Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 151097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 504(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 504(@300wpm)
“Let us through,” Dre ordered through gritted teeth.
“No more girls.”
“She’s not here for your boss. She’s another VIP guest.”
“No more girls,” the bodyguard barked as if Dre hadn’t spoken.
Dre’s massive chest puffed out, and I almost palmed my forehead. “Look, you can let us through, or I can call Mr. Perry and let him know how his guests are treating his little sister.”
Another guard walked over at that moment to investigate, and I felt my cheeks warm as the commotion drew more gazes and the whispering started. The guards spoke low to one another before the nosy one walked away again. I tracked his path with my gaze as he made a beeline for the bar that was also being guarded by a wall of bodyguards. They parted to let him through, and I barely got a glimpse of a lone man sitting at the end of the bar before the gap quickly closed again.
It made me wonder who their employer could be that his men were out-ranking my brother’s bouncers. Dre was practically seething, which means whoever the VIP was has been a problem all night.
Ohhhh booooy.
Forgetting my aching heart, I rolled my eyes at the dick measuring.
A moment later, the guard was already returning. I was prepared to be turned away when he waved his hand instead. “Boss said to let her through.”
Dre lifted a brow while I fought my anxiety. I wasn’t even dressed for the club, so I felt self-conscious enough in my skin-tight jeans and off-the-shoulder crop top.
“I need to search her,” the stair guard said before we could pass.
Dre started to argue, but I shook my head and held out my arms for the guard to pat me down. He then looked inside my oversized crossbody purse that I got from a thrift store before confiscating the pocket knife that Hunter made me carry around. “I’m gonna need that back when I leave,” I warned.
The guard said nothing as he straightened and waved me through.
I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other and let Dre escort me over to the end of the bar where there were far fewer people. Everyone seemed to have gravitated toward the opposite corner where Mr. VIP sat. I was careful not to look around or make eye contact with anyone as I sat.
Dre distracted me by wiping away the tears that hadn’t dried with a cocktail napkin. After I gave him a tremulous smile in thanks, the sweet bouncer ordered me the sluttiest drink on the menu and a plate of their only vegan option. Once he was sure I wasn’t going to fall apart, Dre fist-bumped me before quickly leaving.
As I watched him muscle his way back to the stairs, I had a fleeting moment of regret for turning him down when he asked me out. Now he was happily married with a baby on the way, and I was single yet again thanks to Hunter.
Who am I kidding, though? She would have run Dre off too, so it wouldn’t have mattered.
To say my bestie was possessive was an understatement, and I was guilty of the same. But that was before we broke a cardinal rule that threatened everything. Hunter tried to turn back time, and when I told her it was too late, she said we had to try. It wasn’t the first time one of our relationships crashed and burned so that our friendship could endure. I was just foolish enough to believe this time was different.
When my food and cocktail arrived, I ignored the former since my stomach felt like it had been shredded. I quickly downed the strong drink, hoping to numb the shitty feeling, but it didn’t work and brought a fresh wave of tears. I was still fighting them back and losing when the hairs on my arms suddenly rose. Forgetting the drama my arrival caused earlier, my head shot up so I could find the source of the eerie feeling and immediately my gaze clashed with another across the long length of the bar. Time slowed as I choked on the sight of the fine as fuck man lounging in a relaxed pose against the back of the bar stool.
He seemed to have been watching me for quite some time because he didn’t startle or look away now that he’d been caught. In front of him was a portfolio, which he ignored along with a drink and a basket of wings. His dark brown skin glowed under the purple LED lights around the bar, but he was slightly turned so the half of his face that wasn’t exposed cast his features in shadow.
It made him look like a demon.
I searched and searched, but it was the only flaw I could find. Those high cheekbones and chiseled jawline looked like they had never even borne a single pimple. His jet-black hair was cut into a low fade, heavily moisturized, and meticulously brushed. The crisp white button-up shirt he wore underneath his blue pin-stripe vest pulled tautly against his muscles and had me choking on my damn tongue.