Corrupting Cinderella (12 page)

“Jonny put Rock, Hope, and plus two on the list,” Sophie answers, clearing up that mystery.

Geez, I hope Wrath isn’t going to show up next.

“Shit,” Lilly mumbles.

“What are you so freaked out for? I thought you and Z were just fucking around,” Sophie asks.

“We are.” Lilly sinks her teeth into her bottom lip. “Doesn’t mean I want to hang out with him and someone else I’m fucking around with,” she says with a nervous chuckle.

I can’t stop the eye roll. I love Lilly, but she’s non-stop drama.

By the time we make it out of the bathroom, the band is setting up. We reenter the green room where Jonny is busy running through his vocal exercises. Not wanting to make him nervous, I head back to Rock.

“We’re probably going to watch the band from the side of the stage,” I inform him.

“Okay. You’re staying back here, though, right? I don’t want you out in the crowd if they start moshing and shit.”

I stop and give him a cool look. “Rock, I went to shows long before I knew you. I can handle myself just fine.”

His eyebrow quirks at that. Z turns away, shaking with laughter.

The girls and I head into the club.

After the first song, Rock joins us side stage and slips his arms around my waist. I lean into him, and he bends down to kiss my neck. Sophie glances over and breaks into a wide grin. My body is vibrating from being so close to the stage. Having Rock at my back intensifies the sensation.

The show is awesome, and I remember how much I used to enjoy going out with Sophie. Jonny turns into a beast on stage, and I hope he and Sophie manage to make things work. I don’t think she realizes it, but he’s exactly the kind of guy she’s been looking for since I met her. Hot rocker, who has a business with income on the side. Doesn’t throw his money away on drugs, and worships the ground she walks on.

After the band finishes what they say is their last song, Jonny paces backstage waiting to go back out for their encore. Looking past Sophie, I realize Lilly has disappeared. Z and Rock are over by the entrance to the back room talking, so she’s not with Z. Just as I turn to ask Sophie a question, someone squeezes my ass. Unless Rock has developed some amazing super powers, I know it can’t be him, and whirl to confront the ass-grabber. Sophie also squeals. Ass-grabber has an accomplice.

I recognize my perv as the singer of one of the earlier bands.

“Get your hands off me,” I order through clenched teeth.

“Come on, baby, you’re too hot to be bandwhoring for these old fucks,” he breathes in my face. Is it possible to get contact drunk? If so, then his whiskey breath would do the trick.

Sophie pushes the other guy just as the music for the encore starts up.

Suddenly both ass-grabbers are laid out on the floor. Rock has his hand around the throat of mine. “That’s my girl you touched, asshole,” he shout-growls into the kid’s ear.

Jonny has his knee on the chest of the guy who grabbed Sophie and is delivering an equally informative message.

Z hustles us away. “You girls all right?”

I shake him off. “We’re fine. We had it covered.”

Z cocks his head at me. Security finally shows up and holds on to the two jerks, while Jonny runs out on stage to finish his set. Sophie and I crash into the green room together.

Flopping on the couch side by side, we listen to the band wrap up their set. Rock’s still out there somewhere too.

“Man we know how to live it up, buttercup,” Sophie giggles.

“Sorry about that.”

“What? Our men protecting us? Don’t be—”

She’s interrupted by Jonny running into the room and scooping her up off the couch. They disappear into another back room that I assume will be off-limits for the rest of the night.

Rock slams through the doors next and heads straight for me. Joining me on the couch, he slips his arm around my shoulders. “You okay?”

“I was fine, Rock. I can take care of myself,” I grumble. Looking up, I find Z standing next to the couch. Rock leans over, touching his forehead to mine.

“I see someone grabbin’ my girl’s ass, I’m gonna to do something about it. It’s who I am, Hope. You know this.”

He’s right. I do know this about him. But still. “You can’t go around beating up everyone who looks at me funny.”

He chuckles. “Oh yeah—why not?”

I give him an exasperated eye roll.

His expression turns serious. “Babe, that guy didn’t just look at you funny. He put his hands on you. That’s
not
okay. You’re my girl. There’s no fuckin’ way I’m gonna stand by and let that shit happen right in front of me.”

I can tell he’s pissed that I didn’t fall at his feet and thank him for the intervention, because he gets up and walks outside to cool off. Z’s still standing there staring at me.

I glare up at him. “You’re not going to give me some scary lecture, are you? I get enough of those from Wrath.”

Z’s face beaks into a warm smile and he sits next to me. “Nah, Hope. You gotta understand, Rock loves how smart and independent you are—”

“Geez, you could’ve fooled me, the way he’s always acting,” I scoff.

“I won’t get into the other things he likes about you.” He gives me a dirty wink that makes me chuckle, then cocks his head at me. “How much has he told you about the club before he took over?”

“Nothing, really.”

Z flicks his gaze to where Rock disappeared to. “I can only give you a general outline, you understand?”

I nod so he’ll continue. By some silent agreement, the two of us move closer together.

“We lost brothers we were close to because people in control of our club cared more about greed than the brotherhood we’re supposed to be about. Not a damn thing Rock could have done to change it. But Rock, he’s the type of guy who blames himself for everything bad that happens to the people he cares about.”

Oh, wow. That gives me a lot of insight into why he’s so goddamn overbearing. I wish I’d been smart enough to piece this together sooner.

“You? I ain’t never seen him act about a woman the way he does with you. Knew it the day he met you. Saw it all over his face. I don’t think he could stand it if something happened to you.”

Heat crawls over my skin.

Z has known Rock a long time. Curiosity makes me blurt out, “What was his ex-wife like?”

Z snorts. “A straight-up useless bitch. Hot, don’t get me wrong.”

My face must betray some form of jealousy, because Z smirks. “Babe, by the time he realized that wasn’t enough, he was already in too deep. But what they had wasn’t a marriage. It was an extended hookup. She was only interested in him gettin’ that president patch—didn’t give a shit about him. Caused him a lot of grief, then deserted him when he needed her most.”

I let out a long sigh.

“You love him,” Z continues. “We can all see it. Just try to understand he needs his woman to need him, ya know? He’s been taking care of the club and everyone under it for years. Keeping his family safe is what matters most to him. He just wants to protect you. It’s not a disrespect thing, honey.”

“I know.”

Z gets up and holds out his hand to pull me off the sinkhole of a couch.

“Ya gotta let him defend his girl. Besides, when shit like that happens, he’s doing the world a favor. Guy goes around grabbing women he doesn’t know, deserves whatever he gets.”

“True. I just…” I think of how to phrase what I want to say so I won’t offend Z. “I’m not like those girls that hang out at your club, who thrive on fights and drama. I don’t get off on seeing my man ‘take care of business,’ you know?”

Z studies me carefully. “Hope, I’d never in a million years confuse you with a club whore, trust me. You’re all class, babe. And I hear what you’re saying. But I gotta ask—did you create the situation?”

“No, of course not.”

“Then you’re not stirring up trouble just to be a drama queen.”

Shit. “Okay. I understand what you’re telling me.”

He grins. “Glad I could help.”

“At least you’re not mean.”

He grins even bigger. “Baby, I’m a lover, not a fighter.”

I shove his shoulder and he wraps an arm around me, giving me a quick hug.

“The fuck, bro? I gotta lay you out too?” Rock growls.

I take a quick step between them, which makes both guys laugh.

“Don’t you dare,” I warn. “He’s been trying to explain to me why you’re such a bossy caveman.”

“That so?” Rock asks with an eyebrow lift.

Z shrugs and takes a few steps back.

Rock glances down at me. “So your husband used to let you come out to places like this with Sophie all the time?”

Whoa. “Let me? Did you just say ‘let me’? Are you serious?”

Rock’s mouth twitches, and I can tell he’s swallowing whatever he wants to say, and it’s not coming easily.

“Didn’t he like heavy metal?” Rock asks with his mouth twisted as if he’d been sucking on a lemon. This is his version of being diplomatic.

I’m shaking with laughter at how hard he’s trying to control his comments. And after what I’ve just learned, I understand where he’s coming from a lot better, so it’s easier to dial down my irritation. “Not so much,” I answer.

Rock nods, and I stand up on tiptoes to brush a quick kiss over his lips. Heat flares in his eyes, and we stand there staring at each other.

“Where’d Lilly run off to?” Z asks, snuffing out the fire between us.

Facing Z, I shake my head. “No clue.”

He whips out his cell phone with a look on his face that says he’s debating calling her.

“You want me to text her?” I ask.

“Naw, that’s okay.”

I do it anyway because I feel like I owe Z.

Where’d ya go?

At the bar.

Tipping my head up, I catch Z studying me. Rock has wandered over to talk to some of the guys from the band. “She’s at the bar out front.”

The corners of his mouth curve up, and he taps my shoulder before he walks out.

There’s a bit of a commotion at the door. Through the high, square windows, I can see Z in the hallway talking to someone. He finally walks away, and two girls push through the swinging doors. I recognize them from the MC. One of them is the wench who’s been giving me shit for a couple weeks now. Her name is Roxy or Foxy, something stupid like that. She's a sly little bitch because she always manages to needle me when Rock’s not around. She somehow catches me when Trinity’s occupied too. Little digs about her relationship with Rock. She insinuates that when he’s up there without me she’s with him, which I know is bullshit. Me telling her to fuck off hasn’t done the trick yet. I think she is angling for a physical confrontation, but that’s just not me.

The ugly bitch with her, Cherry, likes to inform me about Rock’s past preference for three-ways. They’re a charming little duo, even more annoying when joined by their third sidekick, Ginger, who thankfully I don’t spot with them tonight. Foxy is short and what I guess guys would refer to as “thick” with bleached-blonde hair, wild tattoos, and piercings. Cherry is also short but skinny as a rail and has clown-colored red hair.

Rock seems to have no one “type” when it comes to the women he fucks.

One of the band guys calls out to Cherry. When she sees Rock, she squeals and is all over him. He politely pushes her away but keeps chatting with her, which pisses me off royally. Foxy spots me and struts over.

Because she’s such a classy gal, the first thing out of her mouth is, “What the fuck are
you
doing here?”

“My friend is dating Jonny Cage. They put us on the list.”

Her eyes widen, and I wonder if she was planning to bag Jonny tonight. Inwardly I chuckle, because while I may not have the guts to kick her ass, Sophie most certainly does.

She spins and heads back into the club.

Bye, bitch.

Rock finishes his conversation and heads my way. Cherry follows close behind until she spots me.

“You ready to go, babe?” Rock asks with a big grin on his face. Yeah, I’m ready to go home and crawl into bed. Alone.