A smile moved across his lips. “Would you believe me if I said this was actually her idea? She hangs with Taylor’s wife. Apparently the two make a thing of coming down here on occasion, a couple’s retreat.”
Sounded right up my alley. Ironically enough, it just might be, what with Andie and all. I mean, she did own this club.
“Roxie and Celeste, Taylor’s wife, got to talking about my plans for Ryan,” Griff went on. “I was at odds at what to do, since I wasn’t from around here. That’s when Celeste threw out the club and Roxie passed the idea on to me.”
I really wasn’t surprised by this from the woman he’d married. Roxie, well, she had always been pretty cool. Actually, cool didn’t define it. She saved my ass once upon a time with that betting scandal, though I knew a lot of that had to do with Griffin. And on top of it all, the two had trust. They trusted each other. They had no reason not to.
And I was sure the love only helped that.
I smiled, happy my boy had found that. He deserved nothing less.
“So what’s next?” I asked. “Babies and what not?”
My best friend went flush, though he hid it, rubbing at the tint on his face.
“Someday, yeah. Someday.”
I bet this guy would load her up. He came from a big family, a whole brood down in Texas, and I knew Griffin to be a family man. He always was. Thoughts of that life always kind of passed over my head, but when he talked about it, it didn’t seem so bad.
Especially if one day I had her.
Andie found me, found us. She’d sent her gorillas away at this point, but I doubted they were far. They always looked out for her.
But I had her now, and I went for it, reaching for the back of her arm. She came with a curious smile, and I surprised her by a casual side kiss to the cheek. She was working, and I understood that.
I could tell she appreciated that, that smile going wide on her lips.
“Are you having a good time, Mr. Combs?” she asked, and that grin on her lips went knowing.
I settled my hand on the small of her back. Not saying to hell with appropriate, but definitely letting her know something.
“Fabulous time,” I gestured toward Griff. “Have you met my boy? Griffin—”
“Chandler,” she said, finishing for me. She was good at that assertiveness, and I couldn’t get enough of it. She reached out her hand, shaking his. “I spoke to you on the phone about this event. Andie Simmons.”
“That’s right,” he drawled. He did have that country-ass accent after all. He smiled. “Nice to meet you, and thanks for forgiving this guy’s stupidity and letting us back in. I really appreciate it.”
My transgressions would continue to follow me, but he was right, thank goodness for Andie. Thank goodness for her forgiveness.
I hoped what he said wouldn’t bring back old wounds with her, and relief hit when all I got was her hand around my back.
She rubbed. “I guess he’s worth forgiving.”
The double meaning I got immediately, and had me wanting to kiss this woman more than I already did.
“I hope you both continue to have a good time, and if you need anything, make sure to grab me or one of my people.”
Griffin’s gaze traveled then, from me to Andie, then back again. It might have had something to do with our hands, unashamedly holding each other.
If a twinkle didn’t hit this guy’s eyes.
“Thank you,” he said, looking at me. “We really appreciate that. Everything really.”
She nodded, sliding her hand away from me, but I grabbed it. When I did, I kissed it, just once but it was enough to, again, let her know something.
“I gotta go do my rounds. I’ll see you later, though,” she said, turning, and then she faded into the crowd, like the hottest chameleon on the block.
Unfastening my gaze from her, I brought my drink up, but paused knowing eyes were blasted in my direction. Griff had his hand on his chin, eyeing me but I could only ask him, “What?” before taking a drink. A suited woman crossed my vision who I hadn’t seen since I paid my deposit. Her name was Katelyn, and I knew her to be one of Andie’s security assistants.
I grabbed Griff’s hand, bringing him in. “I’ll catch you later, ‘aight? Got to speak to one of Andie’s assistants about security things.”
“Okay, stay easy.”
“Stay easy.”
I left my friend with a snap, and went on my way. Someone I hadn’t seen yet should have been here by now, and Katelyn would know if he showed. She turned at the call of her name, smiling brightly.
“Can I help you, Mr. Combs?”
“Uh, yeah. There’s a guest missing. I just wanted to know if they checked in yet.”
She pulled a clipboard from under her arm. “Sure. The name?”
“Tucker Simmons.” I invited him tonight, but not because I liked him or was particularly fond of him. Fact of the matter was, I despised the guy, but maybe if I spoke to him, I might not by the end of the evening. He seemed to listen to me, and maybe I could get through to him about Andie.
Their history didn’t seem entirely fair, but even if she did leave him while in the system, she didn’t deserve the way I’d seen him treat her. I knew it wasn’t my place to talk to him about things that had nothing to do with me, but like I said, he seemed to have some kind of respect for me. Maybe because we were peers, so I wanted to try with him, and if it didn’t pan out, Andie would be none the wiser. I highly doubted he’d talk to her about me approaching him. He seemed like he kept interactions to a minimum when it came to her.
My hands pushed into my pockets as Katelyn checked the list, and when she said Tuck hadn’t checked in that sunk in my chest a little. But maybe he was just late. Maybe he’d still be coming. I sent word through my people to his, letting him know about the party filled with our colleagues who played throughout the country. I figured it would be a golden opportunity for him, and he’d jump on it.
Maybe I was wrong.
“Can I help you with anything else, Mr. Combs?”
I told Katelyn no, and then took it upon myself to scope out the party. He might not have made it to her updated list yet. Going with that, I tried to check around a bit. He might have been sitting away in one of the corners, or even in a private room. I wasn’t going to check in there though.
For obvious reasons.
I had been so buried in my search I nearly crashed into a waitress. I told her “Excuse me,” but then she grabbed me, and when she did, she didn’t let go.
“Diondre,” she said, smoothing a hand up my arm, and as I had no idea who she was, I said nothing but, “Hey.”
Maybe she’d seen me on TV for something.
“Excuse me,” I returned, but again, she didn’t let go.
“Oh, poo. Don’t act like you don’t remember me.”
She pouted her lips then, making them full, and I did remember her, and once I did…
I moved out of her hands, pressing mine down my suit. “Hey, um…”
“Tasha,” she said, pushing a hand down my chest. She did that a lot that night. That’s how she got me into a dance, and later on, a threesome. I had been more than willing to at the time, but things were different now. Things had changed, and being seen with one of the very women that got me kicked out of this place wouldn’t be a good thing.
Especially, if I was spotted by the woman who kicked me out.
I gazed around, trying to find Andie. She didn’t seem to be around though, possibly making her rounds like she said.
“What are you… uh,” I started, clearing my throat a little. I faced her.
“What are you doing here?” I’d actually heard she’d been fired because of me.
Maybe she remembered that because her face fell, a frown forming on her lips when she crossed her arms.
“I was invited,” she said, pulling a drink off one of the server’s platters. I guess she wasn’t a waitress like I originally thought. They wore completely differen
t outfits, and not as scandalous as Tasha’s lacy number. There were just so few women here tonight. This was a secular event—technically. It was just girls tended to not show up to things like this, letting their men have their fun.
“Who invited you?” I felt no shame in asking her. I needed to know who I could talk to about her, to get her out of here.
That really brought something out on her face, and if I didn’t know any better, she was about three seconds from throwing her drink in mine. She thought better of it though, bringing it to her pink lips.
She swallowed. “Tucker Simmons actually. He said it was the place to be tonight.”
Why wasn’t I surprised? I invited the guy to come and he takes it upon himself to bring in more bodies. Classic tool.
Maybe I shouldn’t talk to him about Andie.
“So…” Tasha said, not missing a beat. That hand went up my body again, my lapel this time, and I wasn’t surprised she didn’t back down after I was clearly uninterested. That’s just how these types of girls were, too easy to take to bed, and even easier to treat like shit. She pointed to the side, toward the private rooms.
“Want to go have some alone time?” she asked, getting closer. “I don’t work here anymore, but we can still have fun. I haven’t forgotten how to have fun.”
I was sure she hadn’t. But my perception of fun had changed, or at least, was being interpreted differently now.
I left Tasha, declining again, and made a new mission to find Katelyn. She could get Tasha out of here, and she had to—now.
Andie
I tipped my chin to a dancer in a teal wig, a new girl, and one I hadn’t had much experience with. She performed in some of the other rooms at Club Prestige, but was quickly becoming a hot commodity, hence why she was in Onyx tonight for the man of the hour. This evening’s event was for a recently recruited basketball player from Canada. He’d been traded to our home team, and these festivities were for him tonight. The new girl had been paid to take care of him, and from her small reputation, I’d say this patron would definitely have a good time.
I checked on him through one of the mirrors, waiting with his hands wrestling in front of him on a couch. He was nervous, and possibly a first timer at this, but the dancers always were good about getting guys out of any shyness.
The dancer waved at me, knowing exactly who I was, I imagined. Everyone did.
I watched her tan back fade into the room, then I let her do her thing, happy this was my last room to circulate for a while. I wanted to get back out on the Onyx floor. Yes, to make sure everything was okay, but also to check on a few other things… people…
I guess one in particular.
Smiling a little, I headed toward the exit of the back rooms, but a voice in my ear had me stopping mid-reach to the door.
“Andie? Ms. Simmons?”
Mason, my number one.
I pressed my fingers to my tiny earpiece. “Yes, Mason?”
“We have a disturbance in room three, and as she’s female, I thought it best to call you.”
He knew I preferred to handle escorting out females. I trusted my men to not be heavy handed, but sometimes accidents did happen. Especially when women got too drunk. When we allowed rare secular events like tonight, confrontations were always possible. The women in particular could be very messy and I didn’t want my men injured because they had to hold back while trying to maintain order.
I picked up my feet, rushing just a little as I didn’t know how out of hand things were. “I’m on my way. Just keep her there until—”
“It’s Tasha.”
I nearly stumbled on the carpet. For just a second, I lost my thoughts, my footing. But once I got them back, I flew. Tasha. I had fired Tasha, and if she got in fully knowing I fired her… her purpose here wouldn’t be for any good reasons.
How did she get in?
The door was open when I rounded a corner, and I fully expected chaos, a tussle of limbs and red hair— but what I got was a woman sitting pretty, and smug while she kicked back a drink.
That was until she saw me.
She lowered it, blinking, and Mason and Gerard, my number two, stood in front of her with their arms crossed. That should have been enough. They should have been enough to let her know she wasn’t staying here. It shouldn’t have taken me.
I stepped in. “What are you doing here, Tasha?”
Her cool demeanor, though flustered at first, she got back, mocking confidence as she stood. She pulled her skirt, straightening it out.
“I was invited by a guest. I was waiting back here to give him a dance.”
Like hell she was invited by a guest. I grabbed Mason’s clipboard. “Who invited her?”
Scanning the list, I looked for her name. I had just found it, and began running over the line to who had put her on the list, when I heard a laugh, an obnoxious one, one that condescended.
I gazed up, and she’d gotten closer, though not much, as Mason had stepped in front of her.
I raised my hand, keeping him at bay. She wouldn’t do anything. She’d be stupid to. I let my search go, and handing off the clipboard, I gave her the audience she clearly needed. I got close. I let her get close, moving my arms over my chest. “Do you have something to say to me?”
Her heels came to a stop in front of me, her lips curved up in a sly smile.
“Oh, I got plenty to say to you, bitch. But one is, I know the rules here. My name is on that list and you can’t do anything unless I violate something, which I don’t believe I have.”
Technically, we could remove patrons for any reason, but the general consensus was we didn’t, unless they did something wrong. It was bad form to do anything otherwise. She was testing me to act on the “whatever reason” policy.
“And my name is there. Right there,” she went on, pressing her finger haphazardly on Mason’s clipboard. She grinned at me. “So have fun kicking me out.”
I had seen her name on the list, which again, brought me to whom invited her. Deciding to get to the bottom of this away from her, I turned, gesturing my men to follow, and a giggly chuckle came from behind me.
“That’s right, bitch,” she shot, “and I’ll tell him you said hi once I give him a good ass lap dance.”
I turned on my heel. “Who?”
She winked. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
One swift motion and I got this girl up by her skinny, little arm. She squealed, and I got up in her face.
“Who?” I sneered. “Who are you giving a lap dance to? And who invited you here?”
This girl’s mock confidence had completely evaporated now. She couldn’t walk in here throwing her weight around, and I was going to show her a bitch if she continued acting a fool. I was an owner of this place and because of that the rules rang with me and my colleagues - not her. I was in charge and—
“A basketball player,” she screeched, causing me to blink, as she’d said it so fast.
“W… What?” I jumbled.
She left my hands when I dropped her, falling to her knees. Her head lifted, her eyes slits. “A basketball player,” she repeated. “Who obviously likes me more than you.”
How could she know about D and… me? How could…
How could he?
But he had before.
I rushed from the room, but not before shooting back a few choice words.
“Get her the hell out of here,” were the final words I’d be exchanging with that girl. She wasn’t welcome here. Never again. I got down the hall before I heard clomping after me. It was clomping I didn’t have time for. But Gerard said the only thing that could stop my haze of red.
“It’s your bother,” he said, and when I turned, he had his finger to his earpiece. He listened for a moment. He listened for a long time before pulling away slowly.
“Looks like he was just escorted out, too.”
Why the hell was my brother here? Did he need something or…
Gerard was still listening to h
is earpiece. “Seems he got in a fight with a guest and security had no choice but to ask him to leave.”
Since when did I not know what was going on in my club? I mean, I checked the list of guests for this event days ago and neither Tasha, nor my brother were on it.
“Why was my brother here? When did he get on the list? And who—?”
“Seems he was added this morning,” Mason said, coming around Gerard. From behind them both, screams could be heard, and then Tasha appeared, her flailing body being lead out by two of my female security guards.
I gazed away.
“By who?” I asked. I needed to know who. I need to know who I needed to talk to, but then Mason checked his list again, said the patron’s name and I…
I lost it.
I found Diondre in a dark place that night, and maybe, that had been ironic. I think I had been in a dark place with my original interactions with him, a vulnerable place. I had to have been if I let him get that close. I let him get his hooks in. I let him have a little piece of me fully knowing who he was, and how he was.
He’d been by himself in the Onyx those few moments later after my confrontation with Tasha. He was poking around, looking for something even, and when he spotted me, he made it seem like that poking was no longer needed. Like the sight of me concluded his search. He did that full grin he does, that sexy one that made his lips look so kissable, and all I could think was that I had to make that smile go away. I had to get rid of it, so it no longer… so it no longer affected me.
I just remember my arms flying, his hands grabbing my wrists. From somewhere behind, Mason, or was it Gerard, summoned me to stop, and from somewhere ahead, D’s eyes begged me to. They all got me away somehow, and slowly, I discovered we were in the back rooms.
That’s when my hands went back to D’s chest. He stepped back, but I think only because he felt he was supposed to, not by any force of mine. Mason and Gerard were there too. They stood outside the dance room, their silhouettes visible through the door.
“How dare you?”
The words made D’s eyes widen, even more than when I grabbed at him, pushed him. He rubbed a hand over his head. I pushed him again, and he once more got my wrists.
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