Chapter 10 #2
“Not one.” Kayla holds up a hand toward Jason, but he sets a daiquiri in front of her with a wink. “At least your brother is hot.”
“Seriously?” I ask. “How is it I’m surrounded by gorgeous men and you get the orc edition of Lord of the Rings?”
“Not to worry. There are hot women, who unfortunately are straight.” Shaking her head, Kayla takes a drink of her daiquiri.
“It’s probably best not to dip your pen in the company ink anyway,” Hope says. “It doesn’t always turn out like Madison’s guys.”
“Now I’m even more depressed.” When Kayla raises her hand, Jason sets a bowl of peanut M&M’s in front of her. “I mean, why couldn’t I get propositioned for more than work on my first day?”
“It wasn’t the first day.” Madison takes the other bar stool with a grin. “They told me when they hired me.”
Madison holds her hand out to me with her palm up. I put my hand in hers and squeeze.
“How was your first day?” she asks.
“Good. Long. Kind of lonely, honestly.” Now that I think about it. I was mostly in my office all day with no need for contact with anyone else.
Kayla frowns. “That’s not good.”
“It’s how most of my days go,” Hope says.
“I found something that might be a clue about Tom.” I grab a napkin and pull a pen out of my purse. “Some woman wasn’t good at numbers, but there was a logo on the piece of paper.”
I draw the VV logo from memory and show the girls.
Hope and Madison give me shakes of their head, but Kayla snorts a laugh.
“Do you know what it is?” I stare down at it. “I couldn’t find a business with VV in the name.”
“Oh, I know it. Been a few times. It’s the Veiled Vixen Gentlemen’s Club.”
“Wait!” My eyes widen. “Like a strip club gentlemen’s club?”
“Only the best one in the city.” Kayla takes a drink and eats a couple M&M’s. “The girls there are gorgeous. It’s clean. Good establishment.”
“We should go.” I pick up the napkin. “We can talk to the strippers and see if one of them knows my brother.”
“I’m in to go talk to strippers.” Kayla smirks. “My day just got a whole lot brighter.”
“I can’t.” Madison gives us a little pout. “I promised Seth I’d be home early.”
“I can’t either.” Hope shakes her head. “But you two should go.”
“Maybe we can wait until later in the week.” I stare at the logo. “Are strip clubs even open on Monday nights?”
“Vixen’s is.” Kayla smiles. “Don’t worry it doesn’t open until eight, so we have some time to discuss your first day with the smoking-hot Viking.”
I haven’t told them about what Finn and Dante did to me over the weekend. I’m not sure I’m ready to share that. “I had lunch with Drew.”
“Now if I had to put together a harem of men, Drew would definitely be in it.” Kayla pops an M&M in her mouth. “And Coop because holy hotness. But I wouldn’t just go for dicks.”
“I’m pretty sure Madison is in a unique position. I’m not sure many men would want to share their girl.” Hope runs her hands over her jeans. “After all, those guys all grew up together and then decided before her to share women.”
Madison laughs. “I’m just lucky those other women didn’t put them off it entirely.”
“There was this moment today.” I grab an M&M. “When Finn and Dante surrounded me. I almost couldn’t breathe, imagining what it would be like to have them both touch me.”
Madison’s eyes soften and she gets this far-off look. “Yeah, that’s the best.”
“Damn. I want that.” Kayla sighs. “I’d be happy with just one guy or gal.”
“I’m good on my own right now.” Hope takes a drink and her blue eyes lift to mine. “It’s hard to let a guy near me even to hug me.”
I rub my hand down Hope’s back. She was kidnapped and held for days. They cut her arm but didn’t assault her in other ways. The fear of that and possible death must have played with her in that dark basement. Both of the bastards that did it are dead.
I shiver and put my arms around her.
She leans into me and releases her breath. Her arms round my shoulders and she returns the hug.
“How’s therapy going?” I say when we draw back.
She tucks her hair behind her ear. “It’s okay. I don’t know if it’s helping though.”
I nod, because I don’t know the right thing to say in this case. What she went through was traumatic and not dealing with it would be worse, I imagine.
“Okay.” Hope smiles even though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Tell me about something good that happened today.”
We fall into our normal patterns of talking and laughing and not diving into the deep stuff again. The hour passes quickly and Madison is the first to leave. Seth shows up and draws her into his arms. The way he looks at her reminds me of Drew.
We stay for another half hour with Hope.
“You guys should go.” She grins and pushes away her empty glass. “See some strippers. If you don’t find out anything, we’ll all go another night.”
“I’m all for going to strip clubs whenever.” Kayla’s eyes are a little glassy as she finishes her third drink. “They even have a ladies’ night. They find the hottest dancers.”
I give Hope a hug. “Take care.”
She hugs me back before Kayla gives her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“If you and I are still single when we’re forty, we’ll shack up.” Kayla chucks Hope under the chin. “I’ll show you that chicks are more fun than dicks.”
Hope laughs. “Sure. Forty is a ways away.”
“I need to sow my wild oats. So off to the strip club.” Kayla grabs my arm and pulls me toward the door.
I wave to Hope and use my phone to get a car for hire. “It’s going to be five minutes.”
“Oh, I need to pee.” Kayla veers off to the ladies’ room, leaving me near the doors. I stand in the vestibule, outside the bar but still inside, with windows showing me the people laughing inside and the dark street out the other windows.
For all I know, Tom went to the strip club and started talking accounting with a woman there. It might not be a clue, just a note that fell into his desk. Abandoned.
Checking my phone, I see our driver is about three minutes away. I lift my head to look around the bar. Hope and Jason chat in the corner we just left. They’re close siblings.
Tom and I are close too, but not like those two. We carved our own paths in school. He had his friends and I had mine. Of course, mine turned out to be untrustworthy, backstabbing bitches. His ended up his best friends.
Something catches my eye at the other end of the bar. A large guy is hunched over the bar drinking. His coat is black. I’m not sure what caught my eye, to be honest. He looks like anyone else sitting, drinking alone.
He twists his head. His dark eyes lock on me. A chill rushes through me. I suck in a breath at the intense gaze.
Kayla grabs my arm. “Let’s go. I need to see some tits and ass.”