Taming Rough Waters: A Blood Brothers Standalone: Book 1

by Samantha Wolfe

  "For being such a pathetic charity case."

  "You're not pathetic." He frowned at me worriedly. "And it's not charity. I wanted to do this." He reached over and took my hand gently, squeezing it reassuringly. "For you," he added in a soft tone. His blue eyes brightened and warmed, pulling me in as his thumb glided caressingly along the back of my hand. I wanted him to kiss me, to hold me and take all my pain away. If only he could.

  The waiter walked up at that moment to get the check, smiling at us and ending the brief moment between us. "You're daughter is so sweet and adorable," he said to Calder, who stiffened in his chair and looked distinctly uncomfortable as he pulled his hand away from mine.

  "Thank you," I replied with a nod and a forced smile.

  The waiter wished us a great day and left us alone again. I could practically feel the tension bleeding from Calder now. His face grew lost and sad, and I wanted to fix it, but didn't know how.

  "I wish she was yours," I whispered softly without thinking, and regretted it instantly.

  He pressed his lips together as his eyes shimmered with sudden tears that were just as quickly banished before they could actually fall. Thankfully, before I could say anything else to make things worse, Violet returned to the table grinning happily at him.

  "You ready to go, kid?" Calder asked her evenly as he stood up from the table. His tone and demeanor were calm and in control once again as if his emotional reaction had never happened at all. He ushered us swiftly out of the restaurant to his car, probably because he was eager to get away from me.

  I remained quiet and let Violet and Calder do all the talking again on the way home, for fear I'd upset him some more. Halfway there the backseat grew unusually silent, and I glanced over my shoulder to find that Violet had fallen asleep. It was no surprise considering how hard she'd played in Calder's pool earlier. I was still trying to figure out a way to get her out of the car without waking her when Calder pulled to a stop in front of my brother's house. He turned in his seat to smile at my sleeping little girl, who really wasn't so little anymore. There was no way I was getting her out without waking her up. I reached over to shake her gently awake.

  "Don't wake her," Calder said softly, his eyes growing warm as he watched my daughter. "I'll get her out."

  He climbed out of the Tesla and came around to the passenger side. He opened the door and helped me out, then opened the backseat door and leaned in to get Violet. She didn't even stir as he unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled her into his arms. The next thing I knew I was following Calder up the sidewalk to the front door with Violet's head lolling on his shoulder, and her body draped around him like a limp and sleepy spider monkey.

  I unlocked the door and opened it for him. He silently carried Violet upstairs and gently laid her on our bed as I watched from the doorway in awe.

  "See you later, kid," he murmured as he pulled the blankets up over her.

  Calder's face was soft as he turned and walked toward me with his eyes fixed intently on mine. It made my heart flutter and want things it couldn't possibly have. I felt vulnerable and disconcerted. I looked away and went back downstairs with him a shadow right behind me. I headed straight for the door, eager to be alone so I could grapple with my confusing emotions.

  "I'm sorry I took up so much of your time today," I said apologetically as I reached for the door knob. His hand shot out and stopped me from twisting the knob.

  He turned me to face him and lifted my chin with gentle fingers until I had no choice but to meet his eyes again. They were bright and vividly intense, swimming with emotion and seeming to see right through me. I fell into them and couldn't look away.

  "I'm not," he said in a rough voice.

  He kissed me before I could even form words, his lips firm and confident as his tongue swept across the seam of my lips seeking entry into my mouth. I whimpered as I let him in, the kiss deepening as all coherent thought was driven from my head. It felt so good. A tide of emotions flooded me, longing, hope, fear. It was too much, and I pulled away gasping as I looked up at him.

  "What are we doing here?" I whispered raggedly. "What is this?"

  He shook his head as he gasped for air himself. "I don't know," Calder replied huskily. "But I can't stay away from you. Can't stop wanting you."

  His lips crashed into mine again, this time with a hard and desperate edge. He groaned and pulled me closer, his strong arms solid and comforting around me as his steely erection pressed insistently against me. I melted into him, latching my fingers into his soft thick hair and breathing in this gloriously virile man. My body was nothing but stark desire now, lost and taken by lust. The kiss went on and on, until Calder somehow managed to rip his mouth from mine. We were both left panting for air as he rested his forehead against mine and held me close.

  "I won't be at The Indigo Room tomorrow, but I will be there Friday night," he rasped out as his body trembled with need. "Come to my office after work then."

  I nodded, helpless to deny him because I desperately wanted him as much as he obviously wanted me. I knew it was foolish, but I'd take advantage of it as long as it lasted so I didn't have to feel so alone.

  He kissed me again, briefly yet savagely. Then he was gone in a rush, hurrying out to his car and leaving me to close the door behind him. I leaned back breathlessly against the door and touched my tingling and swollen lips, feeling unbelievably horny and questioning my sanity yet again for letting this hopeless thing between us continue.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-TWO

  ____________________

  Ella

  "So Violet tells me Calder Rennen is your boss," Evan said knowingly from the bathroom doorway. "And you took her swimming at his place yesterday, and then went out to lunch with him."

  I turned from the vanity, where I was getting ready for work, to see him raising his brows at me questioningly. Shit, I really didn't want to have this conversation.

  "Yeah, so?" I replied with a nonchalant shrug, hoping he'd drop it.

  "So, you used to date the guy," he said.

  "Shut up," I hissed as I glanced past him, hoping Violet wasn't within ear shot.

  "Don't worry," Evan assured me. "Vi is downstairs helping Beth with the dishes." He stepped closer with a worried frown. "Is something going on between you and Calder?"

  "No," I blurted out quickly, too quickly.

  "El," he said pointedly with a skeptical expression.

  "I...I don't know." I looked back at the mirror meeting my own sad and defeated steel-blue eyes. "But it doesn't matter anyway. It can't possibly go anywhere."

  "Why not?" Evan asked. "You used to love each other."

  I sighed dishearteningly. There were so many reasons. Where to begin? I'd callously and stupidly thrown our love away, broke his heart, and turned him into an addict. I was a broken mess inside, so how could he ever love me again? How could he possibly want a future with me? Neither of us were those same naive kids who fell in love anymore. It had been so long now that I'd forgotten what love even felt like. My eyes stung as tears threatened to fall.

  My phone rang before I could form a reply to my brother. I snatched it up off the vanity, never more grateful for an interruption.

  "Hello?" I said, eying Evan and the frustrated expression he was giving me.

  "Hi, Ella," Gwen's familiar voice spoke.

  "Hi, Gwen," I said. "What's up?" I ignored Evan's exasperated huff, and subsequent head shaking as he walked away.

  "I...um...I have a proposition for you if you're interested."

  "Oh yeah?"

  "Have you heard of Calder's club Désir Dangereux?" she asked in a tentative tone.

  Yeah," I replied.

  "So...you're aware of what kind of club it is?" Gwen asked carefully.

  "I am," I answered matter-of-factly. I'd caught enough tidbits of hushed and titillated conversation among the staff at The Indigo Room to figure out that the place was most likely some sort of exclusive high-end strip club. It didn't re
ally bother me that Calder owned the place. I'm sure he made a lot of money from it. Sex sells after all.

  "Okay," she breathed out in relief. "Good. I have an opportunity for you if you're interested. They're short-staffed, and if you're willing and comfortable with it, you could work your shift at Désir tonight. The pay and tips are significantly higher there, and I know you could use the extra money."

  "I'll do it," I said excitedly.

  If I had to hang out with a bunch of strippers and the horny business men watching them for extra money, so be it. I wasn't a prude. Who cared about a little nudity, if it got Violet and me out of Evan's house and into our own place that much sooner? Maybe if I proved myself there, it could be permanent.

  "Excellent," Gwen said happily. "I'll text you the address. It's in an old industrial park with no sign on the building, and the employee parking is in the back. Call me when you get there, and I'll let you in." No sign? That was odd, but whatever. I didn't care as long as I got paid. "Oh, and wear all black."

  "Got it, and thank you so much, Gwen," I told her gratefully. "This opportunity means a lot to me, and I promise I won't let you down."

  "I know you won't," she replied with certainty. "See you soon."

  "Bye." I ended the call and grinned. Finally, something in my life was going right.

  I hurried to my bedroom and changed into a black button-down, instead of the dark-blue one I had on for The Indigo Room, then rushed downstairs, intent on leaving early in case I needed extra time finding the place. That and I could avoid talking to my brother too.

  I said my goodbyes to everyone, noting and ignoring my brother's narrowed-eyed irritation. Violet walked me to the door like usual, giving me a big hug and a pep talk about how awesome I was. I knew I was biased, but my kid really was something special. I don't know how I got so lucky to have her. I kissed her soundly and took off for the address Gwen sent me.

  I pulled into the old industrial park a short time later. I followed the signs to the address I was looking for at the back of the large complex of brick buildings. I drove past the front of the well-maintained pale brick building, noting the lack of signage. If it wasn't for the valet stand in front of the entrance, you'd never know it was anything other than another empty industrial building.

  I drove around to the back and found what I assumed was the employee parking area. I parked and called Gwen to let her know I'd arrived. I headed toward the unassuming entrance that was to the left of a long loading dock. It made me wonder what the building was originally used for. The door opened when I was a few yards away, and Gwen held it open for me.

  "Come on in," she said with a welcoming smile.

  I walked through the doorway, and that was where the building's industrial appearance ended. The hall I followed Gwen down was elegant and polished with the walls painted a dark-gray with white trim and a few striking pieces of modern art. She led me further into the building and into what I assumed was her office. It was decorated similarly to the hallway and just as posh.

  "I just need you to sign an NDA, and we'll get you up to speed for your shift tonight," Gwen said as she walked over to her desk.

  "NDA?" I asked curiously.

  "A nondisclosure agreement," she replied as she slid some papers over to face us. "Our clientele expect confidentiality and demand discretion outside the club about the activities they're involved in here. We protect that vehemently."

  "Okay," I replied, wondering why a strip club was so strict, but what did I know? It's not like I'd ever set foot in one, let alone knew how that kind of business worked.

  She handed me a pen, and I glanced over the paper. Basically, I wasn't allowed to talk about the identity of any person I saw here, or discuss anything I saw them doing. Whatever. It's not like I cared or would even recognize anyone here anyway. I signed it and handed the pen back to Gwen.

  "I can tuck your purse away in my desk since you don't have a locker here," she suggested. I nodded and watched her put it in a drawer. "Feel free to come in here if you need to get anything out of it."

  "Thanks," I replied.

  She nodded. "Come on." She beckoned me to follow her back out into the hall and further into the building. "I think I'll have you stick to the main room tonight. I don't want to overwhelm you right out of the gate. Seeing some of the other rooms can be a bit much if you're not used to it."

  "Alright," I replied, wondering what the hell she was talking about. It wasn't as if I'd never seen a naked woman before, but whatever. It's not like Gwen really knew me that well.

  She led me to a door at the end of the hall and ushered me through it. I found myself in a huge room that was dominated by a now empty dance floor. It didn't look like any strip club I'd ever heard of with its sleek and decadent decor and furnishings. Low sofas and sitting areas were spread around the perimeter of the dance floor with a raised DJ booth along the far wall. To my left was a long bar with a shiny black counter top. Four large mirrors were mounted on the wall behind it with three life-size golden statues between them. They riveted my attention immediately. Each was a sculpture of a completely nude body, one male in the center flanked by two females, each bound in rope and writhing in seeming sexual ecstasy. My eyes widened when I realized the male statue was obviously and very much aroused. Holy shit. I stumbled a step, but managed to keep following Gwen as we walked up to the bar.

  Gwen introduced me the bartender, a tall balding man named Jack. A few of the other servers were there too, and I tried to play it cool and not stare at the naked statues while Gwen made our introductions. Everyone was very nice and welcoming, and by the time they gave me a brief rundown of how things worked here, I was relieved to find out it was very similar to The Indigo Room, and nothing I couldn't handle.

  A short time later, the club opened for the night, and I was shocked yet again. Men and women began arriving in equal numbers, most of them as couples. The men were wearing suits and dress clothes, but it was the women who really caught my eye. Each arrived in scanty lingerie or sexy revealing evening wear that left little or nothing to the imagination. If these were the customers, what were the strippers wearing? And for that matter, where were the strippers?

  I began working my tables and serving drinks, trying my damnedest not to gawk like an idiot at all the skin showing and the provocatively gyrating bodies on the dance floor. I was doing an okay job of it until I delivered some drinks to a couple who were kissing passionately on one of the sofas. I set their drinks down and was shocked to see that the guy had a hand up the woman's dress doing God knew what under there. Whatever it was, she liked it, if her body language was any indication. I did a double take and stared like an imbecile, until I realized the man was glaring at me with an incensed expression. I straightened and mumbled out an apology before I hurried away. What the hell kind of strip club was this?

  I made my way through the crowd back to the bar, and noticed a set of closed doors on the opposite side of the room. As I watched, several couples entered the room. I couldn't really see anything inside the room with the doors open so briefly. I wondered if that might be where the strippers were. I shook my head in consternation.

  Once back at the bar, I found Jack filling several serving trays with drinks for one of the other servers, a petite brunette named Denise. She turned and smiled. "Hey, Ella, could you help me with these?" she asked apologetically. "I strained my left wrist at my other waitressing job last night, and its still bothering me. I'm afraid if I try carrying both trays that I'll end up dropping the whole damn thing."

  I nodded. "Sure thing."

  "Thanks," she replied.

  We both lifted a tray, and I followed Denise across the crowded room. It wasn't until we were a few yards away that I realized she was heading straight toward the double doors to the mystery room. Well, well, it looked like I was going to see what was on the other side of those doors after all. To be honest, my curiosity was beyond peaked, and I was eager to find out what was in there.

 
One of the security guys opened one of the doors for us as we approached. I followed right on Denise's heels into the room, took two steps, and completely froze in my tracks.

  Holy. Fuck.

  In the center of the huge Gothically decorated room was a round raised up stage with occupied chairs and sofas all around it. A nude woman was draped over some sort of bench in the center of the stage with man in a suit standing behind her with a riding crop gripped in his hand. I watched in stupefied shock as he proceeded to whip her bare ass with it. Hard. And oh my God, she liked it, really liked it. She moaned and writhed in obvious pleasure as he continued whipping her, and I ripped my eyes away out of discomfort over witnessing something so raw and intimate. That was a mistake, because then the rest of the room caught my attention.

  The entire perimeter of the room was lined with more of the benches along with giant X-shaped contraptions, stockades, and other equipment I couldn't identify. Almost everyone of them was occupied by more couples, and some were actually having sex. I never thought of myself as a prude when it came to sex and nudity, but I'd never seen anything like this before. My senses were on overload, and I tore my eyes from the craziness around me and tried to focus. I scanned the area for Denise, wanting to deliver the drinks and get the hell out of here before I embarrassed myself.

  That was when my eyes landed on him. There sitting in one of the club chairs facing the center stage sat Calder watching the show. That, in and of itself, wouldn't have bothered me, because to be honest I was fascinated by it too, but the scantily-clad and practically nude woman who was kneeling at his feet and looking up at him with pleading eyes was another story all together. I watched in stunned fascination as Calder smiled softly at her and leaned forward. I watched in horror as he reached out toward her and caressed her cheek gently as he spoke to her.

  It was an intimate touch, one usually shared between lovers, a touch that I didn't even know that I wanted all to myself until this very moment. Pain lanced through my chest as instant hurt and betrayal squeezed my heart in a crushing and devastating fist. The tray of drinks suddenly tumbled from my hands and fell to the floor with a loud crash of shattering glass. Calder's head, along with everyone else's, whipped toward me an instant later. His eyes widened in complete and utter shock.