“I gotta make a call.” He stands, then looks at his sister. “Please try not to tell her anything that is going to cause her to run.”
“If she runs, that’s on you, my friend.” She gives him a smug look, and I hide my smile behind my glass when he sighs. With him gone, she raises a brow at me. “So tell me honestly—do you have an issue with the fact that he owns a strip club?”
“No, not even a little.” I take another sip of my drink, and she finishes off hers, then notice Maxim standing near the bar, talking on the phone, oblivious to the woman sitting a few feet away with her friend, her eyes on him. Her friend obviously encouraging her to make a move and talk to him.
“Would you like another?” our waitress asks, coming over, and I pull my attention off him, feeling oddly relieved.
“Yes, please.” Melanie looks at my drink. “She’ll have another one too, and we’ll have two shots of tequila.”
“Great, be right back.” She smiles, then takes off.
“Tequila?” I raise a brow at her, and she shrugs.
“I don’t have work tomorrow, and it’s my first real day off in two months.”
“I guess we’re drinking tequila tonight, then.” I laugh, then push back from the table and stand. “Before that though, I’m going to go use the restroom.”
“I’ll be here,” she says, and I head across the room. When I reach the restroom, a couple of girls are inside, so I wait until one of the stalls is free. When I’m finished I come out to wash my hands, and a redhead that was at the table with Vanessa is at the sink, leaning in and fixing her lipstick. Her eyes come to me in the mirror, and there is something about the look in her gaze that puts me on guard.
“With all the talk about you, I thought you’d be—” Her eyes roam over me. “—hotter.”
“Did you?” I raise a brow. “It’s the boobs, right?” I look down at my chest, which is half the size of hers. “I knew I should have gotten a boob job.”
“That wouldn’t help. You’re so—” Her lip curls. “Plain.”
“Ouch.” I shake off my hands over the sink, then grab a paper towel and lean with my hip against the edge of the counter. “Anything else you wanna tell me before I take off?” I ask, taking pleasure in the fact that me not feeding into her is obviously pissing her off, judging by the way her cheeks are starting to darken.
“Cohen doesn’t love you.” She makes a kiss face to her reflection, then puts the cap on her lipstick and places it in her bag. “This whole thing with you and the album is just a publicity stunt.”
That wouldn’t even surprise me a little. Still, it annoys me that she assumes her statement would bother me. “How long have you been sleeping with him?”
“Pardon?”
“With Cohen, how long have you been sleeping with him? That’s why you’re doing this, right? Because you think I’m actually going to go running back to him and you’re going to get left behind?”
“He loves me.” She rolls her eyes.
“I hope for your sake that’s true, because the Cohen I knew only ever loved himself, so a word of advice?” I toss my paper towel in the trash. “Run while you can and save yourself the hurt you’re going to feel when he lets you down.”
I open the door, finding Maxim standing outside with his back to the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. If I didn’t know better, I’d think his stance was relaxed, but the way his muscles are bunched under his shirt and his jaw tight, I can tell he’s been out here holding himself in check.
“You okay?” He meets my gaze, then looks behind me.
“Great,” I say as he places his hand in the center of my back to lead me across the room. “Everything go okay with your phone call?”
“What did the redhead say to you?” he asks, ignoring my question.
Figures.
“How do you know she said anything?”
“She was watching you from the moment we sat at our table, then I watched her follow you into the restroom. I figured she’s either sleeping with your ex or wants to be sleeping with him, which means you’re enemy number one.”
“You’re good at reading people,” I tell him, glancing at the table where Vanessa and her friends are sitting, and the three of them watch us walk by. If I had to guess, they have all been hanging out with Cohen and his band, and none of them want some chick coming in and fucking things up for them.
“I own a strip club; I know women, know how territorial they can get,” he murmurs as we get closer to the table. I don’t respond, even though I really want to ask him if he’s slept with any of the women at his club, giving them a reason to fight over him. It’s none of my business, and there is no way in hell I would ever let him think I’m jealous, because I’m not.
Okay… I’m mostly not.
“Thanks,” I tell him when he holds out my chair for me to take a seat.
“Why do you have that look on your face?” Melanie asks her brother before looking at me. “And why do you look annoyed? Please tell me that you two are not fighting.”
“No one is fighting,” I assure her as she hands me a shot of tequila.
“What is that?” Maxim asks her, and she grins at him.
“Tequila.”
“Fuck.” He jerks his fingers through his hair. “I’m not taking care of your ass if you get fucked up.”
“Yeah, you are.” She holds her glass out to me.
“I’m not.” He takes a sip of his whiskey.
“What about your girlfriend? Are you taking care of her if she gets messed up?”
“He’s not my man,” I tell her, and his hand lands possessively on my thigh, his fingers squeezing—not enough to hurt, but definitely enough to get my attention.
“Pretty sure you’ve been claimed,” she mutters, then takes her shot, and I turn to meet her brother’s gaze and shoot back mine.
Between the hold he has on me and the burn from the tequila, my breath catches. I set down my glass and cover his hand, attempting to get him to let go. He doesn’t, and I don’t know what the look he’s giving me means, but then again, it doesn’t take a genius to guess he’s not happy.
Which is too damn bad for him.
Chapter 7
April
“I LOVE YOUR sister.” I sigh happily, waving at Melanie, who is standing in the open doorway of her house.
“Go back inside, Melanie!” Maxim leans across me to yell at her out the passenger side window.
“I’m saying goodnight!” she shouts at her brother, then her eyes come to me, and she holds up her pinky to her mouth and thumb to her ear. “Call me.”
“I’ll call you. We’ll have lunch,” I yell back, and she stumbles slightly to the side, and Maxim lets out a string of curses before getting out of the car once again.
“Okay, but don’t forget.”
“I won’t.” I cross my fingers over my chest, watching Maxim stomp up the steps toward her.
“Night, new best friend,” she singsongs loudly, waving over the top of her brother’s head.