Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
CHARLIE
When I walked into Radiant—a BDSM club in the heart of Pittsburgh—the scent of vanilla and sex drifted through my nostrils. I had popped in earlier, but nobody that I wanted to talk to was here, so instead, I had opted for Doughburgh’s famous cheesecake.
After depositing my coat at the front, I spotted Michelle—one of the owners of Radiant and Hector’s sister—walking down the hallway toward the offices, and I headed her way. “Hey, Michelle. Is Hector here?”
“Hate to break it to you, Charles, but Hector is taken,” Michelle teased.
“Ah, you got me,” I said, playing along. “If you see him, tell him I need to talk to him.”
“He should be here later tonight”—Michelle giggled—“but he’s out with Heather now.”
Damn it.
Well, since I was already here, I might as well wait for him. So, I headed toward the main bar. Girls danced around poles as couples watched on black leather couches. I inhaled the scent of liquor and spotted one of Athena’s friends in the crowd.
Sun sat with Russ and Maya, who frequented Radiant, on a couch, sipping on a glass of champagne, her cheeks red with embarrassment. They must’ve been the couple that Heather had mentioned earlier.
I headed toward the bar and found a seat up front.
“Charlie,” Abdul, the bartender, said. “You want your regular?”
I slipped him my black card. “Please.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I expected to see Athena’s name pop up on the screen. Athena had fallen asleep almost immediately once we finished, and I hadn’t wanted to wake her to let her know where I was going.
Besides, I didn’t know what I would’ve said to her anyway.
Truth was, when she had asked me if I wanted to talk about what had happened this morning, I really didn’t because I didn’t want her to tell me that she just thought of us as friends. That would have fucking crushed me.
But on the other hand, I really didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to label us. Did she even want a label? Just friends? Fuck buddies? She meant more to me than that—she always had—but if she only wanted to be friends, then I would gladly only be friends with her.
It would hurt like a bitch, but I refused to lose her.
As Abdul slid me the drink, I pulled out my phone, thinking about how when I’d left her, my cum had been dripping out of her pussy and staining the couch. I’d get us a new one tomorrow, but I thought it’d be a nice reminder of who she belonged to when she woke up and saw it.
Nadia: Let me know babe. xx
Nadia: Can’t wait to finally meet you.
Nadia: We’re going to have such a good time.
A low growl escaped my mouth. Fuck.
“Thought I’d find you here,” Derek suddenly said, squeezing my shoulder.
Double fuck. He was the very last person I wanted to talk to right now.
“What are you doing here?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“Down in the city for a bit. Thought I’d come see you.”
“You came to my place yesterday?”
“Pretty girl answered the door,” he said. “Athena, was it?”
I sipped on my vodka. So, Heather hadn’t been lying or trying to get the best of me when they were over this morning. Athena had been alone yesterday with Derek, and it pissed me off to no end.
For a moment earlier, I’d thought that she had made up some excuse to Heather that Derek had been over last night. Maybe to make me angry, to see how I’d react, or to hide what had really happened this morning.
But Derek had been over, and she hadn’t even told me about it.
Though … I wasn’t sure when she would have had a chance. As soon as I had found out that she saw my videos this morning, I pounced on her and then left her to her friends. And when I had come home, I couldn’t keep my hands off her.
After swishing the vodka in my mouth, I swallowed. “Mmhmm.”
“You fucking her?”
“We’re friends,” I said because I didn’t want to turn it into this whole thing. I wasn’t sure how Athena felt about me yet. I was too scared to ask and ruin the friendship we had built over the past few years.
“Just friends? Huh.”
My gaze dropped to my drink, and I swayed the alcohol in the glass. “Just friends.”
“You’re letting a baddie walk around your house, and you haven’t even been tempted to”—a low chuckle came out of my idiot brother’s mouth—“you know, sleep with her?” He stretched out on the stool. “If it were me, I would’ve tapped that the day she moved in.”
“I bet you would’ve,” I murmured.
He only cared about a good fuck.
“She’s got a nice ass, but her tits need wor—”
“She doesn’t need anything,” I snarled, glaring at him and hoping that he’d fucking leave already while I figured out what I was going to do—both with Athena and now with Nadia texting me nonstop too. “What do you want anyway? Why are you here?”
“Mom and Dad are hosting a party at the end of January. You coming?”
“No.”
“Ah, come on.” He slung his arm over my shoulders. “It’ll be fun.”
“I have work.”
He dramatically rolled his eyes. “Work this and work that. It’s not like you need the money. Grandpap is about to kick the bucket, and we’ll get our inheritance. Why don’t you relax for once?”
“Because I like it.”
“It’s a start-up.”
“So what?”
“Damn, it’s like talking to a brick wall. Maybe this is why you’re in the friend zone.” He hopped off the stool and squeezed my shoulder once more. “I’ll leave you to wallowing. I’ll be in the city for a few days. Think about the party.”
After tipping my drink in his direction so I wouldn’t have to respond, I placed it back on the counter and slid it to the bartender, watching my brother disappear into the crowd. “Another one.”
“She’s not just a friend, is she?” Abdul asked.
I stared down at my phone and swiped away Nadia’s messages so I didn’t have to look at them any longer.
I hoped she’d get the hint and stop messaging me before she came to visit.
Hell, I needed to figure out what I was going to do—and what Athena and I were—before Nadia stepped on the plane to come here.
“No,” I whispered. “She’s never been.”