by Nana Malone
4
Emma
A few hours later, Emma and Laila walked into Club Trend, laughing as the bouncer waved them past the line waiting out front. Apparently, the “bouncer”, their classmate, had a crush on Laila. His eyes stayed on her as they walked past. Well done, Laila.
Inside, the place was already packed, the techno music pulsating out of the speakers as the DJ spun the hits from high above. She linked arms with her friend as they fought through the crowd to the dance floor. The entire space was a hue of purple, blue and pink, with upholstered white couches strategically placed along the perimeter for dancers to take a load off.
The second level was clearly designated for the high rollers, with bouncers guarding each set of stairs that would take one up to that level. She could only imagine how much it cost to step up those stairs.
Laila led her to the dance floor as one of Emma’s favorite songs came on and they moved to the music amongst the crowd of dancers. The place was rocking and she could feel the music pounding through her body. Maybe this was good for her, to get out and spread her wings so to speak.
They didn’t have any clubs in their small village, only a few pubs which were nothing like this. She was glad that Laila had come over early to help her pick out her outfit, a shimmery gold tank top with a pair of black pants that caught the lights of the club. With her red hair down and minimal makeup, she felt like she belonged amongst the rest of the club goers. She hated to admit it, but it had her blood pumping and beating to the rhythm of the music. She understood why her brother had been so addicted to the nightlife. After all, they were the same. Desperate to break out.
She did a happy turn, taking in all the sights. Then her gaze flickered up to the balcony. A million memories of years gone by swamped her. Holy shit. It was him.
Oh no! No, no, no, no. That couldn’t be him. Emma ducked and scooted until she was obscured by the bar. Zach Andrews, that wasn’t him. Not that she should be hiding if it was, but still — she hadn’t seen him since that fateful night he turned her down — the one where she had it in her head that she was going to jump his bones and get him to pop her cherry. Yeah. It was stupid, because in the end she had been wrong. He hadn’t wanted her, or wanted to date her, so that was that.
Although, it wasn’t as if she’d told him about her little crush. If she had come out and said, “Hey, I’ve had a major crush on you since I was about ten. And I’d really, really like you to take my V card,” he probably would have run from her house screaming. The truth was, he had been nothing but a good friend to her. Mostly to her brother, as he was Steven’s best friend. But that hadn’t stopped her teenaged brain from thinking, ‘Hey, I can make this work.’
“You want to tell me why you’re hiding behind the pillar?” Laila’s voice was half amused.
“I am not hiding. I am merely checking it for stability.”
“No, this is definitely hiding. Who’s the guy? And why are we hiding from him?”
“Shit! Is it that obvious?”
“Well, one second I was talking to you about the hot guy by the exit, and next thing I know you vanished. And the only hint I had as to where you were was your gold tank top peeking out from around the pillar. Why are you hiding?” Laila handed her a shot.
Emma stared at the vaguely brown liquid and shrugged before downing it. It was smooth going down, but the flash of fire was quick to follow that. At least it warmed her from the inside. “Okay, remember that guy I told you about from secondary? He was my brother’s best friend.”
Laila nodded. “Zach or something.”
“Yeah, Zach Andrews, only the hottest thing since Harry Styles, David Beckham — shit, any hot British guy. Anyway, I would have sworn I just saw him on the balcony.”
“Are you sure? I mean, where does he live now?”
“London, I’m pretty sure. I don’t know where, and I don’t really know what he does. But I swear it was him.”
“Okay, so, maybe it was. It doesn’t explain why you’re hiding. “
“Well, you would hide too if you tried to jump his bones.”
Laila sputtered as tequila squirted out of her nose. “Are you serious?”
“Yes, serious.”
“When we met in uni, you said you were hung up on some guy. I didn’t know it was like a ‘hey, I’m kind of in love with you sort of thing.’ I thought it was a crush.”
“Yeah well. I was stupidly in love. I thought one day he’d fall in love with me back and we’d have a Love Actually type of happily ever after. Instead, I lost my virginity to stupid Adam.”
Laila groaned. “Stupid freaking Adam. I swear, every time I think of that guy, I just want to throttle him. I mean, how does he throw away a girl like you to focus on his studies and then still manage to flunk out? Anyway, we’re not talking about stupid Adam anymore. He didn’t appreciate you.”
“No, he didn’t. But that’s beside the point. If that is Zach, how do I get out of here without him seeing?”
Laila shook her head. “You’re insane. I adore you. And your crazy adventures, and your antics, but you can’t hide. Besides, he’s supposed to see the new grown-up sexy version of you, right? And then you can show him what he missed.”
Emma considered this. “You know what? It’s not a half bad idea. If it is him, he’ll see me all grown-up now, and I can be aloof and distant. Kind of like he was to me, and see how he likes it.”
Laila laughed. “Exactly! And if it’s not him, then you can flirt with the guy who looks like him and pretend. Either way, it’s fun for all.”
Emma eyed her friend. “Why do I get the impression that you’ll be endlessly entertained either way?”
Laila grinned and tugged her out onto the dance floor. But when Emma looked back up at the balcony, there was no sign of him. Had she been wrong? Or did she just have Zach on her brain? “I guess it wasn’t him.” What she didn’t understand was why she felt so disappointed by that. Because like it or not, Zach Andrews, hadn’t even know she existed back then. What would be so different about now?
Laila tapped her on the arm. “You okay for a minute? I see a friend I need to say hi to.”
“Yeah, sure. I’m fine. Go ahead.”
Laila scuttled off to air-kiss her friends and no sooner had she vanished when meaty hands gripped Emma’s hips and she turned around, surprised that someone would touch her so intimately. There was a guy standing there, a grin on his face, his eyes glazed over. She could smell it on him. “Hey beautiful,” he said, his words slurring over the music. “Why don’t you dance with me?”
“I … No thank you,” she said, pushing at his chest lightly.
He laughed and pulled her closer until their bodies were pressed up against each other. “Come on beautiful,” he said. “Why don’t you turn around and twerk on me?”
Twerk? What the hell? She thought about kneeing him in the groin, like Steven had taught her, but then she would cause a scene and Laila would be upset. Instead she gave him her best smile. “But I’m not that type of girl. And if you don’t let me go in five seconds, I am going to show you what kind of girl I can be.” After all, she had been raised by two older brothers.
“Feisty,” the guy said instead, gripping her tighter. “I like that.”
She rolled her eyes. Of course he would like that. How in bloody hell was she going to get out of this one?
Zach
He wasn’t cheating exactly. Zach had told Steven he would look in on Emma, and he was. Granted, he’d had one of his guys have a cursory look into the neighborhood she was staying in. Most of the area was okay, but it really was street by street. If she was on the wrong block—he frowned. He needed to do a pass by himself to be sure. And so far, the only person she seemed to be interacting with was a friend of hers from uni.
He felt like a shit looking her up like this. But honestly, Emma wouldn’t like her family encroaching on her freedom. And Steven had been particular. He didn’t want Zach spilling the beans about checkin
g up on her. So what other excuse did he have? Besides the one of you’re actually afraid to see her?
Yeah, there was that. Emma was grown-up now, but the rules were still the same. She was Steven’s little sister. Ben’s little sister. There was no universe in which putting his hands on her was in any way going to be cool with her brother. And given the scenario and situation with her brother, Zach might as well put that out of his mind completely. Yeah, good luck with that.
Over the years, he had thought back to that night. The one where he’d almost lost his ever-loving mind. But they’d been interrupted. Maybe that was for the best. It kept him from making an idiotic mistake. Emma’s family had been like a second home to him. You didn’t do that to people that you cared about. So, now he was just going to go about checking up on her from afar. In that way he could keep his promise to Steven. How hard could that be?
“Nice crowd tonight. We should do pretty well in terms of sales.”
Jason’s voice dragged him out of his reverie. Zach gripped the railing as he looked down at the crowd of people in the club, a feeling of self-satisfaction shooting through his veins. He had done it. All the blood, sweat, and tears he had poured into this place were paying off. By the looks of it, Club Trend was going to be the it spot by tomorrow. “Make sure our ad is in every magazine and newspaper in London,” he finally said, turning to look at Jason.
“Already done,” Jason said with a grin. “You did it. You are the man in terms of London nightlife. Feels good, doesn’t it?”
Zach grinned, unable to help it. Hell yeah it feels good. It was more than just the money. He wanted that top spot. There weren’t many things in his life that he could be proud of, but with this club, he felt like a proud poppa watching his kid start their first day of school. “Yeah, it feels good.” Turning back to the dance floor, he watched people enjoy themselves from above. Tomorrow his club would be on the lips of every person in this place. A redhead caught his eye and he looked closer in the laser lights, catching a glimpse of her face. No. It couldn’t be. His eyes were playing tricks on him.
He suddenly growled low in his throat and Jason joined him at the railing, his eyes scanning the crowd. “What?” he asked. “What do you see?”
Zach squinted and stared again at the redhead. It was her. Shit. Of all the people that could have wandered into this club tonight, it had to be Emma. “It’s Steven’s sister,” he finally said, looking at Jason. “She can’t fucking be here.”
“Who’s that? She looks like she’s having fun,” his friend said with a wry smile. “And she’s met a bloke. She looks a bit young, but my door guys are good. She wouldn’t be here without an ID. Why can’t she be in here?”
“Fuck.” Sure enough, there was a guy dancing against her but from his vantage point, she didn’t look like she was too keen on the idea. This was not what he had in mind seeing Emma for the first time. He had planned to call her this weekend. Take her to coffee or something. Something nice and friend like. Brotherly even. Except the things his dick wanted to do to her were far from brotherly.
He figured they would make small talk and have their coffee; he’d help her get around, find what she needed and be done with it. That was how he anticipated their first meeting. Not in the midst of his club that she had no idea he owned. If she did, she would probably never speak to him again. “I have to go get her.”
“What?” Jason asked, grabbing his shoulder. “But you never go downstairs.”
Zach shrugged off his grip, his adrenaline racing as he headed to the stairs. There was no fucking way he was going to let some guy take advantage of his Emma. Er, no. Not his. He had been tasked to keep her safe and that was what he planned on doing, including keeping the losers away. Screw his own rule. He was going downstairs.
He made it out of the VIP section that he and Jason had taken over for the night and down the stairs, brushing past the club goers as he reached the bottom floor. Zach could see her now through the dancers, having a conversation with her dance partner and looking none too pleased about it. Zach flexed his hands as he approached, the fierce need to protect her taking over.
Grabbing the guy’s shoulder, he spun him around. The fucker was drunk, which only pissed Zach off more. “I think the lady is asking you to leave her alone.” His voice was barely above a growl.
“Zach?” Emma’s voice filled his ears.
He shot her a grim smile over the twat’s shoulder and turned back to the fucker. “Get out.”
“Yeah right, mate,” the guy said with a drunken laugh. “On whose account? ’Sides, I saw her first.”
“My fucking account,” Zach forced out, his hands balling into fists as he turned to face the wanker. He would hit the guy if he had to, but he wouldn’t want that to be splashed across the front page in the morning. The guy stepped forward and Zach swallowed hard. A hand landed on his shoulder and Zach turned in time to see Jason standing beside him, a frown on his face.
“You, come on,” he said to the guy as one of the bouncers grabbed him. “It’s time for your night to end.”
Zach let out a breath as they brushed past, giving himself a minute before he turned to see a wide-eyed Emma staring back at him. “Zach?” she whispered.
He took one look at her and was lost. She was gorgeous, with the same sparkling green eyes and luscious red hair that he remembered, her body encased in an outfit that was nothing like the outfits he remembered seeing her in. He could see the nice outline of her curves and felt weird about looking at her in such a sexual way, but no matter how much he knew that he should look away, he couldn’t. Instead his eyes roamed from her hair down to the nice rack and tapered hips, hips that were meant to be grabbed. Bloody hell. One look and he was sunk.
“Hey Ems,” he answered, giving her a slight smile. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“Oh my god,” she said, holding a hand up to her lips. “I can’t believe this.” Before he knew it, she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Of all the places to see you.”
A glutton for punishment, Zach inhaled her scent, closing his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her body, his own traitorous body reacting to her closeness. Shit, this was Emma. He shouldn’t be touching her like this. But she felt so good pressed up against him, too good. He didn’t know what to say, what to do, his tongue tied in knots. She pulled back, her expression rosy, her eyes twinkling and Zach grinned. That was all he could do.
Emma must have realized that she was in his arms because she blushed and backed out. “I’m sorry. I’m just so excited to see you.”
Zach finally found his voice and motioned to the door. “Want to get out of here? It’s a bit loud.”
She nodded and he let her precede him before following, catching Jason’s eye as he passed. It was a silent thank you, the best he could do at the moment. Jason nodded and allowed them to step out into the chilly night. Zach had no idea where they were going to go, but it didn’t matter. Emma was with him. He’d figure it out.
5
Emma
“Where are we going?”
“Come on. I haven’t been up here in ages.”
He took her hand and led her out of the club around the corner and then up away to the elevator. She glanced at him dubiously. “Are you sure we’re supposed to be back here?”
“Live a little.”
“Yeah, I guess, but —”
He just took her hand and dragged her on the elevator anyway. “I know the security guys; they’re cool.”
“Well, look at you Zach Andrews, man of the town, knowing the security guards in a swinging place like this.”
He flashed a grin. “Well, I have come up in the world.”
Emma couldn’t help it. She slid her gaze over his body. “I see that.”
Zach gave her a knowing smile and she flushed. What was wrong with her? She was being flirty and forward. You should have learned the lesson the first time. Someone like Zach wasn’t going to be interested in her. Yes, well,
it’s a fun night, and you should live a little.
When the elevator doors opened, they were on the roof. But it wasn’t like any rooftop she had ever seen. This rooftop was covered with lush greenery and comfy looking couches. “Well, well, aren’t you a dark horse? How did you find out about this place?”
He hesitated for a moment. “Let’s just say I know people.”
Emma giggled. “What you really mean to say is that you brought a girl up here before.”
The grin was slow to spread across his face. “Perhaps I have brought a woman up here before, but you’re different. You’re a little slice of home. So, I want to show you your new city.”
Emma turned and the lights of London enchanted her, looking like multicolored twinkling lights in the distance. “It is spectacular. I can’t even believe I’m here.”
Zach chuckled. “I didn’t think you’d ever leave the village.”
“Well, if Mum and Dad had their way, I wouldn’t have. I mean, I get it. I just don’t like it. And I needed to live my life, you know?”
His gaze turned solemn as a small frown creased his forehead. “Yeah, I get it. You have to do what you need to do, right?”
“So, Zach Andrews, what have you been doing with yourself? And what are you doing in a random club in London?”
There it was again, that easy smile that she’d known growing up. That smile was the reason she’d had such an insane crush on him growing up. It was so easy to believe that the lopsided grin was solely for her. She might be the only one that he smiled at like that. She wanted to believe it. She had wanted to believe it then. How come she didn’t want to believe it now?
“Well, as you know, I didn’t really get to go to uni, so first up in London, I got odd jobs. I waited tables. I have worked as a bouncer a time or two. Eventually, I started to get footholds. I realized that even a city as big as this sort of runs like our small village. It’s about who you know, who you’ve done favors for. Those people look out for you. They’d give you odd jobs. Train you.”
