by Alison Mello
“We’re empty and the doors are locked,” Jonah plops himself down at the bar.
The guys behind the bar get busy making everyone a drink while we sit around. Shane comes out and tells us all we did a great job tonight. “This is the busiest we’ve been in a while and you all kicked ass.” Shane holds his beer up in a salute.
Everyone whistles and cheers. There’s nothing like making it through a night without any issues. That’s our number one concern. We want people to have fun without overdoing it. If we start having fights and kicking people out, then we have problems, but tonight went smooth.
I’m sitting next to Kelly drinking my sex on the beach when Shane comes over. “Hey, good job tonight. Kelly told me you kicked ass.”
“Thanks.” I clink my glass with his beer bottle. “She kicked ass too, though. Thanks to her I got rid of some guys who were trying to get my number.”
“What did she do?” Shane’s voice is full of laughter. Kelly is a beautiful girl, but there’s nothing to her so hearing she took on some guys is funny.
“She pretended I was her girlfriend.” I put my arm around Kelly.
Shane bursts into laughter. “I’m surprised they didn’t ask for both your numbers.”
“Yeah, I think we got lucky.” Kelly chuckles.
“How does Zoe feel about you having another girlfriend?” Shane nudges her shoulder.
“Ha!” Kelly laughs. “Zoe would kick my ass. I think she seriously would kill me.”
“I doubt that, now she may want to kill Kara, but I doubt she would kill you.” Shane chuckles.
“Hey, I have enough problems. No offense, but Zoe can have you.” I place my empty glass on the bar.
***
Slade
I walk up to the door of Club Thrive and give my name to the bouncer, who immediately lets me in. I’m not sure what’s going on, but Logan asked me if I could stop in tonight. He isn’t typically even at this club. He’s typically running his strip club, Club Heat. I ask inside for Logan, and they tell me he’ll be with me shortly, but I don’t care, because I spot Kara at the bar and she’s a sight to see. A stool at her end of the bar opens up and I jump on it. I sit waiting and watching to see if she’s going to notice me. When she turns she sees me, and her expression changes from focused and serious to a bright smile. She’s looking mighty fine tonight as usual. She’s a bit younger than me, but I don’t give a fuck.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” She breaks me from my thoughts.
“Logan asked me to stop in. I figured since I was here I would grab a drink.”
“Beer?”
“Sure. Make it a Heineken.”
“You got it.” I watch her walk off to grab my beer, and I can’t help but check out her every move. She’s wearing tight ass jeans with calf-high boots. The shirt she’s wearing barely covers her flat stomach. She stretches up over her head for a second to reveal an extremely sexy bellybutton ring. A smile spreads across my face as she drops my beer and runs off to help some other patrons. I continue to watch her every move. Her jeans are so damn tight I can see her muscles as she runs around. She’s fast and efficient. She turns just as I’m taking a pull from my beer. I purposely lick my lips when I’m done, she blushes slightly and continues to work. She watches as I finish off the bottle, and without even asking, she delivers another.
“Hey, there you are.” Logan taps me on the back. I stand up and shake his hand and man hug him. “Let’s go to Shane’s office,” he says close to my ear. I follow him to the back and take a seat on the chair across from his desk.
“What’s going on?”
“I want you to stick around for us. I have a feeling despite the quiet, there’s trouble brewing, and I trust you and Cole.”
“What kind of trouble?” I put the beer down on the floor by my chair.
“Rumor has it that Higgins is just laying low and biding his time. Someone was filling him in on what was going on with Miranda and Stone. I think he’s waiting for the right time to strike, and when he does, God knows what he’ll do.” Logan runs his hands through his short hair. “The police believe he’s dealing out of the back of his club, but they can’t get the evidence they need to prove it.”
“Let me talk to Zane and see what we can come up with for a plan.”
“I appreciate it. You know how I feel about my family. I need to keep both the club and my family safe. Someone is feeding him info and I need to figure out who the hell it is.”
We both stand and shake hands. I grab my beer bottle and head back to the front of the club. When I get out there, everyone is sitting around the bar having the drink Logan gives them at the end of the day, and as I hoped, there she is. She gets up from the bar. “I’m getting out of here.”
“You need to find a bouncer to walk you out.” Shane gives her a stern look. This has been a rule since before she was attacked behind the club at her twenty-first birthday.
“I’m done with Logan. I’ll walk her out.” I walk up behind her, placing my hand on her shoulder. “If that’s okay with you.”
She looks up at me. “It’s fine.” Turning back to Shane, she gives him a hug. “Give my sister a hug and kiss for me.”
“Will do. See you Monday.” He smiles at her and we walk toward the back of the club in silence.
Again it’s a bit awkward, like the first time I walked her to her car. She looks so unsure of herself, and I want nothing more than to tell her that she’s beautiful and build up her confidence again. She pushes the button on her remote to unlock her car as we approach. I grab the handle and pull it open for her. She turns to me with a shy smile. “Thanks for walking me.”
I lick my lips, wanting to say so much, but I leave it at. “No problem.” We stare at each other for a minute like there’s more we should say, but neither of us says a word. She gets in and I shut the door behind her and watch as she drives off, giving me a little wave through the window. I walk back to my car with my cock semi-hard. There’s no way she can deny the connection between us, but for now she’s with Noah. I’ll let it go for a little longer, but I want to make her mine.
Chapter 3
Kara
I’m kind of excited I was invited to Monday night dinner at Logan and Sky’s house tonight, even though I think it was only because of what’s going on with me and Noah. Shane says it’s because I’m Katie’s sister and part of the family. I think it’s sweet of them to include me no matter what their reason. I could really use my friends right now to help me get past Noah. I know it should be easy considering how he’s treated me and how mad I am, but it’s still hard. Shane told me at the end of my shift on Saturday that Logan and Sky were expecting to see me at dinner, and seeing how I have nothing else to do on a Monday night, I’m happy to be going.
Before I can do that I have to hit the gym. I stretch in bed and then jump up to throw on a pair of leggings and a tank top. Running to the kitchen, I find my father having coffee. “Good morning, Daddy.”
“Good morning, baby girl. Off to the gym?” He sits at the table staring at the newspaper in front of him, and sips his coffee.
“Yeah, and then I’m going for dinner tonight with Shane and Katie.” I grab an apple with some peanut butter. I sit with my dad to eat.
“How’s the new job?” He continues to stare at the newspaper.
“It’s fine. I’m making good money and I’m having fun. The people Logan hire are good people.” He nods his head. He was really upset when he found out I was going to school to be a bartender. He wanted me to be ‘bigger’ than that. I roll my eyes, thinking back. I think it’s finally starting to grow on him now that he sees my bank account growing. He doesn’t believe me, but my goal is to be on my own by the end of the year. I’m even thinking about trying to find a job during the day to keep me busy and help make some extra money. I feel like it’s only going to encourage him to tell me that a bartender isn’t a good enough job when really it is. I make decent money and I don’t even have the prime shi
fts every week.
When I’ve finished my apple, I rinse my plate and stick it in the dishwasher. My dad still hasn’t looked up from his paper. I kiss him on the head. “Have a good day, Daddy.”
He chuckles and shakes his head. “You too.” Poor guy sounds defeated. I think he’s given up on trying to convince me on my career choice.
When I get to the gym there’s a sign on the door that says they’re hiring, and it makes me smile because I love the gym, and I’ve been a member here for a few years now, and I know a lot of the staff. I scan my key chain across the scanner. “Hey, Kara.” Jake waves as I walk by.
“Hi Jake. Hey, do you know what the position is they’re hiring for?”
“There are a couple. One is to man the desk and walk the floor, and the other is a trainer. Why? Are you interested?”
“Yes, I’m looking for something to do a few days a week outside the club, and since I love being here…” I shrug my shoulders. “Why not?”
“Colton is here…let me see if he has time to chat with you. I’m sure he’d be thrilled you’re looking to work here.”
“Sure.” I stand by the front desk while he runs off in search of Colton, Jake works here, but Colton manages the place. He’s been the manager here for as long as I’ve been a member. He can’t be too bad a guy to work for…I hardly ever see signs that they’re hiring.
“Hey, Kara.” Colton comes over with his hand out. I take it and give him a firm, confident handshake. “Jake tells me you’re looking for a day job.” He shows me his perfect, bright smile.
“Yeah, I’m trying to get my ass out of my parents’ place, and while I make good money at the club, this would be a perfect day job to give me a little added bank.” I look up at his brown eyes. Colton is a tall, lean guy. He’s handsome, but not Slade handsome. Wow! Where did that come from? Up until now I compared guys to Noah the asshat.
“When can you start?”
I need to focus. I shrug my shoulders. “When do you want me start?”
“Come to my office. Let’s do your paperwork and discuss your schedule.”
“Cool.” I follow as he leads me to his office.
“Which position did you want? I think you qualify for either, and the trainer position gives you a bit more flexibility with your schedule. Plus you’ll make more money.”
“Do you think people will be bothered by a female trainer?” He opens the door to his office and points to the chair across from his desk.
“Not at all. As a matter of fact, most of our clients are women anyway, and a lot of them are more comfortable talking to woman.” I nod my head. “Don’t get me wrong, there are women who like to work out with a guy, because if they think he’s hot, they’ll work harder to impress him, but most times that’s not the case. They get intimidated by us.”
“Okay. I’ll take the trainer position. I think it’ll be fun to help people get in shape and be healthy.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear it. I think that’s a way better position for you. Can you come in tomorrow for some training?” He pulls some papers from his file cabinet and puts them all into a folder for me.
“Yeah, I’d love to. Ideally, I would like to work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I work the club on Thursday, Friday, and most Saturdays. That gives me some balance and time to rest between working late nights and days.”
“Sounds perfect. I’ll build you into the schedule and you can start taking clients in two weeks.” I have a huge smile on my face. I’m really excited to start this. “Take these home with you. Fill them out and then bring them back tomorrow. You’ll get paid hourly while you’re training and scheduled as a salesperson. Once you start building a client base, you’ll get paid by the client. It’s our incentive to get you out there and talk to people. You’ll make a lot more training than you will selling.”
“Sounds great to me.” I take the folder from his hands. “I’m going to go work out. Can I leave this at the desk and grab it on my way out?”
“Sure, just leave it with Jake.”
“Thanks for this opportunity, Colton. I’m really excited.” I put my hand out, he takes it and we shake one more time before I run out of his office. I’m glad I don’t have a tight schedule today, because I wasn’t expecting to get interviewed on the spot. I leave my folder with Jake, who welcomes me to the team, and then head to the elliptical. I jump on, pressing my earbuds into my ears, setting the resistance to six, and go at it full speed for thirty minutes. When I get off I’m soaked in sweat, but make my way over to the machines for my leg workout. If I don’t do at least fifty squats, my ass will turn to flab, and I need to get my ass in gear because I want to fill out this paperwork before Katie and Logan pick me up to go to Logan’s.
***
Slade
I pull up to Logan’s house in my red Dodge Challenger for the weekly meet up and there are a ton of cars already here. Cole is coming too, but I don’t see his black SUV yet. I slip out of my pride and joy, clicking the remote to lock it. I got her when I got home from my last tour overseas. I spent a pretty penny on it and I love driving it. When I knock on the door, Sky answers with Stephan at her feet. She hugs me and I step inside over Stephan, who seems to be having some sort of tantrum.
“Slade.” Shane puts his hand out to shake mine and then pull me in. Logan follows behind him, and then Katie kisses me on the cheek. That’s when I spot her. Kara is sitting at the table looking all lonely, but damn, is she fine.
She struts on over in some tight jeans and a sweater top that barely covers her belly. She gives me an awkward hug and goes back to her seat. Sky and Katie join her as Logan pulls some beers from the fridge. “Thanks.” I take the bottle of Heineken that’s been offered to me. We clink bottles and drink our beer while we wait for Stone and everyone else to get here. The guys are all talking around me, but I’m only half listening because my ears perk up when I hear Sky ask Kara what happened between her and Noah. Kara goes into the details of her break up, and I’m starting to think my night just got even better.
“I don’t even think I’m sad anymore.” Kara takes a sip of her Reds. “I’m mad at myself for not doing it sooner. He made me feel like a fool.”
“Don’t be like that. He swept you off your feet at a time when you were most vulnerable. You had just been attacked, and in that light, he looked like a knight in shining armor.” Sky rubs her arm. I take another pull from my beer. I think it’s time I become her real knight in shining armor.
“Hey, Earth to fucking Slade.”
“Oh, my bad.” The guys start laughing. I’m fucked because he probably asked me something more than once and I was so focused on Kara I never heard it.
“Did you talk to Zane?” Logan punches my arm.
“Yeah, I spoke to him. He has some connections. He’s going to scope things out. Oh, he wanted me to tell you that he has your back, and whenever you need me and Cole, we’re yours.”
“Good, I think I have a plan.” Logan looks over us to see the girls deep in conversation still. My brows shoot up at his grin.
“Do tell?” Shane leans in closer so Logan can lower his voice.
“I want to send you guys in undercover. Our friends aren’t safe until we figure out what the hell this guy has going on and we get him off the streets.”
“Isn’t that Cooper’s job?”
“Yeah, well, he doesn’t have enough to go on to put anyone on the inside. If we can manage to see something, maybe we can get him in.” Logan takes a pull from his beer and our conversation is interrupted by a knock on the door. Our friends are all here now, and just as Logan is handing out drinks, the oven timer beeps, and Sky announces that dinner is ready.
A few minutes later we all make our way into the dining room and I happen to end up sitting next to Kara. Sky has made veggie lasagna, chicken, and broccoli Alfredo, with salad and garlic bread.
“How’s the club?” I ask her, trying to make light conversation.
“It’s good. I’m really ex
cited about my new job though,” she announces.
Shane looks nervous. “Am I losing you?”
“Nah, I love the club. I’m going to be a trainer at my gym. They hired me today. I’m going to train Monday through Wednesday during the day, and work for you the rest of the time.”
“Nice, that’s what I used to do.”
“Really? I never knew that.” Kara piles salad onto her plate with a small helping of veggie lasagna.
“Well, shortly after I started seeing Katie, I was offered full time by Logan, and didn’t have the time to do both anymore. It’s a cool gig. I think you’ll be good at it.”
“Thanks, Shane.” Kara smiles. Her mood is starting to shift and it’s nice to see.
“You like to work out?” I bring the conversation back to us.
“I love it.” She pats her mouth with her napkin and then puts it on her lap. “You must work out.” She gives me a grin and squeezes the muscle in my arm.
I laugh. “Yeah, I’m at the gym every day. No one wants a security guard who’s weak and can’t fight.”
She giggles. “I guess you’re right.” We continue our conversation while everyone else talks in groups around the table. Stephan and Laney are in high chairs next to each other, attempting to feed themselves, but are really just making a mess. It makes me realize that I’m getting up there in age, and I’d like to have kids someday. I’m wondering if I ever will or if my age will be an issue for Kara, because I’m definitely asking her out the first chance I get.
The girls get up to start clearing the table. I grab my plate and some of the other stuff and carry it into the kitchen, where the girls are all busy putting leftovers away and rinsing plates. “Oh thank you, Slade,” Sky gushes, because I’m the only guy helping.
“No problem.” I want Kara to know I’m not afraid to help out. As a matter of fact, I keep a very tidy place. I can’t stand things messy. When I get back into the dining room, the guys are back to discussing the plan for us to go undercover. I take my seat. The plan involves myself, Cole, Jonah, and Shane. Shane and Jonah weren’t at the club when Benny and his buddy were thrown out, so they wouldn’t be recognized no matter who’s there. We were there, but not involved in throwing them out, so we should be good. Kara comes back into the room and leans over the table right next to me, giving me a clear view of her stomach. I can see her bellybutton piercing dangling, and when she turns to leave, her ass is practically in my face. Fuck, I want to bite it, and the thought causes my dick to twitch under the table.