"Don't be a dick," he says that into the phone.
I walk through the large open space toward the bar. We arrived an hour before the doors are set to open and the club's employees are milling about, readying everything for the anticipated guests.
"Let me guess…" the curvy blonde behind the bar starts talking as I approach her. "Crew wants a scotch, right?"
"You know him too well." I laugh. "I'll take the same."
"Neat?"
"Sure." I nod. "Are you expecting a full house tonight?"
"We'll be at capacity within the hour." She slides two tumblers half full of scotch toward me. "I readBurden's Proof."
My brows lift in surprise. I shouldn't be shocked that she knows who I am. She's part of my target demographic. She's young and judging by the bare ring finger on her left hand, she's unattached. A solid part of my fan base is women just like her. "Did you like it?"
She leans over the bar until her tits are almost spilling out over the top of her black V-neck T-shirt. "I fucking loved it. I can't wait forAction's Cause. Can you give me a hint about what to expect?"
I'll never tire of this. The rush that comes from talking to someone about my work is addictive. "I can't. My publicist would kill me on the spot."
"Now, that would be a shame." She inches even closer, her tits straining against the thin fabric of her shirt. "My name is Penny, by the way."
I don't introduce myself because it's wasted effort. "Good to meet you, Penny. I need to get this drink to Crew before he comes looking for it."
"Come back when you need a refill, Nicholas."
I nod before I turn back toward where Crew is standing. If Penny isn't a sure thing, I don't know what is. Two weeks ago I would have been all over her by midnight and she would have been on her knees in a corner by the time her shift was done. Not tonight, though. Tonight, I'm keeping my dick where it belongs; in my jeans aching for a taste of Sophia.
I'm standingon a ledge on the upper concourse two hours later when I spot her in the club below. It should have been impossible to pick her out among the crowd of blending bodies, but the way she moves is unmistakable.
Sophia is here. She's in Veil East grinding against some hack in a two-piece gray suit that looks like it came off the rack at a fire sale. She, on the other hand, looks exquisite as always. Her dress is black and strapless. She's straightened her hair, so it falls loosely down her back. She looks edgy, sexy and when she turns in my direction, I can see that her lips are their signature deep red.
I grip the metal rail in front of me, my fingers stiff from anger. She plays hard-to-fucking-get with me, yet she's dancing like she's ready to screw the guy she's with.
She said she didn't have a boyfriend which means she's either a bigger liar than I thought, or he's a random hook-up.
"Penny can't keep her mouth shut about you, Nick." Crew slaps me from behind on the back. "You can use the executive office if you want to entertain her. I'm not against doing a favor for a friend."
"I'm not interested," I say over my shoulder. "Thanks for the offer though."
He steps in place beside me, a newly filled tumbler of scotch in his hand. "Are you seeing someone?"
"No," I answer quickly before I stumble back. "I was interested in someone, but that was a fucking waste of my time."
"What's going on?" He turns so he's facing me, his green eyes scanning my face. "You look like shit. What the hell happened in the past twenty minutes since I went downstairs?"
I draw in a deep breath of air. "I met a woman recently. I thought there was something between us but she's dry humping some idiot on the dance floor."
"Where?" He arches his neck out to look at the packed dance floor.
"It doesn't matter," I snap. "She blew me off with an excuse about having plans. Now I know."
"You know shit." He motions for one of the security guards dressed in a black suit to approach us. "Point her out and we'll get her up here. If you want her away from the guy she's dancing with, I can make that happen."
"Don't bother." I wave the burly security guard away. "What's the point?"
"The point is you want her."
I laugh loudly. "Not if she's out looking for a quick fuck."
