Make Me (Sterling Shore Series #10)(4)

"It opens at six, but things don't get going good until ten or so. If you go, look for Ember. She works up there some, and she'll fill you in on all the Sterling Shore dos and don'ts. Believe me, you'll need that list. A girl with money like you will be a target."

That almost makes me smile. I plan to paint a bullseye on me.

"I'll look her up," I tell him.

"I'll let her know you might come in. She's a good girl. She'll keep you out of trouble."

I don't want to be out of trouble.

I plan to stir up all I can.





Chapter 5



HARLEY



"You must be Harley," a girl with red hair says as she sidles up to the edge of the bar. "Uncle George said to find you."

"You must be Ember," I say while eating the olive in my empty martini glass.

She nods while smiling, and she grabs the shaker to make me another. As she pours it, I take in the madness around me. I have to admit; it's an impressive club. The burlesque dancers on stage wear masks, adding mystery to their allure. And it actually makes the dirty dancing seem more like a classy show than any form of dirty expression.

The dance floor has been crammed all night. And the bar is massive. There are five bartenders back there, and Ember is now number six.

"Hey, does Tria Noles still live around here?" I ask Ember as she pours a fresh martini for me.

She tilts her head. "So you know Sterling Shore. Uncle George made it sound as though you were new in town."

I nod, but barely, because my eyes are too busy scanning the scene. Vivica should be here soon.

"Well, I'm new and old. I went to school here, and then I moved away for college. Now I'm back." But only until I've obliterated a few people.

Tria would be the best accomplice ever.

"I know the feeling. I left not too long ago, and now I'm back to tending bar. Thankfully, Dane gave me a job again. He's good like that."

I laugh before I can stop myself. Dane Sterling isn't good. He's just a pampered, spoiled, ego-inflated jerk like the rest of them. Dale and Dane are both wolves in sheep's clothing. At least the other Sterlings acknowledge the fact that they're snakes.

"As for Tria," Ember continues, probably confused by my outburst of laughter, "she's still here in town. She might be in tonight. I think they're all coming in."

All? Who is she talking about?

Before I can ask that, I hear a loud set of cheers go off, and my eyes turn toward the second stage as a guitar wails loudly. Holy shit. A band is set up, but I barely notice anything but the one playing the cherry-red guitar.

He's young, but he's gorgeous.

"That's The Fallen," Ember says from behind me as I take in the guy wearing dark jeans, no shirt, and a blazer jacket. The guy playing guitar starts singing, and I start questioning the possibility of turning into a groupie.

I could totally give up a multi-million dollar empire and work the groupie thing.

Yep.

His dark hair is tousled on his head, his dimpled grin has girls swooning, and his voice … I swear he sounds the way sex should feel-rough and smooth at the same time with just the right tempo.



       
         
       
        

Then there's his body …

His chest and abs, and all those tattoos …

No. I need to focus instead of gawking at guys who barely look eighteen.

"And that's Base Masters," Ember says, grinning when I turn back around. "Don't worry. Everyone gets flushed like that when they see him for the first time. He's freakishly hot. He's also a big draw around here. And twenty-one, so three years past legal."

I imagine he'd be a big draw anywhere. He really shouldn't be legal. That's temptation triple-fold.

Clearing my throat, I start to speak, but my words die in my throat when I see them come in.

Maverick Sterling is the one I notice first, and he slaps a girl on the ass as he passes through the crowd. She acts as though he's bestowed her with some sort of great honor instead of degrading her. Heads turn for him, and resentment burns in the eyes of women who would melt for him if he asserted any effort.

Then Corbin Sterling is behind him, but he's not alone. Who is on his arm?

All those questions leave when I see Dane come in with his arms wrapped around Rain. It's no surprise they ended up married. Nothing bad ever happens to girls like Rain Noles. They always get what they want.

Kode Sterling is next, his blonde hair disheveled as though he just had sex. But of course he still looks just as freaking sexy as he did in school. They all do. It's as though time hasn't bothered to mar their perfection.

I really hate them.

But my heart spins and sinks when I see the final Sterling walk in. I almost don't recognize him with the subtle and intention stubble, creating the foundation that hints at the possibility of a growing beard. He also has different hair.

He's all man now. Nothing left of the boy he once was. No. It's not possible that he is even sexier than he was in school. That's just not fair.

It's true, though. Dale Sterling looks like sex in jeans and a button-down shirt. His hair is longer than it used to be. It's shorter on the sides than it is on the top, and it's barely enough to put your fingers in, but it's still possible to grab …

What the hell am I doing? I'm not supposed to be picturing my hands in his dark hair. I'm not supposed to be imagining his body naked. No. Hell no.

That's not a trap I need to fall into. Is he taller? He looks taller. And his shoulders are definitely broader. Damn. He has to work out. No one has genes that good.

"Stop drooling," Ember says, snickering as she freshens up the martini I just gulped down.

Shit. I am drooling. What's wrong with me? This is not part of the plan.

Seek and destroy-that is the plan. Where the hell is Vivica? 

"I suppose Tria won't be coming once she learns they're here," I say dryly, not bothering to acknowledge her last comment aloud.

My eyes involuntarily flick to Dale as he slides into a private booth in the far back and disappears from sight. Why am I disappointed that I can't see him anymore?

When I turn back to Ember, she looks confused. "You haven't kept up with Sterling Shore have you?" she asks, looking amused now.

She starts to speak, but her eyes drift to the door just as a brunette walks in wearing a dress that would look trashy on me, but somehow she looks glamorous. I hate girls with that ability.

"There's Tria now."

That has my eyes widening in disbelief. Tria was a blonde all throughout school and now her hair is almost black?

Then I see Kode walking toward her like a heat-seeking missile, and I tense. Not this time. I won't stand by and watch him-

Oh … my … what?

What the actual fuck toes?

I almost fall off the stool when Kode's hands go to her and jerk her up against him before he delivers a kiss that has my heart racing. I swear I see her grinning instead of slapping him. What the hell is going on? Am I in the Twilight Zone?

"Your mouth is open," Ember points out through a laugh.

It's impossible to close my mouth, because I'm … well, shocked is too mild of a word to describe how utterly flabbergasted I am.

"Does she know who she's kissing?" I ask, finally finding words again.

Ember laughs harder as Kode reaches down and grabs Tria by the ass, not giving a damn that he's groping her in public, and Tria just lets him carry her with her legs dangling back to the booth. Unbelievable.

"She knows. I take it you two aren't close? She and Kode have been together for a while, and they're pretty crazy about each other."

I'll agree with her about the crazy part.

My jaw is still dangling agape when Vivica finally decides to grace me with her presence. And she pushes my flapping trap back into the closed position with a smirk.

"I take it you've seen your mark?" she asks, still wearing that smirk.

I cut my gaze to her. "That's not what had me frozen in shock."

Ember wanders off, casting a curious glance at us, but offering us privacy all the same.

"Sorry I'm late. Stopped in to see an uncle of mine. He actually lives in this town."

"Anyone I know?" I ask, shaking my head and trying to burn out the image of Kode Sterling kissing Tria. That's just wrong on so many levels.

"Ray Capperton," she says with a shrug. "He just got out of prison a little while back. His imprisonment is what set me on the semi-straight and narrow. If you know what I mean."

I nod absently, my eyes drifting back over to the booth where Dale is standing outside of now. He's leaned over, saying something to Tria that has her laughing. I can't believe Tria sold out!

"Maybe you don't know what I mean … " Vivica says, her voice trailing off as she follows my gaze.

"Sorry," I say, shaking my head. "I'm just distracted with queries on whether or not hell is finally cold enough to pay a visit. I've always hated the heat."

"What?" she asks, confused.

I groan, casting another glare in the direction of the booth before facing her. "That was me asking if hell has frozen over. Moving on. What did you learn? Which girl are you using for Dale?"

She rolls her eyes. "Harley Hayden. My best friend, ladies and gentleman. My day has been great. The reunion   with my uncle was just as enlightening as I expected. And he's proud of me, in case you were wondering."