Ties That Bind (Ruthless Sinners MC 1)

“No excuses.” She cut me off. “We’re going.”

“Ugh ... okay, fine.”

“Great. I’ll be over at your place around eight to pick you up, and wear something cute—maybe one of those little dresses you never want to wear.”

“You mean the ones that make me look like a hooker with my ass hanging out?”

“Yep.” As she started to walk away, she argued, “You don’t look like a hooker. You look amazing, and you know it.”

She disappeared into one of the resident’s room, and I didn’t see her again until our shift was over. As we made our way out to the parking lot, Krissy reminded me that she’d be at my place at eight, and before I had a chance to back out, she hopped in her car and started the engine. After she pulled out of the parking lot, I took a quick look around and checked to see if there was any sign of Zander. When there wasn’t, I grumbled under my breath and dragged myself to my car, then drove back to my apartment to get ready. Even though I was in no mood to go out barhopping, I took a shower, fixed my hair and makeup, and put on one of those little dresses like Krissy had requested. I’d just finished getting ready when she knocked on the door. As soon as I answered, her eyes widened with approval as she said, “Ooh, la la, mamasita. You are looking fine tonight.”

“I take it you approve?”

“Girl, you know I do. Give me a twirl.” I turned around in a circle, showing off the fitted red dress I’d only worn once before. It wasn’t something I would typically wear since it was so short, but Krissy clearly approved. “You look amazing.”

“Thank you. You look great too.” Krissy never failed to look incredible whenever we went out. Tonight was no different. Her blonde hair was pulled back, and she wore a black miniskirt with a sparkly halter top that showed off just the right amount of cleavage. “The guys are gonna be all over you in that.”

A mischievous smirk crossed her face as she said, “I certainly hope so.”

Once I grabbed my things, I followed her downstairs and out to the cab she had waiting for us. Once again, I saw no sign of Zander as we pulled out of the parking lot and headed downtown. We had the cab drop us off at a corner near one of our favorite little diners. After we were seated, we ordered a quick bite, chatted about work while we ate, then walked down to Music Row. There were several great bars along the strip, and as always, each one of them was packed. As we started making our way through the crowd, Krissy took my hand, and in a matter of minutes, we were sitting at the bar of one of the more popular places in town.

When the bartender came over, Krissy ordered us each two double shots of tequila.

“What the hell, Krissy!” I fussed. “I have to work tomorrow.”

“Oh, come on. When’s the last time you had a couple of drinks,” she argued as she handed me one of the tall shot glasses. “Live a little.”

“Okay, but no complaining when my ass is dragging tomorrow.”

“I won’t say a word,” she lied.

She tilted her head back, downing the double shot with one big chug, then watched as I did the same. Once we’d done it again with the second, she ordered us a couple of mixed drinks. After a little searching, we found a table in the back and quickly claimed it as our own. The alcohol was just starting to take effect when Krissy leaned towards me and said, “Tell me all about him.”

“Honestly, I don’t know much about him.”

“Well, you had to know something ... you slept with the guy.”

“Yeah, but I think we just got caught up in the moment or something.”

“That wouldn’t be hard to do, especially with a guy as hot as him.” She giggled as she questioned, “Where did you meet him anyway?”

I’d never been able to lie to her, so I tried bending the truth instead. “We crossed paths the night I went to check on Danny. I kind of thought he was an asshole at the time, but that day he came to work and talked to Mr. McClanahan ... I saw a different side to him, a side I really liked, but like I said, I haven’t heard from him since we slept together.”

“So, he’s a player, huh?”

“I don’t know, but so far, he hasn’t proven otherwise.”

“Well, two can play that game.” Krissy slid my drink over to me and said, “There are plenty of hot guys here tonight. It’s time to party.”

“I think that’s a great idea.”

We both finished off our drinks, then headed out to the dance floor. It was the first time since the night we were together that I wasn’t thinking about Zander or why I hadn’t seen or heard from him. Instead, I danced with my friend and let go of all those thoughts that’d been weighing on me. The two of us had broken out in a sweat, so we went back to our table and ordered another round of drinks. We were just about to finish them off when I reached into my purse for my phone. I had no idea what had possessed me to check my messages, but I got quite a surprise when I noticed a text from a number I didn’t recognize.