by Bryony Kayn
“Fuck you, Steve,” she said clearly. “If you can’t keep your dick in your pants, then you can forget about putting it in me. Either way, I’m not the one being humiliated by your high-priced whore.”
“Jake!” he yelled, and everyone within a few feet of them turned in surprise. “Fucking calm down,” he said again, holding a hand out toward her.
“Go to hell, babe,” she said, giving him a twisted smile. She didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. “I’m here to have a good time. You go ahead and do whatever—and whoever—you want.” Deliberately, she flipped them both off, a finger for each, and then turned and worked her way through the crowd of onlookers, heading back for the dance floor.
“You stupid bitch,” Steve snarled, taking Debra’s elbow and pushing her in the opposite direction from the crowd of onlookers, wanting to find someplace where they could talk without an audience.
“Maybe you can talk to her like that, but don’t try it with me,” Debra said angrily, but she went with him willingly enough.
Steve marched her into the house and down a hallway that was deserted. He opened a random door partway down, finding a small sitting room that was unoccupied. He pushed her in, closing the door behind him, and flipped the light switch beside the door. A small crystal chandelier came on, giving off a dim glow.
“Steve, I don’t want to fight with you,” Debra said, a purring quality to her low voice. She put her hands on his chest, rubbing her palms lightly over the silk of his shirt. “But you never answer your phone, and I don’t want to leave a message. The last time you came by, you said it might be a while before I saw you again, but I didn’t think you’d stop calling me.”
“Debra,” he said, gripping her upper arms and holding her away from him, “you heard what you wanted to hear. I told you I wouldn’t be around as long as I’m with Jake. That’s going to be more than just a while.”
Her full lips tightened, but she didn’t give up. “Look, we’ve both been seeing other people. That didn’t bother me before, and it doesn’t now. But I don’t like being treated like some dirty little secret.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Steve asked. He didn’t really care how she felt about it, but if she could follow him here, she might show up at his house when Jake was there.
She tried to step closer to put her arms around him, but he wouldn’t release her. Instead, she slid her hands up his chest to his shoulders, her fingers caressing him through his shirt. “I was invited.”
“By Nikky?” Steve asked, raising one eyebrow.
“No, I came with a date; he was invited,” she replied, curling her fingers around the back of his neck. “He’s wandering around out there somewhere. You don’t know him.”
“You’d be surprised who I know,” he growled, letting her come closer to him. She was so different from Jake, her polar opposite in almost every way. But Debra was beautiful and rich in her own right. She had grown up with the jet-setting lifestyle that he’d only been a part of for the last couple of years. She was part of an enormously wealthy family from the east coast, knowing only privilege and pampering, all so different from his own childhood. In all the ways that counted, she was a lady, and he’d gotten a kick out of seeing her go from reserved and proper in public to the wildcat she really was behind closed doors.
“He’s not important, anyway,” she said, pulling his head down so she could brush her full lips against his. “I only came because I heard you’d be here. I’ve missed you, Steve.”
He let her kiss him, feeling not at all guilty about how much he enjoyed the feel of her full curves against him. Then he watched with a predatory smile as she went down on her knees before him.
Jake tossed back a double shot of whiskey, then set her glass back on the bar and tapped the rim. The bartender raised his brows but filled her glass again. She finished the second drink as quickly as the first and indicated she wanted another.
“Are you planning to get drunk?” Nikky asked, coming to stand beside her. He’d seen Steve go back into the house with a black-haired woman who seemed vaguely familiar. Then he’d seen Jake head for the bar.
“You don’t have enough booze,” she replied shortly and swallowed her third drink. She set the glass down and turned to face him, a smile on her slender face that looked like a facade. She was hiding something—anger, pain, Nikky wasn’t sure what. “What I really want is to get down and dirty with someone who really knows how to move.”
Nikky held out his hand. “Do I qualify?”
“You’re about the only one who does, babe,” she said and took his hand without hesitation. “Come dance with me.”
“I thought you’d never ask,” he said and walked with her to the side of the stage where there was some room. He pulled her against him, his hands on her hips as they began to move together.
Angel caught a glimpse of Steve as he came back out onto the patio, his arm around Debra. The woman was smiling up at him, a rather feral expression that didn’t sit well on her lovely face. Steve leaned down, kissing her lightly, then walked away from her.
Angel sighed. How could he do it? How could he threaten Jake with dire consequences if she slept with someone else when he was cheating on her with absolutely no compunction? Angel turned his head, catching sight of Jake and Nikky beside the stage. They were dancing so closely they might have been physically attached, and from the intent expression on Nikky’s face, he was more than enjoying himself. There had been a strong attraction between them for years, although as far as Angel knew, nothing had ever happened between them. He found himself wondering if that was going to change.
Steve searched the crowd, finally locating the two blonds dancing together by the stage, and he frowned. Sometimes they went too far, he thought. Sometimes people might almost think Jake was with Nikky instead of with him. His own hypocrisy, considering what had just happened with Debra, gave him no pause at all.
When another man approached, Nikky gracefully handed Jake over. He smiled ruefully as Jake turned to put her arms around the other man’s neck, molding her slender body against him uninhibitedly. Then Nikky turned and headed for the bar to get a drink.
He found Steve already there, nursing a drink of his own, and his dark face was taut as he watched the way Jake danced with the stranger. He glanced coolly at Nikky and nodded but didn’t say anything.
Nikky ordered a screwdriver and went to stand beside Steve while he took a sip. The two men watched Jake, Nikky admiringly, Steve rather sullenly. “You know,” Nikky said after a while in a conversational tone of voice, “she’s one hell of a woman. There aren’t many men out there who wouldn’t jump at the chance of having her for their own.”
Steve slanted a glance at him, but said nothing.
“She is easy on the eyes, has a great personality, and—damn!—can she dance,” Nikky went on casually, still watching the woman in question. “I would imagine she’s probably pretty good in bed, too. At least, that’s what you’ve always said.”
“What’s your point?” Steve snapped, clenching his teeth.
Nikky turned to face him. He usually kept things on the lighter side, but Nikky didn’t hesitate to become serious when he felt the need. “You’re not a stupid man, Steve. But you’re incredibly dense when it comes to Jake.”
Steve rounded on him, but Nikky held one hand up to forestall any angry words. He was going to have his say.
“She loves you, man, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out why. I know she’s been hiding bruises again—I caught her at it not too long ago. And it’s obvious you’re still fucking around on her, tonight included. You keep this up, and you’re going to lose her. In my opinion, she could do a hell of a lot better than you.”
“This is none of your business,” Steve said, his voice harsh with barely controlled anger.
Nikky shrugged easily, not threatened by the other man. “She’s my friend, Steve. As are you, unless you’ve changed your mind about that.” He took another sip of
his drink, never moving his eyes from Steve’s. “You hurt her again like you did before, and I don’t think we can continue to be friends.”
“I guess that’s your choice,” Steve grated, finishing his drink and setting the glass on a nearby table.
“You know,” Nikky added softly, “if she were mine, I’d take very good care of her. I’ve never been known for monogamy, but I think I could make an exception in her case.”
Steve stepped forward and shoved Nikky hard, both hands to the other man’s chest. Nikky fell back against the bar, dropping his drink. The glass shattered on the pavement. “You keep your hands off her,” Steve snarled, white lines appearing at the sides of his mouth. “If I catch you anywhere near her, I’ll beat you so bad you won’t walk away.” Then he turned on his heel and stalked into the crowd.
Nikky stood straight, brushing futilely at the orange juice spilled on his white shirt. He glanced at the bartender behind him. “Call security,” he said calmly. “I want him out of here before he can do any more damage.”
Jake was shimmying with the man before her. She didn’t know his name, didn’t really care to, but he was an okay dancer. At least he didn’t get in her way. Her first indication that something was wrong was when a hard hand with a grip like a vise closed on her arm. She turned to see Steve, his face dark with fury.
“We’re leaving,” he yelled over the music and started back through the press of bodies, pulling her after him.
“No!” she screamed, yanking away from him, almost falling when she pulled free. The man she’d been dancing with caught her and supported her weight until she got her balance back. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Now, Jake,” Steve shouted, reaching out to grab her arm again, but she twisted away from him. “I’m taking you home.”
“You want to leave? Then go,” she shouted back, tossing long hair out of her eyes. “Why don’t you take that rich bitch with you? You can pick right back up where you left off.”
“Jae, I’m not gonna talk to you about this when we have to scream to be heard,” he said, reaching a hand toward her. “Come home with me, and we’ll talk about it.”
“Fuck you,” she said loudly, standing her ground.
His hands clenched into fists, and he stepped forward. Before he could do anything, two burly men in matching uniforms appeared. Across the backs of their shirts in large black letters was the word SECURITY.
Jake stood back and watched as they intercepted Steve. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, as their backs were to her, but she could see the white-hot fury on Steve’s face. A few seconds later, they turned Steve and escorted him bodily toward the house. People stepped out of the way to give them room.
“Are you okay?” Angel asked, startling Jake. She hadn’t realized he’d come to stand beside her.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she returned absently, watching as Steve and the two guards disappeared into the house. “All that because he tried to make me leave with him?”
Angel shook his head. “He got into a shoving match with Nikky a couple minutes ago.”
She glanced up in surprise. “Is Nikky okay?”
Angel nodded, pursing his lips thoughtfully. “Yeah, he’s just tired of Steve’s bullshit. He’s over by the bar if you want to check on him.”
Jake nodded and turned in that direction, not even looking back at the man she’d been dancing with.
When Nikky saw her coming through the crowd, he smiled at her. “Guess it’s not a party until there’s a fight,” he commented, brushing at his shirt with a damp cloth. It didn’t seem to be doing any good.
“Are you okay?”
He shrugged. “Ruined my damn shirt, but otherwise unharmed.”
Jake shook her head. “Good thing you can afford to replace it.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, tossing the damp towel back to the bartender. “Guess I’d better go change.”
“On the way,” Jake said, slipping her arm around his waist, “you can tell me what happened.”
He raised an eyebrow, glancing down at her as he automatically returned her loose embrace. “It wasn’t that big a deal,” he said, but walked with her as she started toward the house, her hand against his ribs.
They were stopped several times before they reached the house, but Nikky kept the conversations brief, obviously uncomfortable in his orange juice–spattered shirt. Once inside, he escorted Jake up the curving flight of stairs to the master suite on the second floor. He opened one of the double doors, letting her precede him inside, and closed the door behind them.
Jake crossed the spacious room, going straight to the huge four poster bed. She turned and sat, crossing her legs. “So, are you going to tell me what happened?”
Nikky shrugged and grinned at her, then began unbuttoning his shirt. “I already said it wasn’t that big of a deal. I offered Steve my opinion, and apparently he didn’t appreciate hearing it.” He stripped off the shirt and went to the door of the walk-in closet. Stepping inside, he flipped on a light switch and dropped the soiled shirt in a basket.
From the bedroom, Jake smiled to herself as he surveyed an incredible selection of shirts that took up at least two racks she could see from where she sat. She hadn’t been inside his closet but, from here, figured it was probably the size of her room at Angel’s, maybe larger. Finally, he picked out a bronze-colored silk that would make a great contrast with his California tan and bleached blond hair. When he came back, Jake still sat on his bed.
“And?” she prompted, taking in the view of his bare chest and flat stomach before looking back at his face.
One corner of Nikky’s mouth curved up into a half smile. “And that was it. He shoved me, spilled my drink, and stalked off. I saw him heading in your direction, so I called security to deal with him.” He pulled the shirt on but didn’t bother to do up the buttons. Instead, he crossed the room to come stand before her, looking down at her as she sat casually on the edge of his bed.
“Nikky, cut the crap,” she said softly, tipping her head up to meet his eyes. “What did you say to piss him off?”
Nikky sighed, moving around so he could sit beside her on the bed. “I told him he was an idiot. I told him he was going to end up losing you because of it and that you could do a lot better than him. And then I told him I’d be willing to give monogamy a shot.”
Jake gazed at him incredulously for a long moment, then began to smile. “I seriously cannot picture you with just one woman, babe.”
“If she was the right woman, I don’t see a problem,” he replied, slipping his arm around her again.
She didn’t move away, but she didn’t return the gesture either. For a long moment she just stared into his eyes, trying to figure out if he was kidding or not. Finally, she said, “If you mean me, then I’m flattered.”
“You know I mean you.”
She took a slow breath, then reached up to touch his face, her fingertips caressing his jaw. “That’s very sweet, Nikky.”
“But?” he asked, leaning closer.
She sighed, her gaze dropping to his mouth, wondering if he was going to kiss her. He’d kissed her many times in the years they’d known each other, but never during a moment like this. She dropped her hand to his chest, fingers splayed against his tanned skin. “You know you’re one of my best friends. You have been for years,” she said, forcing herself to meet his intent eyes once more. “You’ve been there for me in so many ways when I needed you. I hope you feel the same about me.”
He didn’t speak, just moved his hand up and down her back slowly.
Cautiously, she continued, “But—and don’t take this the wrong way—when it comes to guys to go to bed with—” She shook her head, irritated with her own hesitation. “No, screw that. When it comes to guys to fuck, they’re a dime a dozen. I can find them anywhere. That’s never been an issue for me. But when it comes to guys who are real, true, honest friends? They’re so few and far between. I don’t want to lose any of those that I
have. I love you, Nikky, I really do. You’re my bud and my absolute favorite dance partner. But I don’t want to screw around and maybe lose that.”
“Even if we could have both? Friends and lovers?” he asked. There was a sadness to his eyes, as though he knew she wasn’t going to change her mind and that deep down he understood why.
“In my experience it doesn’t work that way,” she answered a little wistfully, leaning forward to kiss him gently. There was nothing sexual in it, even though the old attraction was still there between them. Regardless of that, it was just a kiss between close friends. “Besides,” she added when she pulled back, “I don’t want Steve to come after you.”
Nikky laughed, apparently unworried. “I would never go toe to toe with Steve, babe. He would beat the living shit out of me, and I know it. But I have no problem with hiring a couple of bodyguards if I need to. In fact,” he went on, tucking a lock of blond hair behind her ear, “I have no problem with hiring a couple for you.”
Jake shook her head with a smile. “The last thing I want is a couple of goons hanging around waiting for a fight.”
“I don’t want to see you getting hurt,” he said seriously. “I know the signs, Jake. I was there before, remember? You’ve been hiding bruises again. And just because he hasn’t hit you where it shows yet, doesn’t mean he isn’t going to. Some things just never change, even if you really want them to.”
She tried to make light of it, although he was only saying aloud what she’d thought herself. “Either we’re going to work things out, or we’re not. If we do, then there’s no problem. And if we don’t?” She shrugged easily. “Then we don’t, and I’ll deal with the aftermath then. But I don’t want you in the middle. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
Nikky shook his head, exasperation touching his voice. “I’m smart enough not to get into a physical fight with him. How smart are you?”
Jake sighed, pressing her lips together ruefully. “Sometimes not as smart as I should be.”