by Mackenzy Fox
I’m in for a long night but at least we’re in my own club and I have my best friend here as back-up, that should take the edge off. Should being the operative word, who the hell knows what we’re in for as I watch Morgan disappear through the door behind her friends and hope to God I get through the night without murdering anyone, namely her.
10
Morgan
I didn’t know tequila was what I needed until it was sliding down my throat. I really don’t drink a lot; when I do, bad things happen like blurting private things out to Jaxon, of all people. A part of me thinks he was very sweet giving me his handkerchief the other night as he listened to my incessant blabbing about my ex, and another part says it’s a pity he can’t keep his nose out of my business, he’s here, there, and everywhere.
Still, I wouldn’t expect him to actually care really. As he said, women are usually the ones giving him a slap, that I do believe.
The club is pretty awesome, the décor is modern and eclectic, the music is hip and very, very loud, there are dancers in large cages hanging throughout the club, it’s kind of wild.
The girls are in full swing. Aside from Jolie and Dixie, I’ve invited my other friends, Gemma and Imogen, and her little sister, Zoe.
It’s a funny thing, the minute you let your hair down and get into having a good time, you wonder how you ever stayed at home in your pajamas every weekend eating Chinese food. And there are cute guys everywhere.
The VIP area is really swanky; it’s decked out with plush chairs and sheer curtains separating us from the other tables and the large dance floor and crowded bar. I don’t know how we scored this area but I’m not complaining, it means we have our own table and drinks brought to us at will—unlimited drinks I might add, which could be very, very bad.
“What did you do to get in here?” Dixie shouts across the table.
“More like who did you do?” Gemma giggles, sipping on her cocktail with a hula girl hanging out the top.
I throw a pretzel at her which she dodges. “Very funny,” I say. “I’ve never been here before. It was Jolie that came up with the idea, though she didn’t mention anything about people dancing in cages.”
It sounds weird but it sort of goes with the whole hip theme of the place.
“I know, it rocks,” Imogen agrees. “Just think how long we’d be waiting out in the cold, kudos to Jolie.”
We raise our glasses in a silent salute because Jolie isn’t even here; her and Zoe are living it up on the dance floor.
I notice Jaxon seems to know every bouncer in the place and most of the staff; he must come here a lot.
To my astonishment, a couple of the waitresses sidle up to him and kiss him, one pecks him right on the mouth, the other he smacks on the ass as she walks away in her tiny little hot pants.
I can’t help but stare, wondering what that’s all about. All the girls that work here are attractive of course; the owner must be one of those douche bags that only hire chicks based on their looks and cup size, which does not surprise me. I guess it keeps the drinks flowing, the punters happy, and the money rolling in, everyone’s a winner.
Jaxon, in his usual fashion, is in stealth mode since we arrived, he’s all business standing right in the entry, not letting anyone in. His cute friend stands at the other side of our booth doing the same thing from that side, except the cute friend, I think he said his name was Chase, keeps giving Dixie a big grin every time their eyes connect. He’s tall like Jaxon and well-built but more slender. He has an oriental look about him that’s hard to place, but he’s definitely easy on the eyes. However, if he’s a friend of Jaxon’s then that leaves a lot to be desired.
“When’s Joe Manganiello showing up?” I tease Dixie.
She checks her phone. “He shouldn’t be long, he said about ten o’clock.”
“Hope they’re not standing out in the cold for too long,” I smirk into my drink.
Dixie rolls her eyes; she’s used to me and my sarcastic comments. “Just because you seem to have no interest in the opposite sex doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t,” she replies.
“Joe Manganiello’s coming?” Gemma asks, looking confused.
“Yes, but it looks like he’ll have some stiff competition,” I laugh, tilting my head behind me towards Chase. “He’s been eyeballing you since we got here.”
“That’s the understatement of the year,” Imogen agrees. “She’s got them lining up, throw one my way.”
“Hardly,” Dixie replies, distracted as she’s texting furiously at the same time. “We all know I have the classic traits that attract guys who have absolutely no follow-through, men seem to get worse by the day when you get into your thirties, let that be a warning to you all.”
“There, there, old girl,” I say, patting her arm. “Next time we’ll go and party at the geriatrics nursing home, I hear they do bingo on a Friday night, there’s prizes and everything.”
Dixie hurls her cocktail umbrella at me. “You’re a comedian, Morgan.”
“It’s why you love me,” I remind her.
Then, suddenly, her phone vibrates on the table, her face lights up as she checks the message. “He’s here!” she squeals and does a little happy dance jig with her arms.
Gemma squeals too and clinks glasses with Imogen. It’s clear and very sad none of us get out much.
“He says they’re congregated at the bar, I’ll tell them to come over here and join us.” She texts back rapidly.
“Are you sure crinkly smile’s going to let him through?” I ask. It is kind of hot that we have two of the best-looking guys in New York guarding us, my friends are certainly not complaining by the intrusion.
Dixie looks up. “It’s not him we may have to worry about,” she says as I follow her line of vision.
Sure enough, Jaxon appears to be having a heated conversation with a group of guys. His back’s to us but I see him holding another man back with his hand planted on the guy’s chest as he shakes his head, the guy trying to get in does actually resemble Joe Manganiello, but Jaxon is having none of it.
I cannot help but notice his super tight ass in the black suit he’s wearing and I know I should not be noticing things like that, but hell, one tequila, two tequila… three… and the whole world opens up to a different perspective.
The conversation looks like it may get out of hand fast, so I jump up to go and rescue the poor dudes before Jaxon pummels them. When I reach him, I touch his arm as he turns quickly and looks down at me.
“Hey, it’s alright,” I tell him.
“You know these guys?” he asks, thumbing towards the throng, he does not look very happy at all.
I nod. “Friend of Dixie’s,” I explain. “She invited them to join us.”
“Yeah, like I said, I’m invited,” says lookalike Joe smugly, then he turns to me. “I’m David by the way.”
“Hi, David,” I say as he looks back at Jaxon with a wide grin.
Shit, he doesn’t know who he’s messing with.
Jaxon frowns as if deciding whether he’s going to allow the intruders in. After a few uncomfortable moments of silence, he unclips the velvet rope and moves aside to let them past. If body language is anything to go by, then hell may actually freeze over.
There are five of them; none of them are as cute as David is, aside from a blonde guy who gives me a wink as he walks by.
I look back at Jaxon but he ignores me, watching over the top of my head as they all make their way over to the table. Dixie hugs David and he begins to introduce the other guys to everyone.
Jaxon, however, seems very annoyed by their presence. He makes eye contact with Chase and something silent passes between them.
Then he casts his stormy eyes back down to me again.
“Don’t want to keep your friends waiting,” he practically barks and a cold chill runs down my spine at his harsh tone, I wonder why I’m still standing here like an idiot.
A part of me wants to blurt out that I’m not interested in any of these g
uys, none of them are my type, but I stop myself.
Why would I want to say something like that?
Why would he care anyway?
Memo to self; stop drinking as it just gives me bad ideas.
Jaxon is my bodyguard, and I am definitely not crushing on him. Just because we had a kind of moment the other night doesn’t mean we’re like good now, not even close.
We’ve barely said two words to one another since the alleyway incident and it’s like it never happened, he’s not his usual snarky I have an answer for everything self either. Maybe he’s got PMS or something. I snort at my own joke as Jaxon looks down at me perplexed by my weird outburst of internal hilarity.
I quickly go back to the table and take my seat as Dixie introduces me to the guys around the table.
The blonde one is quite cute but I realize no guy in here is as hot as Jaxon and that’s a cold hard fact.
There I go again, like a broken record.
Stupidly, I reach for another freshly made cocktail knowing fine well it’s a mistake.
No guy in here has that air of mystery about him like dark and dangerous Jaxon Westbrook. He’s completely badass and he looks the part too as every girl that wanders past and looks in his direction smiles coyly or gives him the eyes, especially those damn waitresses who aren’t even wearing decent clothing attire. I definitely can’t blame them one bit because if he wasn’t my bodyguard and I didn’t know he was an ass, I would probably do the same thing.
One of the guys starts chatting to me and asking me questions about where I work and what I do for fun. He seems nice, his name is Gareth and he works for some attorney’s office downtown. All of these guys seem super smart and we fall into easy banter, more drinks arrive, then some snacks on a platter. I glance every now and again at Jaxon but he has his back to us, watching the entrance, though God knows what threat he’s going to find in a nightclub where all people are doing is getting drunk and groping one another. He’s always in superhero mode. Always.
I guess that’s why my father hired him. He takes all of this very seriously.
Two more cocktails later and Dixie and Gemma are dragging me out to the dance floor, somewhere I don’t really want to go but since I’m a little bit tipsy, I go along with it and I know I’ll make a fool of myself because I don’t dance well.
We join Jolie and Zoe who have met a couple of guys and are bumping and grinding and giggling like little school girls.
I don’t know if Jaxon follows us as its dark, loud, and full of bodies. All I can do is try my best to blend in and not care, nobody else has to worry about their stupid bodyguard, so why should I?
We dance and laugh and more drinks arrive, which is hard to juggle when you’re trying to boogie down holding a tumbler full of some new pink concoction, I know they say not to mix your drinks but this stuff is really nice.
The guys join us, and before long, we’re all dancing and carrying on like teenagers. Gareth puts his hands on my hips behind me and although I’m not sure how I feel about that, I let him, it’s been so long since I’ve been near a man that I forget how nice it feels.
It’s been a whole long eight months and I miss a man’s touch. I’m a bit tragic like that, sentimental, and though Gareth is nice and kind of cute, I’m not going to sleep with him, I didn’t come here to pick up, I came here to have a good time with my friends.
When he leans down towards my ear, I hear him say, “You’re really cute, Morgan, you move that little body so well.” His hands grip me tighter as he pulls me closer.
I bite my lip but I don’t stop him. My back is to his front and his hands wander down further past my hips. I just want to dance; I don’t want to get into anything heavy. I don’t even freaking like dancing but I’m too many tequilas and pink cocktails down to care.
“You’re beautiful,” he tells me on the other side of my face. “So sexy.” I feel his lips go to my neck as he kisses me there before I can even stop him.
I don’t really want him kissing me, I don’t know him and I don’t think I want to get to know him. I’m about to shrug him off when I glance up and immediately lock eyes with Jaxon.
He’s staring at me from the edge of the dance floor. He does not look happy, in fact, his eyes are murderous as he watches us. They drop to where the guy’s hands are at my hips and something crosses his face that borders on scary.
I immediately want to be let out of his grip. For some reason, I don’t want Jaxon to see me like this, in this guy’s arms.
“You want to get out of here, beautiful? Go somewhere quiet?”
My eyes go wide at his words and I shake my head.
I tilt backwards to look up at him. “No, sorry, Gareth, I just want to dance and be with my friends,” I tell him honestly.
“Come on, we’d be good together.” He reaches down and plants one on me before I can stop him; it’s sloppy and not at all nice. I pull back in shock, stumbling into someone behind me. I don’t know where the hands come from but, all of a sudden, I’m being whirled around out of Gareth’s grip and I’m standing behind Jaxon’s large, muscular body, slamming into his back.
“Woah, what the fuck, bro?” Gareth says, just as surprised as I am as Jaxon shoves him in the chest, he flies backwards and hits the dance goers behind him.
“She’s saying no,” Jaxon exclaims between gritted teeth, and I swear his body is so rigid and ready for a fight that I can feel the anger radiating off him; he is ready to commit murder. “Step the fuck away, pencil dick, or I’ll fucking end you.”
I’ve got no idea what’s going on but I tug on his sleeve.
“Jaxon, don’t!”
He turns to look down at me. “You want to go home with this prick?”
My eyes go wide. “I… I wasn’t going to go home with him,” I stammer.
“Yeah, well, the way he’s feeling you up, princess, I think he’s got other ideas.”
“Who is this guy?” Gareth asks, looking between Jaxon and myself.
We both ignore him as Dixie comes up and pulls me into a hug, totally unaware of our exchange. She rocks me side to side and whispers in my ear, “I don’t know if I’m in love with David or Chase.”
I roll my eyes. “I think maybe it’s time we called it a night, there’s too much testosterone on this dance floor.”
Jaxon and Gareth are still having a stare off, but then, without warning, Jaxon turns and pulls me off the dance floor by my wrist, the other hand at my hip so I can’t get away.
“Hey!” says Dixie, looking puzzled.
“Be right back,” I yell behind me as Dixie pouts and grabs hold of Gemma and twirls her around, laughing.
I shrug out of Jaxon’s hold as he leads me down past the bathrooms and to a door that says staff only. He produces a key and I stumble through the door as he yanks me through it.
“Jaxon, where are you taking me?” I plead, looking around.
He doesn’t respond and leads me into an office, only then does he let go of my arm. It’s quiet in here, all the noise is completely blocked out.
“How’d you get a key to back here?” I wonder, I realize I am actually pretty wasted.
He stares at me with thunderous eyes, ignoring my question. “I don’t know how you expect me to keep you safe when you have some ape with his hands all over your ass,” he says, his tone clipped and annoyed.
I cross my arms over my chest. “Well, that ape wasn’t doing anything I didn’t want him to do.” I lie, my eyes glaring back at him. “Maybe you should stop taking your job so seriously.”
“I didn’t sign up for this, I said I’d keep you safe but how am I meant to do that, pray tell, when some limp dick is rubbing up all over you and putting his mouth where he goddamned well shouldn’t!” he practically bellows.
I’ve got no idea why he’s so angry with me. I’m just having fun or trying to before he came along.
“Didn’t feel that limp,” I fire back. “It felt just fine to me.”
“Oh, rea
lly?” he sneers. “Well, your body language told me otherwise, usually when a girl is shaking her head, pulling away, and saying no, it means she’s not into you; hence the reason I intervened.”
He’s right, so very right, but I can’t let him know that; he’d get too much satisfaction.
“You’re insane,” I state adamantly.
“I don’t think so, MJ, in fact, I think I’ve hit it right on the nail.”
“So, if I want to go home with a guy, you’re going to forbid it?” I move closer to him and jab him in the chest. “You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do, got it? I can do what I like with whoever I like; I don’t need your permission!”
His lips move to a grimace that I’m not sure I like. “You’re drunk, how do you even know what you want? Trust me when I say I’ll gladly wait outside the restroom like a good bodyguard while you get fucked by some random stranger if you’re even halfway into the guy, which I can see you’re not.”
I baulk at his words and I’m surprised by how much his words sting me. “You actually think I’d do that with a stranger?” I say, my tone high. “In a bathroom? How fucking dare you!”
I reach out to slap him and he grabs my wrist before I make contact. “Careful, MJ,” he warns. “You want to take a shot then don’t aim it at me; I’m just telling it like it is, the guy is a sleazeball.”
Oh, how wonderful of him, I’m so, so grateful!
“You are so goddamned rude! You can’t speak to me like that!” I yell at him.
He’s such an A-class asshole. I am so done with him.
“Trust me, you’ll thank me in the morning when I saved you from a big mistake.”
I narrow my eyes. “For your information, I don’t need you to save me from anything, thank you very much, I’m quite capable of running my own life, I’ve done it for quite a long time and managed to get this far without your help.” I wobble a bit as I point at him.
He gives me a look that says he doesn’t believe any of that and I step away from him.
“I want to go now,” I say curtly.
“Fine, I’ll call a cab.”
