After college, we stayed close. I worked and continued to work with Eduardo on projects at his club. He helped me once to start up my business. I know the ins and outs of his club. Some are legit, and others are not so legit, but he pays me well for my security work there, so I can’t complain. I know him enough to realize that his money comes from the Mexican cartel, or at least some of it. Not that I would come out and ask him, but it is pretty obvious.
Deep in thought, I am about to sip my drink when a hand clasps me around the shoulder. “Why does it look like your fuckin’ dog died, brother?” Dax drops into the seat next to me.
Before I can answer him, the waitress, Simone, saunters toward us, her breasts up close and personal. She clearly has a thing for Dax.
“Hey, handsome. What can I get you to whet your lips?”
I groan in aggravation.
She cocks an eyebrow upward to be sexy, but it has the opposite effect. Honestly, Dax and I have commented that ‘less is more’ regarding women and their makeup application. Still, with her painted-on eyebrows, heavy eyeshadow, and red lipstick, she looks like the Joker fromBatman.
“I’ll take a Stella beer.” He tips his head in my direction. “Jameson, are you ready for another one?”
I swig back the rest and nod, placing the empty bottle on the table for her to take. “Yeah, I’ll take another. Why not?”
She picks it up and nods in acknowledgment.
I think about how to bring this up when Dax interrupts my thoughts.
“You okay, bro?”
Before I can answer, Simone is back with our drinks. I wipe my hand down my face and just want her to hurry the fuck up and leave so that I can chat with Dax. She pours my drink in afrosted glass this time, and I wait patiently, trying not to rip the bottle from her hand.
This time, for fear of being interrupted again, I blurt it out. “I think Emma is fucking around with that guy Eduardo,” I release all in one breath.
Dax’s eyebrows pinch together in confusion. “Your frat brother?” I nod. “He told us they met in the emergency department, something similar to you and Liv, but she is on his radar now. I don’t know if I want to even attempt to compete with him.”
Dax shrugs. “You don’t know for sure, right?”
I shake my head. “No, he is fucking her.” I explain what happened and how his Porsche was parked outside after I left.
He seems to think this over and reluctantly agrees there was something there between them that night. “There was chemistry there,” he comments, and then, before he elaborates, he seems to second-guess himself but decides to continue, “a familiarity perhaps.” He strokes his lip as if thinking about something or someone else.
“Liv had mentioned it to me and something about flowers he sent her recently. I just thought I should let you know.”
I smile half-heartedly at his reluctance to betray Liv’s trust. “Thanks, man. I appreciate you having my back. It’s just weird, though. I thought we had this connection. I can’t explain what I feel for her. I want to protect and keep her close, but this one moment we had at the beach during spring break was… awkward? I can’t find the word to describe it.” Frustrated, I run my hand through my hair and can’t explain it, so I stop trying.
“You know what you need, Jameson?” Dax looks at me smugly. “You need to go out and get laid. Why don’t you go to The Viceroy and use the full perks of the VIP card Eduardo gave you?”
This does perk me up a little bit. “Yeah, that sounds great. Do you care for a little excitement tonight? You can be my wingman.” I rub my hands together in anticipation of how this will go down as I drink the rest of my beer, ready to leave, and head to the club.
Dax hesitates, avoiding eye contact. His hand rubs the back of his neck, and he looks at me sheepishly. “Well, I can’t go because Liv and I are together now.”
I look at him, stunned. “She’s your girlfriend?”
Dax nods in confirmation and he fucking beams. The guy seems so happy, and I can’t blame him.
“I’m happy for you.” I clap him on his back and throw some bills on the table.
“Where are you going, Jameson?” I hear Dax ask as I start to walk away.
I smirk, eyes alight with mischief. “To find my happy ending.”
After going home to change into attire more fitting for The Heavenly Pearl, the exclusive membership-only sex club within Eduardo’s dance club, The Viceroy, I enter through the discreet, private entrance that can only be accessed by using a card pressed into a scanner.
Upon entering, a hostess stands at a desk, much like at a hotel. For safety reasons, she checks my card in the system to show the times I’ve been there, and my fingerprint must be placed on the small scanner to accept my entry.
Members must comply with all the rules as exceptions are rarely granted. Then, when the hostess lets them pass through the second set of doors, the bouncer takes their phone, checksthem for anything that isn’t allowed in the club, and bags it for them. They get their items when they check out.
