by RH Tucker
She grins, and I finally think I have her. I’m wrong. “Oh,” she replies, stepping closer. “You thought you could come over here, offer me an apology, and I’d fall in line like one of the King of Bad’s groupies.”
My brow furrows. “Uh …”
She leans over the bar. Getting close enough to whisper so only I can hear, her eyes stay locked on mine. “Or maybe you thought I’d throw myself down on this bar right now for you. Is that what you thought, Maddox?”
A strange mixture of embarrassment, annoyance, aggravation, and desire swirls inside. This girl is unlike anything I’ve ever known, and I know she’s shooting me down right now. It’s black and white. There’s no gray area about what’s happening. Yet I’m still attracted to her.
“You should get ready for your next set, DJ,” she tells me. Turning around, she returns to talking to the bartender.
I scratch my head, unsure what just happened once again, and then turn to head back to our area. I can’t take more than one step when I see Jenny standing with her hands on her hips. She shakes her head in annoyance, then heads toward the stairs. Okay, that was a douche move to try and hit on another girl while Jenny was literally sitting on me moments ago. But the guilt also mixes with humiliation as Derrik is doubled over across Zoey, who’s giggling herself, and Adam’s head is thrown back over the couch in laughter.
8
Cece
After thanking Brady, one of my bartenders, for going over how things are going on the second-floor bar, I make my way back toward my office. I watched Maddox walk back to his friends, who I know. I’ve never met Adam Coleman, but who doesn’t know him? And the King of Hearts has been at Luxe more than the rest of Maddox’s band. Getting into my office, I shut the door and lean against it, finally letting the smile hit my lips. Uncontrollably, I start giggling to myself.
“What happened?”
Rolling my eyes, I head over to my desk, shaking my head. “Just the King of Bad being his usual self.”
“And you … liked it?”
I lift my shoulders, gazing at the long window that looks down at the dance floor below. “It was … amusing. I almost believed him when he apologized.”
Stephanie stays seated on the long, leather couch, returning her attention to her phone. I made sure I kept attention to detail to the office as much as I did when I designed the aesthetics of the club. I don’t have strobe lights or anything like that in the office, but there’s a subtle glow from the spotlights implanted in the ceiling. The light accentuates the wall treatments of sandy brown chevron wood paneling. It’s an office, but I didn’t want just a window with white-painted walls. Adjacent to the far wall is a long, mahogany desk, with the latest figures from not only last week, but this weekend’s forecast.
Leaning against the desk, I grab the paperwork, but my mind is still on the encounter. Do I believe that Maddox was honestly trying to apologize? Kind of. However, that doesn’t mean he probably wasn’t working toward his own plans either, which was evident as his friends laughed when I rejected him.
Maddox Barkley is known as the King of Bad for a reason. He can get any girl he wants—and usually does. Would I be opposed to dating him if it was ever something real? No, but that’s just it, I know this isn’t him trying to ask me out for real. It’s a game to him. Still, I can’t stop smirking, knowing he’s now gone out of his way to get to me only to come up short.
“Okay, what is going on with you?” Stephanie speaks up, breaking through my thoughts.
“What?”
“You’re still smiling.”
I giggle, lifting my shoulders. “I mean, of course, it’s all a game to him. That doesn’t mean it’s not amusing that he can’t have me.”
She frowns, rolling her eyes. “At least you got an A-lister to hit on you. Stupid Bradley and his entourage never showed up.”
My phone chimes, and I pull it out to see Winston’s name on the screen. “Well, he’s not a movie star, but maybe Winston might be up your alley. He just showed up.” Her eyebrows lift in intrigue. “Come on.”
Making our way down to the first floor, I’m scanning the mass of bodies for Winston. Looking for someone who’s dressed in some expensive button-up or maybe a designer shirt, a few people fit that description, but I don’t see him anywhere. I inspect a few small crowds, thinking he possibly showed up with an entourage. I still don’t know him that well, but maybe he likes to go out with a group of friends and party the night away. After looking through the small gathering of guys at both ends of the bar, he’s nowhere to be found.
“Where is he?” Stephanie asks.
“I don’t know.” I pull out my phone again; I still only have the one text message from him that he’s here, but nothing else. I know we’re busy, but I should be able to find him somewhere.
That’s when I’m caught entirely by surprise. To say he’s dressed down would be an understatement. He’s in jeans, shoes that look like blue Converse, with a nondescript black T-shirt and light gray hoodie hanging off of his shoulders. His hair is still combed the way it was this afternoon, but he’s wearing circular glasses now. He’s … completely average looking. I know that sounds horrible, but that’s the only way I can describe him. Especially after seeing him dressed to the nines earlier today in a three-thousand-dollar Gucci suit.
Stephanie must notice my line of vision because she stops next to me. “Wait. No way. Is that him?”
“Uh … yeah.”
“That’s Winston Thornhurst the third?”
“He … he didn’t look like that earlier today.”
“He’s a geek!”
I can’t argue. He’s not wearing anything that would be a dead giveaway like some kind of comic book logo or video game characters, but … yeah, he comes off incredibly nerdy. Especially with the circular glasses.
Pushing them up the bridge of his nose, he scans the crowd, and finally he sees me. Okay, he may be geeky looking, but he does have a certain cuteness about him. “Hey,” he calls over, waving to me.
“Hey,” I answer back, but it almost comes off like a question.
He smirks, then scans himself. “Yeah, I know. Not what you were probably expecting after our last couple of lunches.”
“Not exactly.”
He lifts his shoulders. “I have to get dressed up when meeting with my father. It’s really annoying.”
“Okay,” I answer, still feeling a little whiplash. He’s completely different than at the lunches. More relaxed. Looking over at Stephanie, I motion to her. “Oh, this is my friend, Stephanie.”
She smiles politely, but I can see the interest already fading. “Hi,” she says, waving.
He gives her a friendly nod, then looks around the place. “This is incredible, Cece. You weren’t lying about XS being an inspiration.”
“Thanks.” I motion for him to follow me back over toward the bar. “I’m thrilled with how everything came out. My father likes to think this is a little fad I’m in or something, but I’m going to prove him wrong. This is my proof of concept.”
“Nicely done,” he says. I can’t help but take in his extremely casual attire again. He chuckles, forcing me to meet his eyes. “Yeah, I know. Rich, business undergrad, in Chucks and a ten-dollar pair of jeans.”
I cringe. “Sorry. It’s not that it’s bad, it just caught me by surprise.”
“Truth be told, most of my life is already laid out for me, and there’s not much I can do about it. At least with the clothes, I can dress how I want most of the time and feel comfortable.”
He shrugs with a smirk. There’s something about his words that are heartbreaking. It reminds me of the small conversation he was about to start earlier today when his father cut him off. I guess I’m lucky that I have the privilege I do in life, and my father has never tried to control me if that is indeed what he’s saying.
I’m about to bring up said halted conversation from lunch, when the music dies down, and I hear Maddox’s voice on the speakers. “Wh
at’s up, party people?” he yells out, earning a cheer from everyone. “How badass is Luxe, right?” Another cheer. “I’m gonna get back to the music in just a second, but I had to give props to the one and only, Cecelia Mavin.”
All eyes switch from staring at Maddox to turning around and looking at me at the bar. My mouth drops, and my gaze burns a hole through Maddox. Either he doesn’t recognize the murderous death stare I’m giving him right now, or he’s flat-out ignoring it. Most likely, the latter.
“She’s gorgeous, amiright?” He chuckles, earning several hoots from the crowd. “But don’t let the pretty face fool you. She’s the brains behind this operation. Cece is poised to become a powerhouse, and Luxe is just the first step. And she was so determined to make sure that this nightclub offered only the best of everything, that’s why she hired the King of Bad as its inaugural resident DJ. So, let’s give it up one more time for the amazing Cecelia Mavin!”
The cheers are the loudest yet, but my gaze never falters from Maddox. He nods to me, then gives me a wink, before lifting his headphones back over his ears and turning the music back up.
Stephanie is laughing next to me, and I shake my head, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“Wow, okay,” Winston says, chuckling. “Looks like someone’s going above and beyond to get your attention.”
“He’s just upset that I shot him down tonight.”
Another laugh. “It doesn’t look like he’s going to be giving up very easily.”
“No, it doesn’t.” My eyes stay on Maddox, and he looks up for just a moment. He gives me another nod and smirk, which actually inspires one out of me.
“Aaaaand I guess I’m out of the running.”
My head snaps to the side, feeling a little embarrassed. “Winston, I’m sorry. It’s nothing. He’s a rock star, and he’s been—”
“Nothing to be sorry over, Cece. Honestly, I …” Looking away, he rubs the back of his neck. “Damn, I’m going to sound like such a loser.”
“What?”
He looks over my shoulder, and I glance back, noticing that Stephanie isn’t paying us any attention. He lowers his voice so only I can hear him. “Okay, this afternoon? When I came out and asked to meet up with you tonight?” I nod, unsure where he’s going with this. Rolling his eyes, he shakes his head. “I only did it because my dad forced me to.”
“Excuse me?”
“When you left the restaurant, your father didn’t say anything, but mine did. He said I needed to go after you and prove to you that I’m the right guy.”
“Wow.” I’m taken aback by not only the gall of his father to put him up to it, but that Winston followed through. “Winston, I’m sorry, but that’s … pathetic.”
He drops his head between his shoulders. “I know.” Lifting it back up, he holds my arm, almost pleading with me with his eyes before he speaks. “Cece, you don’t need me to tell you how incredible and talented and everything else you are.” He chuckles. “It seems like you’ve got a resident DJ to do that for you. And I didn’t come here tonight to try and woo you and prove to you how awesome I am. I …” He looks away, staring at the ground.
The music and lights swirl around us, and it’s such a party atmosphere, with people talking, yelling, drinking, and living it up. But right now, it feels like I’m on the ledge of a building with a guy I barely know, waiting to see if he’s going to jump off or calmly step down and back to safety. He seems so torn.
“I agree with you,” he continues. “It’s pathetic. I just … damn it, I just do everything that man says, and I have no way out of it. I’ve lost girlfriends because he said they weren’t good enough. That they didn’t come from a wealthy enough family. I’ve lost friends because their parents weren’t CEOs. I don’t know what to do! The man controls every aspect of my life, and I have nothing if I’m not Winston Thornhurst the third,” he says his name with flair and lowers his voice. “So, yeah. I’m a loser and an idiot. Sorry.”
Turning around, he heads toward the exit. I watch him for a moment, then look back at Stephanie. She wasn’t paying attention to anything and is now flirting with the bartender. Winston walks through the door, and I feel guilty. Like he just jumped, and I did nothing to stop him.
Hurrying after him, I find him in the hallway outside of the club, waiting for the elevator. The frosted glass walls glow from the lights inside, and the thumping of the music still plays, but it’s muffled out here.
“Winston,” I call out to him. Turning around, he gazes back at me, still lost. “Come back.”
He pauses for a moment as the elevator dings. The doors open, and he glances back at them, seeming to decide if he should leave or take me up on my offer.
“Come on,” I encourage. “I could always use another friend. Especially one with the connections you’ve got to luxury properties in the Bahamas.”
I smile at my joke, hoping he takes it as such. Cracking a grin, he does, and the elevator closes. “Thanks.”
9
Maddox
Oh, come on!
What do I have to do to get through to that girl? I thought for sure when I came up to her in between my sets that I was making headway. Sure, she shot back with another zinger, but I was crawling out of the monumental hole I dug myself at the sandwich shop.
I think she smiled. Maybe smile is too strong of a word. Smirk? Wrinkled a lip? Twitched? She reacted in a positive way, albeit a minuscule one. I’ll take what I can get, but then she followed some guy out of the room.
I’ve never been the jealous type. Probably because I’ve never had a serious relationship and someone to get jealous over. And I’m not saying this is a serious relationship, it’s the furthest thing from it, but … who was that dude? Why is she chasing after that guy when there’s a rock star chasing after her?
No. No, I’m not chasing after her.
She just shot me down, multiple times, and I can’t let that mark my record. It’s like a quarterback who throws an interception. You have to shake it off, get your ass back on the field, and score a touchdown.
Yeah, that’s all I’m doing.
Trying to shake it off, I continue to play my set. It doesn’t help that a few minutes later I see Cece walk back into the room, with the guy next to her, and she doesn’t pay any attention to me. They don’t look close, so I can’t tell if this is some kind of date or not. If it is, it’s weird that he looked like he was leaving, and then she went after him. Maybe he’s an ex? That might make more sense, and they are discussing a recent breakup. Or perhaps he’s trying to cross that friend-zone bridge. That could be an option since they don’t look like there’s a connection there. Hopefully he’s in the friend zone.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Why am I going over the options of whether Cece is seeing some random guy or not? Adam bobs his head up and down next to me, the girl he was with on the second floor earlier dancing next to him.
“What are we doing tonight?” I call over to him.
“Georgina said there’s this thing going down over in Westwood.”
“Who?” I quirk an eyebrow. He looks back at me like I’m an idiot, and then points to the redhead next to him. “Oh, right.”
“You might be in the doghouse, though.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jenny looked pissed when you tried to hit on Cece again.”
Damn it, that’s right. I’ll have to smooth that over. I really didn’t mean to be such a douche like that, but I saw Cece, and I needed to talk to her again. A lot of good that did. Still, it might be a blessing in disguise, even if that is a scummy way of looking at it. I don’t want to be that guy because Jenny was cool in the beginning. But she’s been trying to establish a relationship, and that’s not what I’m looking for with her. I think she’s hoping to be the one that changes my mind.
Still, I don’t want to be a dick and treat her like she’s a piece of meat. Thinking about it, I guess that was a dirtbag move I pulled earlier tonight.
Finally finishing my set, I get to the back to find Adam on the phone, and the redhead—Georgina—gone. Grabbing a bottle of water, I guzzle it down like I usually do, then fall onto the couch. I’m always up for a party, but tonight I feel tired. Maybe it was all the overthinking I was doing with Cece. Damn it, I need to get that girl out of my head. Just because she shot me down, that shouldn’t mean I overanalyze every interaction I’ve had with her and figure out how to get to her.
Maybe what’s gnawing at my brain the most is the fact that she’s unlike every other girl I go out with. Models, actresses, and everything in between. It’s never been a struggle to get a girl’s number. I think that’s why I was looking for Cece after seeing her walk back into the club, hoping she’d pop up one more time and—
No. Not hoping.
“Ugh!” I throw my head back over the couch. “Dude, I’m fried,” I call out. “I think I’m just gonna go back home and crash.”
“Don’t be like that,” Adam hisses. Glancing over at him, I think he’s talking to me for a moment, but see him on the phone. He looks back at me, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. “No, it’s not. You know why it’s not. Jules, you knew what this was— Hello?” He lets out a growl, pulling his phone away to inspect the screen, then squeezes it tightly in his palm.
I can’t help but let out a small chuckle. “Uh-oh. Looks like we might be in the same boat tonight. What’s going on?”
He takes a seat next to me, letting out a sigh. He seems … distraught? That might be too powerful a word, but he’s definitely more than annoyed, which is strange. He’s been in his arrangement with Jules for almost three months now. So far, everything has seemed like the perfect setup for him, but tonight’s the first sign of looking like maybe she wants more. That part is normal, what’s strange is Adam so aggravated over it.
Another sigh escapes him. “Jules is just … it’s nothing.”
“She’ll get over it,” I tell him. “You’re a movie star. What does she do?”
