Page 54 of A Song for You

Jay: Cat, are you seriously at a fucking sex club?

I frown in confusion, then burst out laughing. “Oh, this is too good!” I shout as I turn the phone to Sophie, still laughing. What an absolute idiot.

Sophie bites her lip. “Upstairs,” she says, pointing to the open area above our heads. The entire space is bordered with balconies and windows.

“Upstairs, what?” I hiss, my nerves getting the best of me.

“People are”—she pauses, her eyes widening comically, and points up again—“up there.”

“People are what up there, Soph? Use your words.”

She chews on her lip and cringes.

“People are fornicating upstairs?” I ask in exasperation.

Dexter bursts out laughing. “Fornicating?”

“You, be quiet.” Sophie smacks him.

He bites at her shoulder and grins wickedly before whispering in her ear again. This time, goose bumps pebble her arms.

I scrub my hand over my face. “I hate you both. You invited Jay. To a sex club. He probably thinks you did it for me. That I want to—” I bite my thumb as I scream into my hand. “Fuck!”

Another text comes through.

Jay: Cat, answer me!

Oh, screw him.

Thirty-One

Jay

Mr. Brightside by The Killers

I’m going to kill her. She is not seriously inside this place. Hands fisted at my sides, I glare at the entrance to the club. From out here on the sidewalk, the building blends in with the other brick structures surrounding it, but I know this place. I’ve been to this place. With the guys. I didn’t recognize the name until I was standing out front.

There is no way in hell Cat’s here. And if she is, like I said, I’m going to kill her.

I stare down at my phone with the pinged address and look back up at the building. I’m in the right place.

Fuck.

Passing a hundred to the bouncer, I skip the line. A few guys groan when I head for the door, but I don’t spare them a glance. I’m on a mission. I have half a mind to text Carter and tell him where his sister is. But then I’d have to explain how I know her and why her presence here pisses me off so goddamn much.

It shouldn’t piss me off so damn much. She shouldn’t matter to me. I’m a fool if I think I’m only here trying to be her friend. We can’t be fucking friends because no matter what I tell myself the feelings swirling through my body, the way my skin heats at the thought of her, the way my fists clench at the idea that someone else could touch her, none of that is fucking friendly. I’ve never felt this way about another person, and pretending the feelings aren’t real isn’t going to change the fact that I’m fucking gone for her.

She’s the last person I should want and yet I can’t stay away.

My eyes adjust to the dark space, and I scan the bar area for Cat’s tall frame. When I don’t spot her, I continue forward. The room is dimly lit with a haze of red. The bass thumps, and bodies mold together on the dance floor. Downstairs, it’s like any other club. Upstairs? Well, I know what to expect.

Rooms with toys, ropes, curtains that hide nothing, and the sounds of pleasure echoing from every corner. It’s seedy and the last place I want to imagine finding Cat.

I finally set my sights on a spot in the corner where her friend is curled up on a man’s lap. The guy has to be in his forties. He’s got mostly silver hair with a sprinkling of black finding its way through. His fingers are inching up under her skirt, and she’s leaning back while he nibbles on her neck.

“Where’s Cat?” I demand, hovering over them, my arms crossed over my chest to keep from pounding them on the table.

They both jolt to attention, and Sophie pulls her skirt down to hide her thick thighs. Her eyes are hazy from what I hope is only alcohol. “Huh?” she asks, pulling herself up straighter.