Page 74 of Slumming It
"Yeah, totally." Her smile grew smug. "My family owns this place."
Big fucking deal."Am I supposed to be impressed?"
Her smile faltered. "I wasn't bragging. I was just letting you know."
Bullshit."So, where's our drinks?"
She looked gob-smacked by the question. "Sorry, what?"
"Our drinks – you said you work here. So, where are they?"
She frowned like someone had just told her to clean a shit-stained toilet in the men's room. "I didn't say Iworkhere. I said I'm one of the owners."
Yeah, and I was the Green Goblin.Sure, I got that her parents' owned the place, but this girl didn't own jack-shit on her own, except for an attitude that needed readjusting.
When I didn't look sufficiently impressed, her accomplice stepped forward to explain. "She means the whole resort, not just the nightclub."
When I replied with nothing but a shrug, the second girl switched gears to say, "I come from a legal family myself. My mom's the best lawyer in town." She smiled like this was a huge fucking deal, showing no dimples, but plenty of teeth. "Ask anyone. They'll tell you."
I wouldn't be asking anyone dick."Why?"
She hesitated. "Why what?"
"Why would I ask? You think I need a lawyer?"
Her eyes scrunched in confusion before she let out a high-pitched giggle that sounded more fake than a three-dollar bill. "No," she laughed. "Whatyouneed is some fun. My name's Nikki." She gave me a long, thirsty look. "I won't askyourname, because everyone knows whoyouare."
Next to her, Morgan frowned. She sidestepped forward, blocking Nikki from my view. "Yeah, butIknew your name first."
The words had barely left her lips when Nikki pulled the same move, blocking her friend. "ButIknew your name better."
I stared down at her.What the fuck did that mean?
Morgan moved forward again, jostling Nikki aside. When Nikki jostled back, Morgan turned to her and hissed, "Just stop it, will you? You're making a fool of yourself."
They were both fools inmybook.
As if to prove it, they began whisper-arguing about which one stood a better shot with me – as if I'd come here alone and on the make. A few feet away, the bouncers watched in silence from the sidelines, looking tense and uncertain, like they didn't know whether to stay or go while all of this played out.
Meanwhile, the girl I'd come with was still standing behind me, protected within the circle of the booth. I couldn't see her, but I could feel her presence like a magnetic force, pulling me in directions that weren't part of the plan.
As the girls continued to argue, I couldn't stop myself from turning back to look at Emily. When our gazes locked, her lips twitched like she wanted to smile, and I felt the corners of my own mouth lift upward even as the nearby arguing increased in pitch.
In Emily's eyes, the fear was now gone, replaced by amusement and something else, something deeper and far more interesting. Whatever it was, it warmed my heart in a way that should've set alarm bells ringing.
Behind me, one of the girls yelled, "Well? What are you waiting for?" Curious now, I turned to look, expecting to see some serious hair-pulling or a slap-fest at the least. What I saw instead was Morgan glaring at the two bouncers like they'd been caught stealing from the till.
The bouncers exchanged a confused glance before the larger one looked back to Morgan and asked, "So…you want us to leave?"
She gave a loud huff. "No, I want you to do your jobs!"
The guy frowned. "So…you want us to carry her out?" He slipped me a wary glance before lowering his voice to ask Morgan, "You serious?"
I felt my shoulders bunch in response. They couldtryto lay their hands on her. But they would need to get throughmefirst.
Good luck withthat.
Morgan looked at the bouncer like he'd just suggested lighting the place on fire. "No. I don't want you to carry her out." She gave him something between a grimace and a smile. "We're good friends, as I've already explained."
