Jude.
Jesus. What was that man becoming—my reason foreverything?
I shook it off and went to get changed into an outfit worthy of a DJ Summer show. Black leather leggings and suede booties, a flowy, shimmery sleevelesstop.
I fixed my hair andmakeup.
Then I made a few calls. Telling myself all the while that I could do this. I would pull this off. I would book the most killer Dirty show and New Year’s Eve party known toman.
It was about mycareer.
It had nothing at all to do with my fucked up feelings for JudeGrayson.
* * *
When I arrivedat the Artemis, DJ Summer was deep into herset.
The club was at capacity and the party was going strong. Summer wasn’t headlining this show, but she was definitely holding her own, pumping up the crowd for the visitingheadliner.
She was onstage above the crowd, wearing a black bodysuit with knee-high faux fur boots and a wicked crown of skulls, fur and twisted horns. She was playing a killer Florence + the Machine remix with a lively, sexy beat, and the crowd was right intoit.
I slipped into the dark alongside the dance floor, though most of the club was pretty much one giant dance floor. I stood back and just took in the show, though I couldn’t resist dancing a little right on the spot. The groove of Summer’s music was just too damninfectious.
And as I watched her do her thing, if I squinted just enough, I could almost imagine it wasmeup there—if, you know, I was a shit-hot DJ. Summer was a couple inches shorter than me but, like me, she had dark hair and a figure that probably got her a lot of attention frommen.
That was where the similarities between us pretty much ended,though.
Frankly, I was born white trash. Literally in a trailer park. I had to claw my way up through the world. Summer, on the other hand, was from Elle’s walk of life. Which meant well-educated, well-traveled, and she grew up withmoney.
Where Summer’s confidence probably came from her total ability to win at life—and probably from a young age—mine came from sheer force of will. An unwillingness to be pushed down, pushedaside.
As she finished her last song and the crowd screamed their appreciation, I could feel her affect on the audience. I could feel that DJ Summer was on a mission to make people feel good around her, feel good about themselves—and tonight, she was definitely succeeding. It was this talent that made her queen of the local party scene; a fucking killerDJ.
Me? I’d never concerned myself overmuch with how other people felt. Their feelings, theirbusiness.
Yes, I knew how to charm, how to seduce, and how to negotiate. Key factors in my line of work—both of them—and in my relationships with men. I knew how to get what I wanted, most of thetime.
Jude Graysonaside.
I had a feeling, though, that Summer Avery Sorensen got what she wantedmore.
By now, I’d Googled her. And Wiki’d her, and social media stalked her. I knew her personal stats, her fondness for exotic cars and overpriced designer handbags, her history of relationships with strapping, beautiful dudes. On paper, DJ Summer and I had little in common—but I could definitely get in bed with her taste inmen.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t here to talk aboutboys.
Even if the most beautiful one she’d probably ever dated—in my humble opinion—was suddenly standing right in front ofme.
“Ash,” I said, startled. He’d kinda loomed out of nowhere. And he was definitely looking a little… unsteady on hisfeet.
Drunk. He lookeddrunk.
But yes, beautiful. With ink-black hair and blue eyes, Ashley Player was all edgy rock star charisma and couldn’t-give-a-fuck attitude in his tight black jeans and a sleeveless T-shirt that said:Who needs cash when you got a dick like…with an arrow, pointing straightdown.
I kinda froze as he put his finger under my chin, leaned in… and kissed the tip of mynose.
“Roni,” hesaid.
Then he pulled me in for a hug, just like that. Like he’d never comethisclose to screwing me… and then totally bailed on my ass. Leaving me literally naked in the night, at Jesse and Katie’swedding.
