“Umm, not sure. She just told me to get my ass out here and bring you in,” he replied, his usual composure returning.
I faked a smile. “Okay, well let’s not keep her waiting.”
I didn’t wait for his reply; rather I started walking inside. His footsteps behind me indicated he was following me, but he didn’t utter another word either.
Harlow smiled at us as we entered the house; it was a strange smile though, the one I usually associated with her when she was dreaming up one of her schemes. “Glad you could join us,” J drawled, as he settled into the seat next to Madison and draped his arm over the back of her chair.
“Fuck off,” I muttered, and he grinned. I shook my head and returned his grin.
There were two seats left at the table; two seats next to each other. I sat but Nash mumbled something about getting a drink. I tracked his movement to the fridge and he caught me staring at him when he turned and asked me if I wanted a drink. My face flamed red; I knew it did because it always happened whenever I was embarrassed to be caught out at something. His eyes narrowed as he took it in, but he didn’t acknowledge it; he simply held up a can of coke and a can of lemonade with a questioning look. I pointed at the coke and mouthed a thank you before turning to Madison and asking her an inane question. “Have you gotten any new tattoos lately?”
She looked surprised, but answered me, ?
??No, not since J and I had our tattoos done after the wedding.”
I mentally slapped myself. What a stupid conversation to start. And so out of character for me to be babbling on about shit.
Nash slid into the chair beside me, and handed me my drink. I ignored the fluttery sensation his fingers grazing against mine gave me.
“Velvet, how much longer have you got left on your beauty course?” Madison asked as she passed me the salad.
I started loading salad onto my plate. “Just over a month left to go.”
“And then what will you do? Will you leave Indigo or do both?”
Scott cut in. “I’m trying to get her to keep working one night a week.” He laid a huge smile on me before continuing, “Going to have to make you an offer you can’t refuse, I reckon.”
I smiled. We’d had numerous conversations about this and he knew I didn’t want to do stripping once I found a new job, but he kept pushing me anyway. “I told you, Scott, I’m getting too old for stripping. Your clients don’t want to see an old woman getting her bits out.”
Nash almost choked on his drink and gave me a bewildered look. “You’re what? Thirty-two? That’s hardly old,” he muttered, “And fuck, Velvet, have you taken a look in the mirror lately?”
Warmth spread through me at his words even if I didn’t agree with them. “Ah yes, I have, and let’s just say that I haven't got the goods that I once did.”
Nash’s eyes dropped to my chest and, holy hell, that did things to me. It was no secret that I liked the attention of men, hell you wouldn’t strip if you didn’t, but having Nash’s eyes on me, turned me on more than I had been in a long time.
He raised them back to my face and murmured, “Sweet thing, I’ve seen a lot of goods in my time, and let’s just say that what you’ve got are spectacular.”
Desire pooled between my legs. Nash flirting with me was not new, but this conversation had a different tone to it; things had definitely shifted between us and I sensed new meaning behind his words. And I realised that I couldn’t deny it any longer; I wanted to have sex with him, wanted his hands on my body and his lips whispering dirty talk in my ears.
He’d rendered me speechless, but Harlow kept the conversation going for me. “I agree with Nash, you’re hot. I’ve got a girl crush on you and your goods.” She winked at me and I could have kissed her for her kind words. I truly believed that women needed to stick together rather than trying to tear each other down, and a compliment like that from a woman sometimes meant more to me than if it had come from a man.
“Thank you.” I blew her a kiss.
J waded into the conversation, “If anyone’s fit to be the judge of goods, it’s gotta be Nash, babe. I’d be listening to him if I were you.”
I looked around the table at Scott, Harlow, J, Madison and Nash; they really were the family I’d chosen and this lunch just proved it to me more. Smiling, I said, “I’ll take that as a compliment, J.”
Madison laughed. “You should. It’s definitely a J compliment; trust me, I should know. I can be having a down day and the way he tries to make it all better for me is by telling me how hot my tits are or how much he wants my legs around him.”
J grumbled, “Well it’s true, you do have great tits and legs, and I figure you need to hear that shit when you’re down.”
Madison leant her face close to his and said, “Thanks, baby, but what will you tell me when I get old and grey and my boobs are sagging?”
He grinned. “You’ll still have lips, right?”
Madison smacked him on the arm. “You’re a dirty man, Jason Reilly.”
“Fuck yeah, babe. It’s what you love about me the most.”