Chapter 6
Kane
The pounding bass of the music matched my heartbeat as we walked into the packed nightclub. “This is insane,” I had to shout for Rocco to hear me.
“Off the chain,” he shouted back at me. “Right?”
“I guess so.” I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to enjoy the place. To be more precise, I had full use of my mind. That made it impossible for me to just go with the flow the way everyone else seemed to be doing.
Scanning the room, which was filled with undulating bodies, I couldn’t help but notice that half the girls here were hardly wearing enough to cover those moving bodies. One girl raised her arms in the air as she swayed her ass, the little bit of black material covering her nether regions flashing out, and she looked like she just didn’t give a damn.
Rocco noticed it too, jabbing me in the ribs with his elbow. “Whoa, check out the barely-there underwear on the chick at two o’clock, will ya?”
“Rocco, you know that’s somebody’s daughter, don’t you?” I asked him as he openly gawked at the girl.
“She ain’t yours, so why are you even thinkin’ about it, Kane? You need alcohol, and you need it stat.” He led the way to the nearest bar. “Give me a couple of Godfathers, please.”
So, whiskey it is, then.
It seemed my friend was going to try to dull my senses with a stout mixture of bourbon and amaretto. Unfortunately, I’d have to disappoint him. My mind wasn’t into it, and my drinking would be limited.
Everywhere I looked, I imagined I saw things in a much different light than most of the other patrons. To my left, a group of four men was laughing and drinking. One of them had droopy eyes, his glass hung loosely in his hand, and he had to lean on the bar to stay upright. He’d had too much to drink, and his companions took no notice of that fact at all.
To my right, a girl who was most likely barely twenty-one danced with a man who looked like a serial killer. His hands were all over her, and he was looking down at the top of her head with a menacing stare that told me he’d like to take her outside, push her up against the side of the building, and bone her until she couldn’t see straight. Then tie her up and throw her in the trunk of his car, taking her away forever.
“Drink this,” came Rocco’s demanding voice.
Taking the glass from his extended hand, I took a small sip. “Thanks.”
With a nod, Rocco took a sip as he looked around the room. “Over there, see those two chicks dancing with each other?”
“I do.” I had no idea why he would point them out. Tons of girls were dancing with each other, some in large groups even.
“Let’s cut in,” he continued. “I get the blonde. I know you prefer brunettes.”
I wasn’t up for that at all. “You go ahead. Take them both. I’ll be right here when you’re done.”
One heavy sigh let me know he wasn’t happy with my attitude. “Come on, Kane. Loosen up, man.”
“I am loose. Go on. Go dance, Rocco. I’ll be fine.” My attention was taken by the mass of drunken people anyway. I would be thoroughly entertained just watching them.
Finally, he seemed to accept that I wasn’t going to get out on that dancefloor and we parted ways. Now I could focus my attention on people-watching.
When I saw a girl stumbling off the dancefloor, heading to the bar, I couldn’t hold the doctor inside of me back any longer. I reached out, taking her by the arm. “Hey, where you headed?”
Her blue eyes were glazed over, and she had trouble focusing on me as she wobbled in her high heels. “The bar. I need a drink. Care to buy me one?” she slurred.
“How about I pay for your cab ride home, instead?” I offered as I put my drink down on the bar.
“What?” She shook her head then stopped. “Whoa. I’m kinda dizzy.”
“So, how about that cab?” I slipped my arm around her narrow shoulders, moving her toward the exit instead of the bar.
“Are you trying to take me home?” she slurred, then her head bobbed. “’Cause that’s okay if you are. I’m up for it.”
“Good to know.” She wasn’t up for shit. “But I’m not taking you home. I’m sending you to your home. You do know your address, right?”
“Fifteen fifteen, um …” she hummed as she tried to recall where she lived. “Blue Ridge Trail. Yeah, that’s it.” Pride filled her eyes as she looked up at me. “See, I knew it.”
“Great job. Do you know how many drinks you’ve had?” I pushed the door open and we stepped outside, the cool air hitting us in the face. It didn’t seem to affect her much at all.
“I didn’t count them,” she said, and then hiccupped. Looking over her shoulder, she looked lost for a second. “Um, I should go back and tell my friends I’m leaving.”
Her cell phone was in her hand, and I took her by the wrist, raising her hand so she could see it. “Why don’t you send them texts while you’re riding in the cab?”
“You’re smart,” she said with a giggle before another hiccup popped out of her mouth. “Has anyone ever told you that?”
“Yep.” Snapping my fingers, a cab pulled to the curb, and I helped her get inside. “Fifteen fifteen, Blue Ridge Trail please.” Handing the driver two twenty-dollar bills, I added, “Please see this young lady gets there safe and sound, will you?” The fact that the driver was a woman in her fifties gave me confidence that the drunk girl would meet no harm in her vulnerable condition.
“Will do,” the driver said with a smile.
The girl reached out, trailing her hand over my cheek. “You’re, like, my hero. I should get your number.”
“Nah. But do yourself a favor and drink some water when you get home. And watch your intake of alcohol next time—it’s time to stop when your head gets light. And if your words start to slur, you’re already drunk. Got it?” I knew she probably wouldn’t retain a word I said, but I had to say them anyway.
“’K.” She kissed the palm of her hand and then blew it my way. She had no idea how terrible her breath smelled. “Thanks, hero.”
Closing the door, I waved goodbye before heading back inside. One of the bouncers nodded at me as I went back in. “That was nice. Don’t see a lot of good deeds like that going on in my line of work.”
“Yeah, well, I’m a doctor, and I couldn’t just watch that poor girl get another drink.” With a shrug, I went back inside. I didn’t feel like a hero at all. I just felt like that had been the right thing to do.
Maybe it was the fact that I had a ten-year-old at home, but suddenly all the people around me just seemed like kids to me. At twenty-seven, I wasn’t much older than the majority of them, but I felt eons older—and wiser as well.
Some rambunctious shouting drew my attention to another bar. A waitress lay on the bar, a line of men waiting to take shots out of her navel. Not one of them cared about the fact that their lips were touching the same place another man’s had been just seconds earlier. On top of being disgusting, it wasn’t sanitary either. “Yuck.”
Rocco came up behind me, clapping me on the shoulder. Jerking his head toward the men I watched, he asked, “Thinkin’ about getting in that line, lover-boy?”
“There’s not a chance in hell that that’s what I was thinking, Rocco. And as your physician and best friend, I can’t allow you to even think about doing that either. Do you have any idea how many germs are now on that poor woman’s body?”
Shaking his head, he said, “The alcohol kills all the germs, Doctor Price. It’s perfectly safe, and it’s sexy too.”
“You’re as crazy as the rest of them.” I shoved my hands into my pockets before looking elsewhere, as that scene made my stomach uneasy. “I could use a drink. And not the kind you gave me. I wonder what kinds of wine they serve here.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Rocco huffed. “At least have a beer, Kane. Shit, you can act like such an old geezer sometimes.”
He was probably right, and I knew it. But it wasn’t something I particularly w
anted to change about myself. I was a father first and foremost, and prided myself on acting like one. But he was right about ordering wine in such an establishment. “I’ll get a beer then. I don’t want to spoil your bad boy rep by acting like a geezer.” Spotting a waitress not too far ahead of me, I called out, “Can I get a beer over here, please?”
She paused for only a moment before hurrying through the crowd. I knew she had to have heard me—she had stopped, after all. Following after her to get her attention, I noticed the swell of her hips, the dip of her waist, and the way her long dark hair was twisted into one braid that hung down her back. Dark blue streaks ran through it. Normally, I didn’t particularly care for unnatural colors in a woman’s hair. For some reason, I liked it on her.
Just as I was about to catch up to her, she placed the tray of empty glasses she carried on the edge of the bar and then disappeared behind it, going straight through a door into the back.
Disappointment welled within me. I just wanted to see her face.
“What can I get ya?” the bartender asked me.
“A beer,” I said, my eyes still glued to the door she’d gone through. I crossed my fingers, hoping she’d pop back out of it before I walked away.
“What kind?” he asked me, taking my attention away from the door.
I looked at the names on tap. “Michelob Ultra.”
Another waitress came up next to me, putting empties on the bar as she rattled off, “Two gin and tonics, a blue spruce, and three bloody Marys.”
The waiter placed the beer on the bar in front of me. “That’ll be seven fifty.” He looked at the blonde waitress with a frown. “What the fuck is a blue spruce, Taylor?”
“Fuck if I know.” She shrugged. “This guy said he wanted one. I figured you knew what it was.”
“I’ll have to look that one up, I guess.” The bartender got to work making the drinks, and the waitress looked at me.
Raising my glass to her, I said, “Here’s to you, and every other hard-working woman in this bar.”
“Thanks.” Her smile was sexy as she asked, “You having yourself a good time tonight?”
“Would it offend you if I said I wasn’t?” I took a sip of the cold beer as I looked the little thing over. With pale blue eyes that sparkled with good humor and pixie-cut blonde hair that was pulled into spikes that were each dyed a different color at the tips, she reminded me of a fairy—small, with a fiery look in her eyes.
“Not me personally.” She put her hand on her hip. “But can I ask you what might make your night more enjoyable?”
With a chuckle, I answered, “Being at home with my son, watching cartoons or playing video games with him.”
She cocked her head to one side. “Then why aren’t you doing that?”
“He’s out of town this weekend.” I found Rocco and nodded in his direction. “My friend made me come out with him tonight. I’m not very good company though.”
She looked over at Rocco just as a girl approached him. “Looks like he’d be fine on his own.” Her eyes came back to mine. “I’ve got a break coming up. Maybe I could make your night more pleasurable. Say, in the back room, where no one would see us.”
Now ain’t this some shit!
Nearly choking on the beer I’d taken a drink of, I shook my head. “No, thank you.”
“You married?” she asked with one dark brow cocked.
“No.” I couldn’t believe she’d think the only reason I’d turned down her generous offer was because of a prior commitment. “I just don’t make a habit of screwing women I don’t know, is all.”
“Shame.” She picked up the tray of drinks and gave me a wink.
“There’s no drink called a blue spruce, so I made up something blue for the idiot.” The bartended watched her go. “Good call not picking up what she put down.”
“You think so?” I asked as I took another drink, watching her as she swayed her ass on purpose, trying to entice me into changing my mind.
“Yeah. She’s a sweet girl, but she gets around.” He got back to work, and I nodded.
Yeah, I can tell!
Waiting at the bar until I finished my beer, I was disappointed that the woman I’d been after hadn’t come back out. Placing the empty mug on the bar, the bartender came back. “Want another one?”
“No. What I’d really like is to know when that waitress who went through that door a few minutes ago is coming back.” I couldn’t believe I’d said that. It wasn’t like me to stalk women. But there I was, stalking away.
He looked back at the door then shook his head. “I’ve got no idea who went back there. I can tell you this, though. If she’s been back there since you came up to this bar, then she’s with the boss. If you know what I mean.”
“Oh.” Now I really felt disappointed. “I’ll be heading out now, then. She’s the only one her who’s snagged my interest, and if she’s not available, then I think I’m just wasting my time here.”
With a nod, he said, “Yeah, if she’s been back there that long, chances are she isn’t available.”
Hands back in my pockets, I had to fight myself from letting my head hang as I went to tell Rocco that I was leaving.
I must’ve had an even worse week than I’d realized if I was getting down in the dumps over not getting to, at the very least, see that waitress’s face.
What the hell is wrong with me, anyway?
Chapter 7
Zandra
Watching Kane through the two-way mirror behind the bar, I couldn’t understand why he was waiting there instead of going back to the guy he’d come in with. I recognized that man as his friend from high school, Rocco. The way he kept looking at the door I’d gone through gave me chills.
Does he know it’s me?
After Kane left the bar, with what I thought looked like a dejected expression, I came out. “Did that guy say anything to you?” I asked Patrick, the bartender.
With a smartass tone, he answered, “Which one, Zee? There’re tons of guys here tonight.”
“The guy with the dark blond hair. Black suit, green eyes.” I sighed quietly, thinking that he looked even better than he had the last time I’d seen him.
“Ah, the beer drinker who asked about the waitress that went to the back. That guy. I see it much more clearly now. Were you the one who went back there, Zee?” He handed change back to some woman, who stuffed it in her bra.
“Yeah, that was me. Did he ask about me or what?” My heart began to pound with the idea that after all this time, he’d recognized me.
It hadn’t crossed my mind at all that Kane and I might meet up. I didn’t know why that was. He and I had both lived in Charleston growing up. I guess I just assumed he’d be on to bigger and better things than our small hometown.
Boy, was that a mistake.
And now he’s found me.
“He did ask about you, as a matter of fact.”
My heart stopped. “Did he know me by name?”
A slight laugh left his mouth. “No.”
“Good,” I sighed with relief. “So, what did he ask?”
“He wanted to know when you were coming back out.” He went to help a customer. “What’ll you have, partner?”
“Jack and Coke.”
I went with Patrick as he started making the drink, so I could hear more. “Did he say why?”
“He said you were the only one who’d made his juices run or some shit like that. He told me he was leaving.” He smiled at me with a wicked grin. “I told him that if you were back there that long, then you were with the boss. Like—with the boss. You know what I’m saying, Zee?”
“He thinks I was back there with Rob?” I was horrified. “God, no!”
He looked confused by my exclamation. “So, you weren’t back there with the boss then?”
“Hell, no!” With long strides, I left Patrick behind and went to see to my customers. With the news that Kane had left, I could finally get back to work. Hiding from him had set me back
, and I was sure the tips wouldn’t be nearly what they had been.
Not only had I hidden from him, but I’d also spent a good chunk of time before that watching him from afar. When he put his arm around that drunk girl, my insides had gone hot with jealousy. I hadn’t experienced anything like that before.
Sneaking along through the crowd, I followed them all the way to the exit. I couldn’t believe he would just randomly grab a girl out of the crowd and so easily take her home. She looked like she was all for it, too.
I couldn’t hear what they said because the music was too loud. But I could see that he was taking her outside. Then he snapped his fingers and a cab pulled up.
I couldn’t even breathe as he opened that cab door. When the cab pulled away without him, I understood that he’d simply made sure that the drunk girl would get home safely.
Hell, maybe she was the sister of a friend of his. There had to be some rational explanation. I mean, no one was that damn nice, to make sure a drunken stranger got out of a club and back home safely for no reason at all.
Unless he’s some kind of a saint.
Taylor saw me then and came up to me. “And where the hell have you been?”
“Hiding.” I kept walking to get to my customers. “There was a guy here. You talked to him at the bar. I know him from the past.”
“I’ve talked to a lot of guys here.” She grinned at me. “You’ll have to be more specific.”
“Dark blond, green eyes, rocking body.” I picked up the empties from the table full of girls. “More of the same, ladies?”
“Yes,” came their enthusiastic answers. “More!”
“Oh, that guy.” The way her eyes twinkled gave me a sinking feeling in my chest. “You know him?”
“Yes.” Making my way back to the bar, I found a few more people holding up empty drinks and grabbed them as I went. “I’ll be right back with refills, guys.”
“I’m on break right now,” Taylor told me. “I’ll help you play catchup.”
“Thank you.” I needed the help at that moment. My head wasn’t in the game after my unexpected reminder of my past.
Dirty Little Secret_A Secret Baby-Second Chance Romance Page 5