by K. M. Scott
Alex drops a hundred on the bar in front of me and smiles. “Are we still being a bitch about things, or should we find one of the other bars?”
I take his money and hand it back to him, shaking my head. “Fuck you, and your money’s no good here tonight. If the almighty Stefan March insists I work this hoedown, then my family and friends drink for free.”
His brother Cash leans in and looks at me with that intense blue-eyed stare so like his father’s. “Planning on bankrupting your father before he forces you to take over the place?” he asks and then laughs. “If I had known tonight was free, I would have better prepared. How’ve you been, Cade? Alex tells me your father is pulling hard on the reins lately.”
I shake my head at him and roll my eyes. “Everyone in this family is like fucking hens. All you do is gossip.” Turning to look at my cousin Liam, I say, “Let me guess. You know all my goddamned business too, right?”
My uncle Kane’s older son, he’s quiet like his father, something I appreciate since it usually means he’s not interested in the family bullshit. But tonight, it seems even Liam is here to bust my balls.
With a shit-eating grin, he answers, “You know how fast word travels in this family. Don’t worry, though. Looks like you got yourself a job, so your father will get off your back. Speaking of that, do you serve drinks at this job, or do you just talk to people dying of thirst?”
All three of them laugh, but I get it. As close as we’ve all been all our lives, it’s not surprising they think they should ride me about my father’s latest scheme to get me to run this place. I should have expected them to show up and act like they are.
“Fuck you guys, and if you aren’t careful, I’ll let the twins handle you.”
My cousins turn their heads and look down the bar at the two gorgeous bartenders I get to work with tonight. Both have their blond hair up in ponytails, and both are wearing shirts that I’m pretty sure defy the laws of nature, or at least fabric, and show off as much of their tits without being naked.
“Christ, what is the tensile strength of those buttons?” Cash asks as the three of them stare at exactly what both twins hope male customers will notice and pay nicely to see as they get their drinks tonight. “They have to be super glued because there’s no way that one little button is holding back all of that.”
Liam smiles, and Alex taps me on the arm to get my attention. “I think you misunderstand the idea of punishment, man. There’s no reason for us not to bust your ass all night long if we get them instead of you.”
“Fuck off. Now you get whatever I decide to pour you three.”
I leave them staring at the twins’ assets and return a minute later with three whiskeys. When Alex doesn’t see one for me, he stops his brother and Liam from taking a drink.
“First drink, you have to join us. It’s a tradition.”
“I can’t get hammered tonight. There are like a million fucking people here. This job gets hard when your head is up your ass.”
“One drink,” Cash says, egging me on like he usually does. “You won’t even feel it.”
Grabbing the bottle off the shelf, I give in and pour myself a glass of whiskey. “One, but then I have to get back to work. What are we toasting to?” I ask as I lift my glass.
The four of us clink our glasses together, and Alex says with a grin, “To new beginnings.”
“To new beginnings,” the three of us repeat and then each of us takes a drink.
I know that’s Alex’s way of saying he’s sorry for giving me a hard time about Hailey. I can forgive him. I have to. He’s my best friend, and even if I didn’t want to let things go, this family isn’t going to let that continue on for long.
“We’re going to go see what’s happening, but we’ll check back. Don’t work too hard,” he says with a laugh.
Since it’s better to ignore him as he’s just being a bust ass, I head off to get drinks for paying customers. I’ll catch up with them later, assuming my father doesn’t have me giving interviews to some lame online magazine about how great working at Club X is.
That is definitely not what he wants to happen. I hope he knows that.
An hour later, one of the twins looks like she needs a break from all the adoration the male customers are giving her. Her smile seems forced, so I head down to her end of the bar to check that she’s okay.
Over the music, which has gotten so loud in the past few minutes that I can barely hear myself think, I say into her ear, “Everything okay? You need a couple minutes away?”
I don’t use her name because I’m not sure if it’s Katelyn or Kylie, but whichever one she is nods and leans in toward me. “Thanks! I just need a minute or two to get some fresh air and maybe splash some water on my face. I won’t be long.”
“We’ll be fine.”
“Okay. Thanks, Cade. Kylie still looks like she’s going strong, so she’ll be good if you get a huge rush, but I promise I won’t be long. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Good to know this is Katelyn. Okay. I quickly scan her face and see she’s wearing gold hoop earrings. Turning to look at her sister, I see no hoops. Good. Katelyn is hoops and Kylie isn’t. That works.
Not thirty seconds after she walks out from behind the bar, all hell breaks loose. That media person my father said remembered me pushes her way to the front of the bar, and I instantly have a flashback as to why she knows me.
Easter weekend two years ago. Too much tequila. Way too much. A brunette and a redhead, sisters home from college. Or maybe they were on vacation. I didn’t pay attention to their story much at the time. I actually wondered if somewhere nearby there was a blonde to round out the look we had going on.
Now the redhead stands in front of me, all smiles with some guy with a camera behind her. How did that weekend turn out? I can’t remember, but I don’t think anyone left with hurt feelings. Why would they? We were just three people having a good time.
“Cade March, baby, you are a sight for sore eyes. When your father told my producer that his son was going to be the star of this party tonight, I thought he meant you. Seeing you now brings all those memories back of that weekend my sister and I spent with you at the beach. Remember?”
I flash the smile I know I have to and nod like I’m happy to see her. Except I don’t know her name.
“How’ve you been?” I ask, leaving my question hanging in mid-air in the hopes that she’ll fill in her name.
She smiles, like she has my ploy all figured out, and leans over the bar to grab my shirt by the collar. Pulling me toward her, she plants a kiss full on my lips.
“Taryn. And I’m great, honey. I’m working with Tampa Scene and we’re here to cover this anniversary party that’s kicking. I was going to have my guy focus on those gorgeous girls that have been flanking you all night, but now I’m thinking all three of you are better. Sort of like bringing back old memories, right?”
“Great!” I yell over the music and look for anyone needing a drink. “Just let me know what you need.”
A minute later, Katelyn returns and I hear over the sound system someone announce that something’s happening at the main bar. What the fuck is going on?
I look at the twins, but they shake their heads like they don’t have a clue either. I see Alex coming toward me like he needs to talk to me, but before he can reach me, Taryn and her camera guy are making their way around to behind the bar.
“Okay, let’s get a shot of you three gorgeous people in your native environment,” Taryn says as she directs her guy to stand a few feet back from her.
Kylie eagerly runs over to her and asks, “What is this for? Is this for something in the press?”
As Taryn explains who she is and where she works, Katelyn tugs on my shirt to get my attention. “Cade, what’s going on? Your father didn’t say anything about people interviewing us.”
“It’s fine. Just smile a lot and do your job. That’s all I plan on doing. Your sister seems happy about this, though.”
/> I see Katelyn shake her head and wonder why she looks so worried. It doesn’t take long to find out.
Chapter Twenty
Hailey
I cling to Meadow’s arm as she makes a path for us through the standing-room only crowd. Everyone seems drunk and it’s so incredibly loud that she can’t hear a thing I try to say to her. No wonder I don’t hang out in clubs much.
She turns her head and yells, “That announcement said something was happening at the front bar, so let’s go there.”
Nodding, I tighten my hold on her wrist and hope to God we don’t get separated. I have no idea where I’d end up if this sea of people took me away.
We have to stop about ten feet away from our destination when the crowd gets so densely packed that we can’t move. Looking back at me, she yells, “Hold on. I think I see a hole over there near the wall. We might not see everything, but it will be closer.”
Unsure if it’s possible to be closer to any of these people as their arms and legs rub up against my body while we make our way toward the wall, I weave through those body parts as they flail this way and that with excitement. Finally, I see that hole Meadow mentioned and breathe a tiny sigh of relief. If I can just get a few inches between me and the next person, I’d be happy.
“Tonight, as we celebrate the fifth anniversary of Club X coming back from being underwater, let me hear everyone give a cheer for the hottest club in town!” a female’s voice says over the sound system.
Meadow and I stop against the wall as the crowd erupts into cheers and yelling. Hundreds of drunk partiers all at once begin to chant, “Club X! Club X!” It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced, and after a few times, I start yelling it too.
“Look at you!” Meadow says in my ear.
I turn to look at her and smile. “I’m definitely a fish out of water here, but I figure I should try to blend in. When in Rome…”
“I’m just so glad you agreed to come. When Alex offered me the V.I.P. passes, I didn’t know if you’d say yes. It’s so great you did! And I love you in that dress!”
She hadn’t mentioned if Cade would be here, but I secretly harbored the hope he would since Alex had called Meadow to give her the passes. She didn’t know how he’d gotten them, but Meadow is always up for a good time, unlike me.
Tonight is different, though. I feel different. Spending time with Cade has made me feel like a new person, a more confident person.
Not confident enough to ask Meadow if she knew if Cade would be here, though. He told me he had work when I asked him what he was doing tonight, so I probably won’t get to see him. But maybe because he’s the manager of his own club, he had someone take over since his cousin has tickets to this place.
Of course, all of that stayed in my mind when I was talking to him and Meadow. It’s enough that I dressed in one of her tiniest dresses and her heels that are two inches higher than any shoes I’ve ever worn. I’m not brave enough to let people know how much I love seeing him.
“I don’t see Alex anywhere,” she says in my ear.
Her disappointment comes through loud and clear. From the moment she laid eyes on him that night at CK, she’s been talking about how much she hopes they’ll get together. I hope so too since he’s a great guy and she’s my best friend.
“How can you tell in this crowd? I’d be lucky to find my own hand while we were walking through all those people.”
“I know this isn’t your type of place, but isn’t it great?” she asks just as the woman on the sound system starts talking again. “It’s so alive!”
A little too alive for me, but I’m here, so I don’t want to ruin her time. Smiling, I point up toward the ceiling and say, “I think they’re about to announce something.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, tonight at the main bar here we have the most delicious trio you’ll ever see. If you haven’t met them already, here are the twins Katelyn and Kylie, and sandwiched between them like you know he loves being is the famous, well actually, infamous Cade! Give them a hand and let them know how much you love all three of them!”
The crowd erupts into cheers again, and I crane my neck to see the three beautiful bartenders just described. The twins are stunning with bodies to die for, but I can’t see the other one. Just hearing that name makes me wish my Cade was here with me right now.
My Cade. I like how that sounds. But if we could be together right now instead of me being here and him being at work, I’d rather if we were at his place enjoying each other and the silence I never realized I loved until about twenty minutes ago.
Meadow grabs my hand and tugs me away from the wall. “Honey, we have to go. This place is getting too crowded. I feel like we’re going to get crushed at any moment. Let’s leave and call it a night, okay?”
I love that idea, so I hurry to keep up with her, happy I’ll get some fresh air and elbow room once we leave this bar. All around me, people cheer and the sound system begins to play the striptease song. Curious, I look back, wondering if those women actual take their clothes off when they bartend, and what I see stops me cold.
Meadow tries to keep me walking toward the door, but I yank her back next to me as I watch one of the twins and Cade standing on the bar. My Cade. His shirt is wide open, and the woman lowers herself down until she’s eyelevel with his zipper. As the crowd cheers her on, she stuffs her hands into his black pants and moves her face toward him. I can’t see what she’s doing, but everyone around us screams in excitement.
“Honey, why couldn’t you just leave when I wanted to?” Meadow asks sadly as tears fill my eyes.
I shake my head in disbelief. Cade doesn’t look unhappy that this gorgeous woman with enormous breasts is licking his stomach or whatever she’s doing. I can’t tell, but I can imagine what a woman does when her face is that close to his crotch.
He lied to me. He said he had to work at the club he manages. He never said he was a bartender and put on whatever the hell kind of show this is for a living. I asked him specifically what he was doing tonight since I didn’t want to say yes to Meadow to come to this place if he and I could be together.
Now I know what he had to do that was better than spending time with me.
The woman stands up to her full height and takes a bow on the bar while everyone around us cheers. All I want to do is leave. That and throw up as the memory of finding Malcolm with that woman in the bed we shared fills my head.
All Cade had to do was tell me the truth. Now I can’t help but wonder why he lied. Is he with this woman? It sure looks like they know each other well. Was he talking to her the other night? Was the name Dad in his phone just some decoy to hide that he’s with her?
The infamous Cade. Sounds like I’m the only person in this bar who doesn’t know who Cade March really is.
God, I’m so stupid. All along, I wondered why he would ever want to bother with me. I pushed that doubt and fear away because Dr. Thorpe and Meadow keep telling me it’s not real.
But it is fucking real. It’s real and it’s standing on the bar in front of me, right now.
Meadow tugs my arm to leave, but right before I start toward the door, I make eye contact with Cade. I instantly see the guilt in his expression. He lied, and he knows he’s been caught.
All he had to do was not lie. Why did he lie? Did he lie about everything?
“Come on, Hailey!” she yells, and this time I don’t try to fight her.
I don’t want to be here anymore. The person I thought was a fun guy who genuinely liked me isn’t who he pretended to be.
He lied, and I don’t know why.
I just know this hurts.
CADE AND HAILEY’S STORY CONCLUDES IN INFAMOUS (NeXt #2)
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About the Author
K.M. Scott writes contemporary romance stories of sexy, intense, and unforgettable love. A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, she's been in love with romance since reading her first romance novel in ju
nior high (she was a very curious girl!). Under her Gabrielle Bisset name, she write paranormal and historical romance. She lives in Pennsylvania with a herd of animals and when she's not writing can be found reading or feeding her TV addiction.
Be sure to visit K.M.'s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/kmscottauthor for all the latest on her books, along with giveaways and other goodies! And to hear all the news on K.M. Scott books first, sign up for her newsletter today and be sure to visit her website at http://www.kmscottbooks.com
Books by K.M. Scott:
The Heart of Stone Series
Crash Into Me (Heart of Stone #1)
Fall Into Me (Heart of Stone #2)
Give In To Me (Heart of Stone #3)
Heart of Stone Volume One
Ever After (Heart of Stone #4)
A Heart of Stone Christmas (Heart of Stone #5)
Return To Me (Heart of Stone #6)
Forever With Me (Heart of Stone #7)
Heart of Stone Volume Two
Hard As Stone (Heart of Stone #8)
Set In Stone (Heart of Stone #9)
Silent As A Stone (Heart of Stone #10)
Heart of Stone Volume Three
All of Me (Heart of Stone #11)
Club X Series
Temptation (Club X #1)
Surrender (Club X #2)
Possession (Club X #3)
Satisfaction (Club X #4)
Acceptance (Club X #5)
NeXt Series
Notorious (NeXt #1)
Infamous (NeXt #2)
Corrupted Love Trilogy
If I Dream (Corrupted Love #1)
If You Fight (Corrupted Love #2)
If We Fall (Corrupted Love #3)
Addicted To You Series
Crave (Addicted To You #1)
Adore (Addicted To You #2)
Shatter (Addicted To You #3)
Claim (Addicted To You #4)