I held on to her hips, holding her in place as I caught my breath. Still trembling, she collapsed on top of me, her heart beating wildly next to mine; neither of us moved as the aftershocks from our pleasure rolled over us. After several moments passed, our eyes met, and once again, I placed my finger to her lips. She pointed to the necklace, and I nodded, acknowledging I knew exactly what was going on. As I ran my fingers through her hair, I whispered, “Whenever you have doubts about anything, anything whatsoever, remember this moment ... what we have between us. It’s enough to get us through anything.”
“I will.”
“I better get you back out there before Lisa sends out a search party.”
We both got dressed, and after one last kiss, I led her out of the VIP room and back to the bar. While there was little said between us, I could tell by the look on her face she knew exactly why I’d taken her to that room, and if she happened to need more explanation later, I’d be more than happy to give it to her—again and again.
Chapter 18
Marlowe
When I walked out of that VIP room with Rafe, I felt lighter than I had in days. While he hadn’t actually said the words, he’d made it clear in his own way that he’d seen the messages I’d left for him, and I was feeling like things were going to be okay—at least temporarily. I’d barely made it back to the bar before I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket. I rarely ever got messages from anyone, so I knew before looking it was Eric. I didn’t want to see what he’d sent but knew I didn’t have a choice. I took out my phone and anger washed over me as I read:
Eric:
Looks like you and your sister have something in common.
You’re both a great lay.
Me:
Fuck you.
Eric:
Watch your tone or I just might.
I didn’t respond, hoping that would be the end of it, but after several seconds, another message came through.
Eric:
I expect information within the next twenty-four hours or your sister will pay the price.
.
As much as I wanted to tell him to go to hell, I knew it would only rile him up even more. Deciding it was best to leave it alone, I turned my phone off and shoved it back into my pocket of my jeans. I was about to get back to work when Lisa leaned over and asked, “Everything okay?”
“No, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“You sure?” A friendly smile crossed her face as she said, “I’ve been known to be a bit of a hard ass. If there’s somebody’s ass that needs to be kicked, I’m your girl.”
“I appreciate that, I really do, but this is something I’ve got to deal with on my own.”
“All right, but remember my offer. Just say the word, and I’ll put on my ass-kicking boots.”
“Thanks, Lisa.”
We both got back to work. It was another busy night with a steady line of customers streaming in. The stages were covered up with guests, and our waitresses hadn’t had a chance to catch their breaths since the doors opened. Normally, a night like this would be exhausting, but I was thankful for the distraction. I was so busy I’d almost forgotten Eric was watching my every move. Almost being the key word. There was no way I could forget I was being watched. I could almost feel his eyes on me, and I hated it. What I hated even more was the fact there was nothing I could do about it.
I was actually kind of thankful when Country came over with one of his goofy grins. I could tell by that mischievous look in his eye he was about to say something off the wall, but I didn’t care. I could use a moment with a good friend. “How’s it shakin’, bacon?”
“Pretty good, I guess.” I stepped over to him as I asked, “How about you?”
“Got no complaints.”
“Well, that’s good. Can I get ya a beer or anything?”
“Yeah, a beer would be good.” I reached into the cooler and grabbed a cold Miller Lite, then placed it on the counter. Country picked it up and took a long pull before turning his attention back to me. “Did you know that Antarctica is actually a desert?”
“Umm, what?”
“Yep. The place has like ninety percent of the world’s ice, but it only gets eight inches of rain a year … so yeah, it’s a desert.” His smile never faded as he said, “That’s crazy, right?”
“Yeah, pretty crazy all right.” Country wasn’t one to dish out nature facts, so I knew he was just looking for something to talk about, which I found to be very sweet. He knew I was going through a tough time, and this was his way of showing he was there for me. I glanced up at the camera above me and knew Eric would be expecting me to try to uncover some information for him. I hoped since Country kept glancing up at the camera, he was aware of the fact we were not only being watched but also listened to. I tried it play it cool as I leaned forward with a smile, “Hey, can I ask you something?”