Break Me (Shattered)

by Jo-Anna Walker

  “Well, what?”

  “I’ve seen him at the club we’re going to before. He’s a regular.” Her voice was muffled by the closed door, so I waited for her to finish dressing.

  A moment later, she re-entered her bedroom sporting a skin tight black dress that hugged her curves.

  “You look beautiful.”

  Keisha smiled, revealing a set of perfect white teeth. Her brown curls were piled on her head in a messy bun, and ringlets fell down, framing her lightly tanned face. Black kohl outlined her bright green eyes, and pale pink lipstick coated her full lips.

  “And I love the dress.”

  “Oh, this old thing?” She winked.

  I laughed, grabbing my clutch.

  Turning around, she went back to her closet and pulled out a pair of red-satin pumps.

  “Now, did you say that Sebastian is a regular at the club we’re going to tonight?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  My heart thudded against my chest at the thought of seeing him again so soon. “Oh…well…this could get interesting.”

  “Yes, it could. Just be careful.”

  “Yes mother.”

  Chapter 4

  Since moving to the city, college and looking for a job took up most of my time. Being on a scholarship, I had to work extra hard to maintain good grades, so I spent most of my days behind a book, studying.

  Keisha was the first friend I had made since moving to there and I was determined to enjoy myself tonight.

  After getting ready, we took a cab to The Red Love, the hottest new club in town, according to Keisha anyway. She also exclaimed how hot the owner was. She only said that because she knew him.

  Loud music seeped from the doorway, and I already felt the beat of the base vibrating through my bones. Big red letters hung over the entrance surrounded by a brick building.

  Excitement flooded through me, and Keisha grabbed my hand, pulling me along beside her.

  There was a huge line of people waiting to get into the club, but she walked us straight to the bouncer at the door.

  She turned to me and winked. “Watch this.”

  She sidled up to the bouncer and ran a hand along his broad chest. “Hey there, big boy.” She leaned into him as she ran her hand down to his tight stomach.

  A black T-shirt that said Security on it hugged his big torso and was tucked into black pants. He had a smattering of tattoos on his arms and wore an earpiece that he occasionally spoke into.

  With a deep baritone chuckle, he wrapped an arm around Keisha’s shoulders. “Hello there, Keisha.”

  I shook my head and laughed.

  Her eyes twinkled as she looked at me. “Kane, this is my friend, Tori. Tori, this is my favorite bouncer, Kane.”

  I smiled in greeting. Kane was huge and definitely was someone that I wouldn’t want to be left alone with in an alley, that’s for damn sure. His pale eyes were kind and gentle, though, but I bet he could kick some serious ass if needed.

  “Well, any friend of my Keisha’s, is a friend of mine.” He smiled back at me. Blue eyes lit up every time he glanced at her, and I thought that someone had a little crush on my new friend.

  Our gazes met and she flushed.

  I laughed.

  Giggling, she released herself from him.

  He smiled down at her and looked between the both of us. “Have a good time, ladies.” He stood back, motioning to the open doorway.

  We headed through the door and walked down a dim, narrow hallway that had red lighting in the ceiling. Black-and-white pictures of famous musicians lined the walls on either side of us, and as we neared the end of the corridor, the music got louder. It wasn’t so loud that she couldn’t hear herself think or carry on a conversation, but loud enough that she felt the beat in the floor.

  “Did you want to dance first or grab a drink?” Keisha yelled over the music.

  “Drink first.”

  She nodded and led us to the bar.

  Once we left the hallway, it opened up into a wide space. The bar was on the right and took up most of the wall that led to the back of the room.

  To the left of us, there was a dance floor jam-packed with moving bodies. Four cages in each corner held scantily clad women who gyrated and danced to the music.

  Across the floor, on the other side of the club, red couches lined the wall. Some had curtains drawn closed in front for privacy.

  The air in the room was thick and smelled of alcohol and sweat.

  Keisha grabbed my hand, pulling me through the crowd, and led us to the bar. Once we reached it, we both took a seat.

  The bartender noticed us, made a drink that looked like a martini, and placed it in front of her.

  Wow. She knows everyone.

  “Do you come here all of the time?” I asked her.

  “Yeah, probably more than I should.”

  He nodded his head in my direction, and I looked at Keisha. “What do you want to drink?” she asked me.

  “Oh, I’ll have a beer, please.” He nodded and a moment later placed a beer in front of me.

  I grabbed the cool bottle and brought it to my lips. I took a long pull and sighed as the cold carbonated liquid slid down my throat.

  “I’ve never seen someone make drinking beer look erotic.”

  My gaze flashed to Keisha’s, and she smiled.

  My cheeks felt hot, and I put my beer down. I shrugged. “I like beer.”

  She laughed. “Now I bet Sebastian would love seeing you drink beer that way.”

  I laughed, rolling my eyes.

  I turned in my stool and scanned the vast room. The walls were black, and all of the lighting fixtures, except for the ones behind the bar, were some shade of red.

  “Are you looking for Sebastian?” Keisha teased.

  I smiled. “Maybe.”

  “Well, he does come here often, so you might see him, but be warned—he doesn’t get along with my brother.”

  I frowned. “Why does that not surprise me?”

  She laughed and turned on her stool. Leaning against the bar top, she crossed her legs. “Speaking of the owner…”

  I followed her gaze and noticed a very good-looking man heading toward us. He was way better looking in person than in the picture.

  He wore a black dress shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows and black dress pants. I also noticed he was slim but looked fit, and his clothes hugged him in all the right places. He sauntered up to us, and the air around him crackled with authority.

  Unlike Sebastian, this guy was clean shaven with short no-fuss brown hair and no tattoos that I could see. They were completely different but I didn’t feel for Brett what I felt for Sebastian.

  He stopped in front of Keisha as she stood, and they hugged. Stepping back after their embrace, he held her at arm’s length and looked down at her. “My, my, Keisha, you sure have gotten beautiful since the last time I saw you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I saw you yesterday, Brett.”

  He laughed and pulled her in for another hug.

  Keisha turned to me. “This is Brett McLean, my brother.”

  He held out his hand to me. “Stepbrother.” His eyes were warm and inviting, kind of like a sauna.

  I shook his hand. That explained the two different last names and how they looked nothing alike.

  Keisha rolled her eyes. “Whatever. And Brett, this Tori McLeod. We met a couple of weeks ago at my work, and I decided to bring her out tonight.”

  "She’s a regular customer.” Keisha added before taking a sip of her martini.

  I nodded in agreement. “I have a thing for coffee.”

  “And beer.”

  I laughed. “Yes and beer.”

  “We definitely have lots of beer. Well, I’m glad you ladies decided to come here. So Tori…” Brett said, smiling at me. His eyes, even though the room was a shade of red, were the brightest shade of blue I had ever seen.

  “She’s taken,” Keisha announced, glaring at him.

 
; My gaze snapped to Keisha’s. I wasn’t taken. If Brett had asked me out, I probably would have said yes.

  “What?” she asked innocently.

  I huffed and turned back to Brett.

  He smiled but didn’t finish his sentence.

  Sighing, I motioned for the bartender, and he placed another beer in front of me without me having to ask. I think I like this guy.

  I smiled to myself as I took a long pull and sighed.

  “You did it again!”

  My eyes snapped open. I hadn’t even realized that I had closed them. I coughed and lightly smacked Keisha on the arm, sending her into a fit of giggles.

  “What did you do?” Brett asked.

  “Nothing!” I cried, and that caused Keisha to laugh even harder. I felt Brett’s stare bore into my side, causing my face to heat up.

  “So Brett, how long have you owned the club?”

  We made small talk while Keisha controlled her giggles. I learned that Brett had bought the club as soon as he turned twenty-one. He had wanted to be a business owner all his life, and having a club seemed like the best thing for him at the time. He admitted to me that he had originally invested in the club to win over ladies, but eventually the club became a part of him.

  “So are you in school?” he asked me.

  “Well…kind of.”.

  He chuckled. “You don’t seem too sure about that.”

  I laughed. “I had to take some time off to look for a job, but I hope to go back next year even though it’s boring. Now I just need to find something so I can pay back my school loans.”

  He smiled at me. “Well I hope you find one. Let me know if you have difficulty though. We always need extra people here.”

  My eyes widened. “Wow, really? Thank you. I hope I can find one on my own, but I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”

  He nodded and leaned forward. “Keisha, Garrith has been asking about you.”

  Keisha turned to him, her cheeks coloring, and she continued sipping her drink.

  Brett laughed and leaned back in his chair.

  “Who’s Garrith?” I asked her.

  She sighed. “He’s a friend of Brett’s, and it’s a long fucking story.”

  “Oh.” Now that was a story I wanted to hear. She chewed her bottom lip and continued sipping her drink. I felt for her. There must have been some sort of history between the two of them, and I hoped that when she was ready she would tell me.

  “He’s a good friend of mine, and he has a thing for Keisha, but she’s not interested,” Brett interjected.

  She scoffed. “He’s obnoxious and an ass, but I never said that I wasn’t interested.”

  “I think you need to give me details later,” I said to her.

  She turned to me and winked. “Definitely.”

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Brett growled.

  My head whipped around as he looked toward the door, scowling.

  Keisha and I both followed his gaze.

  “What?” we asked in unison.

  My eyes scanned the vast room around us, but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. People danced, people drank, chatted… It all seemed like a normal club to me.

  Brett’s jaw tightened. “Remember that fucker I told you about, Keisha?”

  “Sebastian? Yes, I remember,” Keisha answered.

  My face heated at the mention of his name.

  “How do you know his name?” Brett frowned.

  “Um…” Keisha looked away.

  “I told her his name,” I said, not understanding what the issue was.

  His gaze snapped to mine. “How do you know his name?”

  “That’s not important. Continue what you were going to say,” Keisha interrupted.

  “No, Tori, how do you know him?”

  Anxious butterflies started fluttering about in my stomach. What was this guy’s issue? “Well I don’t think that’s any of your…”

  “Brett. Stop being an overprotective asshole.”

  He scowled at his sister. “I’m not being an overprotective asshole.”

  “Yes, you are. You just met Tori. You can’t tell her who she can and can’t hang out with.”

  My nerves rattled at the hard look on Brett’s face. What was his problem with Sebastian? Maybe I should have been concerned, but something about him had me drawn to him. For whatever reason it was, I trusted him. Even not knowing a single thing about Sebastian, my body didn’t seem to care as it responded to even just the mere mention of his name.

  Brett sighed and turned away. Reaching a hand up to his ear, he started whispering.

  Keisha continued, not noticing. “If he’s that much of an issue, kick him out. It’s your club.”

  A moment later, Brett turned back to us. “I can’t kick him out. He hasn’t done anything wrong. I just don’t trust the guy.”

  Keisha rolled her eyes. “So what does he have to do with anything then?”

  “He’s here, that’s what.” He nodded towards the door. “And it pisses me off that I can’t fucking do anything about it.”

  My heart fluttered in my chest, knowing that I would get to see him again. I searched through the crowd again but couldn’t see him. My body hummed in anticipation, and my skin heated as I remembered that he now knew where I lived.

  “Holy shit.” Keisha exclaimed, stifling a giggle.

  We both turned to her, and as she looked at me, a small smile formed on her lips. “Um…Tori. Brett’s right. Sebastian is here.”

  My eyes went wide. “What? Where?”

  “By the door. He just came in.” She pointed to the entrance.

  I quickly scanned the area by the entrance, but I didn’t see him. Then the crowd parted for a brief moment, and I saw him leaning against the wall talking to someone. He looked gorgeous, as always, still wearing his black leather jacket, T-shirt and jeans.

  My stomach jumped, and my heart sped up against my chest.

  “I tried telling you he was here. Tori, you should really stay away from him.” Brett warned.

  Keisha rolled her eyes. “You men and your territory issues. Tori, ignore him. I’m sure he’s not that bad, now, is he Brett?”

  He scoffed. “Yeah, okay. Listen, Tori, just be careful. Please.”

  I turned back to Brett, and his jaw clenched. “Brett, I promise that I’ll be careful, but I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

  “Tori?”

  I looked at Keisha.

  “I think he knows you’re here.”

  My eyes snapped up. He was looking right at me.

  Chapter 5

  I looked away and turned back to Brett, but I could still feel Sebastian’s gaze boring into the back of my skull.

  “I can’t fucking stand that guy.” Brett scowled.

  Keisha huffed. “We get this. Can we move on now?”

  I looked between the two of them and then hopped off the stool, needing some air. Since finding out Sebastian was there, it felt like all of the oxygen had been sucked out of the club. Even being across the room from him, I felt a pull towards him.

  “Where are you going?” they both asked me.

  Turning back to them, I rolled my eyes. “If you must know, I’m going to the washroom. Did you want a play-by-play when I get back?”

  Brett turned to Keisha. “I think I like her. She’s feisty.”

  She glared at him. Her eyes widened when they flicked back to mine. A grin spread on her face as she looked past me.

  Brett muttered something that I didn’t hear as he rose from his seat.

  Frowning, I turned on my heel and ran right into a hard body. My hands instinctively landed on the chest, bracing my fall. I gasped and looked up into black eyes.

  Sebastian.

  The familiar smell of cologne and soap invaded my nostrils, and it was just as intoxicating as before. My core clenched, aching for him.

  Grabbing my wrists, he rubbed his thumb over my pulse point.

  My breath
picked up, and my heart thundered against my chest as I watched the small movement. My gaze flashed up to his, and a small smile formed on his lips.

  “Hello, Tori.” His deep, silky voice washed over me, caressing my skin as he continued to rub small circles on my wrist.

  “Hi,” I said, hardly able to breathe. It had been weeks since I had seen him, and now being this close to him made my insides turn to mush.

  He let go of my wrists and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

  Shivers ran down my spine at the light, feathery touch. My nipples hardened against my bra, turning to sharp peaks, begging to be touched by him.

  “So, come here often?” His deep voice sent a current of electrifying pleasure through me. This guy was going to do damage to my self-control.

  “Does that sort of pickup line work on every girl, or is this your first time testing it out?” I laughed, asking the same question I had asked him the first time we met.

  He chuckled. “That depends.”

  “On?” I asked, playing along.

  “Is it working?” His voice lowered and he leaned down, hot breath grazing my ear.

  My heart thumped a mile a minute against my chest; I thought it would explode. A sharp pain pinched my ear, and then I realized he’d bitten me. Liquid heat seeped between my legs at the unexpected contact.

  Oh God. My eyes went wide. Did I say that aloud?

  He lifted his head and looked down at me, eyes blazing. Placing his hand on the small of my back, he pulled me against his side. He winked at me. “So is it?”

  I frowned, confused. “Is what?”

  “Is it working?”

  My stomach flip-flopped. “Oh…” Yes, it was very much indeed working, but there was no way that I was telling him that.

  A cough sounded from behind us, and I turned around. Keisha had on the biggest smile that lit up her whole face.

  Brett’s face was hard as he glared daggers at Sebastian. He took a couple of steps toward us. “Sebastian Chelios.” His voice was thick with disgust.

  Sebastian placed his hand on my hip, pulling me closer to him. Interesting.

  “So, Brett, the club is booming as always,” Sebastian stated.

  I could sense a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

  “I…” Brett looked to his left and slightly shook his head but not before Sebastian and I caught the movement.