by Karen Renee
Luckily, the song shifted to a hard-driving techno tune and it became hard for me to hear Ryan’s response.
He stepped forward and raised his voice when he spoke. “Just remember. No fraternizing. Even with the freelance DJs.”
Ryan walked beyond us, and I felt Gabe’s eyes on me. Slowly, I turned to him. His eyes were downright icy.
“Fraternizing?” he demanded.
I shrugged a shoulder. “I work here. During the day. I had technical issues, and was just on my way home.”
Again, Gabe eyed my skirt and blouse. He stepped further into my personal space. “You better make sure you leave before doors open in the future, Cassandra. Got me?”
My head reared back but bumped into the concrete wall behind me. “Whatever, Sullivan. I have a job to do, and I’m gonna do that job. And if something forces me to stay late, so be it.”
I slipped past him to the office. After I grabbed my purse, I opened the office door slowly, grateful to see he was no longer in the corridor.
I used a side exit to get to my car, and drove home.
Gabe
I CLIMBED THE STEPS to the DJ booth, seething. Between Cassandra and Ryan, I didn’t know who made me angrier.
His no-fraternization policy made sense, but he hammered it home so much, it raised a red flag. He noticed how close I stood to Cassandra, which increased my anger with him. His tone had sounded reproachful, but I suspected it hid jealousy, as slick and shady as he tended to be.
Then there was Cassandra. Why wouldn’t she tell me she had a new job? And why in the hell was she working here? She was a year away from her MBA, and sharp as hell. Working for Pruitt made no sense, and she could damn well do better.
Plus, she knew I worked the club circuit. It hurt she didn’t come to me for advice, or to see if I knew about this place.
Had she been paying lip-service to us being back to normal after my fuck-up?
My gut burned and my teeth clenched with the thought. I didn’t know what I would do about Cassie. Ryan wouldn’t keep me from her, that was for sure.
The club had opened a year ago, and rumor had it, it wasn’t doing so good. Knowing that, I had negotiated a better contract for this gig.
I didn’t need to lose the job because Ryan thought I was fraternizing.
To put those thoughts out of my head, I concentrated on working the crowd up. Friday nights lent themselves to it.
My break came around, and I was still in a funk. Then it hit me. I needed to get laid.
My frustration mounted because I wouldn’t get laid. I meant what I said to Cassie. Getting some just for the sake of sexual gratification had lost its appeal.
I noticed a group of middle-aged people mingling not far from my booth. Sometimes, middle-aged people would hit the club I was working. Most of the time, I was oblivious to them. Then they’d get loose and make an approach, asking for hip-hop or things I didn’t have or knew would kill the vibe with the repeat customers, who were fifteen years younger.
A man holding a squat glass of brown liquor walked up. His graying hair held enough product for me and Brock, and his cologne preceded him.
“Yo! DJ! Play some L.L. Cool J! It’s my wife’s forty-fifth birthday and she wants to hear ‘I Need Love.’ You got that?”
I smiled remorsefully before I pressed my lips together skeptically. “Doubt it, man. I’ll check though. If I don’t, I’ll play somethin’ old school for you instead.”
He smiled and lifted his glass at me. Scrolling through my tunes, I had the song he asked for. I didn’t want to play the rap ballad, but he had the look of someone who would be back. Better to get it over it with.
Not thirty seconds later, I kicked myself for not listening to my instincts. Why did I let this guy talk me into this?
Listening to a song about how cold his soul was and wondering what he’s done to a woman did not help my conscience.
Yep. I was damn sure cold. Cassie deserved better than that. I shoved her out of my mind and focused on work.
TEN MINUTES AFTER THE club closed, I had my system packed up, when Ryan approached me. He put on a good front. Top-notch clothes and cuff links might have kept some from seeing his sallow skin and the bags under his eyes, but not me. Working nights and taking day classes, I’d seen bags under my own eyes plenty.
Thing was, I didn’t know why he wasn’t sleeping. It didn’t make sense.
“What was with the old school shit earlier, Sullivan? I watched three groups of women leave during that song.”
I exhaled slowly to keep my temper in check. “Believe it or not, you had a number of older patrons tonight. One of them insisted I play L.L. Cool J. for his wife’s birthday. You want some man and his woman bitching about not hearing what they want after your sky-high cover charge? That’s not good for your business.”
His eyes narrowed for a second and he nodded.
“Fine. I’ll keep that in mind. Now what was going on with you and Miss Daughtry?”
Him calling her ‘Miss Daughtry’ set my teeth on edge.
“She’s my neighbor and I know this isn’t the scene for her.”
His brows furrowed. “What scene would that be?”
I grinned. “I mean, she’s not a party girl. Besides, she was wearing office clothes. You give your bouncers instructions on who to let in and who to turn away. She didn’t fit that look at all. Which also isn’t too good for business.”
“Don’t tell me what’s good for business, Sullivan,” he bit out.
I expected to get a rise out of him, but ‘business’ wasn’t what I thought would do it. Maybe he wasn’t attracted to Cassie.
Good.
Shit.
That shouldn’t matter to me.
I suppressed a sigh.
“You can go now. Don’t be late next week.”
My lips pressed together since I hadn’t been late tonight, but I nodded anyway.
GRABBING THE EGGS, I growled and slammed the fridge shut. The clinking sound of beer bottles satisfied me.
“Good Lord. I’d ask who pissed in your Wheaties, but I don’t think I want to know,” Cecilia said from the dinette table.
I glowered at her and she smiled. Christ, but she was made for Brock.
“Did you not sleep in the past twelve hours since you got home?”
I pulled out a skillet and set it on the stove with a clatter before I faced her again. “How do you know I’ve been home for twelve hours?”
“Your brother communicates.”
I fought another growl because she was right. If you were in Brock’s sphere, he told you everything.
For some strange reason, I did the opposite. Maybe Cecilia had it right when she said I would have been in the NSA. I didn’t tell anybody anything they didn’t absolutely have to know.
I shook my head and opened the carton of eggs. “You want a fried egg?”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Cecilia grin. “Thanks, but no. Brock should be here soon and we’re going to a new sushi place.”
I lifted my chin up at her.
“Though, if you make bacon, I’ll take a rasher.”
My teeth clenched since bacon reminded me of Cassie, and her lush ass bent over an oven door.
“Geez, Gabe. I didn’t mean to piss you off... more.”
“I’m not pissed,” I sighed.
She shook her head. “You’re lying, but I’ll leave you alone.”
11
Gets You Like Nobody Else Does
Cassie
LIVING ALONE HAD NOT appealed to me before. Now, though, I loved it because nobody was here to call me out for moping around.
Last night, Gabe had stood so close to me. Him invading my space like that gave me a thrill I hadn’t had in years. Then he had to sneer at what I wore.
I thought I looked cute. It wasn’t club attire, but my silk blouse was sexy in a modest way.
I heaved a sigh. “Why do you even give a damn, Cass?”
Okay, there was the
downside to living alone. I talked to myself all the time now. When Kaylee lived here, I kept that urge in check.
My cell rang, the display showing my Dad’s picture.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Hey, honey. How did your presentation go?”
A wan smile curled my lips. “All right. I’m just glad it’s done.”
“I’ll be you are.”
“I’m glad you called. Um, why don’t you trust Ryan?”
He sighed. “I wanted you to go in with an open mind.”
“I know, Dad. But right away he had my instincts on alert.”
Dad paused. “How so, Cass?”
I sighed. I should’ve held off before telling Dad anything.
“Cassandra Ivy, I asked you a question.”
Tension filled my neck hearing his stern use of my first and middle names. “Yes, but it’s too soon for me to say, Dad.”
“Did he make you uncomfortable?”
“Not like you mean.” At least not yet. I continued, “He just seems too slick, but that doesn’t make someone a bad businessperson.”
“Okay,” he said, sounding far too relieved.
“You suspect him of sexual harassment?”
Dad sighed. “Not... no, I don’t.”
Somehow, I knew Dad wanted to say ‘not yet,’ or ‘not exactly.’
I grinned. “Because he’s so adamant about his no-fraternization policy?” I asked facetiously.
“He went over that with you?”
“It got mentioned. Plus, time got away from me last night. I went to the restroom and came out only to run into my friend Gabe.”
“And Ryan saw this?”
“More like he saw the middle of it. Gabe cornered me because... I don’t really know why, except he was surprised to see me there in office clothes.”
“You’ve known Gabe a long time,” Dad commented in a tone I’d heard before.
“It’s not like that, Dad.” I said, eager to cut off this line of conversation.
He hummed in a conciliatory way. Then, “Yet, Ryan saw you both—”
“And reminded me of his policy.” I plopped on my couch. “So, is there something specific you want me to look for?”
“For now, just get the lay of the land. But you’re right. Ryan has something going on. I hope it’s new business owner anxiety. Like I always say, though, hope isn’t a business plan.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“You take care, honey. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
I set my cell on the arm of the couch, and a small knock came from the door.
“It’s like Grand Central Station ‘round here,” I muttered.
Through the peephole, I saw Kaylee.
I smiled and opened the door. “Hey, there! How are you?”
“I’m okay. I’ve been meaning to call you. I left my stick-mixer gadget here and wanted to pick it up.”
I stepped out of her way as she came inside. She was wearing a bright green summer maxi-dress which accentuated her hazel eyes.
Closing the door, I said, “No problem. You should’ve texted. I’d have brought it to campus.”
She gave me a long look. “What’s wrong?”
I shook my head. “Nothing’s wrong. You done with all your classes? Ready for graduation?”
“You’re a lousy-ass liar, Cassie. Is it Gabe? And that reminds me, you never did tell me what he did to make you leave the night before I moved. Spill it, girlie.”
I widened my eyes at her and shook my head again. “Nothing happened.”
Her lips pursed and her eyebrow arched. “Sex didn’t happen, I got that much. But he did something. And now you’re here alone with bags under your eyes.”
“Mince words with me, why don’t you?”
“Nope. That doesn’t do you any favors, Cassie. So, why do you look miserable?”
I told her about my Dad setting me up to work at the new club, and everything that had happened last night.
“Okay, I was gonna let that night slide, but seriously, what did Gabe do to you when he was drunk?”
I told her about Gabe kissing me.
She stood there with wide eyes, thinking for a moment. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but when he was here with me, he didn’t connect. He kissed me at the club, but here he did not kiss me on the lips much. It seemed strange as hell, and the main reason I thought he was ‘meh.’”
I didn’t need to know any of that. It struck me; the upside to Asher assaulting me was that it prevented Kaylee from giving me the endless postmortem I expected after her time with Gabe.
“Did you hear me, Cassie?” she asked.
I blinked. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare off into space on you.”
“That’s okay. So, did he say he didn’t like what you were wearing?”
I twisted my lips to the side. “Not really. He asked what I was doing there, and ‘dressed like I came from the office.’”
A tiny smile crossed her face, and it looked satisfied. “He liked what you were wearing. He just didn’t like you being there.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “He was surprised to see me there, Kaylee. There’s a difference.”
Her face lit up and her mouth opened to speak, but then she clamped it shut.
“What were you going to say?” I demanded.
“I was going to say, you should have sex with him. But I know he gets you like nobody else does. Hell, my guess is that you get him the same way. Maybe you shouldn’t go there. But then again, the man I want in my life needs to get me like nobody else, so how the hell are you going to find that man if you’re always hanging with G-Rock?”
I nodded my head. “You have a valid point.”
Her eyes narrowed. “That sounds like something a boss would say to an employee who actually doesn’t have a valid point.”
I laughed. “You’re wrong, but they would say it to brush the employee off.”
“Right! So, don’t brush me off, woman. Actually, I know exactly what you need! You’re comin’ out with me and Stacey to GILT tonight. Gabe’s not working it and neither is Brock. We’re goin’ and I’m not taking no for an answer. Wear that red sleeveless dress with the ruching. You know which one I’m talking about because I’ve threatened to steal it for years now.”
I laughed. “Yeah. I should’ve just given the damn thing to you for as little as I wear it.”
She shook her head. “Nope. Fire-engine red washes me out. On you, with your gorgeous brown hair, it’s smokin’.”
“Whatever,” I mumbled.
“Whatever, yourself. Just be ready. We’ll be by at nine.”
Gabe
I DIDN’T HAVE TO WORK tonight, but sometimes when I wasn’t working, it helped to watch and listen to how another DJ handled a crowd. Now that Brock was definitively out of the DJ scene, he didn’t have time for me to bounce ideas off of him or discuss trends in music.
When I hit a club for the sake of research, I never put a ton of effort into my appearance. Flashy clothes didn’t help me to lurk in the corners if I felt like it. I leaned against the corner of the bar with my beer in hand. The song had shifted to Khalid’s “Talk” and it never failed: when the music tempo slowed, the crowd slowed down with it.
My observations were cut short when I saw a damn fine woman on the dance floor with a former buddy of mine. Her red dress molded to her curvy body, and her dark hair fell down her back in waves. He slid his hands down her back, but I noticed she reached back to stop the progress of his hands.
Then I realized that body was especially familiar, but I’d never seen her in any kind of dress, let alone one which showed off her curves.
“God damn it,” I whispered.
I downed a huge gulp of my beer, and set it on the bar behind me.
In no time, I waded through the crowd to sidle up to Brenden.
He looked at me askance before recognition lit his eyes. “Gabe. What are you doing here?”
&nbs
p; At his question, Cassie turned her attention to me.
I grinned at my former buddy. “Saving her from you. That’s what I’m doing.”
His expression shifted from friendly to angry, but I looked directly at Cassie, who glared at me fiercely, making me smile.
“I do not need saving, Gabe Sullivan,” she said so loudly three other people turned.
I put a hand on her waist. “Yeah, you do.”
With a sideways glance at Brenden, I added, “Kaylee’s here. Seems to be on the prowl. Might be your night, bro.”
He stepped into my space. “I’m not your ‘bro,’ Sullivan.” He looked to Cassie. “He’s not worth your time. Hope you know that.”
My hand not on Cassie’s waist clenched into a fist and it took all my willpower not to deck Brenden. Since I knew he always had to have the last word, I guided Cassie away from him, and into the throng of moving bodies.
Before the song was over, I led her off the dance floor and into a small deserted alcove.
I turned to Cassie, but she was already up in my space, shoving her tits against my chest as if she were a football player trying to give me a chest bump.
“I am not someone who needs saving Gabriel Sullivan,” she yelled, her body moving with every other word.
When did I become a masochist? Why did I enjoy this torture?
Focus, Gabe.
“He’s a goddamn player. You think I’m a player, hell, he wrote the fuckin’ playbook for the rest of us to follow, Cassie.”
“So you sent him after my roommate?” she yelled.
I closed my eyes and sighed. I opened them and said, “Former roommate.”
“Whatever. That’s neither here nor there; no girl deserves that treatment,” she said, turning her head to the side.
She hadn’t lowered her volume even though the alcove muted the music, which told me she was riding a serious buzz.
“How much you had to drink, Daughtry?”
She whipped her head around, her hair flying around like a cascade of brown silk. Coupled with all the makeup and her skin-tight red dress, she was a wet dream.
“Don’t call me ‘Daughtry,’ got it?”
