Jaimee snorted. “Since when did you not like cocky?”
The corner of Maxine’s mouth lifted as she glanced back at Adrian. Their eyes met and Jaimee couldn’t help but grin at what she saw in the exchanged glances. Adrian was obviously enamored with the lovely Ms. Maxine and Max wasn’t immune to Adrian’s smooth sexiness. She was resisting. That meant something. Max always embraced a chance to flirt. With a hrumph, Max turned back to Jaimee, blinked, then shook her head. “Whoa…evidently that drink had teeth it wasn’t showing.”
Jaimee grinned. “Probably should slow down then huh?”
“Maybe.” Max snickered as she munched on a chip. “That dog. Probably tryin’ to get me drunk so he can take advantage.”
“Do you think so?”
Max sighed. “God, I hope so.”
Jaimee laughed and swayed in her seat to the slow song that began to play. She watched as a few couples walked onto the dance floor, moving together as one. Once again, her thoughts turned to Lucas. The way his warmth, his strength, his scent, enveloped her when she was in his arms. She craved it. She craved him. Dammit she never played games well so she refused to play at all. She was too old to start now.
“Um, James, either you’ve packed something interesting in that purse or you’re getting a call.”
*
Lucas rubbed a hand over his face and watched the nightclub entrance as he dialed Jaimee’s cell phone for the third time. He hadn’t expected her and Maxine to hit the town until tomorrow. He was mistaken. It was still early Thursday night and here they were. When her voicemail picked up for the third time, he disconnected with a curse. He was about to call his contact inside the club when his cell vibrated. At the same time Adrian Robertson, his contact, opened the door for Jaimee. She walked out onto the sidewalk in an outfit that put the blue dress she wore last weekend to shame. Her cell was pressed to her ear and she was shivering in the unseasonably cool night air.
“Grayson,” he growled into the phone.
“Lucas? I missed your call.” Her voice was soft and breathy. He watched her standing at the club entrance in black boots with at least four-inch heels. Holy shit. She was sex walking. From where he sat, he could clearly see the full, creamy mounds of her breasts rounding out the top of the corset thing she was wearing.
He clenched his teeth. “Calls, plural. You okay? You sound cold.”
“I am cold. I’m sorry I missed your calls.” Her temper was evident in the snarky way she emphasized the “s”. “I didn’t hear the phone ring, it’s loud inside.”
“Where are you and Maxine partying tonight?”
“Big Phil’s.”
“Ah.” He searched for something to say that would close the distance growing between them.
“Been here before?” she asked, her voice a little softer, a little sadder.
“Nope, heard of it though. You having a good time?”
“Yeah. Some of Maxine’s friends are supposed to meet us here too. I’m thinking it’s gonna be hopping here in a half hour or so.”
He loved that soft laugh. God help him, he needed to hold her, touch her, just a little bit. “I miss you, Jaimee.”
There was a long pause before she cleared her throat and said, “You’re welcome to join us.”
“Very tempting. Unfortunately I’m still at work. Could we meet for lunch or something tomorrow?”
“I would love to but I can’t. I have to attend a seminar for school. I’d cancel but I’ve already canceled two. I just can’t. You could come over after work though. I could make dinner.”
A note of hopefulness was clear in her sweet voice but there was no way in hell he’d be able to be there, in her home alone with her, without taking her to bed.
“Can’t. It’ll be too late when I’m done. I’ll only have about an hour for lunch tomorrow.”
“Lucas. Look, is there a problem? If there’s a problem just tell me. I’m a big girl, I can handle it.”
Her voice shook from the cold or from insecurity, maybe both. Dammit. Lucas grit his teeth then took a deep breath. “Baby.” He paused, pinched the bridge of his nose. God how he wanted to wipe away the frown he knew was pulling at those lush sensual lips. “There’s no problem. How about Sunday?”
“I have church Sunday.”
Church. Perfect. He’d be safe in church. He’d have to keep his hands to himself in church and he’d still be able to see her, at least hold her hand.
“I’ll pick you up and we’ll go together.”
“Well okay. If you’re absolutely sure?” She sounded stunned that he would consider going to church.
“Well yeah. My God too, you know.”
“Actually, I didn’t.” Her answer was warm, he could hear her smile. “Oh, excuse me.”
His smile fell as he watched two men standing too close to Jaimee. They had stepped up to the entrance and were seemingly nonchalant, smoking and talking. However, they had subtly forced her to step aside, away from the entrance. She was unmindful of the fact that she had been effectively moved away from the light, into the shadows.
“Okay well, church starts at ten thirty. Pick me up at ten fifteen?”
“I’ll be there. You sound cold. Go back inside, Jaimee.” He was aware that his voice took on an edge. He just hoped Jaimee did what he said for once.
“I can talk to you for a little while longer. I think the bouncer guy likes Maxine. He asked her to dance.”
“Really? Well you’d better keep an eye on the poor guy then. Jaimee, baby, I wish I could talk more but I have to go back to work. Get inside before you catch cold.”
“Okay.” Jaimee hid no emotion. He could hear the disappointment in her voice.
“I’ll call you when I get off work. Goodnight, sweetheart.”
“Goodnight.” Disappointment melted into longing.
The men blocking her way to the entrance didn’t make it easy for her to get back inside. Lucas had his hand on the car door handle when Robertson swung open the door and said something to Jaimee, then to the men. They flicked their cigarette butts into the street and followed her in.
Lucas dialed Robertson’s number.
“Spotted you out there,” he answered. “I got her, Grayson. She’s okay.”
“Where did they go?” God, he hated not being able to see her.
“They’re sitting across the dance floor from the ladies. They’re watching her. I’m watching them.”
“I hear you’re drooling over Ms. Pruitt. Do you need back up?” Distractions were not good. Lucas knew this all too well. And the sumptuous Maxine was definitely a distraction.
Adrian snorted. “Grayson, man, that’s an insult. I’m no rookie. You know that. We got this. The owner has his own men lookin’ out at the east side of the building and Saunders is covering the only other exit on the west side. It’s cool for now. I’ll ping you if it becomes otherwise.”
Lucas wasn’t at all concerned about offending him, even if he did trust Adrian Robertson with his life. This was Jaimee’s life and Lucas was a hands-on kinda guy, especially when it came to what he considered his own. The constant surveillance and lack of action was hard enough to take. Not having Jaimee within arm’s length only made the tense inactivity more stressful.
“Keep in touch.”
“No doubt.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Max was having a blast. Everyone knew her and she knew everyone. Jaimee smiled as she watched Max and Lora, one of Max’s very lovely, very lively friends, laughing and dancing with three very nice-looking guys. Max had introduced her to the four of them as well as about ten other friends of hers. Everyone loved Max. What was not to love? Maxine: vivacious, fun loving, clever and wonderful friend with a wall around her that would rival the Berlin Wall. Before they tore it down, that is. Any who dare try and cross the barrier she’d constructed she’d gun down. There’d be nothing left but hamburger meat. In so many ways Max was happy but there was still one small empty space that you could see if you looked very clo
sely. If Max allowed you to get close enough to see.
Jaimee’s dancing skills were mediocre at best but moving to the music helped keep her mind off Lucas. It would be wise to distance herself. It was all about self-preservation. Nevertheless, that dim and struggling glimmer of hope that he would become a permanent part of her life was just too precious to let go of yet. Even if letting her emotions get in the way of good sense would be foolish and ultimately end in an agonizingly painful broken heart. Because, she loved him like she’d loved no one else.
That sad realization brought with it the revelation that she never truly loved Brent. Not like she should have. The love she had for Brent was comfortable and in so many ways co-dependant. They’d been great friends. Amazing friends, but they never should have married.
Her dance partner moved a little too far into her personal space and shook her out of her introspection. Why in the hell did she agree to accompany him to the dance floor? His name was Tim and he wasn’t unattractive. Thin and lanky, he stood an inch or two taller than Jaimee. However, as he got closer it was obvious he wasn’t exactly clear-headed. His breath reeked of whiskey and beer. And God did he ever stop talking?
To her immense relief the music changed to a slow dance. Jaimee politely thanked Tim and turned to walk away when he snagged her wrist and pulled her into his arms. “Hey, pretty lady, where ya goin’?”
Shoving at his chest did her no good at first. Although his frame seemed slight he was strong and sinewy. She wasn’t afraid, strangely enough. He was stupid drunk, but then, she was stupid for agreeing to dance with him in the first place and she couldn’t blame it on the booze. “I’m going to join my friend over there. So you need to let me go.”
He tightened his embrace. “No, you ain’t. Just give me one more dance.”
“Yes. I am.” Jaimee tried pushing away.
“Come on, sugar, don’t be a tease.”
Nausea was returning, combined with her rising anger. Jaimee took a shaky breath in an effort to keep from panicking. If he didn’t let go she was gonna be sick. Again. And she hated throwing up. In situations such as this it was best to get right to the point, quickly. She had no other choice and niceties would never work with this creep.
“Tim, if you don’t back off me now, I’m going shove your balls into your throat.” Jaimee kept her voice low and deceptively pleasant.
Tim’s sneering chuckle made her stomach lurch. “Oh yeah, I knew you was a fire cat when I seen ya.”
With one hand he grabbed her ass, held her tight against his body with the other arm as he tried to shove a knee between her thighs. Revulsion traveled through her. She should have worn pants, shouldn’t have worn that damn thong.
Without giving herself time to allow the ripple of fear free rein, Jaimee tensed and clenched her teeth as she gripped his shoulders and drove her knee upward as hard as she could. His eyes bulged. Stale, stinky breath wheezed from his lungs as he bent in half.
“Fff-uckin’ bitch!” Tim spat at her, holding his wounded balls. “You fuckin’ fat bitch.”
The look in his eyes should have made Jaimee take a step back. Instead, the wall holding back the molten rage that simmered inside her crumbled. Fury erupted and washed over her. All sense of decorum left her. Her hands were tight fists at her sides, aching to collide with his jaw as she took a step toward him. The desire to hurt him some more was overwhelming and she didn’t even care that everyone had stopped dancing, stopped talking, stopped doing whatever they were doing. She didn’t care that all eyes were trained on the two of them. She didn’t give a good goddamn.
“That’s the best you can come up with? Fat bitch? That’s all the creativity your tiny, alcohol-soaked, pea brain can formulate? You pathetic piece of…” She would have launched herself at him, claws and teeth bared, if she hadn’t found herself held back by a giant of a man. His big hands grasped her shoulders lightly but somehow that light grip was enough to hold her in place. At the same time, scowling intensely, growling something she couldn’t discern, Adrian seized Tim by the collar and jerked him back.
“That’s it, Tim. You just wore out your welcome.” The giant spoke, his husky voice solemn and hard. “Better not see you ’round here again.”
Before Tim could form a coherent sentence Adrian dragged him from the bar spitting and screaming. She hoped Adrian pummeled him. The patrons of the bar clapped and cheered but Jaimee ignored them. Her heart was thudding hard against her chest as reality descended. She struggled to breathe normally.
“You all right, ma’am?” the giant asked, slowly releasing her. His deep bass voice softened marginally but the Texan drawl wasn’t compromised in the least.
“Yeah, fine,” Jaimee snapped. She closed her eyes, breathed in deeply through her nose and held an arm across her middle. It was hard to be still. Her skin still crawled from Tim’s grope and she still wanted to hurt him for it. “Sorry, I just lost my cool.” She craned her neck to look up at the giant and exhaled slowly. He had to be all of six and a half feet tall, dressed in a button-down white oxford shirt, well-worn jeans complete with a huge brass buckle and cowboy boots.
A slow crooked grin curved his lips. “I’m Big Phil. Nothin’ to apologize for. I’m impressed. You handled yourself real well. And I don’t blame you one bit. He deserved what he got and more. I, however, do need to apologize. I’m real sorry you were accosted here in my house. Least I can do is get y’all’s bill and if there’s anything else I can do, you be sure and let me know.”
Still pissed off, Jaimee couldn’t seem to muster even a weak smile. “That’s not necessary. It wasn’t your fault.”
“Yeah it was. I shoulda banned his sorry ass some time back. I’ll be glad to call the police if you’d like to press charges.”
Jaimee considered that for a moment, then quickly decided against it. The last thing she wanted to do now was deal with a bunch of cops, again. She’d had enough of that lately. “Thank you, it won’t be necessary.”
“Well, all right. Let me know if you change your mind. And listen, you and your friend come back anytime y’all want. Consider yourselves Big Phil’s VIPs from now on. Enjoy the rest of the evening, ladies, it’s on me.”
Thankfully everyone in the bar seemed to resume what he or she was doing before the ruckus. Most of them did anyway. Jaimee tried not to let those who continued to watch her stress her out further. With a reassuring smile and a nod, Big Phil turned and sauntered over to Adrian just as the bouncer stomped back into the building. Phil placed one hand on Adrian’s shoulder and bent to say something to him. Adrian nodded once. And then the long, tall Texan sauntered through the back door labeled Employees Only.
“Now he’s one tall drink of water. S’cuse the cliché,” Maxine said from behind her. Not so subtly trying to break the tension. Thank God for Maxine.
“Oh heck yeah. Did you see that big honkin’ gold wedding band though?” Still a little shaky, Jaimee managed a smile, grateful for the levity. Maxine was wonderful at turning a bad situation around. “Just screams taken, paws off.”
“Mm hmm.” Maxine hummed then took a deep breath and caught Jaimee’s gaze. “You okay, James? You want to go home?”
“No, I’m fine.” She took another deep breath. “He didn’t hurt me. Just made me so mad.”
“Yeah he did!” Lora spoke breathlessly. “You were awesome, I was fuckin’ impressed!”
“Me too.” Maxine grinned. “And I was damn proud of how you gave him a taste of his own balls.”
“Me too. I bet he won’t pee straight for a week.” Lora laughed. Lora had a lusty laugh that was contagious. Jaimee grinned, she had to admit she was impressed with herself. The wave of dizziness however, kept her from basking in the glory and instead prodded her to find a seat.
At the table she sat and took a sip of her watered-down soda. The nausea was passing but she swayed a bit as another wave of dizziness hit her. She was trembling, probably from unspent adrenaline.
Maxine had her eyes trai
ned on Adrian the bouncer as he answered his cell phone…again. “Mr. Sexy Bouncer guy gets a lot of calls.”
“Yeah,” Jaimee agreed, grateful for the distraction. “I’ve noticed that. He never looks happy about it either.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Lora added.
“You know, he owes you a dance. I’m going to sit here for a while and calm down. You should go call in that dance.”
Maxine frowned. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Absolutely. Now go.” Jaimee waved her away.
“She’s okay. Don’t hover over her. Go on. I’ll keep her company.” Lora shooed her away.
Exhaling slowly, Jaimee smiled and took another sip of her soda. Being a badass was definitely a good thing, even if it did leave her a little shaky. Freedom was what she’d gained the last several months, and that freedom gave her hope of so much more. She expected more from herself now. Just to get out there, make friends and have fun again was going to be great for her.
She sat back, sharing the remaining chips with Lora as they laughed, joked and watched Maxine flirt shamelessly with Adrian. Jaimee found herself surveying the room. Most everyone was dancing now, save a few groups here and there. Briefly she paused as she noticed a man across the dance floor looking her way. He was watching her intently and he didn’t bother looking away or smiling as their eyes met. Finally he looked away and spoke to the man in the booth across from him. A chill, like an icy finger, slid down her back. Trying to feign indifference she let her gaze move away.
It wasn’t that he appeared threatening in any way. He and his friend were dressed casually in jeans and nondescript button-down shirts. Maybe it was that the two men didn’t seem to fit in. They were the rude men who bumped her aside as they stood outside smoking.
Shaking her head, she told herself it was the adrenaline. Her imagination was on overload because of it, that’s all.
“Who are they?” she asked Lora and nodded toward them.
“Got no clue.” Her brows furrowed as she studied them.
Jaimee shrugged off the uneasy feeling and smiled up at Sonya as she sat a fresh soda in front of her and an amaretto sour in front of Lora.
Rude Awakening Page 23