This was shaping up to be the shitshow I’d predicted. We’d closed down the Tiki Bar at the Desert Island Hotel/Casino, so at least there wasn’t an audience to the fuckery going down. But we couldn’t confiscate people’s phones when we were in public, so there was no guarantee that all or none of this night wouldn’t end up on the Babbler’s front page by the end of the night.
Not that Chase would notice. He was holed up in the corner, video chatting with his wife. He’d started out grilling her about her security detail and how she was doing in Phoenix. But his interrogation quickly turned to him cooing about how much he missed her and how he couldn’t turn around in this town without remembering something about the night they met. The saccharin was so sweet, it was making me nauseous. Honestly, I couldn’t believe this was my best friend sometimes. He had zero awareness of the trouble we were facing.
Which left me and Noah to prop Xander up, and let’s face it, Noah didn’t have a lot of moral restrictions. Hell, we were rock stars. Who did?
And fuck me, I wanted to get blitzed tonight. Between Chase’s tabloid drama, Xander’s ex fuckery, my mom, Rowan, and all the bullshit interviews, I just wanted to forget this entire day.
Fuck my life.
“I am not doing a body shot with you, Noah. Get your ass off the bar.” Despite his words, Xander was bent over Noah’s prone body, laughing his ass off. “That shit’s gross. Look at all that hair on your navel. I’m not putting my mouth there!”
We’d only been here ten minutes, but between the booze in the greenroom after the show and the limo ride over here, they were both blitzed. And I’d had exactly one drink.
Fuck, you knew shit was going sideways when I was the responsible one of the group.
“Let’s go to the club!” Xander hollered after licking Noah’s collarbone. Because of course his shirt had disappeared at some point. “I can’t do this shit with you. We need some titties!”
A flash caught my attention. I whipped my head to the side. “You better fucking delete that shit.”
A white-faced bartender stared back at me.
“I’m not fucking around. You post that shit anywhere, and I’ll make you regret ever being fucking born.”
Walker, one of our bodyguards, stepped over to the bar and took the phone from the bartender. He tapped on the screen a few times then handed the phone to the manager.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Mala. It will not happen again,” the manager vowed with visible sweat on his brow.
I just walked away.
It would happen again. It always did. And tonight, Xander couldn’t care less, but tomorrow would be a different story. Of all of us, Xander was the one most concerned about our public image. And I knew this shit wouldn’t play well with a sober Xander.
So I resigned myself to playing babysitter the rest of the night.
“Fuck the club! Let’s go to a titty bar!” Xander roared. “If there’s a guaranteed way to get over a girl, it’s to get under another one. Especially if she’s waving a nice, round rack in my face.”
I closed my eyes with a groan. “We can’t go to a titty bar. Harper and Ella are meeting us here.”
Noah sat up on the bar and grabbed his shot glass. “I wanna see titties too. Who the hell invited the girls along? That was a stupid idea.”
“It was your stupid idea, dipshit.” I stomped over to the bar and gestured to a different bartender. “Don Julio 1942. Leave the bottle.”
The guy set the bottle and a fresh shot glass down in front of me without a word. Apparently, I’d intimidated them all so much he couldn’t even pour me a shot before he stepped away. Shaking my head, I poured my own drink and shot it without flinching.
Eyeing the bottle, I was contemplating how much another round would affect me when a scuffle at the front drew my attention.
“I’m supposed to be here. Noah asked me. I’m supposed to be on the list.” Ella’s voice was brittle with frustration. “I’m Chase Robinson’s sister. Ask him! He’s right there.”
I’d turned to straighten that shit out, but was no match for Walker’s speed as he hustled across the bar.
“Let her in. She’s with us.” His deep voice cut through the bullshit the hotel security was putting her through.
I sighed with relief and was going to turn back for another shot when I saw the dress Ella was wearing.
I’d seen her dressed up countless times for events, parties, and dinners before, but this was different. Her long, lean legs were on display between her tiny dress and the high heels she wore. Her legs looked like they went on and on. I could easily imagine them wrapped around my waist. And fuck me, the sparkly top of her tiny dress dipped in a way that only drew attention to her spectacular tits. Not even a handful, but they looked fucking perfect.
This was going to be a long fucking night.
Ella strode over to the bar and stopped next to me. “Hey, Jesse. Sorry we’re late. Do we have time for a drink here, or do you guys want to head over to the club?”
She was smiling up at me like nothing was different. Like it was normal for her to look like that.
“Club!” Noah shouted behind me. “I wanna dance!”
I was still staring at Ella with my mouth open like a drooler.
“Okay.” Ella beamed at the doofus behind me. “I’ll go grab Chase.”
“Tell him to hang it up,” Noah said as he stepped between me and Ella, blocking my view. “He’s supposed to be partying with his boys.”
“’Kay.” Ella left in a sparkle of sequins and shimmering feathers. I wanted to turn and see how she looked going, but I didn’t want to be obvious.
“Let me help you with that.” Noah leaned into my face and closed my mouth with a finger under my jaw.
I pushed him away with a scowl. “Fuck off.”
“It’s fucking cute.”
“No, it’s not. It’s fucking scary. Do you know what Chase would do if he knew what we were talking about?”
Noah frowned. “You seriously think he’d have a—” Whatever he was going to say was cut off as Chase and Ella joined our little group.
“You guys ready?” Chase asked as he stared down at his phone, still tapping at the screen.
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, Xander’s over at the front with Harper and Walker. Let’s roll.”
“What?” Noah cursed under his breath and all but ran to the couple standing next to Walker.
“What’s that about?” I asked, jerking my thumb over my shoulder at Noah’s strange behavior.
Ella frowned at the group standing at the door. “I didn’t think he was serious about her.”
“Tonight’s going to be interesting.”
“Oh, I guarantee it,” Ella purred.
Not that Chase noticed. He tapped a few more times at his screen before blinking up at us. “You guys ready?”
“Yeah, let me just settle our tab.” I headed over to the bar to get our bill. After I signed off on a fat tip, I turned back to see that everyone had left me except one member of our security. “Awesome. Let’s go catch up, Hyde.”
The man was silent at my side, but I was thankful for his presence as we made our way through the crowd.
“Jesse! Show us your abs!”
“Oh my god! I love you!”
More than one hand reached out to touch me. This was all new to me. Chase and Xander were the ones who got this reaction from the crowd. Occasionally Noah. But I was used to being the forgotten member of the Tin Gods. Most times I could walk through a crowd and no one recognized me. And I liked it that way. Damn Ella and her crazy videos. I couldn’t wait until people forgot who I was again.
Once hotel security joined us, we made our way through the casino floor and to the club entrance. A huge line stretched along one wall, but we went straight through the doors and into the club.
Blue, gold, and purple lights danced over the heaving crowd. A DJ stood behind his set-up in the center of the stage, waving his arms as some teeny bopper song mix coursed through the club. I didn’t recognize the song. Not that I gave a shit. I was here to have some fun and keep the guys from having too much fun.
“Holy shit! It’s Jesse Mala.”
I mentally rolled my eyes. It didn’t look like anyone had forgotten me here. Awesome.
I let Hyde and the hotel security guide me to the VIP section where we had the whole area to ourselves. No doubt there’d be a dozen girls for every guy in a few minutes. Except for Chase, my buddy was loyal and monogamous, even on tour.
I eyed the empty section of the booth next to Ella. Even though she was sitting, I could still see most of her endless legs under the table. I’d never considered myself a leg man before. But a man could change.
Just look at Chase. He sat at the opposite end of the booth with a water in front of him as he tapped away at his phone’s screen. Lost to the world as he no doubt texted his wife. Still.
I slid in next to Ella. “What are we drinking tonight?”
Ella blinked up at me in surprise. “Espresso martini.”
I was so close to her I could see the green sunburst around her pupil. “And what did you order for me?”
Ella looked away and nodded at Chase across the booth. “Chase grabbed your bottle of 1942.”
My lip curled. Tequila didn’t sound good anymore. Gesturing to the wide-eyed waitress who was loitering a little too close to our booth, I rolled through a list of drinks in my head and settled on one. “Can I get a Moscow mule, but hold the vodka?”
The waitress stared at me for a long second. “So no vodka? At all?”
“That’s what I said.”
“Okay.” She shook her head like my request was strange then addressed the table. “Anyone else need anything?”
No one else noticed. They were all too busy with their conversations—Harper with Noah, Chase with his phone, and Xander with Walker.
The waitress walked away, leaving me with a hundred percent of Ella’s attention.
Not that she was eager to share it with me. She turned to Harper who sat on her other side. I tugged on the end of her hair to get her attention.
She swung around and shot me an annoyed look. “Stop. I told you at Courgette I don’t like that.”
“How else am I going to get a pretty girl’s attention?”
Ella paused for a second as my words sank in, and then she sat back into the booth’s plush cushion. This time facing me.
I smirked at the small victory. I’d take it.
“That’s not why you were doing it at the restaurant.”
Last month we’d gotten together to celebrate Shay’s job at the restaurant and our upcoming tour. It’d been all fun and games until the celebrity chef took an interest in Ella. Being her brother’s best friend—and since Chase had been so gaga over his wife, he hadn’t noticed the sparks arcing in Ella’s direction—I’d done my best to put the kibosh on that bullshit. The man was old enough to be Ella’s father and had a reputation as a hothead.
He wasn’t nearly good enough for our Ella.
“I’m surprised you noticed. You were too busy drooling over that craggy mother fucker.”
Ella giggled and shook her head. “What can I say? He’s hot.”
Harper leaned over. “Who’s hot?”
“Ramsay Pearce.” Ella raised her eyebrows.
“Oh yeah. He’s a total silver daddy. I’d do him.”
“You’d what?” Noah yelped. “What the hell? I’m sitting right here.”
Harper rolled her eyes. Tilting her head at Ella, she asked, “You wanna go dance?”
“Yes!” Ella raised her arms. “Scooch out, Jesse. We’re gonna go have some fun.”
She shoved hard against my shoulders, almost pushing me out of the booth. Grudgingly, I slid out of the booth then stared in shock as they headed for the velvet rope marking off our section.
“Where are you going?” I yelled after them.
“Put the pieces together, Sherlock!” Ella hollered as she followed Harper past the club bouncers standing guard. “I believe in you!”
I turned to Noah. “What the fuck?”
Noah shrugged. “I guess they’re going to troll for tail elsewhere.”
“Like hell.” I headed after them.
“Wait for me!” Noah hollered.
“Whoa, whoa.” Hyde stood in front of the velvet rope with his palms raised. “We can’t have you guys wading in with the masses out there. It’ll incite a riot. Especially you, Jesse.”
“Me? What the fuck did I do?”
“Come on, man.” Hyde traded a look with Noah. “Don’t make me say it.”
I blinked a few times before I got what Hyde refused to say. “It’s not that bad.”
Hyde raised his eyebrows. “Didja already forget the short walk here from the bar?”
I set my jaw. Honestly? Kinda. I’d forgotten pretty much everything. Including the fact that Ella was my best friend’s little sister—AKA untouchable.
Fuck. Me.
“Fine.” I leveled a look at Hyde. “Then I want one of you guys watching them. They’re part of the group. They get the same level of protection.”
Hyde narrowed his eyes, then after a second, he jerked his chin in recognition.
Leaving Noah and me to slink back to the booth with our tails between our legs.
Or me anyhow, since Noah raced back to the table and jumped onto the bench and crowed like a rooster. Crazy motherfucker.
Instead of joining that insanity, I made Chase move down on the other end. “How’s he holding up?” I asked.
“What?” Chase looked up from his phone with a fuzzy expression. “Who did what now?”
“Holy shit, Chase.” I reached across the table, grabbed my mostly virgin Moscow mule, and took a slug. “You do remember why we came out tonight for Xan, right?”
“Oh right.” Chase set his phone down and looked around the table. “He’s fine.”
Noah was still bouncing on the other end of the bench while Xander and Walker continued their heart to heart in the middle. I couldn’t hear what their convo was about, but at least Xander wasn’t screaming for titties or another round. We might just be able to get out of here without a major scandal.
God, I wished I could go to sleep. I almost missed the days when we’d fix our tiredness with good ol’ narcotics.
“Wait, where’s Ella?” Chase’s head swung left and right. “She was right here.”
I took another pull from my copper mug and tipped my head toward the main club floor.
“Fuck. Who let them out?”
I snorted then had to cough against the burn of ginger beer hitting my nasal cavity. “You seriously think anyone can stop Ella from doing exactly what she wants?”
“Doesn’t mean she should be out there with a bunch of douchey posers.”
I caught a flash of silver sparkling off to my left. Ella was dancing on the edge of the club floor with Harper next to her, both of them grinning and grinding to the beat. So fucking carefree it made me smile reflexively.
I just shook my head and kept my eyes on Ella. “Relax, big bro. I sent Hyde along to make sure nothing happens.”
Chase grunted and picked up his phone again.
Of course Chase was so deep in his texting that he missed the moment when a couple of douchey frat looking assholes slid in behind Ella and Harper. The girls tried to push them away, but the assholes pressed closer.
“Like hell.” I was up and out of the booth without a fucking thought.
After three bounding steps, I grabbed the railing separating our section from the rest of the club and sailed over the top.