Dynasty (Boys of Winter 1)

“Hey,” he calls, cutting off Ember’s chatter while we busily work on our third drink of the night. “Do you want to head up to the VIP room and check it out?”

I look at Ember and the matching grins that spread across our faces are almost comical. I’ve never been considered a VIP before, and I doubt it’ll ever happen again. So, with an opportunity like this staring me in the face, I take it with both hands and run with it.

“I take that as a yes,” Knox laughs before nodding his head toward a set of stairs with a bouncer standing at the bottom. He starts leading the way, and Ember and I follow behind, the excitement bubbling in my veins and making me furious for allowing myself to get like this. I usually like a little more control on my nights out, especially when I ride my bike. Perhaps I’ll have a few glasses of water after this.

We reach the top of the stairs and we walk into a room that’s completely decked out with its own bar, everything shines as if it were made from silver and gold.

Knox leads us around the room, taking us to the balcony that overlooks the rest of the club, and I look out, completely amazed by this place. Downstairs, I could hardly see anything that was going on around me with all the bodies crammed in together, but up here, I have a bird’s eye view of everything.

The lights shoot across the room, the DJ does his thing, girls dance in cages, putting on a show, and I realize that there are four more bars that I hadn’t even noticed when I was down there.

I feel someone’s stare on my body, and I spin around to find an older man lounging back on a chair, looking like some kind of mafia pimp with his gold chain and white suit. Knox looks over at me, and seeing that I have the man’s attention, he takes my elbow and pulls me along with Ember following closely at my side. “Hey, Uncle Sam,” Knox says fondly to the man. “This is the girl I was telling you about who has just moved to town with a new foster family.”

I cringe at the way he explains that I’m a foster kid. It’s not usually something I go bragging about, especially to people I just met, people who could potentially be my boss one day.

Sam gives me a strange look before forcing a smile across his face. “What’s your name?”

“Winter, sir,” I say flatly.

He nods before glancing at Ember, his eyes raking over her like a strange evaluation. “And who’s this?”

Knox jumps in before Ember gets a chance to answer the question for herself. “This is Ember Michaelson. Just a chick who I go to school with.” The dismissal in Knox’s tone has something tightening within me, and for a moment, I want to smack him before he continues. “Winter here might be interested in a job—if you’ve got anything on offer.”

“I do,” Sam says, his gaze sweeping back to mine, something glistening deep within them that puts me on edge. “How old are you?”

“Umm … technically, I don’t exactly know. My parents were killed in a fire when I was a baby and my birth records were destroyed. My guess is nearly eighteen.”

Sam’s eyes narrow. “So, what you’re telling me is that you snuck into my club with a fake ID tonight?”

I shrug my shoulders, not about to fall into his trap. “Well from what I can gather, Knox has already told you about me, meaning you would have already known that I was only a senior in high school, and seeing as though you didn’t kick us out of here the second Knox introduced us, I’d dare say that you don’t have an issue with it.”

“You’re a smart girl,” he says, considering me for a short moment. “Do you know how to mix drinks?” His eyes rake over my body, probably checking to see if I’ll fit in with the other staff he has working his clubs, no doubt realizing that I’m more than a perfect fit. Though fitting in with them is different than actually knowing what I’m doing, and when it comes to mixing drinks, I haven’t got the slightest clue.

“Umm … no,” I tell him honestly. “But I’ll learn fast. I don’t know, I could come and do a crash course or something if you want me to. I just need some cash to back me up when my foster parents kick me out in two months. I’ll even take the shitty shifts that no one wants.”

He raises a brow before looking back at Knox with an approving nod. “I like her,” he says, giving me that same weird vibe that I get from Knox and leaving me wondering if it’s a family trait. He glances back at me. “Why don’t you go and enjoy the rest of your night and come see me for an application before you leave?”