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Finding out my dad cheated on my mum when she was pregnant with my older brother Tom was gut-wrenching to say the least. It felt like the biggest betrayal to her memory. Then, to find out that the affair had resulted in Tom and Ihaving a half-brother, that was another kick in the guts. The final nail in the coffin was finding out that my half-brother is also related to my girlfriend. Can my life get any more fucked up?
My stomach churns, and the scotch threatens to reappear. The room begins to sway, and I manage to choke out, “Bucket.”
Quick as a flash, Kai is across the room, a wastepaper basket in his hands. He shoves it at me just in time for the vomit to spray up the sides. Elijah groans, pushing away from me in an effort to move out of the kill zone.
I heave until there’s nothing left before wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. My skin feels cold and clammy, and I’m shaking all over.
“I knew six was going to be too much,” Elijah mutters under his breath as he starts to pack up the equipment around me.
“I don’t think it was the piercings, babe,” Kai says quietly, shaking his head. He takes the wastepaper basket out of my hands and leaves the room.
I close my eyes with another groan and lean back against the bed I’m sitting on. My dick is throbbing, my stomach is churning, and my heart feels like it’s been shattered into a million and one tiny little pieces.
THE BASE PUMPS to the same rhythm as the pounding headache currently thumping through my skull. The flashing lights of the club only exacerbate the pain. Elijah and Kai tried to convince me to go home with them after thepiercings, but I’ve been trying to avoid that quiet time in between being awake and falling asleep in order to escape from my thoughts.
Instead, I’ve been frequenting Dukes every night until I’m ready to stumble back to their apartment above the parlour and pass out. I lean up against the bar, nursing my drink and trying not to move too much to avoid rubbing against my new piercings.
Dukes has a wide clientele base. They do not discriminate. Whether you’re queer, straight, bi, trans, lesbian, intersex, or anything that defies even those labels, you’re welcome at Dukes. It’s a safe space. Kai’s brother, Benson, is the owner, and I’ve been coming here every night since I arrived in Sydney.
The handy thing for me tonight is that the dress code is so relaxed that no one even blinks twice at my black sweatpants and grey surf club muscle top. I take another sip of my drink, nodding my head in greeting to one of Elijah’s friends as he dances past me in his tight black leather pants and pink sequined top.
My eyes lock with a petite brunette sitting at a booth with a group of friends. She’s watching me intently, a small smile on her lips, but I quickly turn back to the bar and wave at the bartender to get me another drink. While he’s making it, I swallow back the rest of the one in my hand.
An hour later, I stumble out of Dukes and make my way across the road to the kebab store. I place my order and decide to wait outside for my food. I’m texting Elijah to let him know I’m on my way home when someone shouts, “Look out!”
The sound of screeching car tyres fills the busy street. Ilook up in time to see the girl from the booth at Dukes standing frozen in the middle of the street as a car comes careening toward her. One of her friends from the club screams from the sidewalk. Without thinking, adrenaline kicks in, and I push off from the wall and sprint onto the road, pulling her out of the way of the oncoming car just in time.
The smell of cherry blossoms invades my senses as I look down at the shaking girl in my arms.
“Are you okay?” I ask, taking a step back and looking over her to see if she’s hurt.
“I-I’m fine,” she says breathily. Her big doe eyes meet mine. “Th-thank you.”
I clear my throat, averting my gaze. “It was nothing.”
“It wasn’t nothing,” she says, resting her delicate hand on my arm. “You saved my life.”
I stare at where our bodies connect, trying to ignore the warmth of her touch and the throbbing of my cock where the piercings are screaming at me for the impact from saving her.
“What’s your name?”
“Uh, Harley.”
“Well, thank you, Harley. Can I get you a drink or something to repay you?”
“That’s really not necessary.”
“Please,” she insists, squeezing my arm gently. “You’re my knight in shining sweatpants,” she adds with a throaty laugh as she eyes my clothes. She’s dressed in a black strapless dress that contrasts against her dark tan perfectly. The diamond necklace wrapped around her throat screams money, but my eyes catch on the ink on her right forearm.It’s an elaborate floral design that spans up to her elbow.
“Listen…”
“Lily,” she offers, and my breath hitches, my free hand going to the tattoo on my left pec hidden under my clothes. She cocks her head to the side. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah… uh, everything is fine.” I swallow around the lump in my throat. “Listen, Lily. I’m glad you’re okay, but I can’t get a drink with you. Thanks for the offer, though; it was really sweet.”
Her brow furrows. “You can’t get a drink?”
“No, sorry. I, uh, have a girlfriend back home, and it just doesn’t feel right.”
