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No, no, no. It can’t be! What are the chances of me running into my drunken one-night stand? Ugh, it was the first and last time in my life that I did the walk of shame. What a nightmare this turned out to be. “I’m up for a repeat performance, if you’re game. It might be just what you need to unwind,” he murmurs, while leaning his elbows on the railing. Waiting for an answer.
A month ago, I was here for a book signing which was hosted by the Books & Babes Blog. My agent thought it would be great exposure for me to meet and greet as many fans as possible. Don’t get me wrong, I truly love meeting my readers, but they only know me under my pen name, LN Avalon, not Lilianna Cavallon. Believe me, I never confided in anyone just how much exposure there really was going on that weekend. The only one who knows is waiting for my answer with a shit-eating grin on his handsome face. Dear god, a thought suddenly crosses my mind which makes me nauseous. Did he take any pictures of me in compromising positions? Are they plastered all over the internet?
When his hand unexpectedly touches my arm, I recoil. “Are you okay, Lili? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
There’s no way in hell I can ask him if he took pics that night. Can I? ‘Cause right now I feel like I need to know, otherwise it will drive me stark-raving crazy. “No, I’m fine. I just had a thought and I must admit, it unnerved me a bit.”
“Anything I can help you with?” He has no idea.
“Now that you mention it, could you answer a question about that night?” Dammit, now he must think I was three sheets to the wind and I don’t remember a thing. And he wouldn’t be too far from the truth.
“Of course, I’d be glad to. Do you want me to tell you how many times I made you come?”
“No, that won’t be necessary.” Three amazing orgasms! That much I clearly remember. “Did you take any naked pics of me that night I should be worried about?”
My breath catches when he leaps over the railing. “No, I’d never do such a thing. That’s not my style.”
Am I contemplating having hot, carnal sex with him again? Yes, I do believe I am. Tentatively, I reach out and touch his chest with a trembling hand. “Do me a favor and lose the phone this time.”
A devious chuckle escapes as his hands land on my hips. “It’s in my room but I think you should do a cavity search, just to be safe.”
Oh, sweet baby Jesus.
CHAPTER 3
ZANE
Since Mike didn’t get arrested and Club Syn’s still standing, it’s back to business as usual. I’ve already fulfilled every order, checked and answered all necessary e-mails, returned all the important calls and hired two new employees in less than six hours. Pretty impressive for someone who’s running on only four hours of sleep? Don’t ask.
Now it’s up to Drew and Ariel to train them. I’m leaving it in their capable hands to do it as quickly and as meticulously as possible. Club Syn has an important afterparty coming up in a few weeks and I don’t need anything getting in the way. All I can hope for at this point is that the newbies won’t fuck up like their predecessors did. Really, how difficult is it to adhere to company policy? It’s all written in black and white.
One thing’s for sure—it’s been weeks since I’ve sat hunched over the computer for this length of time without stretching my legs. And, wouldn’t you know, I’m craving a damn cigarette again. Thank fuck I never stopped to buy a pack like I’d wanted to, otherwise I’d be back to smoking around two packs a day. The last thing I want is to be a slave to my addiction. The cruel bitch grabbed me by the throat and ruled my world for seven years, and I’ll be damned if I ever allow her back in. One fuckup was one too many as far as I’m concerned.
Time to move on.
A sense of pride unexpectedly grabs hold of me as I walk over to the plate glass window. What appears to be a wall of mirrors to my patrons is really a one-way window where I can oversee everything going on at the club. A club that I built from the ground up. Three years’ worth of blood, sweat, and tears, but it was all worth it. Club Syn is one of the top ten clubs in Seattle, and some of them have been established for generations. Not too bad for a twenty-nine-year-old entrepreneur who didn’t know what the fuck he was doing out of the gate. Fortunately for me, I have clever business friends who steered me in the right direction. And I was smart enough to take their advice and run with it. Three years later, I’m sitting on a gold mine.
I observe Ariel working with one of our newest employees, Ms. Gray. That surname rolls off my tongue a helluva lot easier than Jane. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely name. But all I can think of is plain Jane and she’s far from unattractive. She’s petite, curvaceous and has a winning personality. Jane will be a hit with the customers and an asset to Club Syn.
Someone cautiously approaches the bar and begins speaking to Ariel. No, it can’t be who I think it is. I tossed his lowlife ass out of here a long time ago. I gotta admit he’s got some big balls for coming here again. I don’t bother calling Mike. This asshole’s all mine.
I pull open my office door and make my way over to the bar. Ariel seems a bit nervous as the idiot rambles on and on. Most likely she remembers he’s not welcome here. Shit’s going to get real.
“Zack, you have one minute to vacate the premises or I’m calling the police.” You can feel the tension in the air as thick as molasses as all eyes suddenly turn to me.
His soon follow.
“Zane. Just the person I wanted to see. I was in the area and thought I’d stop by to shoot the shit with my baby brother.” What part of kicking his ass out didn’t he understand?
I close the gap between us and get right in his face. “I have a business to run and it doesn’t include socializing with the likes of you. Now get out before I throw you out.” Out of the corner of my eye I can see Mike closing in. I stop him with a wave of my hand and hope he doesn’t intervene. This is between my brother and me.
“Just because you own some stupid ass club doesn’t give you the right to talk to me like that. I’m your fucking brother. Older brother, I might add.”
“Zack, I don’t have the time nor the energy to do this again. I’m going to ask you to leave one more time and then I’m calling the police. The choice is yours.”
I see his wheels turning and I know he’s trying to figure out if I’ll go through with it. Well, he best not think too long because long gone are the days where I’d back down to Zack Sinclair.
“Okay, okay. I’ll leave. But I just want you to know I was invited to the afterparty your club’s throwing in a few weeks. I accepted the invitation, so put on your big boy pants and get over it already.”
