The Midnight Club

by Love, Michelle

  “What’s up, ladies’ man?” she asks me with a wink of her thick, fake eyelashes.

  “Nothin’ yet. Did you put Big Dan in a good mood for tonight?” I ask her, hoping the old guy won’t be a huge prick like he can be on occasion.

  “No worries. I took real good care of him,” she tells me as she sashays to the Mercedes Big Dan bought her a couple of months ago. He needed to smooth her ruffled feathers when he actually brought his wife to the club one night, making his mistress more than a bit jealous.

  Getting back to the business of getting my ass inside, I open the door to find several young ladies, and I use the term ladies quite loosely.

  “Sebastien, finally!” Annette “The Princess” DeMarco calls out as she rushes to me. The other women seem to disappear into the woodwork. Annette must’ve told them to give her some privacy to make her move.

  A few nights ago, I got a little too drunk, a few kisses were exchanged, and maybe I was a bit too handsy with the mafia boss’ daughter. I think she’s getting the wrong idea about me and play it cool with her.

  “Annette, how’s it goin’ this evening?”

  Her hands move to her slender hips as she tosses her long black hair off her shoulder and narrows her dark blue eyes at me. “No kiss for me?”

  Placing my hand on her shoulder, I give her a smile. “Baby, you can get a little clingy, from what a few of the other guys who work around here told me. So, yeah, no kiss for you.”

  With a huff, she changes her light weight to the other foot as I walk past her. “You know, my father would love to see you and me together, Sebastien. You don’t want to upset, Daddy, now, do ya?”

  Stopping to turn around and give her a look that tells her I’m not afraid of her mafia overlord father, I say, “Your father wouldn’t wish the likes of me on you, Princess. I’m not what you call a one-woman kind of man. And I think you’d want that kind of guy. You should look for a man who’s cool with being treated like a lapdog.”

  “One day, baby, you’ll be ready to stop chasing the whores and settle down with a real woman. And when you’re ready, I’ll be waiting.”

  I’d tell her she’s as far away from being a real woman as it gets, but I value my testicles, and her father would have them if I ever disrespected her on that level. “Oh, honey. Please don’t wait on me. I’m not the kind who can be domesticated.”

  With narrowed eyes that tell me she means business, she says, “When you realize you want to settle down, you come to me and no one else. You got that?”

  When one of the topless waitresses who works in the back, where the mafia members hang out, comes around the corner, I take the chance to prove to Annette how wrong I am for her.

  Without a word, I grab the tall, platinum blonde and give her a hard kiss while I play with her exposed tit. When I let her go, she’s kind of blurry-eyed.

  “Hi there, honey.”

  “Hi, yourself, Lola.” I make my way out of the small foyer as both women watch me. I’m not a man who wants to be tied down.

  I don’t think I’ll ever be that guy.

  Rainy

  It’s Friday, and I’m at the end of a long shift. “The last tank of fish is fed!” I shout. I have the weekend off, and I’m about to cut loose!

  “Midterms were a bitch, huh, Rainy?” my co-worker Kyle asks me.

  “They were not easy. And I won’t know if I passed them until next week. So, I figure I should stop my mind from going over and over the answers I put on the tests.” I put the lid on the octopi tank and latch it nice and tight. Those little buggers get out so easily.

  “And how’re you going to accomplish that?” he asks me as we walk out of the aquarium building, finding the sun has set on us.

  “Tilly and a couple of other girls from the zoo are going to this club that she says is off the chain. I’m meeting them there after I go home and make myself look fabulous!”

  “Cool,” he says then bumps my shoulder with his as he blinks baby blue eyes at me a few times. “Wanna let me take you?”

  “Like a date?” I ask, as I have no desire to date at all right now.

  “If you want to call it one, you can,” he says, then winks at me.

  “I’m sorry, Kyle. I’m just not into dating anybody at the moment. I’ve got my college classes, and marine biology isn’t easy, let me tell you.”

  “I know. I happen to be a recent graduate in that field,” he says, reminding me of the fact he’s a marine biologist.

  “Oh, yeah,” I mumble as I take a step away from him and keep heading to the parking lot. “I just mean, with classes and this internship at the Los Angeles Zoo, well, I’ve got a lot on my plate. And I’d never want to hurt you, Kyle. I value your friendship.”

  “So, there it is,” he says with a smirk. “The friend-zone. I guess it could be worse.”

  I’m glad to see him still smiling and punch him lightly on the arm. “There are worse places to be; you’re right about that. If you want to go to the club on your own, that’s okay. But don’t think any more than a dance or two will go down between us. I plan on getting my drink on and dancing with everyone.”

  “I might be up for it.” He opens the gate for me and walks me to my little red Jeep that I drove all the way from my hometown of Greensburg, Indiana, when I came to Los Angeles to attend UCLA.

  “Great,” I say, and press the button on my key fob to turn the lights of my car on and unlock the doors. “Maybe I’ll see you there.”

  “Maybe, Rainy,” he says as we stop at the driver’s door of my Jeep. I can tell he really would like to go out with me as he hesitates, but then he pats me on the shoulder. “You be careful tonight. Don’t get too wasted.”

  “Never,” I say. “Sounds like you won’t be coming out there.”

  “Well, first of all, you didn’t tell me where you’re going. And that’s kind of a red flag.” His smile is half-hearted, and it makes me feel bad.

  “It’s off the PCH. A place called The Fortress.” Getting into the driver’s seat, I put on my seatbelt. “So, if you do decide to come, that’s where I’ll be.”

  He shuts my door and gives me a wave. “Night, Rainy. Have a good weekend. I’ll see you on Monday.” Turning away, he heads to his car, and I know I should tell him he can take me, but I really don’t want to start up anything.

  I’ve been in L.A. for five years now and have managed to keep myself on track where college is concerned. My dad told me getting into any kind of a relationship would slow me down. And he’s paying so much for me to go to UCLA that I can’t let him down.

  Shaking off the guilt about Kyle, I turn up the radio to jam out to some hard rock music and get myself into the club kind of mood.

  Wild night of who knows what, here I come!

  Sebastien

  Bodies are everywhere, littering the dance floor, the bar area, and everywhere in between. Standing room only, and it’s barely ten o’clock. Making my rounds through the crowd to make sure everything is kosher, I spot a curvy little blonde who’s desperately trying to get one of the seven bartenders to look her way.

  She caught my attention; I wonder why she can’t catch any of theirs. The back of her is more than attractive. The short paisley print dress she has on barely covers a plump, round, and firm ass. Not overly long legs are tightly muscled. She must be a bit on the athletic side or have a job that has her moving around a lot. Whatever it is, it’s working for her. And the natural tan tells me she either likes the outdoors a lot or works outdoors.

  Easing up to her, I take in the smell of her lavender scent. Not sure if it’s the shampoo she uses or perfume, but it’s heavenly. Blonde curls bob around her shoulders as she holds up one arm, waving like crazy. The shape of her toned bicep is even sexy.

  I wonder what her face looks like …

  Moving in close enough behind her that my breath stirs her hair, I ask with a deliberately sexy tone, “Need my help?”

  “Huh?” she asks as she wiggles a bit to get out of my wa
y, which I don’t let her do.

  “Tony, how about a …” I pause, as I have no idea what she wants to drink. “What’ll you have, baby?”

  “Oh! A rum and Coke, thank you,” she says with a sweet little voice that has a bit of familiarity to it.

  I can’t get her to turn around and look at me, though. All I see is the top of her head, and I can see she has a cute little turned up nose. “Coke and rum, Tony,” I shout at one of the bartenders. “Put it on my tab.”

  He gives me a nod and gets to making her drink. And with the drink I’ve bought her, I finally get her to turn around and look at me. “Oh, you don’t have to pay for it.”

  Our chests are squished together as the crowd makes it nearly impossible for me to back up. And I’m totally okay with that. I can feel her heart racing as I look down at her. She’s a foot shorter than me and beautiful in a natural kind of way. And so familiar.

  I watch her blink a few times, then her eyes go wide. “Bastien?” She places her hands on my shoulders. “Bastien Breden, is that you?”

  As I look into her hazel eyes, I run one of her curls around my finger. “You look so familiar. And you called me a name only my family and friends from back home do. Why do you look so familiar?”

  “I’m Rainy Matthews, one of your little sister Susan’s childhood friends. Maybe that’s why you think I look familiar. I spent more than a few nights at your house. I was a kid, though. I can see why you’re having trouble remembering me.” Pink fills her cheeks as I’ve embarrassed her by not recalling who she is.

  Taking her chin in my hand, I actually look at her. Past the makeup, I see the kid from my hometown. The smattering of freckles that cover the top of her nose. The pink lips, so plump and juicy. The round apples of her cheeks. “Rainy, of course that’s you. Oh my God!” Grabbing her up, lifting her feet off the floor, I hug her tightly. “You’ve grown up!”

  “Yeah, people tend to do that,” she says as she giggles. And I remember that cute laugh too.

  Rocking her in my arms, I don’t want to let her go for some reason. I see Tony place her drink on the bar and give me a funny look before he goes on to the next customer. I don’t do these kinds of hugs. I don’t do friendly things with women. I do naughty things with them. I’m sure he’s confused.

  I let her out of my arms reluctantly, but I do let her go. Grabbing her drink, I take her hand. “Come with me. I wanna catch up with you.”

  Leading her through the crowd, I take her to the back, not the mafia back, but the break room on the other side. The staff is so busy tonight that the small room with a couple of sofas is empty and quiet, perfect for me and the now-grown Rainy to talk.

  I can’t seem to let go of her hand as I sit down on one of the sofas and pull her down with me. Giving her the drink I got her, she takes it and says, “Thank you, Bastien. This is so sweet of you.”

  Brushing back some rogue curls that’ve fallen into her face, I say, “I haven’t been called that in so long.”

  “Oh, sorry,” she apologizes for nothing.

  “No, don’t be. I like it. I like hearing you call me that.” Without me realizing I’m doing it, my hand moves over her high cheekbones, then down her face and neck. Her dress is a halter, and her shoulders are exposed. I rest my hand on one and sigh. “So, what’re you doing here?”

  “I’m attending UCLA. Didn’t Susan tell you that? I left Greensburg five years ago to come to Los Angeles. I thought, with how small our town is, that everyone knew I was here. But I didn’t know you were here too. I haven’t talked to Susan in the last couple of years. Since she got married, she’s busy with the hubby and the baby, I suppose.”

  “I guess so,” I tell her as I move my hand over her soft shoulder. “To tell the truth, I’ve talked very seldom to my parents and none at all to my younger brother and sister.”

  “And why is that, Bastien?” she asks me, then takes a dainty sip of her drink.

  I smile at her as she’s just so damn cute. “I don’t know, Rainy. I guess I’ve been kind of self-involved.”

  “Still the brooding guy, huh?” she asks, confusing me.

  “Brooding?”

  “Yes, you always were kind of quiet, distant, moody. I guess that hasn’t changed. So, what is it you do in Los Angeles?”

  “Moody? What makes you say I was moody?” I ask her, because I don’t see myself as moody, or quiet, or distant at all.

  “I didn’t mean to strike a nerve, Bastien. Let’s talk about you and what you’re doing now. Leave the past where it belongs. That wasn’t fair of me to throw you back to who you were so long ago. Tell me about the you you are now.”

  “Well, I’m a bouncer here at this club. I drive a really badass car I just bought. And I have a pretty nice apartment,” I say, and realize that sounds so fucking shallow and a bit arrogant too. “And you told me you were going to college. Are you still in school?”

  “I am. It’s my last year. And I work at the Los Angeles Zoo in the aquarium area. I hope to get put on full time after graduation.” She stops to take another sip of her drink.

  “What’s your major?” I ask as I move my hand off her shoulder and rest it on her bare thigh. My cock thumps and I know better than that, so I move it off her completely, leaving it on my own thigh and redirecting my mind to where it needs to be.

  “Marine biology. I’m going to be a marine biologist when I grow up,” she says with another cute giggle. “And what about you, Bastien? I’m sure you have more going on than just being a bouncer here.”

  I don’t, but I’m not about to tell her that and let her call home with the news that I’m about as unmotivated out here in California as I was back home. “I have some irons in the fire. Things are happening for me. I don’t want to bore you with the details.”

  “I bet you do have some great things going for you.” She grins at me, and I’m reminded that she used to wear braces. Her teeth are perfectly straight now. “You said you have a badass car. I bet you’re doing very well out here. And how about in the relationship department? Aren’t you about thirty now? I bet you have some beautiful girlfriend or wife by now.”

  I don’t. I have no one, and I like it that way.

  Don’t I?

  With a chuckle, I say, “I’m free as a bird, Rainy. Not looking to settle down just yet.”

  Maybe never, but she doesn’t need to know that.

  “Oh well, as long as you’re happy,” she says, then takes another sip of her drink before placing it on the table in front of us. Taking my hands in hers, she holds them as her gorgeous hazel eyes search mine. “You are happy, right?”

  “Sure,” I say, but I know I’m not super happy.

  I never have been.

  “Because you look a little sad underneath that tough exterior. You always have, Bastien. I thought maybe by now you’d have figured out how to be happy. I’ve always worried about you. I know you didn’t know that, but I did worry.”

  “You thought about me?” I ask, as I never really thought about her. She’s like seven years younger than me. I’ve always thought of her as a kid and a girl who was off limits to me since she was my little sister’s friend and a nice girl.

  “I did. I had more than a small crush on you when I was younger,” she blushes a little and smiles, sweetly. “Bet you didn’t know that.”

  Shaking my head, I look into her eyes with thick, dark lashes surrounding them and wonder why she’d have a crush on me when she thought I was brooding and moody. “I didn’t know that. That’s kind of cute.”

  “Most of the females in our tiny town had crushes on you too. But you only liked the fast and easy women. I knew I didn’t have a shot in hell with you. You were out of my league.” Her smile fades, and she lets my hands go then picks up her glass, taking another drink.

  “I was out of your league?” I ask, puzzled. “Rainy, you were and still are out of my league. The last time I saw you was at your high school graduation. You were valedictorian and delivered a speech that
nearly brought tears to my eyes, it was so honest. You’re the real deal, Rainy Matthews. You’re the kind of woman men take home to meet the parents and are proud to call their own. And I’m the guy women hide from their parents.”

  With a laugh, she smacks me in the chest. “Bastien, stop! You’re not that guy.”

  But I am that guy. And the way she’s making me feel tells me I need to put the brakes on this before I forget who I am and think I could take a shot at this young beauty who’s completely unaware of how badly I could hurt her.

  Rainy Matthews is off limits. She always has been, and always will be!

  Sebastien

  “Who’re you here with?” I ask her, as I decide it’s time to end this little reunion. My cock is growing, making me uncomfortable, and I don’t trust myself to be the man I need to be with her if we stay in this room all alone much longer.

  “I’m meeting some girls I work with. I was getting myself a drink before trying to find them.” She takes a drink of the alcohol I bought her, and it makes me worry about her.

  “Did you drive yourself here, Rainy?”

  Shaking her head, she answers, “No, I took a cab.” She laughs as she peers up at me. “Just like the old days. All big brotherly.”

  Clapping her on her shoulder, I give her a wink. “Yes, just like a big brother. And now that I know you’re in L.A., I want you to know that I’m here for you, like a big brother would be. Here, give me your cell. I want us to exchange numbers. You get your ass in a jam, you call me. Promise me.”

  She takes her phone out of the small purse she has strapped across her and hands it to me. I call my number from it and hand it back to her as she says, “And if you find yourself in a jam, you call me too, Bastien. I want you to know you have a little sisterly friend around too.”

  “Will do, pumpkin. Now, let me get you to your friends. I’m sure you’re tired of me boring you.” I get up and pull her up with me.