The money was transferred to my account, it didn’t stay there long though. I paid a part of my student loan off with that money. It being immediately used to pay off part of my loan was a good way to pretend that night hadn’t happened in the first place. Yet today it was coming back at me in full force. Thankfully Nick was right beside me. He sensed my uneasiness and remained silent, giving me time to get over it.
Nick parked the car near the library and turned to look at me, his knuckles softly brushing against my cheek.
“See you tonight.”
I leaned into his soft touch, “Yeah.”
“Don’t forget about Miles.” He warned me.
“I won’t.”
“Promise me.” He pushed.
“Nick, I’m not a child, please don’t talk to me like I am one.”
“You’re not a child, but you are stubborn and sometimes you want to do the opposite of what I say, just to annoy me.”
I wanted to tell him that he was wrong, but that would mean I was lying to him. There were times I liked to do the exact opposite of what Nick asked of me. That was only because he was usually so bossy, he needed to be shown that he couldn’t be that way with his girlfriend. But there were times that he was right and I had to swallow my pride and agree with his suggestion. This was one of those times. It was a lot safer if Miles gave me a ride. It also eased all of our minds.
“I promise I will give Miles a call when I’m ready to head to the club,” I promised him.
Nick seemed very pleased with that, he cupped my face in his hands and leaned in. He brushed his lips against mine, his taste so familiar and addictive. If he didn’t pull away I’d crawl in his lap right then and there, not caring people were stopping and staring at the car. It was a very nice car and a few women were probably also appreciating the sight of the man who drove that car.
Giving him a last peck I undid my seatbelt, “Later.”
He watched me leave the car, mouthing the name Miles at me when he watched me disappear into the building.
***
Getting ready for my shift I was about to push my locker door closed when Brandon decided to scare the hell out of me by suddenly appearing next to me, shoving his phone in my face. Whatever he wanted to show me was a blur because his phone was right up my face. Pushing his arm away I closed my locker and turned to look at him.
“What?”
“You’re all over the internet.” He told me, sounding very annoyed by it, “I thought you told Evan you that’s the last thing you wanted.” He pocketed his phone, “It’s only going to get worse, you know.”
When I told Evan that I had no idea where Nick and I were standing, but now, weeks later I knew exactly where we were standing. The idea of pictures of us all splattered across the internet and Social Media didn’t scare me at all. That would probably come back and bite me in the behind later, but now, there was no freaking out at all.
“I know.” The firmness in my voice made Brandon cock an eyebrow at me, “I’ll be fine.”
“How do you know that?” He demanded to know, “The paparazzi can be brutal-”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Nick will take care of it.”
I noticed the face Brandon made but chose to ignore it. Nothing he’d say or do would make the feeling I had fade. It really must be the multiple orgasms Nick gave me that morning, or afternoon really.
“Let’s get to work, it’s pretty crowded out there.”
He huffed, but still followed me. I headed straight for the bar and took the shift over from the day crew. I looked at Brandon from the corner of my eye and saw him flirting with a brunette. I guess he got over his issues pretty fast. Smiling, I went to take the order of the big group of already tipsy women.
“Your friend just got himself a date with a model.”
I looked up recognizing that voice. Rolling my eyes I poured Evan his drink, “You’re suddenly obsessed with this place, aren’t you?” I asked as I shoved him his glass of whiskey.
“This is Nick’s club-” Evan gestured around him, “It’s more efficient for me to meet up with my business associates here.”
“You’ve made some sort of deal with Nick, didn’t you?”
A devious smirk spread across his handsome face, “Something like that.” He raised his glass at me, “Nick is meeting us in a few, I’ll see you upstairs.”
I wanted to question Evan a bit more, last time he appeared so suddenly at the club he had been up to no good. In the end, his meddling did cause Nick and I to speed up the process of dating, but his planning still did a number on us all. Evan was someone who you needed to watch out for. Peeking at Brandon who was still chatting away with his brunette, I couldn’t help but observe her. Her brown hair cascaded down her back in soft waves, her thick, long lashes blinking away with Brandon who charmingly smiled down at her. She reached out to him, placing her hand on his arm. That model was definitely into him, soaking up everything he was saying like a good little sponge. Looking away from the intimate moment Brandon had I focused back on my work. Evan mentioned seeing me later in the VIP room so I figured they wanted me up there later tonight. Brandon would be on his own again, Victor would probably help him because he wouldn’t say no to Nick. No one could. I was putting away clean glasses when I heard that familiar voice calling out to me.
“Emily.”
Not being able to help it I smiled hearing him call out to me, “Nick.”
Looking up I met his piercing blue eyes. What caught me off guard wasn’t his intense stare though, it was his massive grin that did it. He looked happy seeing me like I was the ray of sunshine in his life.
“Evan is here with some business associates, I’d like you to accompany me, as my date.”
Evan already informed me, but smart comments wouldn’t leave my lips. That was saying something since I had a broken brain to mouth filter. Instead, the butterflies in my stomach were going crazy just because I was staring at the man who had been on my mind the entire day. Victor walked up to the bar on cue, taking my shift over from me. Nick held his hand out to me, nodding at his outstretched hand. He wanted me to take it. Without hesitation I reached for his hand, letting him lead me around the bar and then lead me to the VIP room. Nick tightened his grip on my hand, letting out a tired sigh.
“I’m sorry about the photos, Em.”
“I’m okay.”
His shocked expression told me he figured I’d throw a tantrum, “You are?”
“Evan already warned me.” I explained to him, “I knew what I was getting myself into when I started falling for you.”
Nick was smirking when he told me, “That idiot again, he sure loves to meddle in my relationship.”
“He means well… I think.”
“Sure, one of these days I’ll probably strangle that bastard with my bare hands.”
Their friendship was complicated, I think the both of them cared about each other. They just had a hard time expressing that. Rivals who were besties, of course, it was complicated. We headed to Evan’s table, I momentarily stopped in my tracks when my eyes met Giselle’s. The cold-hearted woman who seemed very interested in her boss was also part of Evan’s small gathering. It totally slipped my mind that she was still part of Nick’s life. She was his personal assistant and she followed him everywhere. Nick bumped his arm against mine, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Something wrong?”
I wanted to spill everything, but one: it was probably not a good idea to do that right in front of Giselle, two: I wasn’t sure if Nick would believe me. His assistant disliked me since day one, but he could easily brush it off as me being jealous. Instead, I pushed all my feelings concerning Giselle into a box and looked up at Nick, flashing him a smile.
“No, I’m fine.”
Taking a seat at Evan’s table, I made sure I sat right beside the evil mastermind. Evan could be annoying at times, but he was also the person who always kept the mood light. While Giselle was also present I needed someone like that beside me to distract me. When I met Nick’s gaze I immediately noticed his displeased look. He wasn’t happy that I eagerly took a seat next to his friend. Thankfully he kept his words to himself. The last thing we needed was causing a scene in front of people who would get off on it.
“I’m very glad you could join us, Emily.” Evan poured me a glass of red wine, “So how did your date go the other day.”