Rewrite the Stars

“Fancy seeing you here.”

“Well, I’m not at all surprised to see you here,” I tease. He settles back into his chair, resting one ankle on his knee, and tosses me a shrug.

I prop my elbow on the tabletop, resting my chin on my palm as I surreptitiously glance back toward where he came.

“Seb’s not here,” he says with an amusement in his voice. I scowl at him, and his finger comes out to tweak my bottom lip. “Quit pouting.” I don’t. “Or don’t. Suit yourself. Just know,” he says, leaning in close. “It’s making my dick hard.”

I smack his shoulder. “Everything makes your dick hard.”

“Facts.” He laughs. “Now, back to Seb…”

I sigh. “What about him?”

“I’ve noticed he’s been extra…prickly lately. You got anything to do with that?”

Here we go again. “You don’t have to give me the speech. Lathan already beat you to it.”

His brows knit together, confused. “What speech?”

“You know, the whole ‘We don’t date. You don’t belong here. Leave now. Blah, blah, blah.’ Except, your cousin went so far as to offer to fly me home. You’re going to have to step your game up if you want to get rid of me.”

Eros looks troubled for a second, considering my words, before he schools his features, that mischievous smile back in place. “That’s not the speech I was going to give

you. Mine was more along the lines of, for the love of God, please put out so he’s bearable to be around.”

I arch a brow. I figured he’d know about what Lathan said to me, but his reaction has me second-guessing that assumption.

Our conversation is cut short when the music starts. A haunting female cover of “House of the Rising Sun” wafts from the speakers as Kat saunters onto the stage in a gold dress that hits the tops of her thighs with fringe dangling from the hem, black stockings, and a black garter belt. She looks amazing. Eros sits back, stroking his short beard, eyes glued to the way she bends at the waist, giving the audience a prime view of her ass.

Kat is like another person up there. Her demeanor is completely different as she moves seductively, slowly peeling off one article of clothing at a time. By the time the song ends, she’s standing in only red, heart-shaped pasties with tassels hanging from them. The audience hoots and hollers when she shakes her chest, making the tassels twirl.

I laugh, standing to clap. Kat blows me a kiss, then her face falls as she looks at something past me. I turn to find Sebastian walking in and on his arm…is Selina. His eyes flash when he spots me, and mine flash right back, unable to tamp down the jealous streak that shoots through me. One of his arms is around her waist, his fingers digging into her sides. She jerks, mouthing ow, but when she follows his gaze and sees me, she leans farther into him. Grabbing the side of his face, she reaches up to press a kiss into the side of his neck.

My heart races, my stomach twisting at the sight. Thankfully, everyone is too busy cheering for Kat to take notice of my display. Everyone but Sebastian. I make my way toward the entrance, eyes set forward as I breeze past them without a word, Selina’s laugher floating behind me.

“GET IT TOGETHER,” I TELL Selina as I watch Evan’s back as she walks away from me. “You’re embarrassing yourself.” She stumbles on nothing, laughing like a fucking hyena.

“I don’t know what you see in her.”

I don’t respond. Kat hurries toward me, taking Selina from my arms, ushering her toward one of the couches. Selina plops down gracelessly and closes her eyes. “How much did she have to drink?”

“Fuck if I know. She showed up in my trailer and started stripping her clothes off.” We’d just finished our show. Lathan and Eros took off to stock up on food for the week at the twenty-four hour supermarket, and Eros was meeting up with some of the ride jocks at the Vixens’ tent. I put out my cigarette, went inside to take a piss, and came out to a topless Selina.

“Jesus, Selina,” Kat says, planting her hands on her hips, wearing nothing but two titty tassels and a black thong like it’s the most natural thing in the world as she stares down at Selina’s slumped form on the couch. “Thanks for bringing her to me.”

I give her a curt nod. “Tell her if it happens again, I won’t give her the same courtesy.”

“Okay,” Kat says. I turn to leave. “And Sebastian?” I pause, looking at her over my shoulder. “I really like Evan.”

Unfortunately, so do I.

I take Evan’s seat next to Eros before flagging down one of the bartenders, ordering two whiskey neats. Eros’ eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. “It’s that kind of night?”

“Drink with me or fuck off.”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

“Any word on who slit Jessup’s tires?”