Chapter 19
Lucas
Whenmybrotherdoesme a favor, he does me a fucking solid. Not only did he agree to switch with me for a few days so I could collect my thoughts and figure my shit out, he even went so far as to cancel two of the shows this week so I could focus what little energy I had left on operating Pulse in his absence.
It’s not that I didn’t enjoy working or the careers we’d built. But I legitimately felt like I had been fucking railed by a Mack truck, having been so close to having the one woman I could ever dream of wanting, only to have her ripped away within seconds.
During the week, the demand for a hybrid nightclub like ours was slow. So, instead of busting our balls seven days a week to keep the place thriving, we decided that a good balance would be to stick to a reduced schedule, maintaining a balance between the Temptations revue show and the club. And just like our tours, we were rarely in the same location unless one of the two was closed.
We may have bit off far more than we could chew, owning and operating a nightclub while also being the leaders of the revue, but Levi was always the workaholic type. He enjoyed the easy distraction, and now I could see why.
When something—someone, so perfect, falls into your life and then out of nowhere vanishes without a trace… Tessa wasn’t just a one-night stand. She wasn’t a short-lived summer fling or an impulsive urge that I needed to get out of my system. I don’t even know what I felt for her...but it was deep...and it was fucking real.
Seeing her lying in my bed that morning and the thought of waking up to that vision alone for a lifetime to come… In her eyes, I saw our future—Levi's and mine, clear as day.
But where the fuck did she go…
“Before I leave, I need a favor.” My brother entered the kitchen as I downed the last bit of my Celsius, needing the additional caffeine to get me through the day ahead.
“Yeah? And what’s that?”I knew he went above and beyond for a reason.
“Evie.”
“Pinkie Pie?” I quirked my brow with a teasing smirk as I crushed my empty can with one hand and tossed it over the kitchen counter into the trash can like a three-point shot.
“Yes, and don’t fucking call her that,” Levi snarled like a territorial mutt, and I shrugged with my less-than-casual response.
“She shouldn’t have dyed her hair that color if she wanted a better nickname.”
“Just shut the fuck up and keep an eye on her, Luke.”
There was authority in his tone that told me he wasn’t joking and sincerely felt the need for me to play babysitter for his new fuck buddy.
“Yeah, yeah, calm down. I’ll make sure she’s not riding any new cocks while you’re gone.”
“That’s not what I—you know what—fuck—you do you. Just keep her out of fucking trouble and don’t give away that we’re twins. Not yet, at least.”
Did I care to ask why? No. I’m sure he had a good reason if he wanted to hide the fact that he had anidentical twin brother.
Levi never did anything without a purpose, but I refused to see Evie as anything more than someone for him to fuck around with for the time being, because once I found Tessa, it was game fucking over for her.
I wasn’t about to settle for second best. Not when I knew my princess was still out there.
“Duly noted. Have fun in Nashville, brother.” I mocked, knowing I was the reason he was going in the first place, and maybe I was overstepping ever so slightly. But we were family after all, and pissing each other off was what we did best.
Levi gritted his teeth before pivoting and storming out of our penthouse to catch his mid-morning flight, and as the door slammed shut, I somewhat regretted venting my frustrations and being an outright asshole to him. But I turned petty when I got jealous, and that is precisely what I was.
Jealous of my brother.
Thedaysleadingupto the weekend flew by, and part of me dreaded managing the club without Levi around to cover my ass.
Before leaving on tour, I may have beenoverindulgingin someone whomighthave taken my advances in the wrong direction—a no-strings fuck on my end was misinterpreted as a relationship on the other.
“There you are! I’ve been waiting for you to show up tonight.”Speaking of the fucking devil.
“Brandi…” I cleared my throat as I shrugged on my brother’s black blazer that I borrowed for the sake of professionalism and turned to face her.
She was standing in the doorway of our office, all dressed up in her metallic gold string bikini, with a matching shade of lipstick and glitter all over the fucking place.
