“You have a job to do, love bug, and I have a date on Saturday. Nothing changes.”
“We don’t need to do this job anymore, baby. I have my job with Gabe and Autumn. You can work with us, too.”
She laughed. “What do you think I can do?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Book new clients for us?”
She pushed on my chest. “Go have fun.”
I stopped walking, remembering I hadn’t told her who my date was with. I never needed to tell her before, but this one felt as though I should. I turned back to her. “Gorgeous …”
She looked at me from the TV, “Yeah?”
“I think I should tell you who my date’s with.”
Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “Okay?” I walked over to her, sat on the coffee table in front of her and grabbed her hands. “You’re scaring me,” she whispered, looking into my eyes.
Reaching up, I brushed a piece of her brown hair behind her ear. “It’s not like that. She’s a client from Malibu.”
She stared at me, realization dawning across her face. “Oh,” she whispered.
“I’m not like that anymore.”
“I know.”
“I called Nick. He’s going with me and he’s gonna … take care of business.”
Her gaze darted to mine. “You called Nick?”
“I’m not going to sleep with her if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“But—”
“Just because we’re not having sex doesn’t mean I need to fuck clients. I lo … I love being with you and I want to see where this goes. I’m not going to fuck it up only to have sex. My hand is doing a good job.” I smiled at her hoping she’d laugh.
She looked up from ringing her hands that were in her lap. “It’s not that I don’t want to have sex … I’m scared.”
I tilted her face, grabbing her chin lightly so she had to look me in the eyes. “I know, and we’ll take this slow. We have forever.”
“Right … Forever.” She sighed.
“Forever, gorgeous.” I kissed her one last time and then I left to meet Nick at the Bellagio where we were meeting Brina, my client at The Bank where she wanted to be picked-up at a nightclub as though she didn’t know who I was. Part of it were true; she didn’t know Nick.
We waited in line to enter the club. It sucked being a guy in Vegas. The women got special treatment while men got the short end of the stick, especially if we weren’t with a group of females.
“Don’t you have connections here?” I asked Nick.
“Yeah, but I don’t see him.”
I groaned. This wasn’t how I wanted to start off the night. I wanted to get in and get out. Nick this is Brina. You two fuck, have a nice night, peace out.
“Let me text him,” he remarked, pulling out his phone.
I checked mine. I didn’t have a set time to be inside the club. Brina knew I’d show. The plan was to surprise her, dance with her, seduce her, fuck her in the bathroom or something and then leave. I was going to do the surprise and dancing parts while Nick did the dancing, seducing and fucking parts. The plan was fool proof.
“All right, he’s coming out.”
A guy came out the doors a few minutes later and waved us over. We went to the front of the line as people groaned. The bouncer unhooked the red velvet rope and after Nick had introduced me to his buddy, we entered a hallway and into an elevator. The bass of the music thumped as the elevator rose to the nightclub.
“What does she look like again?” Nick asked as the elevator lifted floor by floor.
I shrugged. “You know, a blonde babe from Cali with big boobs.”
“My type.” He laughed.
“The trick is to find her.” I chuckled because really finding anyone in a dark nightclub in Vegas was like finding a needle in a haystack.
“Let’s get a drink first.”
The doors opened. “Fuck yeah.”
The space was packed as we entered the two-story club. People stood around the upper deck, mingling, dancing and waiting to order at the upstairs bar. We made our way as I scanned each face looking for Brina, but I didn’t see her. I hoped I didn’t see her because if I did then the situation would be awkward and would throw off the plan.
After waiting ten excruciating minutes and scanning the dark club for Brina, we finally squeezed in between two chicks to order our drinks.
“Hi,” one purred.
“Sugar.” I nodded.
“Whatcha drinkin’?” She eyed my tequila and coke.
“A charro negro.” She looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. “I’ve never heard of that. Can I try it?”
Did she just ask to try my drink? “You’re asking for trouble, sugar.”
“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?”
I caught the eye of Nick over this chick’s shoulder and took a deep breath. “Not with me.” I nudged my head for Nick to follow and we walked toward the railing where the upstairs looked down onto the dance floor. I was off my game and all thoughts were on Andi. I didn’t want to do the escort shit anymore, even if Andi and I didn’t work out. This wasn’t my scene anymore. As I scanned the bodies gyrating to the music, the lights changing colors and the disco ball reflecting from above, I spotted Brina and a few girls sitting in a booth next to the dance floor.
“See the blonde in the black dress with her hair pulled in a high ponytail?” I shouted over the music, pointing toward where Brina was sitting in the booth. “She just took a shot of whatever that is on the table.”
“Yeah, man. You sure you want to give her up to me? I mean. I’m all for hittin’ that.” He took a sip of his drink.
“I’m going to get out of the game.”
“Aw fuck. You too?” He shook his head in disapproval. “First Gabe and now you?”
I laughed. “Chicks, man.”
He chuckled. “I’m never falling in love.”
“Never say never. I didn’t think I would be in love again.”
“Enough of this love talk. Let’s do this shit so I can get laid.”
“All right. Pound your drink. We’re gonna get dirty on the dance floor.”
“Never say that to me again.” He chugged his drink.
We walked down the stairs then weaved in and out of bodies on the dance floor as we made our way to the table where Brina was. The club was packed. People were all around dancing, kissing—some maybe more. My plan was to tell Brina that I’d noticed her from across the room and ask her to dance, but as I got closer, she stood and joined her friends on the dance floor. I came up behind her and whispered in her ear, “Sugar,” Nick came around to the front of us, caging her in, “this is my friend, Nick.”
Our bodies began to sway to the beat of the music, her head rested on my shoulder, her gaze locked with Nick’s. Normally my hands would be roaming her body, getting her worked up, but I needed Nick to take this one. I wasn’t into it. I caught his eye and motioned for him to do just that. His hands worked up and down her sides, our bodies still gyrating to the music and then my body went rigid.
What the fucking fuck?
It took me a second to register what, better yet who I was looking at. There she was dressed in white—a color I’d always thought I’d see her walk down the aisle in on the day we said “I do.” A sash was across her body that read “Bride to Be”. My gaze darted to hers and everything clicked into place as she stood next to the table that Brina had just left. They were here for her bachelorette party before Vanessa got married—married to someone else.
Vanessa gave me a tight smile and waved. I stood still as Brina rubbed her ass on my crotch. I didn’t know if I could smile or wave back at Vanessa. “Hey!” Nick slapped me on the back of the head. “Are you going to dance or what?”
“I gotta go.”
I started to walk away and Vanessa grabbed my wrist. “PJ, wait!”
I stared down into her dark eyes. “I gotta go.”
“You’re still mad after all this time?”