If that man was interested in getting into trouble.
Alex wasn’t. End of story. But as he looked at his friend, he decided maybe Lucas was right. No matter that he’d been steamrolled into his vacation, there wasn’t a single damn reason not to enjoy it now that he was here. The wind chose that moment to kick up, and he shivered. “Let’s get this room shit sorted and get a drink.”
“There he is.” Lucas clapped him on the shoulder. “Trust me. This doesn’t have to be a torturous experience. You might even have fun despite yourself.”
“You should take your own advice while we’re here.”
Lucas grinned. “Maybe I will.”
An hour later, their shit in their respective cabins and drinks in their hands, they stood by the bar that shone in the low light. It was as far from his bar as something could be and still maintain the same label. There were no scuff marks, no stains, no character. Everything was streamlined and perfect and left him feeling like the only flaw in the room was his shitty attitude. He could admit, at least to himself, that this might be exactly the change of pace both Lucas and Pop claimed he needed.
They’d barely left port, but the party was already in full swing. Despite the low music, a handful of couples writhed together next to the bar, a version of foreplay he’d seen played out with college kids countless times. They were young, well on their way to being drunk, and determined to live their lives to the fullest.
He seriously hoped this ship had stocked up on condoms, or they ran the risk of a widespread STD outbreak. The thought made him turn away from the scene. Fuck, he when did he get so old?
And there she was.
The brunette.
She stood around a tall table with three other white women and a guy, but she was the only one he could focus on. Her dark hair shone like some kind of beacon, the sight a hook in his chest. He actually took a step toward her before he caught himself. That shit was not why he was here. She might be pretty in the flawless kind of way that a perverse part of him wanted to smudge, but everything from her floral dress to her pretty pale pink lipstick was a giant neon warning sign for him to stay the fuck away.
That, and the fact she all but ran from him earlier.
Alex might be a dick sometimes, but he could take a hint. He forced himself to turn back to the bar. “I think I’m going to crash early.”
“Nope.” Lucas shook his head. “You’re going to have fun, even if I have to drag your ass around behind me.”
He snorted. “Pretty sure it doesn’t count as fun if you’re dragging me anywhere.”
“The end result is all that matters.”
Hard to argue with that, and he’d been friends Lucas long enough to know better than to try. The man hadn’t taken them to state in high school and leveraged a successful college football career into a full-time coaching gig because he was a pushover. When he decided he was going to do something, he did it. Which was probably why Pop had sent him with Alex on this vacation. If anyone could ensure Alex got out of his own head, it was Lucas.
Maybe they were both right. It was only eight days in the grand scheme of things. He couldn’t do a damn thing now. The ship had literally sailed. Either he could bitch and moan and be the asshole that ruined Lucas’s vacation, or he could try to relax a little and try to enjoy it.
Try being the operative word.
Alex managed a smile. “Does this mean you want to do shots?”
“Fuck no, man. We’re too old for that shit.”
His grin widened. Nothing like a little payback to brighten his day. “Shots it is!”
In the Phoenix club, there is only one rule; watch, don’t touch, until the powerful owner falls for his new star in this deliciously intriguing romance from USA Today bestselling author Stacey Kennedy.
Check out the first book in Stacey Kennedy’s
Phoenix series. . .
WATCH ME
In one night, Olivia Watts’ life goes from ordinary to out of this world after she’s introduced to Rhys Harrington, the owner of Phoenix, an ultra-exclusive, upscale sex club. He’s the one man she should stay away from… and the only man she wants.
Rhys needs a new performer for his high-end clients, who pay extravagant amounts to watch others indulge their fantasies, and one look at Olivia tells Rhys he’s found his star. Only Rhys wants her all to himself, and the addictive passion between them sets the stage for the perfect show…
It’ll be Olivia’s choice to play Rhys’s game. But if she says yes, there will be more on the line than just her pleasure. Because Rhys’s sizzling touch doesn’t only capture her body, it also commands her heart.
Find out more about WATCH ME.
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Loving Liv Page 15
