Surrendering (Surrender 1)

“I’m not sure what the problem is, but I’ll talk Mark into letting us back there. Private Party or not – we’ll get in before Sayge is done. I have some unfinished business with those guys.”

“I’m not sure, Sami; it seems like a pretty tight party with Mark at the door. Maybe we should just wait until Thursday to talk to them.”

Kendall and my eyes meet in the mirror. She knows who Sami is and I pray to God she’ll keep her mouth shut. I nod at her to communicate that we need to get out of here fast.

Sami won’t stop talking though and we both stop at her next statement. “No, Brandy, I need to get back there tonight. This shit with Declan has gone on long enough. There’s no way he’s still mad at me and if I can get to him, I’m pretty sure I can convince him he misses me.”

My blood starts to boil and I freeze in my spot. Kendall has my arm and is trying to pull me out the door, but it’s too late. Sami walks out of the stall and sees me. She smirks in my direction and heads to the sink to wash her hands.

We walk out of the bathroom and Will raises his eyebrows at me, but doesn’t say anything. Kendall still has me by the arm when we get back to the room. The girls must notice my foul mood because they put a drink in my hand immediately. Kendall gives them a run-down of what happened in the bathroom and Abbi and Ella are furious.

There’s screaming behind me at the door. Will is instantly back at my side.

“Mark, what’s the big deal? We’ve been back here for private parties before. I’ve been with Sayge for years. If you let me in now, I won’t tell the guys how much of a prick you’re being. Wouldn’t want to get you fired.” Sami threatens him.

From behind her, Jimi tries to slide in, but Sami gets her hands on him. “Hey, handsome, why don’t you invite me back w

ith you.”

Jimi tries to get away from her, but she has a hold of his shirt. “Nah, this is a private party. You should head back to the bar.”

“But I like to party and I would definitely enjoy a private party.” Her hand starts to move lower to the buckle of his belt.

“Bitch, get your hands off of him right now!” Abbi screams from beside me. She takes off across the room and yanks Jimi away from her.

Sami finally realizes she has an audience. When her eyes lock on mine, I smile. Her expression is filled with shock and I can see her face turning red. “Mark, why the fuck is she back here?”

“This is her private party. You need to leave now.” He tries to turn her around, but she won’t move.

“You must think you’re something, but I bet you can’t keep him interested for another month. I thought I got rid of you with the pictures of you slutting your way around-“

“Wait, is this the bitch that gave Declan the pictures of the gala?” Charlie asks.

“Yes, this is Sami.”

“Whoa, Declan certainly improved his taste.” Charlie says to Sami’s face.

I burst out laughing and soon everyone has joined in except Sami and her friend. Even Mark is having a few chuckles. Sami looks like she’s going to explode and her friend is backing away trying to distance herself. Mark steps into the doorway to block us and tells Sami it’s time to go. He shuts the door before she can protest any further.

“That was fun! I really wanted to get into a verbal smack down, but I decided not to waste my breath on her trash-ass.” Harper tells the group. More laughs erupt.

I head backstage to watch the show. From the side stage, I can see the crowd. I’ve never seen this many people in The Steamroom. I know Declan told me before about the club hitting capacity, but from up here it looks so different. I see an area in the back corner I never knew was there. It’s a patio of sorts that opens to the side of the building. I can see people stopping on the sidewalk to get a peak of Sayge. I’ve danced in front of hundreds of people before, but the rush of being back here and seeing what Declan sees when he looks out is awesome.

All the girls except Abbi join me and we form our own little dance floor. Will is watching from the corner, but I can see his gaze is steady on Ella. When he catches me watching him, he just grins and shakes his head. Ella is oblivious to his attention.

Because I know the song list, I know the guys are on their last song for the show. I’m thankful because I don’t think I’ll be able to walk tomorrow due to all the dancing I’ve done in these shoes. I’m just about to head to the couch to sit down when Declan calls my name.

“Babe, did you hear me? I see you standing there. I need you to come here for a minute.”

He’s motioning for me to join him on stage and I feel hands pushing me forward.

I’m going to kill him! What the hell is going on?

As I get on the stage, he pulls me to his side and goes back to the microphone.

“I’ve recently mentioned there’s someone special in my life now and this is her. I need some help from y’all tonight. It’s her birthday and I want you to help me sing “Happy Birthday” to her. When we get to the name part, just call her baby. Okay- ready?”

The crowd cheers in response and Declan leads the room in singing to me. I’m not sure if my cheeks are as red as they feel, but I’m pretty sure I look like a tomato.