“Oh for fuck’s sake,” I cursed aloud, keeping my voice low enough so only I could hear. Watching Chase take the stage with the rest of the dancers, I worried that my words came out more like a groan than anything else. Who the hell knew if it was his call or not, but the fact that they were all dressed in the baby blue color of my scrubs, well, I had no other option but to think Chase selectedthat just for me.
With moves far sexier and more seductive than I’d ever seen, they pulled their shirts over their heads, lifting them from the back. In the blink of an eye, all the other men vanished from my sight. All of them except for Chase. His eyes locked with mine, blue magnetized to blue as if they were true opposites. His hips moved in the same way they moved last night, undulating,waves pulling me out to sea; drowning was the only relief I’d have from their hypnotic spell.
And his abs.
Fuck. His. Abs.
It was too dark to count, but damn it to all hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were eight and not six contoured out on his olive skin. He put my body to shame, and I loved every minute of staring my fill.
“Last call,” the bartender announced, pulling my empty glassaway from me. “Want another one, buddy.”
“No thanks. I’m all set.” First and foremost, I needed to get home safely and wanted to make sure Chase got home safely as well. Gavin may be his best friend, but I’d be damned if anyone took him home other than me. And once I got him home. Fucking hell, I needed to be able to get it up long enough to fuck him into tomorrow.
As the dancers cleared offthe stage, I laid a twenty on the bar for a tip. Readjusting myself was a necessity after thinking about what I wanted to do to Chase. I watched, trying to keep my laughter to myself as the women cleared out of the room. “It’s every single weekend,” the bartender added, noticing my amusement at their stumbling. “Mark,” he said, holding his hand out for me.
“Noah. And thanks for taking care ofme tonight.” He’d poured me more than one or two refills, for which he hadn’t charged me. The bill simply didn’t add up.
“You got any plans for when you leave?” he asked, moving a dish towel around inside the glass he’d just washed. He was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, but he was nothing compared to the man for whom I was waiting.
“Yeah, man, but thanks.”
And with that, I walkedaway from the bar and moved to the stage, envisioning Chase walking toward me, shirtless, his bag slung over his shoulder, his hips swaying like branches in the wind, making me weak in the knees.
Instead, I was greeted by a hard, stern, harsh woman. Standing nearly as tall as I was in her black, stiletto heels, she stared me up and down as if I was invading her personal property. “Can I helpyou?” she sneered, her words daggers, aimed to disable me in my spot.
“Hi,” I said, holding out my hand for her to shake. Not surprisingly, she took my hand, squeezing it harder than any man had ever done before. She clearly had something to prove. “Noah,” I said, introducing myself. “I’m just waiting here for Chase.”
“Oh.” Her voice was flat, but as recognition flared in her eyes, her tonechanged when she added a second, “Oh,” drawing out the O far longer than she needed to. “Makes sense now.”
“What does?” I asked, genuinely curious.
She laughed, her eyes rolling back in her head in true Cruella de ’Vil fashion. “Just that he’s never taken me up on any of my advances.”
With the insults and accusations ready to spew from my mouth, Chase walked out from behind the backstage curtainjust in time to shut me up. Pretending to have enjoyed our conversation, I held out my hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you,” I said, drawing out my last word, realizing I hadn’t caught her name.
“Stacey. And it was so nice to meet you, too.” Her eyes roamed all over my body and damn if I didn’t feel violated. And that was just her eyes, who the hell knew what she had done to Chase for howeverlong he’d worked here. He was too young to be under her thumb.
“Stacey,” Chase greeted curtly, nodding at her. “Noah.” Thankfully his voice took on a warmer tone. “Ready to go,” he added, his eyes begging me to release him from this incredibly uncomfortable situation.
“Sure am.”
The man he’d introduced as Gavin earlier walked out behind him. “You ready, Stacey?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe.”And just like that, they were gone.
“Interesting pair.”
“You have no fucking clue. I still haven’t figured it out myself.” Chase’s voice was as light with humor as it was filled with the desire to get the fuck out of here.
As we made our way to the parking lot, he reached into his pocket and slid out his phone. “Just need to check my messages.” There was a defensiveness in his voice that Iknew I’d put there from when I overreacted to Gavin picking him up. And I hated every damn word of it.
Something about Chase brought out both the worst and the best in me. All I had to do now was figure out how to keep the worst at bay while letting the best shine like it never had before.
Even in the dim light of the parking lot, I could see Chase’s face darken, his brows knotting in concernas his eyes dropped to the ground. “I need to get home,” he said, his voice serious. “Like now. I need a cab.”
“I’ll take you.” I pointed to my car in the short distance. “Is everything okay?”
“Just get me home. Now.”
