46. Penelope
PENELOPE
That night
I sit down at a circular table with my friends, enjoying the very racy show in front of us.
A girl twirls around the pole in a scantily-clad bikini as the music blasts through the roof of this posh place.
The front end of the club was filled with people dancing, but we’re in a secluded backroom meant only for VIP customers.
Lucky for us, Felix’s father owns the place, so he got us all into the special section with private dancers and lots of expensive liquor.
And even though I’m enjoying the show, I can’t help but glance at all three of them as they walk into the room.
Felix’s tight, pitch-black long-sleeve shirt barely covers his muscles, and the gray jeans he’s sporting underneath are probably worth more than the watch on his wrist. Dylan casually drapes his jacket over his shoulder, looking fine as fuck with that tousled, platinum-blond hair and a black necklace dangling from his neck over that expensive white shirt of his.
Alistair’s donning that same fishnet outfit on top of a black shirt I saw on the bonfire night, and I have to admit it looks very good on his lean muscles.
They all look damn good, and it makes me swallow away the lump in my throat.
Dylan sees me looking, and I swiftly look away, but he still makes his way to our table.
“Pen,” Kayla says, nudging me. “Your boy’s coming over.”
“He’s not my boy,” I hiss back.
“Who’s not your boy?” Dylan asks, raising a brow.
My cheeks flush. “Doesn’t matter.”
Dylan leans over the couch we’re all sitting on, and Calvin chuckles so loudly that Jeremy actually has to jab him with his elbow.
“I can be your boy if you want me to.”
Kayla’s jaw drops, and Crystal actually mutters, “Oh my God.”
“Dylan,” I hiss, “stop embarrassing me.”
“You think I’m embarrassing you?” he muses as he leans forward and curls my necklace around his finger, slowly pulling at it until I’m forced to lean in too.
“I can make it far more shameful right here, right now …” He pulls me in until he’s so close to my ear I can feel his breath on my skin.
“I could lick you on this couch and make you come so hard you’d be begging to God and screaming my name in front of all your friends. ”
“Stop,” I murmur, even though my breath hitches in my throat at the thought.
“Only if you ask me nicely,” he mutters.
“Please …” I tack on, hating myself with every fiber of my being. And him. Definitely him.
My eyes flick over his shoulder, where Felix is chatting with someone in the back. A girl with long black hair that’s laced with a red ribbon at the top, as well as serious anger management issues. Lana.
As Dylan leans back again, I tilt my body to the side and watch some dude grope Lana while dancing with her. Felix pummels him in the face.
I gasp, and it immediately makes Dylan turn to look.
The guy who got hit first tries to punch Felix back, but when Felix pulls out a knife, he walks off, enraged.
“Oh … Of course.” Dylan doesn’t seem surprised even the slightest bit.
“What?” I say.
“Oh, Lana always attracts the wrong crowd,” Dylan says, folding his arms. “But Felix can take care of it.”
Felix grabs Lana’s wrist, but she jerks herself free, pointing at his chest as they engage in a heated argument.
“I thought they hated each other,” I say.
“They don’t. They’ve just got a complicated relationship,” Dylan casually replies as he watches them. “But Felix won’t let anyone lay a finger on her unless they deserve it.”
Maybe Felix doesn’t have a heart of stone after all.
“He cares about his little sister,” Dylan adds, and he looks my way, winking. “But don’t tell him I said that, or I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Gotcha,” I mumble.
He snorts. “Oh, and don’t tell Lana I called her little. She’ll kill me.”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” I ask in the spur of the moment.
Dylan glances at me. “A little brother. Why?”
I shrug. “Just curious.”
“He’s in high school. And I’m not sure if I’d ever allow him to attend our university.”
Fair point, considering what happens at Spine Ridge.
Lana walks off into the big club room, away from the private section, leaving Felix with a hot head. He blows off some steam and marches toward a different table across from ours, where Alistair casually sips a drink.
“Well, that’s my cue,” Dylan mutters, and he pushes himself off the table. “Have fun with your friends.” He throws them a look and grins, then saunters off with an arrogant swagger to him.
“Your boy sure is something special,” Calvin muses.
“Oh God,” I say, burying my face in my hands. “He’s not my boy .”
“No, all three of them are, aren’t they?” Jeremy says.
Crystal gasps. “What, really?”
“You mean you didn’t know?” Jeremy gasps. “I’m surprised.”
“Can we please stop talking about those boys? Let’s play a game instead,” I say, smashing some money on the table. “Drinks on me for the first person who dares to tip the dancer on stage in her underwear.”
* * *
Dylan
“Bro, you sure this is such a good idea?” I ask Felix as we settle down on our usual couch while Penelope and her squad of geeks remain seated around a table in the back near the stage.
I can’t stop looking at her off-the-shoulder black dress that scrunches up in just the right way around her waist. Like an appetizing teaser just waiting for me to take a bite out of.
And with me, probably every other man in this club is thinking this very same thing.
I clear my throat and focus on Felix. “Inviting them here seems like a dangerous move.”
“I’ll keep an eye out,” Felix says. “If any Phantoms show up, I’ll shut the place down.”
“Your father’s clients come and go,” Alistair says, and he orders three shots from a server.
“If they try to bother Penelope or her friends, I’ll intervene,” Felix says. “They’ll have to listen, or I’ll have them kicked out.”
“Not sure your father’s gonna like that,” I muse as I lean back in my seat.
Felix glares at me. “I don’t fucking care what he thinks.”
“Wow, it’s almost like you want to impress her,” I joke.
The murderous look on his face gives me life.
I glare right back at him. “And here, I thought Alistair was the only one falling for her.”
Add some more oil to the fire, yeah.
“Dylan,” Ali scoffs. “Really?”
“What?” I throw him a glance. “It’s the truth, isn’t it?”
“I said we would share,” Felix growls. “I never said you could fucking fall in love with her.”
“Chill. I’m not,” Ali responds. “I’m just enjoying what we have together.”
“There is no ‘together.’” Felix makes air quotes with his fingers. “Only the agreement. Once it’s done, it’s over.”
I frown. “Whoa, hold on, you mean to tell me you just want to ditch this little thing we’ve got going for us? Now that it’s finally getting juicy?”
“You can get juicy with any other fucking woman. Or man, I don’t fucking care,” Felix growls. “Just don’t get fucking attached.”
Ali snorts. “You’re just trying to escape your own feelings.”
Felix almost lunges across the table. “What did you just say?”
“Felix,” I warn him. “Relax. We’re here to party, not to fight.”
“I’m here to watch,” Felix snarls back. “And you’re distracting me.”
He turns around in his seat and focuses on the group of girls. But I know he’s only trying to tell himself that he’s not at all butt hurt by Alistair’s comment. Ali always knows how to find his limits within the snap of a finger. That’s how he gets to me too.
But this isn’t about what Ali says, and he knows it.
Unfortunately, it always takes a long while for Felix to realize what he truly wants.
And by then, it’s usually too fucking late to take it.
The server comes back with our drinks, and I greedily grab my glass and chug it down while staring at the hunk whipping out his hard-on on stage toward the girls. They’re all squealing like they’ve never seen one before, and it makes me laugh.
From this side of the room, all I see is a very thick, muscular ass that I could just take a bite out of, and I lick my lips in excitement.
“Getting horny already?” Ali jests.
I raise a brow at him. “Oh, c’mon, can’t I even enjoy the view?”
He smirks. “That’s why I brought you here.”
I bite my lip and place my hand on his thigh, squeezing. “Maybe we should invite him to a little bit of fun later.”
“Since when are you two dating?” Felix suddenly asks.
“Who needs to date when you can just fuck around?” I muse, taking a quick sip of his shot when he isn’t looking.
Felix snorts. “You sure Ali would agree?”
I turn to look at my best friend, but he seems to retreat into his shell like he always does when he doesn’t want to be involved in the conversation.
I sigh out loud. “I’m not exclusive. None of us are.” I fold my arms. “You know that.”
Felix turns to look at me. “Prove it.”
I won’t say no to a challenge, especially from him.
“All right.” I run my tongue across my inner cheek. “Watch.”
I gaze at a girl dancing around the table next to ours, where a private party takes place. She’s been throwing looks at our table ever since we sat down here, but I haven’t flirted back until now.
I run my tongue across my lips, watching her dance, and when our eyes finally connect, I throw myself back and spread my legs, then wink.
She grins and continues to dance, but after a while, she picks up her drink and makes her way over to our table.
“Hey,” she says. “You three having fun over here?”
“Not nearly enough,” I reply.
Alistair rolls his eyes.
“Come sit with us,” I say, patting the couch.
“Well, if you insist.” She flops down between Ali and me, her drink sloshing around on the floor. “Whoops!”
“You sure about this, Dylan?” Alistair asks, visibly annoyed.
“Felix asked me something. Of course I immediately oblige,” I jest, throwing a quick glance at Felix, who seems just as annoyed that it comes so easy to me.
I turn to the girl. “So what’s your name, beautiful?”
She giggles as I begin to twirl her hair. “Farah.”