Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
SILVER
W ell, that could have gone worse. Possibly. At least he hadn’t had his buddy kick her out of the club for good. Which meant she still had access to him, and she was stubborn enough to keep coming back until she got what she wanted.
The problem was, she wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted.
She wanted him to come home, sure. The band needed him. But now that she’d seen him, talked to him, everything she’d felt after Roulette had come rushing back to the surface. And she was more certain than ever that even if she could get Ice back to California, nothing would ever go back to normal.
Worse, she wasn’t even sure she wanted it to.
“You okay, honey?”
Forcing yet another smile, she looked up into Lottie’s concerned face. “I’m fine. Could use another drink, though.”
“Are you playing tonight?”
A familiar hum of excitement buzzed under her skin at the thought. But the buzz died as quickly as it had started. She hadn’t played with anyone since that night at Black Light, and she couldn’t quite stomach the idea of getting on her knees for anyone but Ice, especially where he might see.
Funny how making Ace jealous had always excited her, while the idea of upsetting Ice tied her stomach into knots. “No, I’m not playing tonight.”
“Another whiskey coming up, then.”
“Make it a double.” She was going to have to get a ride back to her hotel anyway. Might as well make the most of her evening.
“Sure thing.”
Silver pulled her phone from her pocket as Lottie sashayed toward the bar on ankle-breaker stilettos. Tapping the screen, she sighed at the most recent notification and opened the series of unread texts from Ace.
The Asshole:
Have you found Ice yet?
Simon said something about Arizona. And the east coast. Where are you?
So, what, are you just going to ignore me? Why are you being such a bitch about this? Call me.
Call me.
I swear to god when you get back to California I’m going to drag your ass to Black Light and remind you who you fucking belong to.
Why aren’t you answering me, angel? Be a good girl and text me back.
Goddammit, Sil, you can’t ignore me forever.
“Wanna bet?” she muttered, her stomach rolling as she shoved the phone back into her pocket at the same moment Lottie returned with her drink—and a friend.
The pair slid into the booth across from Silver, each holding their own tall glass of wine. They were strikingly different, with Lottie’s dark hair and pale eyes next to the newcomer’s fiery red locks and dark gaze, but with smiles that were nearly identical. Sympathetic, as if they knew Silver was hurting somehow, but determined in a way that told her they weren’t leaving until they’d figured out exactly what that hurt was.
Great. Just what she needed. Well-meaning strangers butting into her business.
“This is Frankie,” Lottie said by way of introduction, gesturing toward the redhead who waved hello before sipping at her wine. “And I’m sorry, I just realized I haven’t gotten your name yet.”
The world knew her as Silver, but if they hadn’t recognized her yet then she was happy to fly under the radar a bit longer. “Mandy.”
“Mandy? That’s adorable. So, Mandy,” Lottie continued before Silver could protest the description of adorable being applied to her in any shape or fashion, “what’s with you and The Viking?”
Even knowing it was coming, the question hit her straight in the gut and she had to force her lips to stay fixed in what she hoped passed for a reasonably polite smile. “It’s… a long story.”
Curiosity lit Frankie’s eyes as she gestured with her wine glass. “We have time.”
Sensing the two women across from her weren’t going to be put off that easily, Silver sighed and took a long sip of her whiskey. The stuff was like liquid gold, with just enough of a burn going down to make her feel alive.
And when she caught sight of Ice down in the pit, talking to a giant of a man she didn’t recognize, his head thrown back in laughter, the burn turned to fire in her veins.
“Fuck it,” she muttered, before slamming back the rest of her drink. “Bring me a few more of those and I’ll tell you whatever the fuck you wanna know.”
Across from her, Frankie and Lottie shared a look. Slipping from the table, Lottie grabbed the glass from Silver’s hand and winked. “You’ve got a deal.”
Silver
“Wait, wait, wait. So you guys have all been best friends since high school, and you run a business together, and you’ve been on-and-off romantically with your other business partner?” Shaking her head, Lottie let out a low whistle. “That is messy, girl.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Silver muttered, tossing back another shot of… something. She’d started with whiskey but then Lottie had suggested some kind of fruity shot with a sexy name and Silver had lost track of exactly what she was drinking two shots ago. Whatever it was called, it was delicious, and she immediately reached for another one from the row of glasses Lottie had lined up on the table between them. “We’re all members of the same kink club back in California, and every year they host this thing called Roulette where you sign up and gamble on who’s going to be your partner for the evening.”
“Oh that sounds fun!” Lottie’s eyes lit up. “I wonder if Daddy would try something like that.”
“He’d never let you play.” Chuckling at her friend’s pout, Frankie patted Lottie on the shoulder. “You know that man is as possessive as they come, Lottie baby.”
“Yeah, yeah. Still sounds like fun, though.”
“It does. But our new friend was telling us a story and I have a feeling it’s about to get good.”
It took Silver several seconds to realize Frankie was talking about her. “Right. Me. I’m the new friend,” she said with a giggle before tossing back another shot. “So, Roulette. I signed up this year because, well, things happened and I decided I was done with The Asshole—that’s what I call my ex, he doesn’t deserve a name—like really done, for good this time. But then I get there and guess who else fucking signed up?”
A shocked gasp burst from Lottie’s lips as she pressed her palms to her pink cheeks. “The Viking!”
“The goddamned Viking. And of course he spins my name. We should have backed out. We almost did but I practically begged him to play with me and… God it was a fucking disaster.”
“Why?” Frankie, who was possibly the only one of them who was still remotely sober, cocked her head to the side. “Was he not good?”
“Are you kidding me?” Silver let out a low groan as the memories flooded her. “We didn’t even have sex and it was still the best goddamn night of my life. Until I ruined it.”
“Oh, honey.” Sympathy dripping from her slightly slurred words, Lottie reached across the table and gripped Silver’s hand. “Did you tell him you loved him or something? Good dick will do that, you know. Make you say shit you didn’t really mean. Or so I’ve heard. I’ve only had one dick, but I know it makes me wanna do some crazy shit.”
“Hear, hear,” Frankie cheered darkly, raising her glass in a toast.
“No.” Silver shook her head, immediately regretting the action when the world spun around her. “No. Just the opposite. We kissed, and he told me he’s been in love with me since we were teenagers. And I flat-out rejected him. Told him there was no way we could be together.”
Fuck. She hadn’t actually meant to tell them that. She was supposed to be telling them how Ice had ditched the ‘business’ and gone to find himself or whatever and she’d been sent to find him. How the hell had she ended up talking about their night at Black Light?
Too many fruity shots, that’s how. Picking up an empty glass, she glared at the remnants coating the inside. Little fuckers were sneaky. At least with whiskey you knew you were getting fucked up.
“What?” Voice pitching up into a shocked squeak, Lottie stared at her as if she’d just confessed to being an alien lifeform, jerking Silver’s attention away from the shot glass in her hand. “The man who just gave you the best night of your life—your words—tells you he loves you and you reject him? What the fuck is wrong with you, woman?”
“I had to think about everyone else.” Despite the voice in the back of her head screaming at her to shut up, the words kept coming, spilling out of her mouth against her better judgment. “My ex, the guy I’ve been fucking for years? He’s a jealous asshole. And The Viking is his best friend. If The Asshole finds out his BFF even thought about touching me, it would be the end of our… business.”
“So why are you here?” Frankie’s head tilted to the side, her dark eyes seeing far too much despite their slightly glazed state. “Why come all this way to see him if you can’t be with him?”
“Officially? We got an offer we can’t refuse and we need The Viking to make it work.”
“Unofficially?” The question was soft, full of understanding when Frankie asked it.
“I really fucking miss my friend,” Silver confessed, tears blurring her vision. “This is going to make me sound like a selfish bitch, but god, I miss him. Even if we can’t be together, you know, like that , I just want my friend back.”
“Aww, honey.” Even slurred, Lottie’s words were full of sympathy. “We’ll get him back.”
“How? He won’t even talk to me.”
“I don’t know. But we’ll figure it out.”