Vote Then Read: Volume I

by Carly Phillips

  “Your brother is obviously hanging out with people who aren’t on the radar, so to speak. I haven’t been able to track a cell. He’s gone underground.”

  She frowned, wrapping her arms around herself. “What if I lure him out somehow?”

  Now it was the other man’s turn to scowl. “Look, I don’t know how you’d find him, for one thing, and for another, Jason Dare wouldn’t just fire and not pay me, he’d have my head on a platter. Then Gabriel Dare would let me go and that’s my bread and butter. So I suggest you stay put. Your brother’s going to mess up sooner or later and we’ll get him. I’m pretty damn sure it’ll be illegal, which will put him in jail. Just relax and let me do my job. You go make candy,” he said, talking down to her, which she didn’t appreciate.

  Stamping her feet wouldn’t help, so she spun around and headed back behind the counter. She couldn’t give Jason his space if she wasn’t safe, and she couldn’t change the status quo, either. Which left her frustrated at having to wait for Colton to make a move.

  Jason spent the day and night at the club, back on his usual schedule. In an odd way, his mother’s issues had allowed him to take a step back from Faith. After spending the day with Sienna, his mom was at his apartment with Faith, both women being watched over by Jack Renault’s nighttime bodyguard outside the building, who would keep both Colton and Robert Dare far away.

  Jason didn’t have to worry about either of them. He was free to do his job. It was exactly what he’d wanted … so why was he so fucking stir-crazy and unable to concentrate on anything but what Faith was doing? Worse, what Faith was feeling after his dick move of dumping her on a bodyguard with no warning.

  “Hey, where do we stand with entertainment?” Landon asked, walking into Jason’s office, where he’d been holed up all day. Normally they sat together in the joint space, but Jason hadn’t been in the mood for the ribbing he’d take about finally joining them again.

  “Grey’s out. My half sister’s pregnant and not feeling well,” he said, knowing it wasn’t like Landon was going to spill the beans to Jason’s family. “He’s trying to get us a performer.”

  “Have you reached out to Charlotte as a possibility?” Tanner walked into the room, a can of cola in his hand.

  Jason groaned and closed his eyes, a picture of Charlotte, her long black hair and willowy body, filtering through his brain. Worse, the memory of her hands on his body as they’d fucked also made its way through. He didn’t want anyone touching him but Faith. Shit.

  He shook his head. “Anyone but her,” he muttered.

  Tanner narrowed his gaze. “Are you really that far gone for the girl that you can’t even hire an ex to sing?”

  Yes. “No. I just don’t want to deal with her wandering hands and inability to take no for an answer. It took me long enough to convince her it was over last time. No need to go there again.”

  One stalker in a family was enough, he mused, thinking of Faith’s brother, until his words caught him up short. Family? Faith?

  He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “Can you assholes leave? I’m trying to get work done. You left me spreadsheets and work up the ass.”

  Landon shook his head and laughed, while Tanner said what he was thinking. “Whipped, man. Let me know when the wedding is.”

  Jason balled up a sheet of paper and tossed it at his friends. Then he went back to work. He wanted to finish up the paperwork before the club got busy for the night. It would be the first time he was downstairs in weeks, and he needed to put on a good show for his partners that everything was fine and back to normal.

  An hour later, he’d reconciled some deliveries, made sure everything was copacetic, and was ready to join Landon and Tanner at the bar when his phone rang.

  A glance told him it was Grey. Hope sprung in his veins. “Hey,” he said, answering immediately.

  “Hi. Listen, I tried. All the A-listers are booked every weekend for the next month. Even asking for favors didn’t work. Now I can get you Lola,” he said of Lola Corbin.

  Now Lola Grissom, married to Rep Grissom Jr., a Major League Baseball player, she was the former lead singer of Tangled Royal when Grey’s band had been together.

  “But I have bad news,” Grey said.

  A tingle raced up Jason’s spine and he almost guessed the information, but he let Grey tell him anyway. “She’s been working with Charlotte Jasper, who was with her when I asked … and they both want to do the gig.”

  “Motherfucker.” But he couldn’t deny the fact that both Lola and Charlotte together would put Club TEN29 on the map when it came to live acts. It would prove their cachet, and other stars would be willing to sign on to sing here. He let out another groan. “I’ll get my attorney to send them a contract and we’ll negotiate from there.”

  “Sorry, man.”

  “No, I should be thanking you. No worries. How’s Avery?” he asked.

  “In the fucking bathroom puking. I don’t know how women do it or why they call it morning sickness,” Grey said, his admiration and worry for his wife obvious.

  “Give her my love. I’m going to make the arrangements.” Jason disconnected and immediately texted his partners the news.

  He then called his attorney and after that he called Gabe. Stars like Lola and Charlotte together were going to cost a mint and they’d need a loan until they were earning back what they paid on the talent.

  Finally, he headed down to the darkness that was his bar. A place he’d always loved, but now he couldn’t wait to get home.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Faith asked Savannah Dare, who was eyeing the dresses she’d had delivered from a personal shopper at Neiman Marcus.

  “I think it’s the best idea I’ve had in a long time. We’re going to visit my son at his nightclub. We’re going to have a few drinks, have a night out, and enjoy.” Savannah picked up an emerald-colored garment lying on the bed. “This one is for you. I had three sent over, but the green matches your eyes.”

  Faith lifted the beautiful garment and draped it over her arm.

  “Don’t forget the shoes.” Savannah pointed to a pair of silver strap sandals. “Those are your size.”

  Wondering how she’d allowed the woman to talk her into this, Faith headed for Jason’s bathroom, where she’d moved her makeup. Thirty minutes later, the women met up in the family room, dressed to kill. Or be killed, when Jason laid eyes on them outside of the apartment, Faith thought.

  “He’s going to be so mad,” she muttered as Savannah, wearing a silver dress, opened the door to the apartment.

  “That big bodyguard will be with us. He’ll get over it. I haven’t had a night out to just enjoy myself in God knows how long. I’m going. Are you with me?” Jason’s mother asked.

  Faith picked up the small purse Savannah had also had delivered. “Let’s go.” She hadn’t had any time out in over a year. If anyone was overdue, she was. Jason was obviously working out his own issues, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t let loose for once.

  And Savannah was right. They had a bodyguard. Let Jason be angry. He was the one who’d hired the man, so he must trust him, she thought, as the apartment door slammed closed behind them with a final thud.

  With a seltzer over ice in hand, Jason made the rounds of the important people, those who paid a hefty sum to get into the nightclub and be guaranteed a private table and server. As the manager, it was his job to ensure everyone’s happiness at his establishment, and Tanner and Landon had been handling things in his absence.

  It felt good to be back in the swing of things and pick up his routine. Apparently his partners felt the same, because from the other side of the room, Tanner raised a glass to Jason, and he did the same.

  The other man strode across the room and came up to where Jason stood on the raised balcony area, where Jason had come for a break. “Welcome back, buddy. Good to have you here.”

  “Thanks. Good to be here.” He slid his gaze toward the front entrance just in time to see t
wo women walk into the room. Women he’d recognize in his sleep.

  His mother, in a silver sequined dress and matching heels, her blonde hair curling around her face in the style she preferred, looked around, taking in her surroundings. She’d been here for the grand opening and so she already had her bearings.

  The second woman didn’t have the same air of confidence, but with her rocking body, she didn’t need to. The emerald-green dress hugged her curves, the dip in the front revealing cleavage he felt extremely possessive over, and the way it draped her hips and ended above her knees was fucking sexy.

  Neither one of them belonged here. He didn’t care if the big bodyguard he’d hired trailed close behind.

  “Hold this,” he said to Tanner, who’d muttered, “Oh, shit,” at the same time.

  “I’m not missing this,” his partner said and followed him through the back curtain and down the stairs.

  He stood unnoticed for now at the bar, where he heard his mother order a gin and tonic for herself. Faith was looking at the drink menu, then whispered something in his mother’s ear.

  “A ménage à trois for my friend,” Savannah said with a grin.

  Jason closed his eyes and shook his head. He and his partners knew how to make every drink on the menu, and this one included crushed strawberries, fresh basil, white rum, triple sec, lemon juice, Gomme syrup, and ice, mixed then strained. They could be potent and Faith, despite her obvious nerves – she kept licking and biting on her pink-coated lips – had trouble written all over her tonight.

  He let her take a sip, which translated into too big a gulp, before he decided to show himself.

  “Hello, ladies,” he said, walking over to them, which they had to know was inevitable.

  “Jason!” Faith’s exclamation was real.

  “Hello, son.” His mother waggled her fingers at him, clearly pleased with herself.

  “And what are you drinking tonight?” he asked politely, even though he knew. He wanted to watch Faith squirm.

  Behind him, Tanner chuckled.

  “A gin and tonic. You know my drink of choice.” His mother shot him a smile and took a delicate sip.

  “Faith? What is that in your glass?” Jason asked.

  Her cheeks flamed a bright red. “A ménage à trois. Want one?” she asked, finding her cheekiness despite her embarrassment.

  “How about you finish your drinks and head home, where it’s safe?” he suggested, keeping his anger in check. He’d left them protected. Yet here they were.

  Faith took a deliberately big sip before answering. “I have my very own bodyguard that you hired yourself. You obviously trust him. There’s no reason I can’t have a good time tonight.” And with that, she downed the rest of her drink and placed the glass on the bar. “I think I’ll find someone to dance with.”

  “I’ll join y…” At the look on Jason’s face, which he knew was furious, his mother’s words trailed off. “I think I’ll stay with Jack, that’s what you said your name was in the car earlier, right?” she asked of the bodyguard.

  “Yes, ma’am.” The man didn’t crack a smile. He took his job seriously.

  “Do not move from here,” Jason instructed his mother before heading after Faith.

  She’d had a head start and was already on the dance floor and had found a willing partner. A definite Wall Street type with slicked-back hair, a white shirt, sleeves rolled up, and an arrogant look on his face, he had just reached out and put his hand on Faith’s waist.

  Jason thought he was going have an aneurysm. Blindly, he stepped forward, grabbed the man’s arm, and swung him away. “She’s with me.”

  The other guy narrowed his gaze, his face flush with embarrassment as he fixed his shirt, brushing out wrinkles. “Relax, man. If she’s yours, keep her on a leash,” he muttered and walked away, which was smart because Jason was still raging with anger that another man had touched her.

  “Are you happy?” he asked Faith. “Did you get what you came for tonight?” Because no doubt she’d wanted a rise out of him after being ignored … and he’d given her one.

  A sad expression crossed her face. “Not at all, Jason. Your mother wanted to come. Once I was here, I just decided to have a good time. I haven’t been out like someone my own age in over a year. It had nothing to do with you.” Turning her back to him, she started for the bar.

  “Faith.”

  She spun back.

  “Like hell it had nothing to do with me.” He paused, knowing they needed to have this out, even if it was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even if people were watching. “I needed space, so sue me.”

  She braced her hands on her hips, her gaze narrowing. “I needed fun. So sue me.” She took a step away.

  He grasped her around her waist and flung her over his shoulder, striding back toward the private area upstairs.

  “Hey! Put me down!” She smacked his back.

  He merely braced a hand on her lower back and ass and walked faster, pounding up the stairs. Once he was in the joint office space, he slid her to her feet. Ignoring her outrage and yelling at him, he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward his private office.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, but she was no longer fighting but rushing after him.

  Desire pulsed through his veins. It had been there since he’d looked down and seen the swell of her breasts in that sexy dress. The fury he’d been feeling since she challenged him, picking up another man, burned in his veins, changing into a pulsing, beating need inside of him. Putting distance between them? Taking his space? He’d never stood a chance.

  But he’d hurt her, he knew. And that had never been his intention. So if she didn’t want him now, he’d let her go.

  “We’re going somewhere we can be alone.” He paused, meeting her gaze. “Any objections?”

  The seconds that passed felt like long, painful ones. She stared at him, a myriad of emotions racing across her expressive features so fast he didn’t try and decipher them all. Instead he waited, his cock throbbing inside his slacks.

  “Faith?” he asked because she had to agree.

  “What are you waiting for?”

  His hand wrapped more tightly around hers as he rushed them into his office, slammed the door, and locked it behind them. He walked her to the desk and met her gaze, pleased to see her eyes dark with yearning.

  “Panties off, dress up,” he instructed.

  Her eyes opened wide but she didn’t hesitate. She wriggled the dress up and slid her sexy underwear down and off her legs.

  His fucking hand shook as he unhooked his pants and dropped them, along with his boxer briefs, to the floor. “Bend over,” he said in a gruff voice.

  “I–”

  “Up to you.” He grasped his cock and pumped once, twice with his hand.

  Her eyes followed the rough movement.

  She bent over the desk.

  She was gorgeous, that soft, creamy flesh calling out to him. He walked behind her and nudged her feet wider, making room for himself between her thighs.

  He slid one hand through her creamy folds, finding her soaked. “Jesus, you’re wet.”

  “For you, Jason. Only for you. But if you walk away again right after, I’m done.”

  Her words sliced through his chest. He pushed them aside for now, knowing he was in it until her brother was caught. In it until they called it quits at the end. She knew what he wanted … and didn’t. He’d been a coward for running from her.

  In response, he grabbed his cock, lined it up at her entrance, and nudged himself in, sliding inside slowly as she gripped tight around him.

  He closed his eyes, letting himself feel the sensations. She wasn’t able to watch his face, to see how deeply she affected him, so he allowed himself the luxury of feeling.

  “Harder, Jase.” She wriggled her ass and he pinched one cheek, then slammed in deep.

  She screamed but it wasn’t like anyone could hear. Before he could ask if she was okay, she groaned. “So good
. Again.”

  He took a slow, torturous glide out of her clasping walls and thrust back in. Knowing what she wanted, needed, he began a steady rhythm, one hand on her back, the other on her hip as he took her hard and fast. It didn’t take long for her to rise, and the slow moans became louder and more frenzied.

  “Oh, God, Jase. Don’t stop. I need to come.”

  He had no intention of denying either one of them. His blood boiled hot in his veins, his balls were drawn up tight, and the only thing holding him back from his climax was the fact that she hadn’t reached her own yet. He slid his hand around her waist and rubbed his finger over her clit.

  That was all she needed. She cried out and she began to climax, her trembling, shaking orgasm triggering his release. He slammed into her over and over, and when he finally thrust one last time, he knew he was so fucking gone and lost over this woman he might never find his way back.

  Faith was certain her cheeks still burned with the embarrassment she’d felt returning to the club after having the most explosive sex of her life in Jason’s office. She felt certain everyone looking at her knew. Worse, she was afraid his mother knew and she couldn’t meet Savannah’s gaze.

  Acting as if nothing were wrong, his mother chatted with them the entire way home. Jason had sent Renault on his way. Savannah went on about how much she loved the club, how Tanner had told her all the new ideas they were planning, and how she knew it would be a success. Slowly, Faith had begun to relax, and as they entered the lobby, she felt boneless and as content as she could feel given the state of her life.

  As they entered the beautiful glass and marble lobby, with a doorman in the center, Jason stopped short. Savannah gasped. And Faith looked at the tall man who was the cause of their reaction.

  “Robert!” Savannah stood in shock, staring at the man who looked as if he’d been waiting for hours. His suit was rumpled, his tie undone, his shirt unbuttoned, and he appeared exhausted.