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“Works for me.” I shrugged.
Pepper stepped over to us and hooked her arm through Navie’s. “Go try the damn tux on,” she said before turning back to Navie. “Let’s go talk outfits for tonight. I’m thinking the Neon Room is going to be ripe for the picking, and Mama needs to get laid. VIP, baby!”
Griff and I stood side by side, staring as they headed into the kitchen and out of earshot.
“Hey, Row?”
“Yeah?”
“Think you can get us into the Neon Room?”
I had no doubt my smile was akin to the Cheshire Cat. “I’ll make some calls.”
As I’d expected, Harlow was ecstatic at the idea of a girls’ night out. Before bills, jobs, and the rest of the general adult crap had been dumped upon us, dancing was something we always loved to do. So in preparation for a much needed night out, we spent well over two hours getting ready. The end result was something I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to replicate again.
“Girl, you lookhooooooooot!” Pepper whistled as Harlow and I stepped out of the back of our cab in front of the Neon Room. I looked down at my dress, feeling more exposed than I ever had in my life.
When I’d made it home and told Harlow about our plans, she’d immediately run to her room and come back with two dresses, tossing them down and declaring, “Pick one. I’ll wear the other.” One was a sleeveless dress with a cream, jersey-knit top and a shimmery dove gray skirt. It was cute, but the large triangle cutouts on both sides showed more skin than I was willing to show. I thought the silver sequined dress would have been a safer pick; it had short sleeves, and although it would only come to about mid-thigh, it had a modest neckline. The dress was fun, a little funky and, matched with a pair of nude platform heels, was right up my alley. That was until I picked it up and saw the back, or should I say lack thereof.
It scooped down the entire length of my back. Those little dimples at the base of my spine were in serious danger of being exposed, and I worried that if I bent the wrong way, I’d be flashing crack at some poor, innocent bystander. But when I tried to trade back with Harlow, she’d refused, telling me the dress was made for me.
I hated her.
My eyes traveled from my less than modest ensemble to what Pepper was wearing. It was an outfit I’d never have the lady balls to wear, but she absolutely rocked it. The black leather pants hugged her like a second skin. Her red corseted halter top lifted and cinched to make her figure look perfect. And her leopard-print pumps were to die for.
Literally.
As I stood there, I conjured up different scenarios just so I could get my hands on those shoes. She had the sexy rockabilly look down pat.
“You, too,” I answered, leaning in to give her a hug, mindful not to bend too far forward. After quickly introducing Harlow and Pepper, we made our way to the front of the club, bypassing a line so long it snaked around the building. I wasn’t going to lie; jumping ahead of all those people desperate to get in was a heady experience. Pepper flashed our passes—along with a seductive wink—at the bouncer and just like that, we were in.
The instant we stepped inside, my senses went on overload. People packed the dance floor in the very middle of the space, moving and swaying to the beat that vibrated through the floors. Flashes of different colored lights shot in random intervals through the dimly lit building, bathing everything in temporary color before going dark again. The club was two levels, the first floor housing the dance floor and two long bars, one on the far back wall and one to the right when we first walked in. A curved, wrought iron set of stairs to my left led up to the second level. It was completely open, like a balcony wrapping around all four walls, overlooking the action down below. I was willing to bet that was the VIP area. The energy in the club was positively electric, and I felt my excitement build at the idea of getting out there and losing myself in the sea of people.
“Come on!” Pepper yelled over the music. “VIP has bottle service. We’ll get a drink then go dance.”
Standing between Harlow and Pepper, the three of us linked hands as Pepper led us up the stairs. I was so focused on not getting my heel caught and falling on my face that I ran smack into the back of Pepper when she came to an abrupt stop at the landing.
“Oh, hell no!”
“What is it?” Harlow asked. I looked at her over my shoulder and gave her a shrug before turning back to see what set Pepper off.
“Evening, ladies.” I knew that voice. Once I shoved Pepper out of the way enough to make it to the landing, my gaze settled on the man standing in front of her wearing a cocky grin.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Unfazed by the fire in Pepper’s eyes, Griffin’s smile grew brighter as he took a step toward her. She tried to back up, but with Harlow and me standing directly behind her, she had nowhere to go.
“Just having a night out with the guys.” He tilted his chin, dragging my attention to where Rowan and another guy sat on plush looking loveseats that surrounded a square table. From the looks of it, the entire VIP area was filled with small seating sections just like theirs.
My breath stalled at the sight of him sitting there. If there was one thing I’d been looking forward to, it was a chance to escape the constant thoughts of Rowan that had been plaguing me. Seeing him there, completely at ease, caused all those hopes of forgetting, at least temporarily, to burst into flames.
“You havegotto be kidding me!” Pepper shouted as the other guys made eye contact with us.
“Sis!” the unfamiliar one called out excitedly. Pepper’s brother was most definitely not what I expected. The guy next to Rowan was the complete opposite of his fiery sister. He was most definitely attractive, but in a straight-laced, casual way and none of the flash of Pepper.
“I cannot believe you crashed our girls’ night!” she seethed at Griffin between clenched teeth. “And you brought my brother?!”
“Total coincidence,” he answered smoothly. “I don’t see cause for such hostility, sweetness. Can’t we all just get along?”
