Page 89 of Cocky Prince
Goddammit.
I stand and smooth down my tie. “Excuse me, gentlemen,” I say to Paul and the other men at the table in the club’s lounge. “I see something I like.”
The men laugh lewdly, which is exactly what I want. I need them to believe I’m picking up a beautiful woman, not hauling my infuriating girlfriend from the premises.
In a black wig, Hayden is standing beside a tall barstool, sipping a clear drink and stealthily looking around.
I lean against the bar beside her, and sense her stiffen. “What are you doing?” I say casually, swirling the gin and tonic in my hand and taking a gulp.
Her head turns slightly. “How did you know it was me?” she says, her voice low, her mouth barely moving.
I take in the fake eyelashes and heavy makeup that, granted, gives her a different look. I might have missed identifying Hayden as the shy girl I went to school with when I first started at Blue, but I know her now. I could target her with my eyes closed based on the way the air shifts when she’s in the room.
I flash her a look of irritation. “I know the shape of your body, the way you move your feet when you’re nervous—the way you smell.” Her chest rises on an intake of breath.
She turns her back to the bar and pulls her shoulders back, staring out at the sea of bodies in the club. “I’m here to enjoy myself. You?”
I level her a look that callsbullshit.
Her beautifully made-up face, which rivals any pinup poster I’ve ever seen, pulls into a sexy pout. For a second, I forget where I am.
Then I remember and my annoyance returns tenfold. “You shouldn’t be here. And what the hell are you doing dressed like that? Are you trying to attract danger?”
“Danger? For dressing like the rest of the girls in this place? I think not. Paul’s already grabbed my ass once. He and the others have no idea it’s me.” She pats her ridiculous fifties bouffant wig.
“Grabbed your ass,” I say irritably. I blow out a breath of frustration through my nose. Of course Paul would try to touch her.
My gaze takes in her figure, her sun-streaked brown eyes, and I look away. “You may have fooled Paul, but not everyone is oblivious.Iknew it was you.” I flash a mocking smile. “I’m attentive like that.”
“You just know the size of my…”
I inch closer until the arm of my suit jacket brushes her creamy skin, bared at the shoulder by her halter top. “Do tell.” I’ve been primed all week, and my patience is dwindling. I will not be held accountable for tossing her over my shoulder and hauling her out of this place.
She glares at me. “My assets. That’s what you do, isn’t it? Size up assets and decide whether something’s worth your time? Which apparently Blue and the Bliss suites are, because you’re here, working for the devil.”
“As are you,” I remind her. “And if we’re talkingass-ets, then yes, I’m rather good at sizing up yours.” I let my gaze drop to her beautiful breasts pushed up for my perusal, then lower it to her hips and round ass. She snaps her fingers in front of my face and I lift my eyes. “But you’re wrong if you think I choose my friends based on their financial worth.”
“Jaeger, Lewis,” she rattles off. “You’re telling me you don’t choose rich friends?”
I stare at her for a beat, genuinely surprised. “I thought we were beyond this.” Her glare falters and she blinks. “You know me, Hayden. My brothers have no money, and they are a huge part of my life. I don’t give a fuck what someone’s stock portfolio is worth.”
“Your brothers have access to the family money, if they want it. And you don’t have to work here and cater to Blackwell, but you do.”
“As do you,” I remind her again, growing more agitated by the minute. “You could choose to find a different job. The reason I’m staying is because I don’t want to spend my life dependent on my father’s money. I want to build something for myself.”
“At the expense of others.” She glances stubbornly away. “Go back to Paul, Adam. I wouldn’t want to interfere in your fortune making. Besides, you’re not the only one who’s working.”
My jaw shifts. “You’re off duty. You have no reason to be here. Blackwell kicked you off this event.” Her spine stiffens. “And you shouldn’t be dressed like that. Here. Tonight.”
Suspicion fills her eyes. “Why not?”
I walked into that one.
I can’t tell her that Paul and William, and the rest of the Bliss-supported execs, are recruiting this evening. Not simply for new Bliss members, but for burlesque dancers too. “Trust me, okay? I need for you to go home. I’ll meet you there in a couple of hours. Three tops.”
She turns to me, her body pressing close, but not close enough. “Well,Ineed for you to tell me what’s going on, but you won’t. So I’m staying.”
My jaw tightens. I might explode. No one infuriates me more than Hayden. I lean forward until my lips are inches from hers. “Stay. Out. Of. Trouble.”
