The Sterling Boys(7)
"Should you be worried about her not breathing?" Kode asks, nudging me in the direction of my forgotten assistant who is still wide-eyed and drooling over the four men staring at her with mild amusement.
"You okay, Viv?" I ask, biting back my grin.
She just nods when she can't seem to form words, and I walk over to give her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek before looping my arms through Kode's and Maverick's proffered arms.
I'm going home.
Chapter 2
RAIN
"You four are the biggest damn babies, I swear," I gripe while putting away the final box of my stuff on the fourth day in my new home.
"You've worked us to death, woman," Maverick mumbles, collapsing to my couch as he covers his face with his arm. "I'll never move again."
It comes in handy to have four men move in all your furniture, unpack your heavy boxes, and plug in all your appliances. Now if I could just get them to stay out of my groceries and beer.
As I glance over some of the newspaper bits, I see something that sparks my interest. Really? We have a club in Sterling Shore? Hell yes.
"You guys want to go to Silk tonight?" I ask, reading over all the sexy promises of a good time.
Maybe if I live a little like I used to, then I'll find that missing spark.
Dale strangles on his beer, coughing and sputtering it all over the place, while Corbin trips and stumbles on his way toward the sliding glass door of my large condo on the beach.
Kode walks in, eyeing the strangling Dale curiously, and then he looks to me.
"Did you say something?"
"She wants to go to Silk," Maverick says with an enigmatic grin, answering before I can.
The playful edge he uses is odd, and the look Kode gives me is definitely piquing my intrigue.
"What?" I ask.
"You don't want to—"
"I think Silk is a fucking perfect idea," Maverick says to interrupt Kode. "Get dressed. We'll go get changed and pick you up in about an hour."
I glance over to see it's nearly eleven at night, so I shrug. "Sure."
Kode starts to say something else, but Maverick gives him a hard shove toward the door. Corbin and Dale snicker softly before waving to me as they follow out Kode and Maverick. I'm not sure what all that was about, but I'll kick their asses the next time they withhold information from me like this. A club in Sterling Shore? That should have been the first thing we discussed.
Now, time to look sexy.
***
DANE
"I wish the damn new would wear off already. I'm sick of hanging out alone," I grumble, huffing lightly as I rest my elbows on the railing that overlooks the club.
"Ouch," Tag murmurs, making me roll my eyes.
"You're here with your wife, the last I checked," I mumble, motioning down below to the beauty at the bar who is giggling with another girl and Billy Prize.
He props up beside me to stare down at the craziness I've created. This club is probably my favorite business because it allows me to just escape.
The girls are dressed in sexy yet tasteful lingerie as they dance on stage, teasing the steel poles that fall from the ceiling and press into the stage. As a means of keeping the seduction with mystery, they wear masks over their eyes, and they usually wear wigs, too. They keep the entertainment up while the dance floor stays loaded almost nightly. I needed this distraction—a way to just relax.
The live band adds some zest to the crowd. The club goers always have fresh music to move to, and the partiers have even more entertainment. Yep. I know how to rock a club.
I take a long drag off my lukewarm beer, cringing as the liquid tastes less than refreshing. All the waitresses are below, serving the heavy crowd. You'd think they'd be catering to the owner, but I've apparently been forgotten.
"I need a fresh beer. You want one?" I ask, turning toward the lucky bastard who is now staring at his woman, dazed, a stupid grin on his face.
"I'll take that as a no," I mutter to myself when he doesn't even manage to hear me.
I groan as I walk away, heading out the door. Even though the top is an open loft, I have a secure doorway to keep the groping women and drunken, jealous boyfriends away. Some guys don't like their girls dancing on my stage, and they usually accuse me of doing less than savory things with them.
I don't fuck the staff. Never have, never will. But they don't know that. Sadly, I can't even remember the last time I did get laid. Maverick always tries getting me to meet girls, but I honestly don't have time for all the drama a relationship would entail.
I prefer using my free time to hang out with my cousins and brother, especially since Tag and Wren are married. It's hard to hang out with married men because they have a completely different set of priorities. And being around Tag is nauseating right now, since he's still in the honeymoon phase.