14. James
14
JAMES
“ C ould you repeat that?”
I leaned closer to Cassie to hear what she was trying to tell me over the pounding baseline in Club Obsidian. Our group was spread throughout the place, with a few of us holding down the VIP table and the rest scattered on the dancefloor. So far everything was going perfectly, except for one glaring issue. And it seemed Cassie had picked up on it as well.
“I said it’s weird that Katie is dancing with that guy. She never dances.” Cassie nodded toward the dancefloor where a guy with slicked-back black hair had his hands on Kaitlyn’s hips, guiding her through some moves.
“Oh? Why do you think she’s out there then?” I asked as I involuntarily curled my free hand into a fist.
Cassie shrugged. “Sometimes she’s too nice to say no thanks. Maybe it’s a pity dance.” She paused. “Although the guy is pretty hot, so maybe not.”
I felt Cassie’s eyes rest on me for a beat, but I didn’t stop watching Kaitlyn. As if I could. Jess had hooked her up with a dress that looked like it had been made for her, a short, yellow feat of construction that clung to her curves and twisted into a knot at her hip, leaving a sliver of her waist exposed. The dress, combined with her hair in a wild tumble over her shoulders and makeup that set her eyes smoldering, made it impossible for me to look at anything but her. I was supposed to be doing recon on the club, but all I wanted to do was watch Kaitlyn.
I tried to convince myself that it was for her safety, because men had been buzzing around her all night. But Kaitlyn could hold her own. I’d watched her walk away from one guy who got a little too friendly during a slow song. I mentally applauded her as she stormed away.
I wished she’d come back and sit at the table, but for whatever reason, it seemed like she wanted nothing to do with me. In fact, she’d been keeping her distance all night.
Jess plopped down beside me on the leather banquette.
“You outdid yourself with this place, bro. It’s fabulous.”
“Thanks, I think it’s a nice complement to the rest of my properties. This one is a little more…”
“Raw?” Jess finished for me.
I nodded. “Exactly. I think we all need this type of vibe now and then. It’s the kind of place where anything can happen.”
“Agreed.” She pointed to the dancefloor. “Speaking of anything happening, what do you think of Kaitlyn’s dress?”
Why the hell did everyone keep circling back to her? Was it that obvious I was looking out for my employee?
“It’s nice. There’s some engineering to it.” I gestured to my midsection, unsure how to explain the mechanics of the fabric and exposed skin.
Jess laughed at me. “ Nice ? A sundress is ‘nice.’ That right there is a work of art thanks to a certain Parisian designer. But you don’t want to hear about him so never mind.”
She leaned forward to pour herself a glass of champagne and held the bottle toward me.
“No thanks, water for me tonight,” I replied, holding my tumbler up.
“Suit yourself. But I think at this point you can clock out and enjoy yourself. The club looks great, the staff is incredible, the DJ is killing it. Loosen up and have some fun.”
“I am having fun,” I lied. “What should I be doing?”
“How about breaking that up?” She pointed to the dancefloor where Kaitlyn had her hands over her head and was shimmying in front of a guy.
Damnit why was she dancing like that with him? Something curdled inside me as I watched her laughing and moving in sync with him.
It wasn’t a protective instinct. What I was feeling was pure jealousy.
The song changed and the energy on the dancefloor immediately downshifted to match the slower tempo.
“Maybe I should go see how she’s doing?” I mused.
Jess smirked at me. “Yeah, maybe you should.”
I stood up slowly and stalked toward Kaitlyn as the man pulled her back to press against his body. I wanted to run across the room and rip the man’s hands off her. As I got closer I noticed her looking around, like she was trying to find the right moment to escape. When she spotted me relief flooded her face.
“Excuse me,” I said, hoping the growl in my chest wasn’t too obvious. As the host of the club, I couldn’t be an asshole to my patrons, but fuck if I didn’t want to drop this guy with a single punch to the jaw. Instead, I moved in and grabbed Kaitlyn’s hand, pulling her toward me smoothly, like it was a dance move. She ended up pressed against my chest.
“Hey…” the guy said, taking a step closer to me.
“I need to cut in,” I said with a shrug. The guy looked at Kaitlyn as if he expected her to argue, but she just nodded and snuggled into my arms. With a huff, he stormed away.
The tension dissolved from Kaitlyn’s frame. “Thank you. He was getting to be too much.”
I tried to focus on what she was saying and not the way her body felt pressed against me. I’d taken off my blazer, and it was as if I could feel every contour of her body through my thin dress shirt. I’d thought about it far too often since our night at Bloom, but now here we were, chest to chest. Hopefully, Kaitlyn couldn’t feel my heart pounding.
“I could tell you weren’t enjoying yourself.”
“Oh, really? Were you watching me?” She cocked her head and gave me a mischievous smile.
“I watch everything that goes on in my club.”
Her smile faded. “Oh.”
Her body shifted ever so slightly away from me, and I knew I couldn’t let this moment of connection slip away.
“But yes. I was watching you. In fact, I can’t keep my eyes off of you.” I stared at Kaitlyn, waiting to see how she’d respond. I wanted this—but if there was any hint she wasn’t on board then I would back off. I couldn’t risk doing anything that might make her quit. As badly as I wanted her, Harper mattered more.
“I thought so.”
I tightened my grip around her waist.
“I’ve been waiting for you to come dance with me all night,” she said softly.
And in that moment, my world readjusted itself.
I threaded my hand through her soft hair to cup the back of her head and stared into her eyes for a beat, allowing her the opportunity to move away from me. But she didn’t. Kaitlyn stared up at me with an expression that looked like pleading.
The naked desire on her face was all the invitation I needed.
I didn’t care that we’d agreed to keep it professional. If she was on board, then I wasn’t about to deny either one of us any longer. In that moment I’d never desired anything more than the sensation of Kaitlyn’s lips pressed against mine. So I leaned down and did exactly what I’d been dying to do since the minute she walked into my home.
I dropped my mouth to her and kissed Kaitlyn like I wasn’t about to stop.
Kaitlyn
The next morning I sat at the restaurant table where the girls and I were grabbing brunch, staring blankly ahead as the conversation buzzed around me.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the way James had kissed me last night.
After dreaming about it for weeks, I could barely believe it had happened, and right there in the middle of the dancefloor, in front of everyone. Normally, something like that would make me shy and self-conscious, but in the moment, I’d wanted it so badly I hadn’t cared, and based on the bulge in his pants it was obvious he hadn’t cared, either.
“Earth to Katie. Pass the salt please.”
I didn’t realize that I’d been zoning out until Cassie called me on it. We were at brunch along with Jess—everyone else having begged off, preferring to sleep in—and it seemed I was the only one without a hangover. They were deep in hair-of-the-dog mimosas and greasy eggs while I munched on a strip of bacon.
“Yup, here,” I said, handing the shaker across the table.
“So are we going to talk about it?” Cassie asked as she covered her eggs in salt.
“Talk about what?”
“Talk about the show you and my brother put on for everyone last night,” Jess snorted.
My cheeks heated fast in response. Did she have a problem with the fact that James and I had kissed? Was she the protective type?
Trying to play it cool, I shrugged. “There’s not much more to it. I mean, there’s an attraction between us. There’s heat, sure. But I work for him so nothing can happen. That’s what we agreed to. He’d probably had a few too many last night.”
“Uh uh,” Jess said, shaking her head. “He was stone sober. He never drinks in his own clubs—I know that for a fact.”
I filed the detail away, secretly happy to hear it.
“He couldn’t stop watching you all night. He looked like he was going to jump out of his skin when you were dancing with other guys.”
“Oh, stop…” I said, even though I wanted to hear every detail about what they’d noticed and what they thought it meant.
Jess drained her mimosa. “I know my brother. He’s into you.”
“Agreed,” Cassie said. “I think the dress helped. You looked amazing in it.”
“Right?” Jess said, her eyes wide. “I know Henri’s designs will take off. I just wish James would invest and not be such a jerk about it.”
“Why is that?” The dynamics of their family confused me. On the one hand, they all seemed so close, and it was clear they loved each other. But when it came to Jess, there was this weird undercurrent I couldn’t quite understand, as if they weren’t quite sure they could trust her. As if she wasn’t quite sure she could trust herself, too.
“He thinks fashion is too risky. Which—yes, fine, it is risky, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done right. I know I can make a go of it, but it’s not going to be easy without backing. And it’s frustrating because I have the money—there’s enough in my trust fund to cover the investment Henri needs ten times over—but James won’t let me touch it. All I get is my monthly allowance, which is plenty to live on but not enough to invest.”
“What about property?” Cassie asked.
Jess just blinked, confused. “You mean…like, a place for Henri to set up shop? He’s not at that stage yet, but?—”
“No, I mean, does your inheritance include any property or is it just money in the bank? Because if you’ve got something to use as collateral, you could try to get a loan.”
“I… I could?”
“Absolutely,” Cassie said. “I work for a bank, but it’s not one of those little regional outfits. We do quite a bit of business investing, with some pretty major players. I could set up an interest call with you and our corporate loan officer.”
“Really?” Jess asked. “I hadn’t even thought about getting a traditional loan. But anyway, yes, I would love to do an exploratory call. Let me talk to Henri first and see what he thinks.” She pulled her phone out of her purse and jumped up.
“Now?” I laughed.
“I told you I’m serious about it!” She looked back over her shoulder. “Don’t say anything to James, okay?”
Cassie and I agreed as we watched Jess thread through the tables on the patio.
“Hey, I need to tell you something,” I said, feeling unsettled about the conversation we were going to have. “Just hear me out before you say anything.”
“Oh shit,” Cassie said warily. “Did you decide that pineapple upside-down cake is better?”
“No,” I laughed, trying to keep her mood light. “I heard from Mom the other day. She texted, and then we talked on the phone.”
Cassie froze with her fork in midair. She lowered it to her plate slowly. “What did she want?”
“To make amends. Cassie, she went through rehab. She sounded different. I mean, she actually acknowledged that she made mistakes.”
Cassie let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah, right.”
“I’m serious. She’s hoping we can get together to talk.”
Cassie’s face went hard. “You didn’t tell her I’m getting married, did you?”
I shook my head. “No. That’s your news, I’d never do that. I think she wants to try, Cassie, and I think we owe it to her.”
“ Fuck that ,” Cassie said, enunciating the words. “No way. I’ve made my peace with the fact that our mom is messed up—that it’s not our fault, and that it’s okay to let that family tie go. I’m not about to lose the progress I’ve made by connecting with her. Especially right before my wedding. Nope, not a chance.”
“So you won’t even?—”
Cassie held her hand up in front of my face. “No. Conversation over.”
I pushed the soppy pancakes around my plate. I’d expected resistance from my sister but not a “do not pass go” reaction.
Seeing the way James and Jess got along with Petra made me feel the fracture in my own family that much more acutely. I’d hoped that phone call was the start of a new beginning, a new page in our family history.
But Cassie had just made it abundantly clear she wasn’t going to be a part of the new story.