Stripped Love (Guys Next Door Book 1)

by Baylin Crow

  The guy pulled me out of the way of a group of men who were trying to squeeze by. "Whatever you're thinking, don't. They've been over."

  My gaze was drawn back over his shoulder, and I jolted when a pair of light green eyes locked with mine. Aiden's lips curled into a cruel grin as he brought his hands to Phoenix's chest. His fingers skated over his bare skin before Phoenix caught his wrist and stepped forward. Phoenix shook his head, a teasing grin on his lips. My stare shifted to the men clearly enjoying the performance.

  "I think I'm going to be sick," I whispered.

  "Nope. Look at me." He ducked until we were eye-level, turning my face toward his. "I can promise you now, Archer, that isn't what it looks like."

  "I… I don't know what to think. Why would he text me to pick him up, only to let me see that?" My hand weakly waved in the pair's direction. I needed to get as far away from them as possible.

  "Listen, I don't know if Phoenix mentioned me, but I'm Damon. We go way back, and I'm telling you now, Phoenix isn't a liar." He stared down at me as if he could prove it with a single look. "He's told me about you, and he wouldn't have done this." Damon winced. "But Aiden would have. You guys have been set up."

  "He's told me about you too, and maybe you're right about Aiden. But…" But it didn't change what I'd just seen. Shaking my head, I took a step back. "I just need to leave."

  A commotion sounded behind Damon before he was roughly pulled away from me so fast, he stumbled to the side. And then I was staring up into shadowed hazel eyes that scanned my face with worry. Phoenix wrapped his arms around me. "What are you doing here, Arch? Are you okay?"

  I lowered my eyes and shrugged out of his grip. "I'm fine."

  "Arch?" His voice rasped louder. When I refused to reply or look at him because I knew I'd break, he growled. "Damon, what's going on?"

  "Unless you want to find a new job, lower your voice," Damon snapped. "He came looking for you and found more than he bargained for."

  The silver handcuff was still attached to his wrist and it swung when he reached for me. His fingers curled around the side of my neck. Using his thumb, he tilted up my chin. Once our eyes connected, mine stung with unscheduled tears.

  He reared back before swooping back in, capturing my face with both hands. "No, Arch. That probably looked bad but I was trying to get him to back off. I couldn't help that he was booked with the same party. But I didn't…" My shoulders shook as I sucked in deep breaths to keep from shattering all over the VIP floor. He gritted his teeth. "Fuck!"

  "Says he got a text from you to come pick you up," Damon filled in the situation. "Apparently you got off early and your car is fucked."

  Phoenix's forehead creased. "I didn't…"

  "Aiden," Damon interrupted and Phoenix's jaw ticced. "Remember what he told everyone about his brother?"

  I didn't know what they were talking about, but I was completely drained, and the need to escape strengthened. "I'm going to get going since you don't need a ride. I told my uncle I'd be back."

  I was a terrible liar, and his expression said he knew it.

  "That was not what it looked like," he insisted with panic edging his tone.

  I had to admit it gave me pause, but then I'd picture them together again. How do you unsee something like that? How do you convince your heart it's not broken when it feels like it's been shredded by betrayal?

  "Aiden designed this whole thing, I know he did." He hurried on as I took another step away. "Dammit, Arch. He's not even supposed to touch me."

  "You didn't pull away," I whispered, but somehow, he heard it over the pounding music. His expression crumbled.

  Phoenix dragged a hand over his face. "I did. Several times. What you saw was bad timing or something."

  Damon snorted. "I'd say."

  "What the fuck was I supposed to do, D? Anything more than I already did would have gotten me fired." He turned to me and his voice softened. "All these people here tonight are friends of my boss. I couldn't shove him away, or I would have. I'm so fucking sorry, Arch." His gaze dipped and he fingered the cuff. A chuckle laced with anger rumbled in his chest. "I should have known this wasn't just a stupid prop."

  "Gentlemen!" A throaty, feminine voice came from behind me. "Can I have a moment of your time?"

  "Sure, Des." Damon sighed before mumbling, "Looks like I'm going down with this ship."

  Phoenix's gaze stayed locked on mine. "I'm serious, Arch. Tell me you believe me. Please."

  "Nix!" The woman's voice was sharper that time and his jaw clenched.

  "Just a second, Des." His eyes continued to search mine, and I was tempted to fold. I needed to think and couldn't, not with him standing so close that I could smell the sweat and oils clinging to his body.

  "Now." Her tone brooked no arguments, and I was growing even more uncomfortable.

  My gaze flicked left and right, noticing how much attention we'd drawn from the crowd. "I have to go.”

  His nostrils flared, but the spark in his eyes dimmed. "I'll see you at home, okay?"

  I wouldn't be at home, so I didn't reply. Turning on my heels, I kept my eyes trained on the carpeted floor and focused on putting one foot in front of the other so I didn't trip in my hurry to escape.

  As soon as I stepped outside, I sucked in huge gasping breaths of city air and battled the sting of tears.

  Knowing Aiden had choreographed the entire incident should have made me feel better. And maybe it did in a way, but the mental image of the two of them was burned in my brain.

  I just wished Phoenix had pushed him away.

  But he hadn’t.

  Shoving my hands in my pockets, I walked back to my car with my head hung and emotions I'd never felt before ripping apart my insides. Once I started the engine, I rested my forehead against the steering wheel as I considered my next move.

  I didn't want to go home or back to the shop, so I fished my phone from my pocket and pulled up the group message with the twins.

  Me: you guys home?

  CJ: Yeah, what's up?

  Caleb: I'm at Gwen's but I can be. What's going on?

  I had no idea who Gwen was, but knowing Caleb… I sighed. Maybe he had the right idea by not tying himself to a relationship. Even as I knew it was my bruised heart and wounded pride talking, in that moment I could only focus on the pain.

  Me: I'm heading that way.

  Caleb: I'm leaving now. Meet you there.

  16

  Phoenix

  The door slammed behind Desi as she stormed into the small office where Damon and I waited. Side-by-side, the two bucket chairs we'd taken faced a wide mahogany desk and window, covered with a velvet curtain. The last time we'd been in that position had been in high school when we'd been busted skipping class and smoking behind the gym.

  Dealing with Principal Roden, with his oversized thick glasses and graying walrus mustache, was a walk in the park when compared to the raging woman tearing through the room.

  Desi's palms smacked against the top of the desk, and she leaned forward, bright green eyes narrowed to slits. "Dominic pays me to keep the entertainment fresh, talented and in line. Those guests are not only his friends but important to the club. Each of them invests heavily to keep us running the way we do, which is why I sent my best dancers up there." Her eyes shifted between me and Damon. "So, one of you better explain what the hell was going on."

  Anger fired in my veins. "I've told you not to pair me with Aiden. If you're looking to punish someone, you need to talk to him."

  "Aiden?" She tilted her head, condescension coloring her expression. "I know you two have history, and I know it's caused you some personal issues. But what I walked in on up there? I can't see how he was responsible when he was still where he was supposed to be? With his party, just as you should have been."

  "Because he texted my boyfriend—"

  She held up her hand to stop me. "Let me stop you there and make sure I'm hearing you correctly. The boy upstairs was your boyfriend?"
<
br />   "Yes, and Aiden texted him from my phone to come pick me up. I didn't invite him here." My hands fisted where they rested on my bare thighs as impatience and frustration coursed through me. "And then when Archer showed up, Aiden put a fucking handcuff on me, using the other side as a fucking puppet string. I love my boyfriend. And Aiden's jealous ass purposely fucked things up. I was trying to follow your rules. I should have shoved the asshole off of me. Instead I tried to create distance between us, but he'd use the handcuff to pull me back!" By this time, I was yelling and could feel my face reddening. But the look on Archer’s face, completely devastated, crushed me. "I'd already planned to tell you, and I have told you time and again to keep him away from me!"

  "One"—she held up a single finger—"watch your tone. You are riding a fine line as is, Nix. Two"—another finger flicked up—"this is why boyfriends aren't allowed in our club. You should have made sure he understood the rules before he entered the premises. That was your responsibility. And three"—a third finger joined the others—"why would Aiden do that, and how did he get ahold of your phone?"

  I gritted my teeth. "You happen to look at my locker when you passed by, Des? The fucking lock is busted."

  Aiden hadn’t even tried to hide it, and my phone was sitting on top of my clothes, as if he was flaunting what he’d done. I felt violated. How much of my and Archer's privacy had he been privy to? Anger reignited, blazing hot over my skin.

  The leather chair next to mine squeaked, and I looked over as Damon leaned forward. "The why, Phoenix already answered. Aiden is a jealous prick, and you can ask any of the guys. Phoenix has dealt with more than he should have to. The how? Obviously, he broke into his locker. But you make have bigger problems than a broken locker to fix. You may have to do some digging to confirm, but it's the only explanation I've found that makes sense. First, let me ask you a question, Des."

  "Let's hear it." Her tone bled impatience.

  Damon cocked his head. "How did Archer get into the club at all? How did his name get added to the list?"

  The question caught me off guard because I'd been too consumed by Archer's grief—caused by me—and my anger to consider it.

  Desi grew quiet, and my gaze darted to her. "I made that list myself, and he wasn't on it." Her chuckle was humorless. "Apparently more of my staff isn't capable of fulfilling their job. I'll deal with Oscar once we're done here."

  Oscar was one of the bouncers who guarded the front door. He was a hard ass, and I couldn't see him letting someone slip by him uninvited.

  "I think if you check, you'll find Archer West on that list," Damon added.

  Desi glared again before turning to the open laptop on the desk. She dropped into her chair and wheeled it closer before stabbing the keys with more force than necessary. Scrolling through the list, she froze and then sat back, lacing her fingers together over her stomach. "How did this happen? What do you know, Damon?"

  "Phoenix and all the guys, the ones who will talk anyway, will tell you Aiden bragged about his brother hacking into his job's payroll system when he was hurting for cash months ago. Said his brother didn't even have any trouble with it either. Too easy was how he described it if I remember correctly." He sat back, leaving her to stew over the information and sent my mind reeling as I remembered Aiden boasting about his IT savvy brother.

  "You think he hacked the system?” I asked.

  “You need to bring the police in,” I demanded. Aiden was out of control. The thing was, he wasn’t even a monster. Just a jealous asshole with connections and no boundaries. Someone needed to put him on a damn leash until he got some fucking help.

  She waved me off though her jaw clicked. "You think I'd let some stripper break into our network without consequences? I'll handle it, but you can expect a full investigation, and you'll likely be questioned, Nix. If this is true, I need to know the full extent of what Aiden's done to our system."

  Some stripper was said with such derision, I wondered why she'd taken the job in the first place. It was nice to know how she really felt about us.

  "Are we done here?" I asked.

  She sighed and rubbed her temples. "For now, yes. Too many people witnessed that shit show, so I can't send either of you back up there. I think it's best if you both take off for the night and let things settle down. I need to deal with Aiden. You can come back in tomorrow night."

  Before the decision even fully formed, I shook my head. "I won't be back, Des. You'll need to look for another dancer."

  Her hands dropped, and her mouth parted. "You're quitting?"

  "Yep, as of now I no longer work for you. I'll clear my locker as soon as I get changed." I stood. "This could have been avoided if you'd listened to me, but now I'm not sure if I've lost my boyfriend. That's just not a price I'm willing to pay to stay here."

  I wasn't sure what my next step would be, but I knew I didn't want to dance anymore. Worst case scenario and last resort, I would burn through my savings and have to find work at another club.

  She sat forward. "Even if Aiden is let go? You're one of my best dancers, and I'd really like it if you stayed."

  "No, I’m done, but best of luck with everything,” I said, but wasn’t sure I meant it. She’d been neglectful when a dancer had been reported, and the fallout rested on not only Aiden’s, but her shoulders as well.

  She nodded with a defeated sigh and looked at Damon. "And you?"

  My gaze dropped to Damon who shrugged. "I have no beef here. If Aiden's gone, I'm staying."

  Too much time had passed since Archer had all but ran out, and I needed to get home to explain everything I'd just learned. I had to hope he'd forgive me and the stupid decision I'd made in not shoving Aiden into the fucking wall when he touched me.

  "I'm heading out," I said, and she slumped further in her chair.

  "Call me later and let me know if you and Archer work things out," Damon said as I turned to leave.

  Holding his hand out, we slapped palms. "Will do. Hopefully..." Hopefully what we had was strong enough to mend the hurt I knew he was feeling.

  "If it helps, I'm pretty sure he's in love with you." He pretended to gag, and a reluctant grin tugged at my lips.

  I hoped he was right. I hadn't told Archer yet, but he owned my heart and was capable of ripping it straight out of my chest.

  After I left the office, I headed for the dressing room and swung open my broken locker. I quickly stripped out of my costume and into a pair of jeans and t-shirt. Since I hadn’t had time to do more than take note of the damage on my way back to the office, I swiped across my phone screen.

  My messages with Archer were already pulled up. Not surprising, there wasn't a new text from him, but I read the short exchange that led to this clusterfuck of a night. My throat grew tight and I swallowed around the lump of anger as I put myself in his shoes.

  “Fucking fuck," I growled and snatched my keys, wallet, and cigarette pack full of money. Desi could kiss my ass on the house fee. And they could burn the outfits I left behind, for all I cared. The locker clanged in the empty dressing room as I slammed it shut.

  On my way out, I tossed the prisoner outfit in the trashcan and swung the back employee door closed harder than necessary.

  I stomped across the gravel lot to my car. As soon as I closed the door, I reset my password and then texted Archer.

  Me: Please let me explain everything.

  Without waiting for a reply, I sped the whole way home. My chest grew heavy when I spotted the empty driveway. With shaking hands, I pulled in and again texted him.

  Me: Where are you?

  17

  Archer

  The drive to CJ and Caleb's house seemed to take forever. Not wanting to go home and wallow in self-pity by myself, I'd decided to turn to my best friends. Maybe they could take my mind off what I'd seen and help me navigate the storm of hurt brewing inside me.

  My phone chimed with an incoming text in the cup holder, and Phoenix’s name flashed on the screen. A lump wedg
ed itself in my throat. With a thick cloud of confusion and doubts fogging my thoughts, I couldn't talk to him. Not yet. I needed to process what I'd seen and what he'd said before deciding how to move forward.

  My brow furrowed when my phone chimed again and several minutes later it rang. As an overly cautious driver, I avoided checking the messages, and I was too nervous to answer the phone.

  By the time I reached the twins’ house and drove down the long driveway, curiosity was overwhelming me. A part of me was positive it was really Phoenix, but dread settled in my stomach as I considered the possibility that Aiden was contacting me from his phone again somehow to make things worse.

  I spotted the twins playing basketball as I came to a stop, and they both turned, squinting against my headlights. I flicked them off and grabbed my phone. Swiping over the screen, I exhaled a shaky breath when I found texts from Phoenix.

  Phoenix: Please let me explain everything.

  Phoenix: Where are you?

  Phoenix: I have a thousand lyrics racing through my mind.

  Phoenix: Eyes wide open, vision clear. My next steps imagined without you here.

  Phoenix: Please call me back. I'm so sorry.

  Swallowing around the tight lump in my throat, I climbed out of my car and pocketed my phone. The temperature had dropped only a few degrees as the hours grew later, and the humidity still hung heavy in the air making it harder to breathe with my chest already tight.

  CJ and Caleb were already halfway to my car when I started forward.

  "What's wrong?" CJ asked as he tucked the ball beneath his arm.

  They both studied me with concern as I blinked back hot tears.

  Caleb stepped forward, expression tight. "What did he do?"

  When I couldn't force the words to explain, CJ sighed. "This has boy problems written all over it. Let's go inside."

  He turned, dribbling the ball as he headed toward the garage with me and Caleb following behind. CJ tossed the ball into a mesh basket full of spares, and we entered the house through the garage door that led to the kitchen.