man with the polo shirt, got it?”
Did Donny know them?
More than once I’d wondered if Donny had connections with the police department. How on Earth his establishment continued to run unnoticed baffled me more days than not. But if he had a connection, it wasn’t like they’d make themselves known, would they?
The more I thought, the more I was convinced Donny had no clue those men were cops.
The bathroom door creaked open and Ash inched his way out, tossing his dirty clothes in our dirty clothes pile in the corner. He didn’t immediately move to his bed, only hovered in the middle of the room. I knew what was coming.
“Can I sleep with you?”
With a sigh, I shimmied over, giving him space. Not sure why I bothered considering he was on me like a leech in a second, arms secured around me and snuggled into my side with his head on my shoulder.
“What are you going to do?” he asked. His damp hair tickled under my chin and I brushed it aside, flattening his curls away from my face.
“I think I’ll need to talk to Donny. He’s normally pretty good at being careful, but he doesn’t know what we know. I don’t want him blindsided.”
The following weekend, I dragged Ash into work early so I could talk to Donny. I’d spent all week mulling over what I knew, and the more I thought about it, the more I worried something was up.
I left Ash in the empty changerooms and climbed the back stairs to his office on the second floor. Even seeking Donny out made my heart beat faster. It wasn’t often people went will
ingly into his office.
Knocking lightly on the stainless-steel surface, I bounced on my feet, waiting for an answer.
“Come.”
With a deep breath, I pushed through my nerves and entered. Donny sat at the far end of the room behind his desk. Piles of folders and garbage covered its surface, along with a computer, multiple empty coffee mugs, and scattered supplies. Apart from a desk lamp which illuminated his workspace, the room was in shadows.
He glanced up, but when he saw me, he lowered his eyes again before speaking. “Soren. You’re here early.”
“Yeah, I was hoping you’d have a minute so we could talk.”
He stopped writing and dropped his pen on the desk before leaning back in his chair and regarding me with an intense, uninviting glare. His dark eyes unnerved me, as they always did when I was center of attention.
“What’s the problem?”
“Umm…” I darted my gaze from his to the floor, hating how uncomfortable he made me feel. No one in my life had the ability to make me feel that way except Donny, and I hated it. Years ago, he’d ensured I knew my place around him and would never forget.
“Ah, last weekend, the men whose table I served. I… I don’t know if they will be returning, or what your intentions are, but I think you should know something.”
I paused and when Donny didn’t acknowledge me, I lifted my gaze again. His jaw firmed under clenched teeth, and his face hardened even more than usual. My pulse spiked and a lump grew in my throat.
“Know what?” he finally asked when I stalled.
I swallowed hard and continued. “I think they’re cops, and we might be being investigated or something. I mean, I know they are, or one of them for sure, the other I assume is, even though he says he isn’t.” I rolled my eyes in frustration. What I’d planned to say had flown right out the window and I was just stammering, making myself sound stupid.
Donny leaned forward in his seat and placed elbows on the desk, pointing his finger. “This behaviour needs to stop, Soren. We’ve talked about it.”
