Chapter and Verse (34 page)

“
Do you walk in anywhere at less than full throttle?”

My sister blew in my front door as if she were being chased, poor Ayla trying to keep up.

“
Hi Ayla.”

“
Hey Dor’.  Your sister has a plan.”

I looked at Melody for clarification.

“
I thought we had a plan.  Pizza and maybe a movie.”

I could tell something was bothering her by the scowl on her face and the rigidness of her posture.  She was wearing a little black dress that fell mid thigh and black platform pumps.  She had strands of different colored beads around her neck that fell to her waist and her long blonde hair was half up, half down in a messy bun.  Definitely not pizza and chick movie attire.

Ayla was dressed in an emerald green silk blouse, tucked into a pair of jet black skinny jeans and black ankle boots.  Again, inappropriate for our game plan.

I looked down at myself and then looked up at my sister.  I looked like the hitchhiker they’d picked up on the way in.

“
Mel’?  What happened to the plan?”

“
Plans change.  Go change your clothes.  We’re going out tonight.”

“
Right...pizza and a movie.  Remember?”

“
Sorry Dor’, but you’re the designated driver tonight.  Now hurry up, we need to be somewhere.”

I went down the hall and Ayla followed, whether to get away from my crabby assed sister, or to help me choose an outfit, I didn’t know.  But it was nice to have an allie anyway.

Once we were in my room, I led her into my closet.

“
What’s with her?”

Ayla picked an indigo blue blouse (one of my favorites) and held it against a pair of black flared trousers (good eye).  She handed them both to me.

“
If you’ve got flats, I’d wear them.  She wants to dance and we may be moving fast, depending.”

I was changing clothes and reached for my favorite black mary janes.

“
Depending on what?”

“
Not what, who.  Here, let me brush your hair out.  We’ll add barrettes to the side and you’ll outshine both of us.”

I sat down and let her work her magic.

“
Who’s the who?”

“
Who else?  Anton.  I guess they had a huge fight about his plans for tonight.  She wants to find him and show him that she doesn’t need his sorry ass.  Her words, not mine.”

“
So we’re going to find the guys so that she can start trouble?”

“
That’s the condensed version, yes.”

We went back into the living room and Melody was on her cell phone laying into someone.  Her inner bitch was in rare form tonight and Ayla and I tried to look interested in a bookend.  When she hung up, she spun on us with her hands on her hips and fire in her eyes.  We took a step back.  There would be no talking our way out of this, Melody was loaded for bear.

I couldn’t prove it, but my educated guess based on knowing my sister her entire life, was that she put a trace on his phone.  If they were fighting, there would be no way he’d tell her where he was going.  He’d just go.  At least that’s what Deke would do.  Would Anton throw something in her face if he was angry with her?  This speculation brought up a good point as well.

I looked in the rearview mirror at her in the back seat, while driving to our first destination.

“
Since when are you and Anton a couple?”

Her eyes snapped to mine.

“
Who said we were a couple?”

She shot a glance at Ayla, who kept her eyes facing forward.  Smart girl.

“
If we’re trailing him around while he’s hosting my fiance’s bachelor party, you’d better be a damned couple or I’m heading for the Cineplex.”

“
Okay!  He asked me out a few times and made me believe he was interested.  Now he’s trying to friend zone me so that he can screw around tonight.  Not gonna happen.  Pull in here.  There’s parking in the back.”

“
Cloud Nine?  Mel’, it’s a strip club.  I am not going into a strip club.  I don’t care if Ryan Gosling is on tonight giving us a Magic Mike, I am not going in there.”

We found a table in the back easy enough, all the men were crowded around the stage.  Someone named Tara was sliding down a pole dressed in feathers.  When I turned my head just right, I could almost see Big Bird as a fireman.

Ayla saw what I was doing and tilted her head too.  I looked at her and she was grinning.

“
Big Bird the fireman.  Right?”

She high fived me and sipped her wine.  I sipped my root beer.  I was sick to death of lemon lime soda and root beer doesn’t have caffeine either, so it was a nice change.

Melody watched us both with a scowl on her face.  She fired her opening shot at me.

“
You’ve got a root beer moustache and those girls work hard.  Quit making fun of them.”

I dabbed at my upper lip quickly when she turned to Ayla.

“
And you - don’t encourage my sister.”

When Mel’ turned to scan the crowd again, Ayla stuck her tongue out.  That girl and I were gonna be besties by the end of the night.

Two more girls danced before we spotted them.  They were at a table two rows back from the stage and I wasn’t sure how we’d missed them.  They were easily the most attractive men in the place and two out of the three were probably the most disinterested.

Pierce looked flat out uncomfortable.  He sipped his beer and blushed anytime a topless waitress or a dancer looked at him.  I leaned into Ayla and pointed him out.

“
See the cutie with the black hair wearing the blue sweater?”

“
The one with the beer and high blood pressure?”

“
High blood pressure?”

“
His face is redder than a beet.”

I waved my hand and smiled.

“
He’s blushing.  Pierce is shy and naked women make him nervous.”

“
Bullshit Dor’.”

“
You don’t think he’s shy?”

“
Dorothy, trust me.  This is one area where I’m the expert.  He wants you to think he’s shy.  That smoldering slice of heaven right there is either a Dom, or he wants to be a Dom.”

I choked on my root beer.

“
Pierce?  Teddy bear Pierce?  No way.  When you meet him, you’ll understand why that’s impossible to believe Ayla.  There is no way on this planet that Pierce could dominate a woman.  He doesn’t have it in him.”

“
Oh yeah?  Introduce me to him and I’ll prove it.”

I was about to question her further, when my sister flagged down a waitress.  The pretty blonde leaned over and Ayla and I both checked out our own breasts in comparison.  Mel’ never took her eyes off our guys while she spoke.

“
Do you see those men down there?  Three guys at the third table, second row back.  Two have black hair, one has dark brown.”

“
The hotties?  Hell yeah.”

Mel’ shot her look that would have had a lesser woman slithering into the shadows.

“
See the one getting the lap dance by the floozy in leather?”

“
That’s Liza.”

“
Who the fuck cares?  I’m not adding the bitch to my contact list, listen.  I want you to send that guy a drink from me.”

“
What kind of drink?”

“
Send him a Red Headed Slut.  He’ll understand the reference.”

“
Will do.”

The waitress walked away and Mel’ caught me staring at her.

“
What?”

“
Is that even a real drink?”

She rolled her eyes and chugged her third glass of wine.

“
Yes Dorothy.  It’s a real drink.  It’s got Jagermeister, peach schnapps, and cranberry juice.”

I screwed up my face and fortified myself with root beer.

“
That sounds awful!”

I saw her lean forward and Ayla and I did the same.  The waitress was delivering the drink.  She pointed us out and Deacon looked our way.  I smiled and waved and he smiled and waved back.  I blew him a kiss and he caught it.

Anton wasn’t smiling, waving, or catching kisses.  Anton did a no-no.  He put his hands on the woman that was grinding into his lap.

I’m interrupting our story for a minute to point something out.  I understand that rules are in place for a reason.  But if you’re wearing nothing but a thong and you’re grinding against strange men in a strip club, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to wonder why you’d seem surprised if one touched you.  I’m not saying he has the right to touch you, I’m saying one is bound to take a stab at it.

Which is exactly what Anton did.

It happened so fast, I don’t think Pierce or Deacon noticed.  As a matter of fact, I know Deacon didn’t because he was making crazy eyes at me and I was grinning and stuff right back at him.  Pierce’s eyes were on us as well, but I think he was watching Melody.  Who happened to be standing up.

Ayla leaned over and spoke loud enough for me to hear.

“
My money’s on Mel’ over Anton.  She looks madder.”

“
Yeah but he’s bigger.  If she gets the first blow in, he’s toast.”

Melody was on her way over and we stood to follow.  So did the bouncer, because Anton was touching the pretty lady and that was a Cloud Nine hard limit.  The bouncer should have left it to Melody.

We beat the bouncer to the table and picked sides.  Deacon stood and kissed my cheek.

“
Hey baby!  It’s good to see you, but what are you doing here?”

“
Hi Hon’.  My sister chipped your brother and then he friend zoned her.  She’s here to find out why.”

Deacon nodded as if this were an everyday occurrence, and the redhead on Anton’s lap looked up.  I decided to start out friendly.

“
Hi Liza.”

She smiled.

“
Do I know you?”

“
Not yet, but you may be pressing charges against my sister.”

Mel’ jerked Liza off of Anton’s lap just as the bouncer put his hand on her shoulder.  She turned on him in a flash and he wisely took a step back and held his hands up.

“
Get your fucking hands off of me Bozo.  No one touches girls in this club remember?”

That confused him and he had to think about that for a minute.  Meanwhile, she turned back to Anton.

“
That goes for you too pervert.”

Anton stood up with his hands fisted at his side, prompting Pierce to stand up as well.  Anton towered over Melody and she leaned in towards him just as pissed.

“
You sent me a red headed slut!”

Liza piped up, obviously offended.

“
Excuse me?!”

I patted her on the arm because I was closer.

“
Not you girlfriend.  It’s the name of the drink she sent over.  I mean, you might be a slut, I don’t know, but he was talking about the drink.”

She gave me a dirty look and motioned to the bouncer with her head.  He came over to escort her backstage.

Melody and Anton were radioactive at this point and so I took the opportunity to get Ayla out of the line of fire.  Her eyes were on Pierce and I figured there was no time like the present.

I inched us closer until he was standing right next to her and I was standing on the other side of her.  I leaned over and tapped him on the arm.  Pierce looked at both of us.  He smiled at me, but his eyes lingered on Ayla.

“
Pierce Sloan, this is Ayla Warren.  She’ll be walking with you on Saturday.  Ayla, this is Pierce.  Deacon’s youngest brother.”

Now this next part is cool and I probably would have missed it, except I remembered what Ayla had said about him earlier.

Pierce extended his hand in her direction, his eyes never leaving hers.  In that deep Sloan voice that drips sex and innuendoes, Pierce addressed her.

“
Ayla, it’s nice to meet you.”

Serious as grandma’s knickers, Ayla did the coolest thing.  She placed her hand into his, said, “It’s nice to meet you, Sir”, and then she lowered her eyes.

Holy fifty shades.  The minute Ayla said, “Sir”, his nostrils flared and his pupils dilated.  He stared at the top of her head and a tiny smile began at the corners of his mouth.  This.  Was.  Hot.