by Tatum Throne
“You ate one, too, Juliet! We’ll be dying together!”
The door slammed and Brine rolled her eyes. It was such a mistake to let him inside. She knew it. Her gut was telling her that this wasn’t going to end well at all. She needed a job but she couldn’t accept the one he was offering. The truth was she only had enough in savings for two more months of rent and that didn’t include utilities.
She needed this job more than Thane knew. Brine didn’t want to ask her ex-fiancé to take her back at the club where she used to bartend. Alex could be a problem. What else was she supposed to do? She had to go back to bartending even if it was only for a little while.
The phone rang and she reached for it without checking caller ID.
“Hello?”
“Hey, girl. How bad do you want the job at Tribal?” Alex asked.
Oh, she knew this was going to cost her. “I just need the job, Alex. Not a fuck buddy.”
He chuckled. “Now those were some good times. Why’d we have to mess it up with getting engaged?”
“Did you call for something?” she asked.
“I need you to start tonight.”
Tonight. She could do this. “What time should I be there?”
“Seven.” There was a beat of silence where she heard Alex say something to someone else. “One more thing, Brine.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re going to owe me one for this.”
He hung up and she cringed. Alex was like that. Nothing was free in his mind.
Chapter Thirteen
Brine’s hair was a hot mess. Humidity in the air had her hair doing wild things that it normally didn’t do, like curl the ends around her cheeks. She brushed her long wisps of hair back around her ear and tightened her ponytail. Club Tribal was hopping.
The place was a hot mess, too. Ladies’ night could do that to a place. It brought everyone out.
The gentlemen’s club was dark, the music was techno fast, and the VIP section was crowded. Between making drinks, Brine scanned the club. Nothing much had changed since she last worked there.
The foundation of Club Tribal was once the stone interior of a two-hundred-year-old Roman Catholic church that nearly burnt to the ground four times in a hundred-year period. The undercroft was rumored to be haunted. The pews were long gone and replaced by a huge dance floor. Chains hung with iron hoops from the ceilings where women danced in all forms of leather.
It was close to midnight. The low-cut shirt she wore had gotten her the extra tips she’d been working for and a lot of unwanted attention from Alex. There was a lot of body tag going on when she was reaching for bottles. Glass was shattered across the dance floor when a clubber missed the trashcan by a wide mile. Alex, shot her a look. It wouldn’t be long before someone slipped.
“I’m on it,” she said.
Brine took the small dust pan to the spot and moved the trash can off the dance floor. She managed to sweep up the mess without being danced on. She was turning when she did a double take at the VIP section. She thought she saw…but she wasn’t sure. People danced in front of her, obstructing her view. Brine slipped off the dance floor and up the walkway toward the VIP section. She froze. Holy shit.
Brine spotted Thane on the other side of the club walkway. What the hell was he doing here? The thought of him seeing her there blew her panties off. She did not want to explain the situation with this job.
Club Tribal wasn’t his type of place anyway. The hardcore club was barely hers. Her body shivered at the possibility of him spotting her there and the confrontation that would come of it. She had to get back to the safety of behind the bar and make herself invisible for the next three hours. Brine took one last glance at the VIP section.
The VIP section was full of the sexiest women Tribal had to offer. Buxom. Erotically dangerous. They shimmied in fringe and tiny strings of clothing as they waited on tables. Rumor had it that they’d offer more in the undercroft. Those were just rumors though. She hoped.
The fight erupted on the dance floor. Brine was pushed into the mix of it with people trying to get away. Spotlights came up, highlighting the two guys in the middle. Fists and arms were swinging. Their bouncers hit the floor within seconds to break it up.
She took a hit to her shoulder just as someone grabbed her around the waist and lifted her to safety. He pressed her back against the wall. Alex.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. That was a little too close.” Brine wanted to get away from the dance floor before Thane saw her. She hated how she was shaking and how Alex made her feel safe.
“Brine…I’ve missed you.”
She pushed against his chest. “You miss me like a sore thumb. You don’t want me, Alex.”
“We were always good together.”
She thought about that. “But not great. You know that.”
Brine looked over Alex’s shoulder to the VIP section. Most of the section was focused on the bouncers pulling the two unruly men from the floor. Thane’s gaze was trained on her and Alex. A vibration of fear tickled down her spine. She could see that he didn’t like what he was seeing.
“Come on. Let’s get back to work before I do something I regret,” Alex said.
She didn’t have to look back at the VIP section to know that Thane was troubled by what he saw between her and Alex. As far as she was concerned, they weren’t together and she didn’t have to explain herself to him, but she knew she would have to. He was not about to let go what he saw. Of course, she wanted to know who he was out with, too.
All of her thoughts were on Thane as she returned to work.
The problem was that Brine couldn’t get the memory of their time together out of her mind. All day she found herself staring off into space as she relived every aching moment of the things they did together.
Part of her was starting to feel ruined by what happened between her and Thane. Sex with him was amazing and she had to put a quick stop to it because she was scared. Safety behind the bar didn’t put Thane out of her mind. For some odd reason it merely intensified her longing to be with him. Alex was picking up on her distraction, too. He shot her a what the hell is up look, but she shook her head that it was none of his damn business. He flinched as he looked away.
The VIP section was on the other side of the club. With the lights flashing to the music, she couldn’t see clearly to the other side of the room.
Brine had to know who he was with. Did he have another woman all along? That thought was like a shot of icy-cold water down her spine. Olive appeared in front of her, giving her a little jolt of surprise. She rattled off the drinks she needed.
Brine made the drinks and put them on the tray. “Hey, is that guy on the end with the dark hair with the blonde?”
“Oh, you mean the drop-dead gorgeous guy? The girl’s all over him under the table. I think there is something going on.” Olive lifted the tray. “You know him?”
“Unfortunately. I do.”
“You want me to ruin his night?” A wicked gleam flashed in her eyes.
“No. I’ll take care of it. Let me know if he looks like he’s heading out before I get my chance,” Brine said.
“Oh, trust me. I will. I can’t wait to see this.”
Brine cleared the empties off the bar then filled another order. It wasn’t long before Alex crept up behind her. At one point in time, she thought he was a good-looking guy. Now she realized that she confused his controlling behavior for love.
“What was that all about?” Alex asked.
“What was what all about?”
“Olive,” he prompted.
Brine wiped her hands off. “I was just asking her how the VIP section was going.”
He nodded and glanced across the bar. Alex wasn’t a bad guy. He just didn’t know when to leave well enough alone. He managed Tribal. That meant he managed her. She had to play nice even if it meant ignoring some of his advances. He came in close. His dark hair was buzzed military short.
“You know you can tell me anything, right? We are still friends.”
“I know that. I appreciate it.” She gave him a smile. “You still going out with Missy?”
At the mention of the girl he cheated on her with, Alex looked uncomfortable. “Yeah. We’re still together.”
“That’s nice.”
Brine went back to work. She really didn’t have any more feelings for Alex. Sometimes things just didn’t work out.
The night wore on. Brine watched the VIP section for any sign of movement from Thane’s booth. Olive worked that corner hard by sending in some of the girls to entertain the free guys. From Olive’s report, the blonde wasn’t too happy about that. A half hour later, Olive rushed down.
“The blonde’s not happy. I think they’re fighting. Now would be a good time to make your move,” Olive said. “They just placed their last drink order.”
Brine made the drinks and put them on the tray. “I’ll deliver this round.”
“Wait a sec.” Olive leaned over the bar and unsnapped the top two buttons of Brine’s tight blouse. Black lace became visible. A gold medallion hung between her breasts. “Take down your ponytail, too.”
Brine shook out her hair. “How do I look?”
Olive grinned. “Like a lover scorned.”
“Perfect.” Brine hit the end of the bar fast with Alex right behind. She came around to get the tray.
“Where are you going?” Alex demanded.
“I’m going to ruin someone’s night.”
Alex grabbed her wrist. “Wait a minute.” There was a pause as though he was coming to terms with something. “You need backup?” He indicated the bouncers.
“No. I can handle it,” she said.
“Okay.” He let go.
She lifted the tray. Brine couldn’t believe she was actually doing this. What did it matter if he was out with another woman? It wasn’t like they were exclusive. Music vibrated up her boots as she crossed the metal walkway up to the VIP section. She shouldn’t stomp up there like the jealous lover she was feeling, but she was. Visions of her dumping the drinks down his head flipped through her mind. Alex would probably have to fire her. Is Thane worth another job?
No, he wasn’t. The satisfaction of seeing his face up close would be reward enough. The satisfaction of catching him with his pants down would have to do.
The blonde was angry with Thane. She had her cell phone in hand and was frantically texting. The blonde was to the left of Thane and two other guys sat to the right at the table. Brine sashayed over and let her top spill open as she adjusted the tray. She put the three shots of Southern Comfort in front of the guys. Thane was the last to take the long look from her tray north to her face. He wasn’t surprised to see her there.
Brine leaned down to the blonde for her to hear only. “You must be Thane’s newest.” The blonde’s mouth dropped open. “I’d be careful. He likes to bite.”
Brine jumped back as the blonde stormed out of the booth. “I’ve had enough of you boys tonight! I’m not Thane’s lover.”
Thane was up out of the booth after her, and Brine ducked out of the way for the lovers to get on with their tiff. She was not about to stick around to find out if they were going to kiss and make up.
Too pissed off to go back behind the bar, Brine decided to take a break to cool off. She headed toward the back hallway that led to the security control room. She passed the rooms and hit the old stone stairs that led to the undercroft. Her feet were silent as they slid across the stone. Arched pillars echoed out in front of her on the landing.
Deep within the undercroft the sounds of fucking resonated back. So, the rumors are true.
“Wait.”
Brine froze at the sound of Thane’s voice. She turned. She wasn’t angry. She was disappointed that she cared. She hated the fact that she was jealous over him being out with another woman. “Who’s the blonde?”
“My office manager.”
Jealousy stole her breath away. He was obviously sleeping with the woman. “She’s a cute girl.”
“We’re not involved. At all.”
“She was acting the part.”
Thane ran a frustrated hand through his hair and paced her way. By the way he was acting, Brine could see that he wasn’t inebriated. “She tagged along. She’s interested in Jack. He’s not.”
Brine leaned back against one of the stone archways. Thane strolled closer. “So this is the new job?”
“I bartend.”
Thane put his hand on the archway. He kissed his way down her neck and teased his way back up. “That’s hot.”
Brine felt her legs start to go silly. She really wasn’t a girl that swooned so easily but there was something so incredibly erotic about the way Thane’s tongue licked over her skin. Brine felt her pussy flutter. She needed to put an end to this before it went further. She braced her hands on his chest, but her fingers ended up digging into his shirt for balance. “I need to get back to work.”
“What are you doing later?”
“Sleeping.”
He chuckled and the sensation vibrated over her ear. Heat licked over her earlobe, making her shiver. “Oh, yeah? With who?”
The question brought a longing to be with him deep inside her heart. She had commitment issues that couldn’t be fulfilled by any man. “Alone.”
Thane pulled away, with his eyes looking deep within hers. All the playfulness of his kisses went away. “Call me when you get home, okay? I want to make sure you make it.”
“I will.”
He pulled on her hand. “Good. You better get back to work. I wouldn’t want you to get fired.”
Thane followed her all the way back to the bar. He disappeared back to the VIP section. She didn’t see him again the rest of the night. Brine was exhausted by the time she got home. She showered, dressed for bed and practically fell into the soft, downy comforter. She was almost asleep when her phone rang. She answered right before it went to voice mail.
“Hello?”
“You were supposed to call me.”
Brine sighed. “I forgot. I’m sorry.”
“You sound sleepy.”
“I am. I was almost asleep.”
“What are you wearing?” he asked.
Brine could hear the way his voice lowered to a seductive whisper. The blatant erotic tone had her thinking about what they could do together. “Granny panties and a T-shirt.”
He chuckled. “That’s incredibly sexy. Are they white panties?”
Brine shivered as she curled up on her side. Her nipples pebbled at the sound of his husky voice coming over the phone. They weren’t grannies. She didn’t own any cotton. Those things chafed. “Purple. What are you wearing?”
“Nothing. I just came out of the shower.”
She bit her lip at the image of Thane naked in that big, king-size bed of his. Those slippery cotton sheets weren’t so bad to roll around in. “Um, that’s nice.” Brine closed her eyes and snuggled into the covers. “Good night, Thane.”
“Brine?”
“Hm?”
“I don’t like you working at Tribal.”
“Yeah, I know. Nightshift isn’t easy to work.”
“I don’t want you working there.”
“Don’t have a choice. A girl’s got to eat,” she said.
“I’m not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?”
“Nope.”
There was a long pause on the phone. So long that Brine wondered if he’d hung up. “Are you there?”
“I’m here. I was just thinking.”
She liked the sound of his voice. “About what?”
“You. Alone in your purple panties.”
A thrill of want vibrated through her body. “Are you now?”
“Yes. Put your phone on speaker.” He groaned as she made a purring sexual noise over the phone. “Can you hear me?”
Brine put the phone on her pillow next to her head. “Yes.”
“To
uch your breasts.”
“Um, just my breast, or do you want me to play with my hard nipples, too?”
A growl vibrated through the phone. “Lick your fingertips and roll your nipples.”
She easily obeyed when her mind wanted her to disobey his commands. Her pussy contracted at her first touch. “Like this? They’re getting all rosy and flushed.”
“You’re killing me, woman.”
She bit her lip as she thought about his hard cock straining to bust free.
She gasped. “Where are you?”
“I’m sitting on my bed with my cock fisted in my right hand.”
Brine blinked. She wanted to go over there. “Do you want me to come over?”
“No. Not tonight.”
Disappointment spiraled through her body. “Then why did you call me?”
“I wanted to make sure you made it home okay.”
“Liar. You called to tease me.”
His laughter was husky. “Are you hot and bothered yet?”
“Yes.”
“Touch your pussy.”
Brine reached down to her panties and skimmed her fingers beneath the silk. She groaned as her hand felt her swollen lips. Wetness seeped between her fingers as she spread her lips and touched her vulva. She moaned as she thrummed her fingers over her sex. She heard Thane’s breathing pick up in her ear.
“Stroke your thick cock,” she commanded.
“I’m already there, baby. I’m pushing it down to the base and up to the head. Thumb your clit.”
“I can’t.”
“Do it.”
“I’ll come if I play with it.”
“Good. I want to hear you come fast and hard.”
He murmured seductive words in her ear to keep her going. Brine rubbed her clit to attention. Shudders rippled through her pussy. She could feel her orgasm building to a fevered pitch. She was hot. Sweat coated her skin. She wanted to get there.
“Pinch it, Brine.”
She plucked the sensitive flesh and exploded. She squirmed as her orgasm twisted through her body with the power of a tornado. She was coming down when Thane’s voice brought her back.
“Are you still wearing your panties?” he asked.