Velvet Fire - Ashby Crime Family Romance

“Come on, it won’t be so bad. We’ll get jobs and make our own money, which means no one can say how we spend it.” That was especially important to Bonnie, who grew up in a strict, deeply religious household where women listened to men and kids listened to adults, period. No questions and no negotiations. Gunnar wasn’t too bad as a brother playing parent, unless he was sure he was right, and even then, Peaches was always the perfect ally. She was the best mom ever.

“That all sounds amazing, but the downside is we’ll have to do actual work.” My expression sent Bonnie erupting into a fit of giggles that made her skin glow. And when her wide, lush mouth spread open with laughter, at least five dudes groaned behind their zipper pain. “Damn girl, put that lethal weapon away before you cause a riot!”

Bonnie froze mid-laughter and looked around, too self-conscious about her looks when she had no reason to be. She constantly stood in with her bright red waves which were in stark contrast to my plain black hair that hung to the middle of my back. Where I was ghostly white, Bonnie had that whole sweet Irish rose thing going on with rosy cheeks, lush pink lips, and cheekbones straight off the Paris runway. She was a knockout in a nun’s habit, or whatever was one step above a nun’s habit on the awful to amazing scale. “Stop saying that, Maisie! You know it’s not true.”

I ordered another drink and turned back to my bestie. “I know it’s absolutely is true. That guy over there, the blonde in all black, has been staring at you all night. He’s almost got enough courage to approach you. And let’s not forget the suit at the end of the bar who’s been drooling over your tits for the past hour. Be careful, he seems like a drink spiker.”

Bonnie choked on her drink and shook her head. “You can’t tell that from looking Maisie. You are so full of it.”

“Trust me, I have good instincts when it comes to people.” I grew up on a ranch in Texas, which I knew made me sound like some kind of small town hick. The truth, though, was my upbringing was anything but normal. My mom was a junkie and died when I was too young to remember her, forcing my brother to take care of me. He did a great fucking job. But he was a guy and didn’t think twice about raising me around the Reckless Bastards, the motorcycle club he ran down in Texas. Or The Barn Door, the sex club they ran on the other end of the ranch. “Unlike some people.”

Bonnie rolled her eyes. “So you keep telling me but I’m beginning to wonder if those are just tall tales.”

I sucked in a breath, truly offended. “Why would you say that?”

“Scott Pepper,” she held up one finger.

“Okay I was nineteen, and he was hot and really smooth.” Scott was like if Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise had a kid who was my age instead of a thousand years old. “And I wasn’t in love with him.”

“You didn’t know that at the time,” she insisted. “Marcus Landry.”

I smiled at the memory. “Marcus was a damn good time.” He was six weeks of a damn good time, in fact.

“But you were sad when it was over.”

I nodded. “That’s true, but Marcus was nice and the sex was incredible.” I wanted to like him, to be his girlfriend but something was missing so I moved on.

“He wanted you,” she insisted.

“And you can’t always get what you want.” I raised my brow at her and dared her to say a word about my quote stealing.

“Maybe not,” she insisted looking around the room innocently, taking in the freaky dancing on the dance floor, the blatant grinding and face swallowing that was going on in the dark corners of Bullets & Beer, and who knew what that chick on the other side of the bar was up to. “But he could’ve been just what you needed. If you gave him a chance.”

“A chance for what? I was nineteen!”

“I’m just saying that even Maisie Nilsson, the wisest woman in Glitz, gets it wrong sometimes. That for all your supposed street smarts, you get it wrong, too. What hope do I have that there will be someone better if I leave Wyatt?”

“Hope is not your problem, Bonnie. Confidence is. You’re hot, gorgeous and you have that whole innocent schoolgirl thing going on for you. Big time. Wyatt knows that and that’s why he’s such a dick.” Bonnie rolled her eyes and I just smiled. “You just need to look like you won’t pass out from the vapors when a man approaches you, and he’ll do the rest.”