"Don't let this go to your head." I point my finger at Crew and give him the best stern expression I can muster. "Crew is my go-to when I need something. He's become one of my best friends in the city."
"Hear that?" Crew cups his hand over his left ear. "That's my heart melting because Sophia thinks I'm a stand-up guy."
"You're a jerk," I joke. "I'm trying to be nice, Crew."
"You're too nice." He taps the tip of my nose. "Here's an example, Sophia. You were way too fucking nice to whoever the hell that was you were dancing with just now."
Realization hits me like a speeding train. "Is that why I'm up here? You wanted to see me because I was dancing with Trey Hale?"
"Trey Hale?" Nicholas reaches for my bare bicep. "I read something online about the two of you from last year. I thought you tweeted that you didn't know him. Is that how you dance with men you don't know?"
My entire body shakes at his touch. "You're acting territorial, Nicholas. I'm allowed to dance with whoever the hell I want. We're not a couple. We're not anything right now."
"You're right." He releases my arm as he takes a step back. "We're nothing, Sophia. Enjoy your night."
With that he shakes Crew's hand, picks up a tumbler of scotch from the circular table near us and heads toward the elevator that leads to the dance floor.
"Doyou think they're going to sleep together?" I stare down at the club. I've been watching Nicholas for the past ten minutes. Once he exited the elevator on the main floor, he made a beeline for the bar and the blonde bartender who seemed overly excited to see him.
"Nick and Penny?" Crew rests his hands on my shoulders. "He doesn’t want her, Sophia."
"Are you blind?" I arch my neck back to look at his face. "Look at the way he's staring at her. Her tits are four times the size of mine."
"What do her tits have to do with this?" He digs his fingers into my shoulders. "You're way too fucking tense right now. You have to loosen up."
"I don't want him to fuck her," I say it under my breath. "I don't want that."
"He's blowing off some steam." He moves his fingers to the middle of my back. "You need to go down there and tell him what you want. You have to stop playing games with him."
I turn sharply leaving his hands hanging in mid-air. I reach for them both and squeeze them in mine. "I'm scared, Crew. He's different. He makes me want things."
"You make him want things." He bends his knees, so his face is aligned with mine. "He's a good guy, Sophia. He worked his ass off to get to where he is. Sure, he's been a man whore, butwho the fuck wouldn't be when they're thrown into the life he has? Give him a chance."
"I told him I wanted him to chase me." I hang my head. "I made a huge deal about it. I liked that he wanted me, Crew. I liked that he was going out of his way for me."
He drops my hand and reaches to tilt my chin up, so I'm looking at him directly. "He saw you with Hale and it pissed him off. If he didn't care about you, he wouldn't have stuck around and waited for you to come up to talk to us. He wants you. If you feel the same way about him, stop fucking around."
"You think I should go down to the club and talk to him?"
"I think you should take him home tonight." He winks. "If I'm never going to have you, Nick is the second best choice for you."
"You know that you're like a brother to me, right?"
"Don't say shit like that when you look like that." His gaze travels down my body and back up. "I get that we didn't connect on that level, Sophia, but give Nick a chance. He's a better man than I am."
I look to the dance floor before I level my gaze back on his face. "I know I promised that I'd never say this to you again, but I have to."
"Don't." He drops my hand and takes a measured step back. "Sophia, don't."
"Adley is perfect for you," I say it even though he asked me not to. Adley is another of Crew's female friends. I've seen them together more than once and the chemistry that flows between the two of them is off the charts. "If you want me to give Nicholas a chance, I think you should agree to give Adley a chance."
"She's too good of a friend to fuck around with." His tone is firm. "I love Ad. I'll always love her but only as a friend. She doesn't see me as anything other than a pal and I sure as fuck don't see her any other way either."
"Time will tell." I brush a piece of lint off the skirt of my dress. "I'll drop the subject now. I promise."
"You better." He points at the waiting open elevator. "Get on that and go talk to Nick. You won't regret it."
"I hope not." I steal one last glance at Nicholas and the blonde bartender. "I think it's time I let him catch me. If I don't, I might lose my chance forever."
