“Ashley Walters?”
Now that the man is closer, I can see his features better. He looks sweet, not covered in tattoos, with a hint of scary but very sexy.
Why am I thinking of Aiden right now?
I study the guy. He’s tall but not as tall as Aiden.
Why am I comparing him to Aiden? I need more alcohol.
“Oh my gosh! Ricky!” Ashley screams, jumping into his arms and pressing a kiss to his cheek.
I spot a small metal name tag on his suit. I guess he works here.
Ashley pulls me close. “Em, this is Ricky. He is Aiden’s only friend.”
Seriously? Why is he freaking everywhere?
They laugh but I can tell Aiden probably doesn’t have many friends.
“What are you doing here?”
He gestures to the name plate. “I work here?”
“I didn’t even know you lived here!” Ashley leans against him, the alcohol clearly taking effect. I get lost in my own mind while they catch up, tilting my head to my left I note a figure looming nearby. His dark eyes are trained on me for a moment, I shift in my seat uncomfortably. He’s young but I can’t tell if he’s checking me out or if he has ulterior motives. I know Aiden told me after the incident at the penthouse to always keep a watchful eye out. So, I turn my body back towards Ricky and Ash, trying to ignore the bad feeling in my gut.
I watch Ricky pull out his phone and tap on it. After a while, he shrugs and shoves it back in his pocket. “Do you ladies want a VIP booth?”
We turn to each other before nodding our heads eagerly. We giggle as he takes us upstairs and into a private room. There’s a leather couch with a table in the middle. A silver bucket filled with ice sits on the table and a champagne bottle sweats on top.
“I’m not going to ask how you got in here, but just be careful tonight, okay? If you need anything, come find me.” He looks at Ashley intently, caressing her cheek.
She twirls her hair, her signature flirting technique, and nods.
Ricky corks the bottle for us before he walks out, sneaking glances at Ash a few times.
“He is wayyyy cuter than I remember,” Ashley gushes as she turns to me.
“It’s probably the alcohol, but I agree, he’s cute.”
We laugh as we pour the bottle of champagne into long-stemmed glasses.
With half the bottle gone, we stumble onto the dance floor. My vision is blurred but I find myself swaying to the rhythmic beats.
Time moves so much faster than normal, and before I know it, I’m grinding against someone, his strong arms grip my waist as we sway back and forth. I catch a glimpse at the guy behind me. He looks nice. Curly brown hair and blue eyes smile at me as I continue getting lost in the rhythm.
I feel a loss of contact, but before I can turn around, the strong arms return and they’re tighter around my waist. He slinks his arm around, hugging me from behind.
I look down and see a familiar trail of ink on tanned skin.
“What the fuck are you doing?” A familiar husky voice asks.
Ten
Iturn around slowly, meeting a set of fiery, emerald eyes. Aiden’s face is set in a deep scowl as I look at him inquisitively.
Did he lie about the meeting tonight? Has he just been out partying?
I look around for the guy I had been dancing with and find his body on the floor. People are staring in our direction.
What did I miss? What just happened? Most importantly, why is Aiden here?
His scowl turns into a cocky smirk. “Surprised to see me?”
I nod slowly. “Ho…how did you…find me,” I slur.
His brow furrows. There’s no amusement in his tone. “Are you drunk?”
“No.” I lie but I stumble on my heels.
Aiden steadies me, heaving an annoyed sigh before guiding me to the bar.
The bartender places a shot in front of me within seconds.
I go for it, but Aiden slides it down the bar top, causing it to spill over the black surface. He’s going to get us kicked out.
“Chill, Aiden,” I slur.
“If you hand her one more sip of alcohol, I will fire you for overserving customers.” His voice is stern and laced with venom as he eyes the frightened bartender.
How can he fire him?
Aiden looks intimidating as he crosses his arms. “On a better thought, how much did you serve her?”
“Mr. Scott, I…I didn’t–”
He cuts him off with a wave of his hand. “Did you even check her… Fuck it, you’re fired. Get out of my sight.” He beckons another bartender, who quickly makes his way to us, and demands, “Water.”
A glass of water is placed in front of me moments later and I slowly sip it as the room spins. Why does Aiden own a bar? Oh right, investment properties.
Warmth spreads through me as he places a possessive hand on the nape of my neck. I remind myself that I’m still mad at him.
“Ge…get your hands off me!” I hiss.
He laughs lowly. “What did you just say to me?”
“I said,” I attempt to stand but his hand holds me in place, sending a shiver through my body. I hate that I like it when he’s like this, and the alcohol is not helping. “I said get your hands off!”
“I heard what you said, sweetheart. I was just hoping, for your sake, you wanted to rephrase that statement.” His eyes darken as he pulls me to my feet and leads us up the stairs.
Why is he so mad?
“Ashley and I are just trying to have fun!” I protest.
He looks around the room before sighing. “I’ll deal with her later. She should have never brought you here. Now go,” He demands, waving his hand.
As we walk down the hall, I peer into an open VIP room and spot a sparkly red dress. Yup, Ashley is
