by Finn, Emilia
“I know.” Walking, I lay my head on her shoulder for a beat. “Without you and Kane, I might’ve locked myself away until I’d done more damage to my psyche than Graham ever did. I would’ve convinced myself all men were bad, so much so, I might’ve even projected some of that onto Luc and the guys. But instead of wallowing, I was forced into walking in on you and Kane thirty times a day.”
She laughs. “He’s insatiable. Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” I drop a kiss to the ball of her shoulder and let out a cleansing sigh. “At first, it was…” I search for the word. “Confronting, I guess. I didn’t know that scary dude, but he’s so truly sweet underneath all the ink. He’s a gentleman, and soft, and kind, and loving. The outside is just for show. It’s to keep the weak away, but once you’re in…”
She nods. “You’re in for life. You’re under federal protection now, Baby. Nothing will ever happen to you again.”
“I know. But putting that aside – you and Kane showed me what it’s like to have a strong, respectful, loving relationship. I mean; I already knew what those were. Alex and Jules. Luc and Kari.”
“Scotch and Sammy.”
I laugh. “Right. But I allowed myself to forget, to cast everyone as the enemy, but you guys refused to let me go. So now I’m here, in a pretty dress, with sexy underwear that I’m hoping Ang might ask to see, but even if he doesn’t, I wore it all anyway, because I’m ready to be happy again. I like him, like, a lot.” I shake my head at the heat that gathers in my cheeks. “I feel about as mature as my students, but whatever. I like the guy, and I’m ready to stop being a victim. It’s time.” I tangle our hands as we approach the front doors of a bar called FantaSea. “It wasn’t so long ago that I was terrified of all men.”
“And now?”
We step inside and study the open room.
“And now, I’m afraid of all men except the few we know. And I’m okay with that, because the most important men are in my circle, and everyone outside of it doesn’t matter.” I turn us toward the bar. “Drink?”
“Sure.” Her smile is magnificent. “This is like the old us again. You know what I want, Baby, and you know I want another to chase it down.”
“Two strawberry daquiris.” Experimentally, I flash a grin and a flirty wink at the young bartender. “Please.”
“Sure thing, pretty girl.”
“Laine!” Jess snatches both of my hands when he turns away to work. “Are you serious right now? It’s like we’re twenty-one all over again,”
I laugh. “I’m trying. But that wink; that felt gross.”
She nods. “Winkers are wankers. We know this.”
I answer her morose nod with one of my own. “Rookie mistake. I’m a little rusty.”
“It’s okay.” She turns and slaps a twenty onto the bar. “My treat. Well…” She snickers. “Kane’s treat. I stole that from his wallet.”
“You stole? Are you broke? I can lend you money, Jessie.”
“No, I’m not broke.” She brushes me off, accepting the drinks with a wankerish wink, and passes me mine, tapping them together. “I have money, but when I steal from Kane, it’s so much more satisfying. Nothing tastes as sweet as a stolen daquiri.”
I laugh and bring it to my lips. “Cheers to that.” As soon as the rum registers on my tongue, my eyes slam shut in protest. “Holy mother of–”
“Alcohol.” Jess turns to the still watching bartender. “Did we get any strawberry with our liquor?”
“Just a little,” he laughs. “You girls out for fun, or…?”
“Yup, with our boyfriends. Thanks.” She takes my hand and drags me toward the pool tables. “We do not get caught flirting with boys, Baby. That would be a bad move. Bad.” Laughing, she wags her finger in my face. “Bad!”
“What would Kane do if he found you flirting?”
“He’d probably shoot the guy. Then he’d take me back to our room and fuck me till I forgot how to speak.”
I lean against the unused pool table and tilt my head. “I mean, that doesn’t sound too awful. Except the shooting the guy part.”
She flashes a playful grin. “I have a plan for tonight, Baby, so I’m gonna need you to lower your standards. It’s gonna be fun.”
“You’re a monster!” I laugh. “I feel sorry for the guy already.”
“For Kane?”
“No, for the fool that’ll get shot.”
She waves me off and watches the door. “No one will get shot. It’ll be okay, trust me. Kane doesn’t control shit.” When the guys step through the front door like a couple gunslingers stepping into a saloon, she turns to me. “We control the world, Baby. A real man lets his queen control the world.”
33
Angelo
Barfight
“Time to go, Alesi.” Kane slams my wallet against my chest and turns back to get his. Opening the leather, he counts cash and chuckles. “Thieving woman.”
“Who?”
“Jessie. I had a couple hundred cash in here this morning. Now I have ten bucks, all in singles.”
“How do you know it was Jess?”
He pulls a silver packet out and holds it between two fingers. “Because she left a condom. She’s playing with me.”
“Gross.” I turn toward the suite door and move into the hall. “I don’t wanna know about you and Jess and condoms. It freaks me out.”
“That’s fine with me.” He follows me into the hall and waits until the door closes and the light flashes red on the lock. Moving to the next door – mine and Laine’s room – he tests the lock as he passes. “I don’t wanna talk to you about Jessie, anyway. But we need to talk about you and Laine.”
“You don’t have to worry about us. I think we have it under control now.”
“You were with her all day today, you ball-less bag of sissy-hood. She was right there in a bikini and I didn’t see you touch her once.”
“We kissed last night.” Am I thirteen or thirty? It sure fucking feels like I’m thirteen again. “I finally got a taste.”
“You did?” Smiling, he slaps a palm over the elevator call button and steps in when the doors slide open. “So why didn’t you grab her today? She’s yours, man. Act like it.”
“She’s not mine. Not yet, but I’m working on it.” Moving down a floor, the doors slide open again to reveal an elderly couple that clutch to each other and pretend the thug isn’t three feet ahead of them.
“Are you coming?” Kane snaps.
The lady squeezes her floral print handbag to her chest and shakes her head.
I slam my hand against the control panel to get the doors to close again. “Walk then, you judgmental bitch. You’re wasting our time by making us stop.”
The doors close, but instead of acknowledging my outburst, Kane turns to me with a grin. “What’s your plan? I want a play by play so I can laugh when you forget how to speak when you see her. Your current MO is ‘I’ve got this!’ then the second you see her, you turn into a brainless idiot.”
“Shut up. Mind your own business.”
“It is my business when your girlfriend is in my room whining at me when I’m trying to show Jessie a good time. I just get Jessie’s pants off, and bam, the Twink barges in and bitches about you like it’s my fault you’re stupid.”
I push out of the elevator and wait for him with a pounding heart. “She bitches about me?”
“Every fucking day of my life. ‘Ang won’t kiss me, Ang is blind, Why doesn’t Ang like me back?’ It’s annoying as fuck.”
“Wait.” I grab his arm and swing him around just as we step onto the street. “She asked you those things? Truly?”
“Truly. Like six billion fucking times a day. I’ve been living a Dr. Phil episode for ages, because Laine has a crush, and she thinks you don’t see her. So we sit down and talk, I tell how she should jump in and grab your dick, because then you’d probably admit you like her too. This goes on for an hour, I start my period, she leaves with an ‘I’ve got this!
’ attitude, I grab my girlfriend to remind myself I’m a man, then you knock and say the same shit about her. I swear, it’s tempting to tie you both to the front of separate trains, put you on the same tracks, and smash your faces together until you get it. I had no clue the happiness of my relationship depends on the happiness of yours.”
Rolling my eyes, we slow our walk when the girls come back into sight a block ahead. One elevator behind them. That’s as much space as Kane was giving the girls, and I didn’t even pretend to argue.
They walk hand in hand. Throwing their heads back with laughter, and swinging arms reminiscent of when they were younger.
Always attached.
Always giggling.
“You promise she said that about me? That she likes me?”
“Fuckkkkk!” He throws his head back. “Yes! Yes, I swear. I’m not in the business of hurting that girl, so I wouldn’t lie about this. Yes, she wants you. No, she’s not scared of you. Yes, she wants to kiss you again. No, she won’t freak out if you grab her ass while you dance.” He flattens his shirt over a bulge in the back of his jeans as the girls disappear into the bar. “It’s pretty fucking obvious she’s into you, so now that you know, what are you gonna do about it?”
It’s not as obvious as he thinks. If I fuck this up, I could do real damage. “If you shoot anyone tonight, I’m not bailing you out of the shit.”
He sniffs as we approach the entrance and slow our steps. The girls asked for space, so we have to give them space.
“I won’t shoot anyone that doesn’t deserve it. But if you don’t get your shit together soon with Laine, she’s gonna force your hand. Her sister shot at me; don’t think for a single second Laine isn’t capable of the same.”
Before I can reply, he pushes the heavy bar doors open. “Too late now. Time’s up.” Swaggering through the way only he can, when he steps into the bar and stops, everyone stops to watch us enter.
I’m a pretty low-key guy; I don’t like to draw attention to myself, so when the entire bar stops to watch us, I know they’re actually watching him. And that’s fine by me, because that gives me the opportunity to look across the dark room toward the pool tables where Laine is, and when my eyes lock onto hers, my mouth goes dry.
“She’s so fuckin’ beautiful.”
Chuckling, Kane bumps his shoulder against mine. “Uh-huh. They sure are.”
I turn to him with a scowl. “You know which one’s yours, right? Don’t fuck this up. This is why we practiced.”
“Mine’s on the right. Short shorts and a beautiful fucking grin that says she wants to fuck in the bathrooms before we leave.”
“Dude!”
“She has a teeny tiny little tattoo on her hip that I bet if you searched Laine’s body, you’d find one just the same.” He smirks. “Just a hunch, seeing as Jess’ says Thing One. Bet my left nut Laine is number two. I know which one is mine, just like I know yours is wearing a pretty dress that she chose just for you. That’s your siren, motherfucker. She’s calling you. If you ignore her, you lose her.”
He splits off and moves toward the bar to buy drinks with his dollar bills, so I head over toward the girls, wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans, trying not to draw attention to the fact I’m nervous.
She likes you, so what are you gonna do about it?
Fucked if I know, but when I stop in front of the girls, I catch a whiff of strawberries.
And ocean.
And shampoo.
“Hey, handsome.” Jess drags me down by the collar of my shirt and plops a wet kiss on my cheek. “You look great. Showered and everything.” Laughing, she allows me to straighten out and glances around me. “Did Kane see that? I’m working an experiment.”
“Kane? Woman, are you trying to get me killed?”
“He won’t kill you.” Sipping her fruity drink, she steps around me with a wide sway. “But making him jealous is a seriously fun game to play. He spanks; did you know that? God,” she groans. “I love it when he spanks.”
“No!” I spin and watch her approach the bar. “I didn’t fucking know that. I don’t need to know that. I’d appreciate if you never shared that shit again.”
She waves me off and sidles up against his body, and when he leans in to feast, she arches her head back to give him space to move.
Laine’s soft throat clearing draws my attention back around.
Preparing myself and trying to not be a dick now that shit seems to be changing, I close my eyes and say a little prayer. This could be the start of the rest of our lives.
Please let this be the start of the rest of our lives.
Opening my eyes, my heart gives a fast one, two thump. Her long lashes flutter against the tops of her cheeks. This is the old Laine, the one from before Graham ever spoke to her. This is the confident and smiley version of her.
The bust of her beautiful dress digs deep into her cleavage and leaves a large patch of naked torso. High heels, the kind she used to wear, sparkle and momentarily steal attention from the dress. Long hair hangs loose, and despite the light coat of makeup smoothing out the sun’s kisses on her cheeks, a rosy pink still shines through.
“Hey, Ang.” She lifts a hand to my lapel the way Jess did, but much less certain. Perhaps even with shaking hands. Mirroring her sister, she drags me forward and presses plump lips sticky with gloss to my cheek. She hovers. Her hands shake against my chest and her heart races.
And if I just turned a tenth of an inch to the right, my lips would touch hers. Should I? Could I?
Dammit, just do it!
“You look really handsome.” Pulling back too soon, she pats my chest and studies my face. My hands itch to hold her, to grab her hips and pull her close.
Can she feel my heart race?
Does she know what it means?
“You look so beautiful, Laine. Really, truly beautiful.”
“Yeah?” Her bright eyes flicker over my face. “Thanks. I put extra effort into it tonight. I wanted to look nice.”
“You always look beautiful.” Tossing my nerves away, I take a step closer until my legs brush hers. If she leaned in just a little bit closer, she’d be straddling my thigh. “You’re the first person I saw when we walked in.” Our eyes meet. “Then you smiled.”
She blushes. “You’re full of compliments tonight, huh? I like it.”
“Just the truth,” I murmur. I watch her manicured hands with sparkling nails lift the almost empty cocktail to her lips.
Pulling away and staring into my eyes, she swallows the concoction and flashes a grin. “This thing is like, ninety percent rum.”
I lift a brow. “Bartender trying to get you guys drunk?”
Snickering, she chugs the last mouthful and scrunches her eyes closed. “Maybe. I kinda tried to flirt with him when we ordered, so it might’ve been my own fault.”
“Trying to flirt?” I shake my head. “Poor bastard had no chance.”
Blushing, she taps my arm, but jumps when Jessie screeches from across the bar. “Baby! They got karaoke!”
“No!” Laine slams her hip against the pool table when Jess sprints across the room and Kane follows in her wake. “No! No karaoke. I don’t wanna.”
“One round,” Jess pleads. She accepts her second drink when Kane arrives with a tray. Sipping, she scowls and turns to Kane. “He didn’t try nearly as hard this time; you intimidated our liquor supplier, Bishop.”
“No, he’s nobody to you, Blondie. I’m your liquor supplier, and I’d rather not have your stomach pumped tonight. Enjoy your drink and zip your lips.”
“Baby?” Jess turns to Laine. “Listen to the sass? We’ve gotta show them who’s boss.”
“I don’t wanna,” Laine whines. “I haven’t done it in forever, plus Kane will have Ang. That’s hardly fair.”
“Wait.” Kane frowns. “What are you talking about?”
“Karaoke.” Turning, Jess meets his eyes defiantly. “Girls versus boys. Baby and I challenge you to a karaoke competition.”
>
Laine groans. “No, we don’t. She does.”
Kane’s eyes narrow as he considers. “How does one win or lose? There are no points. It’s all subjective.”
“Crowd decides,” I murmur. “Crowds are pretty vocal at these things, so we’d know.”
“But the girls have an unfair advantage.”
Jess thrusts a finger in my face. “He’s in a band, plays, and writes music for money. They’ve sold music to massive recording studios in their spare friggin time. What kind of advantage do you suggest we have?”
He rolls his eyes. “Sex sells, Blondie. You didn’t see all the guys in this place – you’ve already won.”
“You too scared?” she challenges. “Fifty dollar bet, and I’ll do that thing you like.”
His eyes shoot wide. “In the bathroom.”
My stomach turns when she counters with, “Hotel bathroom.”
“Bathrooms here… at my discretion… twice. Codeword: Jericho.”
Laine’s face flames a wild red, when Jess’ simply flushes a pink I’d rather not think too deeply about. “If the girls win, I get your fifty and a favor owed, whenever, wherever.”
He laughs. “Geez, how times have changed. You want a favor from a guy like me… you sure about that, Blondie?”
“Yup.” She thrusts her hand forward to seal the deal, never mind the fact her karaoke partner continues to shake her head. Taking her hand, Kane pulls her in until she slams against his chest and his lips press over hers.
Pulling back with a gasp and taking a second to reorient herself, Jess turns to us with a filthy grin. “Okay, we’ve made our deal. What are your terms? It makes it so much more fun when we have something to lose.”
“I didn’t agree to this,” Laine grumbles. “That was your deal, your problem.”
“Well, we can’t pull out now,” Jess answers quickly. “I just made a deal with a thug, and thugs don’t tolerate yellow-bellies. He’ll kneecap me, take the fifty, and provide a cushion for my sore knees so he can still collect on that other thing.”
“So fucking gross.” I half turn away. “What if we do Laine and me versus you and Kane?” I could do that – I could play her music, and she could sing. We’d win, because she sings like an angel and is beautiful to boot. Kane will parade around the stage like a circus monkey and get a few laughs, but he’s no competition on her. “I wanna play with Laine.”
