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  I followed her head and my stomach twisted with an unwanted twinge of jealousy. Stone had a leggy, blonde waitress pinned to a wall and was kissing her with a fair amount of enthusiasm. One of her long legs was wrapped around his waist and her hands had crept up the back of his suit jacket. I caught a glimpse of an ear piece in his ear and figured he must be working tonight as a bouncer.

  “God. That Carmel is such a slut,” Briar snapped, looking unreasonably angry. Was she annoyed on my account? Did she think I had an interest in Stone?

  “Uh oh,” Fredi said with a drunken chuckle, “Looks like step-daddy has caught the naughty boy slacking.”

  I looked back at the entwined couple in time to see Danny tap Stone on the shoulder. He broke the kiss and glared down at his step-dad for a moment, before taking a step away from Carmel. The men talked for a bit, before Danny glanced down at his watch with a smile and nodded. Stone nodded back, his face expressionless as he grabbed the waitress’s hand and pulled her toward a hallway that was signed ‘Staff Toilets’.

  Briar groaned and banged her head on the table, but Fredi just laughed again. “He must be taking an early break,” she sniggered.

  “Idiot!” Briar growled against the table top.

  I shot her a worried look. Did she like Stone? I thought she liked Donny?

  Stone was waylaid by the bouncer we’d met earlier. He straightened and started looking around the club as if searching for someone. He froze as his gaze stuck on us. He stood there a few moments, before his waitress became impatient and tugged on his hand. He shook her off with a frown and walked away, leaving her standing there with a surprised pout. He made his way steadily towards us, his eyes locked on me. I nervously took a sip from my drink and his eyes shot downward to narrow on my glass.

  As soon as he reached our table, he snatched my glass and sniffed at it. His features darkened and he picked our table number up to find the name scrawled at the bottom. He needn’t have bothered though. Mindy, our waitress, hurried over before he could summon her and wrung her hands nervously.

  “Is there something wrong Mr. Stone?” she asked anxiously.

  His eyes flickered over her face for a moment, before he relaxed a fraction.

  “You’re new,” he said gruffly. I shivered at the sound of his voice and flexed my fingers and toes in an attempt to ease the electric hum echoing through my veins.

  She nodded, straightening a little and waiting for him to continue.

  He nodded slightly, his expression easing a bit as he pointed at Briar and I. “They’re underage,” he said simply.

  The waitress turned white and her mouth opened and closed a few times before she finally murmured, “I’m sorry sir. I didn’t know. Are they friends of yours?”

  He gave a brief nod and then gave her a different nod to send her on her way. She eagerly disappeared to serve someone else. Briar scowled up at him.

  “Spoil sport,” she grumbled.

  He just glared down at her for a few moments, before sitting down at the table next to me.

  “You on break?” Fredi asked with a smirk, taking a sip of her vodka sunrise.

  He nodded once again, his eyes searching the club intently. Probably looking for his blonde, I thought with a quiet sigh. I shifted away from him as subtly as I could, feeling more than just a little intimidated by all that size and warmth sitting so close to me.

  “Who are you looking for?” Briar asked with a smug grin, “Carmel?”

  He sent her a sharp look, but shook his head. “Where’s Alec?” he demanded.

  Briar rolled her eyes. “We don’t need a chaperone, GG. You can keep an eye on us from over at your post and I’m sure the other bouncers will be too.”

  His stony-grey eyes glinted with steel, but Fredi interrupted their face off with a laugh.

  “The boys are upstairs,” she said with a grin, “They’re taking in a show.”

  Stone glanced down at his watch with a scowl, then waved some sort of signal at a nearby bouncer. The beefy guy nodded, running his eyes over us briefly. Stone got up and left without a word, stalking through the tables to reach one of the staircases. I admired his ass in the tailored suit trousers as he climbed the stairs two at a time.

  Briar huffed next to me and pouted. “Why did he have to spoil all our fun?” she asked Fredi, “No alcohol and now he’s getting the boys to come babysit us.”

  Fredi laughed, “Aww poor Briar. Just another three months and you’ll be allowed to drink. Stone and Danny don’t want to get caught selling booze to minors. They’d be in enough trouble for just letting you in here.”

  She laughed louder, “And then there’s your father. Billy would be spitting fire if he knew you were here.”

  Briar growled, “But he doesn’t let me drink at parties either. Or other clubs!”

  Fredi grinned and threw an arm over her shoulder. “Aw, but Stone doesn’t want his little BB to get hurt or taken advantage of.”

  Briar pushed her arm off, a scowl lining her pretty features. “He let you drink all through high school! Not to mention other things…”

  Fredi scoffed. “Bri, I’m the same age as him and I’m in the band. I’m one of the boys! Besides, I don’t let Stone push me around.”

  Briar snorted. “Yes you do,” she said smugly, “Remember when-”

  “Okay, fine,” Fredi interrupted with a pout.

  Suddenly, Briar’s face lit up, and I knew she was seeing the situation in a more positive light as I followed her gaze to where Donny and Liam were ambling down the staircase. Further up the stairs, Jamie and Alec were starting their descent also.

  Fredi groaned as Donny sat down between us and tried to peer down her top (not that there was much of a top in the first place).

  “Winnie!” he greeted cheerfully.

  “Donovan!” she mocked with fake enthusiasm, before knocking back her drink and walking off toward the bar. He stared after with a serious expression for a few moments, before switching his attention to my chest.

  “Well hello, Evie-baby,” he drawled.

  My face is up here buddy, I thought, shifting uncomfortably in my seat, wishing I could somehow tug up my neckline without bringing more attention to it. Liam threw his arm over my shoulder, his hand hanging down in front of my small cleavage and giving the finger to Donny. Donny’s eyes sparkled as they shifted to my face and he winked at me. I blushed and fidgeted, my movements causing Liam’s hand to brush against my right breast. I jumped in alarm and everyone laughed.

  Jamie joined in as he and Alec sat down. “Fuck,” he said, shaking his head with a broad smile, “Do you want to lose your hand Brighton?”

  Liam grinned in response, kissing my temple before withdrawing his arm. My jaw dropped in surprise at the brief touch of his lips. The table went silent.

  “Watch yourself little brother,” Briar warned quietly.

  “Relax,” he replied casually and Donny broke the tense atmosphere by flirting loudly with our waitress.

  Feeling the heat in my face, I eagerly took the cold glass of Coke Mindy handed me. I’d just calmed down and everyone was lost in their own conversations, when my phone rang. Just like that, I had everyone’s attention again.

  I didn’t think I’d be able to hear anything over the music, so I denied the call from Cooper and sent him a text message instead:

  Srry. I’m in a club. 2 loud.

  My phone beeped almost instantly, signalling a response:

  Club? Wat club? Ur not 18 yet.

  I smiled a little, anticipating his response as I wrote back:

  A strip club. Talk later. Lv u. xx

  I slipped my phone back in my purse, ignoring the new text message I received. I looked up to find everyone watching me.

  I blushed. “Just Cooper,” I whispered. They all exchanged looks, silently talking to each other with their eyes in some secret code I couldn’t decipher. Thankfully (well for me anyway) they were interrupted by the arrival of an uneasy-looking man at our table. He l
ooked as though this was the last place on Earth he wanted to be. Fredi scowled.

  “Marx,” she snapped, “What do you want?”

  “Please Miss Lennox,” he said stiffly, pleading with his eyes, “Your parents request that you return home.”

  “No,” Fredi said firmly.

  The man closed his eyes and sighed. He handed over a fancy looking letter with great trepidation and backed up a step. “From your mother,” he said quickly.

  Fredi rolled her eyes. “Of course it is,” she snapped, flicking the missive open and beginning to read. Her expression grew darker with every line she read. When she threw it down on the table with disgust, Donny snatched it up. He growled quietly as he read what I presumed were biting and cruel words. Fredi stood up and glanced at the empty stage. Her smile was slow and wicked as she turned back to Marx. She swayed a little in her inebriated state.

  “She thinks I’m making a scandal of myself?” she asked blithely, not expecting a response, “Well mother dearest hasn’t seen anything yet.”

  She stormed away from the table, heading toward the stage to talk to a man who was fiddling with equipment.

  “Uh, what is she doing?” Alec asked with a concerned frown, “Should we stop her? She’s too drunk to make good decisions.”

  “Leave her,” Donny said firmly, then rubbed his hands together and grinned in anticipation, “This should be good.”

  Jamie sat up a little straighter in his chair as Fredi stalked onto the stage and set up a microphone. Briar stared glumly at Donny’s expression, before turning her seat around to watch. Me? Well I shifted anxiously, not sure what Fredi was going to do and definitely not wanting to see anymore of her skin than I already was.

  “Woooo! Take it off!” Jamie shouted out.

  Fredi gave him the finger and turned on the mic, striking a seductive pose as she smiled out at her audience. The whole place was watching her.

  “Hello,” she purred, “My name is Winifred Lennox.”

  “Yes,” she winked at Marx, “That’s Winifred Lennox, the daughter of Matthew and Cynthia Lennox.”

  The crowd of horny men cheered.

  “I’m very, very drunk,” Fredi stage whispered to the crowd, then pointed over at our table, “Those are my band members. Say hello everyone.”

  Jamie, Donny and Alec stood up with their arms in the air and the crowd clapped enthusiastically, some of them yelling out dirty comments.

  Fredi held her hand up for silence. “We’re called Rabid Manifests. Don’t ask. Donny over there was smoking pot when he made it up.”

  Marx groaned and closed his eyes, obviously thinking about how bad the tabloids would be in the morning.

  “We play mostly metal,” Fredi continued, “I play the keyboard and sometimes the guitar and I sing too!”

  “Sing us a song!” one guy yelled out.

  “Yeah!” several others agreed.

  Fredi’s grin widened and she leaned closer to the microphone. “Mmmm, well I usually sing Metal or Rock…but I have a special song in mind for you boys.”

  The cheering crowd grew louder and they stomped their feet in encouragement. People from the upstairs rooms came out on balconies to see what was happening. I saw Stone and Danny standing off to one side. Danny was grinning, but Stone stood impassive, a box of Smarties held loosely in one hand.

  The beginning strains of a song started and Briar giggled into her drink. The crowd roared its approval as Fredi started to dance raunchily in her itty-bitty clothing and boots. They quietened down when she began to sing along to Monifa’s ‘Touch it’.

  My mouth dropped at the lyrics and the way Fredi was moving against the microphone stand. I blushed, then shivered at the smooth, erotic sound of her voice. She held the attention of every person in the club. I glanced over at Donny and right then, I knew for certain that behind his flirting and teasing he was genuinely head over heels for her.

  He got up out of his seat and made his way to the stage, reaching the mic just in time to sing the next male part. Fredi started as he took the stand from her and began singing in a rich, husky voice. She regained her composure quickly and started rubbing up against him. The audience whooped with enthusiasm and Alec and Jamie smiled wide. Briar’s smile was forced though as she sneakily stole Donny’s abandoned drink. Marx gave up and left the club.

  The song ended and another raunchy song began. Donny had a tight hold on Fredi’s hips and it didn’t look like he’d be letting them go without a fight. Fredi didn’t seem to notice though. She leaned backward into his chest, taking the mic from the stand as she waited for the applause to abate.

  “How did you like that?” she asked with a smirk. The men stood up again and hollered. Fredi began swaying to the sexy beat of the new song and they started shouting out for her to sing along. She shook her head with a smug grin.

  “Donny and I are going to get our groove on up here. Who’s going to get up here and join us?” she shouted. The crowd cheered as a table of women got up and headed toward the stage.

  “Briar! Evie!” Fredi purred, “Get your sexy asses up here.”

  Jamie and Alec stood up with Briar. I panicked and quickly mumbled that I was going to the bathroom. I scrambled off before anyone could grab me. There was no way I was getting up there and dancing.

  ***

  I watched from the bathroom entrance as Briar and the band danced with each other, grateful that they hadn’t noticed my absence. Liam had disappeared somewhere before Fredi had started singing, so I kept a wary eye out, hoping that he wouldn’t spot me and drag me onto the stage with him.

  Briar seemed to realise I was missing first, because she stopped and began searching the club with her eyes. She tapped Alec on the shoulder and then he too was searching the club. I shifted back into the shadows and watched as he frowned and began moving toward Stone. Oh no, I thought, just knowing that Stone would come looking for me. I backed into the nearest door, fumbling desperately for the handle. It wouldn’t budge.

  I turned and read the sign. Perfect! No one would look for me in the locked staff toilets. I rifled through my bag for a bobby pin and deftly picked the lock (just one of the very useful tricks I’d picked up from my brothers). Casting a look back at the entrance to the hallway, I backed into the now open room and shut the door.

  ***

  “Fuck,” I heard a deep voice say from behind me.

  I turned around in alarm. It had never occurred to me that someone would be in there. My jaw dropped open in shock as I took in the scene before me.

  Liam Brighton was shirtless and leaning back against the blue marble top of the sinks. He stared back at me for a few moments, as if unsure of what to do. My mouth opened and closed and I knew I should turn away, but I couldn’t make my body move. I couldn’t even avert my eyes. Liam finally coughed on a laugh and tapped Mindy’s head. She pulled her head back to look at him and I quickly closed my eyes.

  “What’s wrong, baby?” she purred.

  Liam coughed again, but the laughter was clear in his voice as he answered, “We have an audience.”

  “Oh,” she gasped breathlessly.

  I heard the teeth of his zip close and tentatively opened my eyes. Mindy stood and brushed off her knees, a slight blush to her creamy complexion.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered, finally recovering the use of my limbs and hurrying back out the door. I ran straight into Stone’s hard chest and Liam walked into us as he came out of the bathroom behind me, hurriedly pulling his shirt over his head.

  Stone’s features tightened as he glanced between the two of us, his right hand fisting at his side. Liam raised his hands in the air and backed up against the wall with a deceptively relaxed smile, just as Mindy joined the scene. Stone stilled, then raised an eyebrow at me in question. I blushed furiously and shook my head rapidly, pointing between the pair of them and hoping he’d get the picture. I was too embarrassed to speak.

  He made a very soft coughing noise and looked pointedly at Mindy.
She blushed slightly, but beamed up at him.

  “Oh, Mr. Stone,” she said, guilt written all over her face, “I was, um, just showing Mr. Brighton the staff toilets.”

  Danny joined our little group, throwing his arm around Liam’s shoulders.

  “O-oh,” Mindy stammered, “Mr. Brooks, I mean…Danny, sir. Let me just get back to work.” She scurried off toward the bar before anyone could stop her.

  Danny chuckled and chucked Liam on the chin. “I seem to remember a similar situation with your old man,” he said with a laugh, “Waitress walked in on him fooling around in the very same bathroom.”