And now he’s dying to see Carly, probably imagining her giving him a lap dance.
***
Club Foxxx is, as per usual, loud and crowded. The place has been hot since it opened. It’s not hard to find the girls; they have a VIP booth, the very same booth as that night when Aid got into a brawl on the dancefloor over Carly. That was the night I spent getting to know Meryl. Or thinking I was getting to know her. Whatever.
All that was over, it’s been months. It’s time for me to stop feeling bitter about it.
Carly and Ally are huddled with drinks, looking like they’re in serious conversation. Four other girls are at their table, two from the office and the other two I don’t know. I see a couple empty seats with drinks, so the others are likely dancing. I know Adele is here so she must be on the dancefloor.
A redhead sitting beside Ally sizes me up with lust flaring in her eyes. She has the look of a maneater, and I am not interested.
I catch something pass between Carly and Ally and then both their eyes are on Jude. He gives Ally a dark look. Is something up with them?
I know he’s not coming to the wedding; he’s said he can’t get out of town because of work.
I say something is for sure up with them. She feigns a look of disinterest as he stares her down while Aiden approaches his bride-to-be with a big smile.
Ally thinks she’s hiding it but she’s terrible at it. Her knees jiggle under the table as she examines her phone screen and mutters something to Carly.
But Carly? She’s paying no attention to Ally now. Her eyes are lit with fire and lust as she takes in my brother approaching her.
“Dance with me, Peaches.” He reaches out his hand.
She lifts her hand and then snatches it back, smile fading. “Did you go to the strip joint?” she demands.
“I did. These fuckers dragged me there. I wanted nothing to do with it, baby. Two drinks and here I am.”
“Did any girl lay hands on you?”
“Not one.”
“Not three?” she retorts with eyebrows up.
“Not any, Peaches.”
“Did you see any boobies?” Ally asks, sipping her drink.
“None better than these,” Aiden’s eyes are on Carly’s rack. I look the other way, so I don’t find myself eying the same rack.
“There was a Carly lookalike doin’ a belly dance,” Zack, Aiden’s college buddy calls out.
Carly laughs.
Aiden beams a smile at her and shrugs.
“I might buy me some boobies with my next CC bonus,” Ally says, staring down at her chest.
Ally Kingston is a huge personality in a tiny package with her big, expressive blue eyes. She’s small-chested with great skin and great legs.
She’s always doing weird shit with her hair. It was pink, then it was jet black. I think it changed a couple more times, too. I’ve lost track. Right now she’s got multi-colored dreadlock extensions halfway down her back in multiple colors – telling us she’s going for the look of a rainbow mermaid for Carly and Aiden’s beach wedding. The chick has lots of tatts, a strange fashion sense, and yet she’s also appealing. She’s one of those women you get curious about. She’s fun. Bubbly. Extroverted.
I’d wager a guess she’s great in bed. She’d be the type – if I didn’t work with her and if she wasn’t best friends with my future sister-in-law – that I’d sleep with and then put into the friend zone. Because it’d be fun, but she wouldn’t be relationship material for me.
I know the night Jude met her his interest was piqued; it was written all over his face. She seemed more than mildly interested in Jude who is a big, built, tattooed guy himself. Practically announced her intent right there and all but threw herself at him. Apparently their evening got interrupted by his job and she’s been giving him the brush-off ever since. Or so I last heard. And I know Jude isn’t happy about that and says he thinks she’s hiding something. As soon as she found out he’s a private eye, she went from piping hot to cold.
Jude told Aiden he wanted to investigate her. Apparently Carly put a stop to it and told them both to mind their own business.
As far as I can tell, this intrigued Jude all the more.
3
Jada
“Jada?”
Knock-knock-knock.
“Jada!”
Knockknockknock.
“Jayjay-”
“Not funny!” I snap, throwing the pillow in his direction. It misses.
My brother Shane considers it a sport to get me up in the most annoying of ways. He should have an Olympic gold medal in his possession for it.
His next move is a dirty one.
He hauls my blanket off, leaving me shivering.
I bolt up and glare at him. He’s in my doorway and looking like something the cat dragged in while he holds my pillow and blanket, a goofy grin on his unshaven face.