Page 37 of Dirty Martini
“I’m saying to rethink that,” Knox presses, and I know he’s only being insistent because this is for work, not pleasure, and I don’t want to know what his supplier would say if he didn’t make his sales quota.
“Is there, like, a secret code or something?” I joke, trying to ease the tension between the two. “I know a good series of secret knocks. I could try one out?”
The man’s unamused eyes snap to me, and they flare with recognition. “Wait, you’re Elton’s brother, aren’t you?”
I sigh. Like I haven’t heardthatone before, but if it’s going to make the big man nicer, I’ll deal with it. “Yeah. Everest.”
“And you’re Rhys’s friend too?”
While we’re considerablynotfriends, I won’t point that out. “Totally.”
“I’m Butch,” he says, outstretching a hand to meet mine. “Didn’t get to say that the first time you came around. Next time, just skip the line and come see me up front, yeah?”
“Okay, yeah,” I stutter with a nod. He gestures for us to walk in, but not before throwing one last distasteful glare at Knox.
“Fuck yeah,” Knox says, clapping me on the shoulder and smacking a kiss on my cheek. “Good shit. You good to hang out here while I get some business done?”
I nod. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“See you in a bit,” he says with a wink, disappearing into the crowd.
Without anybody with me, I feel a bit awkward. I would go get some liquid courage, but I think that would just lead to another confrontation with Rhys, something I really don’t want. So, instead, I stand in the corner and wait for Knox. I let the music in the background—“Benz I Know” by Kelvyn Colt—consume me and sway to the beat. After ten minutes, I get bored and decide to just fuck it. I spot Britt at the end of the bar and Rhys all the way at the other end. Making my way there, I wait about ten more minutes until I’m in front of Britt.
She does a double take when she sees me, glancing toward the other end of the bar before turning back to me. “Everest, right?”
“Yeah,” I say with an uncomfortable chuckle, scratching the back of my neck. “Can I get a Bareback?”
She snorts. “That sounds like something Skylar would make. Anything normal?”
“Vodka Sprite, then,” I tell her.
“Sure thing,” she says, starting on the drink. “So, does Rhys know you’re here?”
I choke on nothing but saliva at her blunt question. My face heats up as I shake my head. “Why would he have to know?”
“Right,” she says, giving me a pointed look. She hands me the drink and gestures for my card. “Closed or open?”
“Closed, please.” Reaching into my back pocket, I fish my card out of my wallet. I try to ignore what she’s insinuating, but I can’t. “Um, so, Rhys?”
“Skylar has a big imagination and an even bigger mouth,” she yells over her shoulder as she cashes me out. “He’s convinced there’s something going on between the two of you. I told him to stay out of it, but he’s already making fan art.”
“There’s nothing going on between us,” I state, scoffing. “Why can’t everyone just mind their own business?”
“Because Rhys has been an absolute fucking terror lately andwe’rethe ones who have to deal with him,” she counters. She goes to hand me the card, but as soon as I reach for it, she snatches it away. “Wanna be a doll and fix that for us?”
“If he’s pissy, that’s his own shit to deal with,” I growl, snatching my card away. I realize I’m getting angry at the wrong person, and I suddenly wish I had told Knox to come here on his own tonight. “We’re just?—”
“Is that for me?”
Knox appears beside me, a light sheen of sweat on his face, his piercings glittering under the club lights. He takes the drink I ordered and downs it in one go. Wrapping an arm around my waist, he presses his lips against my ear. “Let’s dance, babe!”
My attention is still on Britt as she raises one sculpted eyebrow and slowly nods to herself. “Right. Well, this’ll sure be fun.”
I go to ask her what she means by that, but I’m already being dragged away to the dance floor by Knox. He tries to get me to dance with him, but I’m stiff as a board, unable to get my mind off what Britt meant.
“You’re being a buzzkill!” he screams in my ear, trying to get me to move my hips. “Just have some fun!”
I go to tell him I want to go back to his place, knowing that he’ll agree, until something catches my attention.
