“Nothing.” Ivan rang through the room before I got a chance to answer.
I hadn’t even heard him come in the room. My focus had been solely on the girls in front of me. Behind Ivan, Damon, Tosha, and Nik came through the door. I watched as the girl's eyes grew wide with shock and awe. I knew they girls hadn’t had much interaction with the guys. We all had our own thing that we did here at the studio, our paths rarely crossed.
“We made a pact, in the beginning, to always be brothers first. Contracts and offers will come and go, but family is forever. You girls are family. You may not be blood and you may not always agree or like each other in the moment, but you’re family.” Ivan said.
I felt his hand resting on my shoulder. I knew what he was saying wasn’t just for the girls benefit. The guys had come to seek me out because I hadn’t come home after the verbal altercation between me and Ivan.
“So what will happen after we sign the agreement?” Heather asked.
Nik picked up the agreement and began to read it over. I allowed him and the other guys time to glance it over before I answered.
“After you sign the agreement I’m going to send out your demo to Foxy and a few others that I know in the industry. I am also going to send it out to a few of the agents I know. You will begin to get calls from labels and agents begging you to sign with them. All of them will promise you the world. What I want for you to do is to get everything they promise in writing. I want you to read it over. Go celebrate and have fun. Then come back the next day and read it over again.” I spoke slowly allowing my words to burn into their brains.
“Anyone who tells you they need an answer immediately is a liar. Never give an immediate answer. Always take your time and think it over.” Nik added.
“Don’t be afraid to take risks. If you only hear from one person do not feel like you have to go with them. Let your talent speak for its self.” Damon contributed.
It felt good to have my brothers at my back. I knew things had been a bit harried since we had all been home; creating a sliver of a wedge between us all. At first, none of us knew what to do with ourselves but quickly that had changed and we all seemed to be going in different directions. I don’t quite think any of us know how to react to the different directions our lives were taking. The independence from one another created just enough room for self-doubt to work its way in. With the boys at my back that doubt quickly evaporated, reconfirming our solidity.
We sat and talked with the girls an hour longer before they signed the contract. We took our time answering any of the questions they had, no matter how big or small. After the girls’ fears had been eased and their question answered we sent them off to continue their celebrations.
I used my computer to send off a copy of their release and their demos to all of my contacts that I had spoken to previously. Things were much simpler now than they were when we were just kids starting out. Back when we were starting out you had to send a hard copy of your demo and hope that it landed into the right hands. With today’s technology, I was able to send out their demo and information to whoever I needed with just the click of a button.
The guys had all begged off and gone home by the time I was finished. I packed up my bag and followed behind them to the house. I hoped to get a nap in before I had to face Katinka to apologize and definitely before I was put on baby duty.
The moment I walked through the front door I was attacked by a spider monkey. I stumbled back into the door, my arms wrapping around Katinka.
“I’m sorry.” She whispered against my neck.
I wrapped my arms around her tightly and held her close. “No, I’m sorry, Tink. I didn’t mean to yell at you.” Just like that, all was forgiven. I knew I had worried her. I didn’t mean to. She knew I loved her which made all the difference.
I let Katinka hang on to me for a little while longer before I was finally able to pull her off me so that I could head up to my room. I had a handful of messages from Nina waiting for me as I crawled into bed.
I lay there cocooned in the comfort of my blankets and messaged back and forth with her. My plans for a nap were long forgotten. I had no idea what it was about this woman that kept me so intrigued. She still wanted me to end our pending marriage, which made me laugh. It was funny how she thought I had so much sway over our parents. I think the intrigue stemmed from the fact that she had someone in her life but was unwilling to disclose that fact to anyone else. It would save us all the headache if she would. I wanted desperately to know who the mystery man was and why she was keeping him a secret.
No matter how many times I had tried to beg her to come clean with her parents about her fiancé, she declined and pushed the job back onto me. I didn’t want to be a dick and dime her out, but I was quickly running out of options. I could only hope that the answers would come to me sooner rather than later.
Chapter 9
“Any luck getting out of your arrangement?” Ivan asked from his perch at the bar in the kitchen.
I continued to rummage through the fridge, purposely ignoring the new chore list Katinka had hung in there. “Nah, she gave me an out but says I can’t use it,” I answered, my head still crammed in the fridge.
“What the hell are you looking for and what sort of out did she give you? It’s been two weeks already.” Ivan asked intrigued.
“I can’t say, man,” I answered as I came out of the fridge with my arms loaded down with the fixings for a monster sandwich and potato salad. Using my foot I kicked the door closed.
“Secrets don’t make friends and you know you can’t keep anything away from your brothers.” Ivan not so subtly reminded me.
“Dude, it’s not my secret to tell. If it was, you would be the first to know.” I called over my shoulder as I began to lay out half the contents of the fridge on the counter.
“I want one of whatever you’re having,” Damon said entering the kitchen and grabbing a stool next to Ivan.
I laid out the bread and began layering on the turkey, salami, ham, and cheese. I was in the mood for a man-which. It’s similar to a sandwich but made for a man. You start by layering cheese and every type of meat you have in the fridge, then you top it with lettuce, tomato, pickles, chips, mayo, and mustard. It is the best fucking thing you will ever put in your mouth. I slapped a large helping of potato salad on the three plates I laid out on the counter then added the sandwiches.
“Orders up, boys.” I placed a plate in front of Damon and Ivan then went back to retrieve my own.
Damon moaned around a bite of his sandwich. “Dude, you are going to make an amazing wife someday.”
I cut my eyes at him but was unable to follow through with a threatening look. I made a note to text Nina and let her know that I would make an amazing husband because I could cook. Take that! That was an added point to my husband catalog. I gave myself a mental fist bump.
“So what was this I heard about a secret?” Damon asked looking up from his plate long enough to get the question out before diving back in.
“Nina has a secret that could end the arrangement but Kiev won’t tell,” Ivan said briefly filling Damon in.
“Dude, you know we aren’t allowed to have secrets.” He arched a brow at me, reminding me of our promise to one another. I also wanted to remind him of a secret he was keeping of his own, namely about Alexa, but I refrained.
I held up my hands in surrender. “Not my secret to tell, bro.” Damon just shook his head in response.
“So what are you going to do?” Ivan asked, pushing the topic.
“Dude, I don’t know. There is nothing I can do short of faking my own death or getting married before the six months are up.” I sighed exasperatedly.
“So let’s get you a wife,” Damon said wagging his brows up and down on his forehead.
“Katinka said I can’t get a mail order. I already tried.” I sighed out loud blowing out a puff of air.
My admission caused both Damon and Ivan to laugh.
“What
about that chick you were dating. G’s old lady’s,” He snapped his fingers trying to recall her name, “Elizabeth’ s friend.” Ivan suggested.
I scrunched up my nose in response. “Dude.” I stretched out the word. “She was as batshit crazy as that chick Damon brought home, Natalie.”
It was true; Emily was a nurse, with long gorgeous fiery red hair that matched her attitude, and not in a good way. She had flipped her lid on me one too many times. One is the max I could tolerate.
“We could always check with Elizabeth and see if she has any more single friends,” Damon suggested.
I scoffed in horror. “Dude, two out of four of them were batshit crazy. The two that weren’t crazy are taken and that includes Elizabeth.” I shot out.
Damon and Ivan laughed. “I think that’s more like three out of four because I hate to break it to ya but Lizzy is a fucking fruit cake, but she’s family and we love her.” Damon cackled.
He was right and it caused us all to break out into a fit of laughter. Elizabeth had G by the nuts and was always willing to give just a little twist. She was of the jealous sort and if she even imagined G was looking at some girl the wrong way she would snap his dick in half and feed it to him for dinner.
“Okay, so Nina is off the table, all of Elizabeth’s friends are off the table, and so is a mail order.” I counted them down on my fingers as I listed them off.
“Now, don’t count out the mail order. What Tink doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” Ivan said in a half whisper. I knew he was afraid Katinka would overhear him and have his ass in the ringer.
“Tink said no,” I stated firmly, trying to hold my ground.
The problem was, the more Ivan mentioned the idea the more I wanted to give it a shot. It was one of my original ideas after all.
“Okay, so we don’t tell her,” Damon suggested with a casual shrug of his shoulder.
“Man, what happened to the whole ‘Secrets don’t make friends’ line you just ran at me?” I pointed to the two of them with the index finger on each hand.
“Man, this is different.” Ivan tried to reason as Damon nodded his agreement along with him.
I knew they were both full of shit. I also knew that if we were caught we were going to be toast. The bad thing about it was I knew we were going to get caught. Nothing got by Katinka and I mean nothing.
So now it came down to this, Marry Nina and steal her away from someone she actually genuinely has feelings for or face the firing squad and do exactly as Katinka told me not to do. Fuck my life. I was paving the highway to hell in gold with a fucking dash of glitter along the way. I’m pretty sure the glitter represented my tears. Actually, it was a fact. I fucking cried glitter like the bitch I was.
“FUUUCCCKK,” I yelled out scrubbing my hands down my face. “Let’s just get the fuck out of here and go to the Boobie Trap and get some lap dances. I haven’t had a nice pair of tits crammed in my face in as long as I can remember.” I grumbled stressed out from all of the bullshit flying my way. I needed a night out to just relax.
“Alexa won’t let me out,” Damon whined as he picked at the crumbs on his plate. I gave Damon a questioning look which he pointedly ignored.
Ivan and I shared a shrug. It was times like this I was glad I was single. Fuck having to check in with someone every second of every day and to be given a strict list of do’s and don’ts.
“Sucks to be you dude, we’re going out to get our dicks sucked and tits in our face.” Ivan and I high-fived over the bar. We left the lunch mess for Damon to clean up and went to our rooms to get ready.
I threw on a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt. This was as dressed up and anyone needed to be to visit the Boobie Trap. It wasn’t a high-class strip club but it was one step up from the lower dredges, the Crispy Clam.
How the fuck does anyone name their strip club the Crispy Clam and expect anyone to think ‘Oh wow, I can’t wait to go to the Crispy Clam and get some titties rubbed up in my face’? It sounded like an ad for an STD.
Even though the Boobie Trap wasn’t one of the upscale clubs it did have the best looking women, hands down. I felt my cock stir in my jeans in anticipation. “Simmer down boy.”
“Are you seriously talking to your dick?” Ivan laughed at me as he leaned against the door jamb to my room.
“Fuck you, dude. It’s been a while.” I flipped him the bird as I slid my shoes on and gave myself a generous spray of cologne.
Ivan had opted for the same attire. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt as well making us look like Bobbsey twins.
Taking the stairs two at a time we reached the landing.
“If it isn’t my two favorite brothers all dressed up and matching on date night,” Damon called from the den.
“Fuck you homo, at least we can go out and get titties rubbed in our face while you have to stay home on restriction. Where is Alexa anyways?” I shot back unable to help myself.
We ignored the string of curses Damon shouted from the den and headed out the door. In truth, I had hoped to rile him up enough that he would come join us. Unfortunately, he remained home like a good wife.
Chapter 10
We drove the twenty minutes to the strip club in silence. It was bro code. You didn’t talk to one another when you were on your way to see tits. It was just a rule. It’s akin to holding hands while a chick sucks your cock or taking a piss. You just don’t do it. During the drive, my mind went crazy still trying to figure out a solution to my problem. Well, now two problems. I needed a wife so that I didn’t have to marry Nina and I needed it to not be of the mail order sort so that I didn’t piss off Katinka.
Why couldn’t I have normal problems like everyone else? Ya know? Where did I leave my shoes? How long should I cook this chicken? Anything but the issues I have now.
The club was like any other strip club, dark and smelling like a mixture of bad B.O. and the fragrance counter at a Macy’s. The only lights were the ones highlighting the main stage, dim colorful lights that lit up the walkway, and small twinkling lights on the stages strategically placed along the club's interior.
Ivan walked off to the left so I took the right. I found an empty seat in the back corner of the club. Sitting with my back to the wall, I watched the blonde on stage work the pole for all it was worth. She had amazing skills as she spun slowly around on the pole upside down. Her ankles wrapped around it leaving her upper body flowing free toward the ground. Her long blonde hair flew behind her like the tail of a comet, her large breast resting on her chin. The lights on the stage pulsed to the techno music she had chosen to dance to.
“What can I get you to drink?” A sweet voice asked pulling my attention away from the stage. I looked up into the deepest brown eyes I had ever seen. They were the color of melted dark chocolate. All I could imagine was how she would taste. Her heart-shaped face was framed by her chestnut colored locks. Her hair hung around her face in long cascading waves that reached the small of her back.
My eyes devoured her from the bottom of her clear plastic heels, up her smooth creamy legs, on up they climbed, lingering momentarily at the hem of her black pleather skirt that rested at the top of her velvety thighs, taking her all in. She has a nice set of breasts that were barely covered by the tight white tank top she wore. The Boobie Trap was written across her chest, emphasizing her breast. They weren’t too big but at the same time, not too small, just enough to make a handful, or possibly a mouthful.
“Whisky, neat.” I managed to squeak out sounding like a pubescent teen.
I let my eyes linger on her luscious lips. They were perfectly shaped, the cupids bow of her top lip begged to be pressed against mine. I felt my cock stir in my pants, pleading to come out and play. Her lips quirked up at the corner a satisfied smirk playing on her lips. She knew the effect she had on me, on all men.
I tried to maintain eye contact but failed. My eyes ran up and down her body slowly, taking in every inch of her petite frame.
“Will t
hat be all?” She asked jutting her right hip out. I felt the saliva pool in my mouth as my eyes honed in on the juncture where her legs met her torso.
My eyes shot up to hers, I knew she had spoken but I couldn’t seem to make sense of them. Did she ask me a question? I had been too busy thinking of all the things I wanted to do to her. The things I would love to do to you, starting with wearing your thighs as earmuffs.
The waitress cocked her brow at me giving me a skeptical look. She did not look pleased, at all, which caused me to think I had done something wrong. With a roll of her eyes, she turned around, marching toward the bar. My eyes followed the sway of her hips until she was out of sight. I briefly wondered if I had said that last thought out loud.
It had been a while since a woman had garnered my attention in such an animalistic way. All I could think about was bending her tight ass over the table and plowing into her. I didn’t give a fuck about my vow of celibacy in that moment. I wanted to be balls deep in the waitress with the deep brown eyes and dick sucking lips. I knew just by looking, she would be a pro.
Reaching down I adjusted my cock in my pants, easing the tension that had begun to build between my legs.
I waited patiently for the waitress to come back.
“How about a dance?” The blonde that had been on stage stood in front of me. She was wearing a black G-string with fringes hanging across the front and sides and a matching halter top that resembled a bikini top that was covered in hanging fringes as well. The dancer did a slow spin on her six-inch black heels, flashing me her ass draped in fringe that dropped down from the waist of her G-string creating a teasing curtain. She shimmied her hips seductively to the beat of the music before spinning full circle to face me. My eyes frantically darted between the blonde goddess in front of me and the direction the waitress had gone.
Not waiting for a reply the blonde reached behind her back and unfastened her top, catching the falling material in her grasp, she balled it up and tossed it at my chest. She shot me a flirty wink, taking my silence as permission to continue. She spun around, grabbing her ankles, thrusting her ass into my face. The fringes parted giving me an unencumbered view of her gorgeous ass. For the first time in my life, I was at a loss for what to do. Any other time, I would have gripped the sides of her hips and pulled her onto my lap allowing her to feel the effect she was having on me. This time - I sat there in shock. My cock had gone flaccid in my pants, laying there like a dead serpent. The erection that nearly split my seams while staring at the waitress was replaced by an overcooked spaghetti noodle.
Always Rocking: A Heavy Metal Romance (Slava Pasha series Book 4) Page 7