Club Prive (5 page)

Chapter 4

By the time we reached the club, I couldn’t wait to just have some fun with no work, no studying, no pressure or expectations. Just drinking and dancing, maybe some flirting. That was probably why, when we walked towards the front of  Club Privé, I was disappointed to see the line was huge. A good two to three hundred people were standing along the sidewalk, all dressed at least as flashy as Krissy was, and all looking eagerly towards the doors. None of them seemed even remotely close to leaving, though I judged it would be hours before those at the back of the line got anywhere near the front.

“Krissy, come on, let’s just go somewhere else,” I said. “Standing in line half the night isn’t exactly my idea of a great night out.”

“No.” Krissy shook her head and I saw the stubborn glint in her eyes.

I sighed. When Krissy looked like that, it was usually pointless to argue. I was strong-willed, and she made me look like a wimp when she got something into her head. Nevertheless, I tried again. “You want to have a good time? This,” I gestured at the line, “doesn’t look like a good time. Let’s just go to another club, get some drinks, find hot guys to dance with and forget about this place.”

“Hell no.”

Krissy grabbed my arm and dragged me past the line to the front, where a rather large doorman loomed. I could feel my cheeks heating up as the people waiting stared at us. Some were glaring, annoyed that we were even trying to cut, while others appeared amused, expectant expressions on their faces clearly saying that they were just waiting to watch us get sent to the end of the line, metaphorical tails between our legs.

“Excuse me,” Krissy said.

The doorman looked down at her, his face blank. He crossed his arms over his massive chest, giving her no response.

Undaunted, she continued. “I believe we’re on your VIP list.”

VIP list? I gave her a puzzled look. Had she been serious about an invite from an investor?

“Name.” The doorman sounded bored, as if he’d heard that line a million times.

“Krissy Jensen.” She motioned to me. “And I should have a plus one.”

The doorman looked down at his clipboard. For a moment, I thought Krissy was bluffing and we were going to be told to get lost. Then, the doorman nodded. “Krissy Jensen, plus one.” He stepped to the side, his wide body blocking the rest of the line while allowing us in front of him. “Enjoy your evening, ladies.”

Automatically, I thanked the doorman as Krissy and I passed. Southern manners never die, no matter how many years you spend up North. You can take the girl out of the South...

As Krissy and I stepped inside, the opulence of the place hit me hard enough to make my jaw drop. This was like nothing I’d ever seen before and, judging by the similar gob-smacked expression on Krissy’s face, she was having a similar reaction. We moved off to the side almost automatically, needing a moment to absorb everything.

The club had marble floors. No joke. I’m talking white marble that looked like it belonged in a mansion, not a club. And the crazy thing was, the floors weren’t the most mind-blowing part. In the center of the club was a huge pool surrounded by women looking like they’d been directly imported from the Playboy Mansion. The skimpy dresses and bikinis they wore as they lounged around the pool barely left anything to the imagination. Suddenly, my skin-tight dress with the plunging neckline and almost too-short hemline seemed almost nun-like. Even Krissy’s ribbon-dress was starting to look modest.

When I finally managed to tear my disbelieving eyes away from the women, I saw the rest of the club was just as impressive. Elegant booths lined one wall, and across was an elevated upper area with a bar and tables, all very expensive-looking. At the far end of the club was the dance floor with an elevated DJ stage. The music was good, now that I listened to it. There was the right mix of a beat and an actual melody. Danceable without being harsh on the ears. I liked it.

It only took a minute for me to process the grandeur, and then Krissy was taking my hand and leading me towards the bar. That was good. I needed a drink.

As insane as the line was outside the club, things weren’t too bad inside. Krissy and I made our way through the crowd with greater ease than we’d experienced in some other clubs. There was room to breathe here, for which I was grateful. I didn’t mind people, but a body-to-body press all night was not my idea of fun. We reached the bar without the usual elbow jostling and Krissy signaled for the bartender. He looked like something out of
Playgirl
. Apparently it wasn’t just the straight male patrons whose tastes were being catered to. The bartender gave us both a charming smile before asking what we wanted to drink.

“Two Lemon Drop martinis, please.” Krissy returned the smile as she ordered for both of us.

That was our go-to drink back in the day when we used to go out together. Every once in a while, we’d branch off to something else, but we always started with the Lemon Drops.

“Forty-six dollars,” the bartender said as he slid the drinks over to us a minute later.

I looked over at Krissy. Before either of us could say anything, a male voice spoke up from behind us.

“That’s all right, Kenny. I’ve got this.”

Krissy and I turned to thank our mysterious benefactor. He looked like he was in his early forties, maybe mid-forties, with salt-and-pepper hair and a nice smile. He was attractive, but in a place like this where half the people looked like they’d just stepped out of a fashion magazine, he didn’t stand out.

“Jeff!” Krissy threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek.

For a moment, I couldn’t place the name, but then it hit me. Jeff, the man Krissy had met last weekend. The investor who’d told her about the club. He must’ve been the guy who’d put our names on the VIP list.

“Carrie, this is Jeff Fenster. Jeff, this is my roommate and best friend, Carrie Summers.” Krissy pulled back from the hug but kept her hand on Jeff’s arm, a possessive gesture I recognized immediately. Krissy liked this guy and was making sure everyone else around knew that she’d staked her claim.

“It’s nice to meet you.” I kept the smile just friendly enough not to be insulting. I wouldn’t have flirted with him even if Krissy didn’t like him, but I wanted to make sure there was no mistake. He wasn’t my type. Even as I thought it, I couldn’t help but think of dark hair, and the kind of blue eyes a girl could drown in. That was definitely my type.

“Likewise.” Jeff smiled at me, but it was as platonic as mine had been. That was good. The last thing I needed was the guy Krissy was crushing on to be hitting on me.

“This place is amazing!” Krissy said, leaning closer than necessary.

“Do you own it?” I asked.

Jeff grinned, making me put his age back down in his early forties. “I wish.” He ordered a drink of his own, then continued talking to me. “I just have a small investment in the club. That’s what I do. I’m an investor.” He looked around. “Looks like this one was definitely one of my better ones.”

Yeah, I thought as I took a sip of my drink. That would explain Krissy’s attraction. Her type was usually younger, bulkier, and blond. She wasn’t shallow, but she didn’t usually go for depth when it came to her relationships, since they were mostly about sex and fun. Jeff’s being a nice guy might’ve gotten him a hug and a peck on the cheek, but it wasn’t enough for her to make a visible claim. Money, however, would most likely make him appealing enough for her to consider something more.

“Whose idea was the pool?” Krissy asked. Her hand had moved from his arm to his upper shoulder, almost on his chest, and she was leaning against him.

I almost rolled my eyes. I loved my friend, but subtlety wasn’t her strong suit. Then again, when she wanted something, she went after it, so I couldn’t really condemn her for it. There were times I wished I could be a little more like that instead of so self-conscious that I doubted good-looking men wanted me.

“It wasn’t mine,” Jeff admitted. “The owner came to me with the entire floor plan already mapped out. It was genius.”

“It is,” Krissy agreed. She glanced at me, then at the dance floor, and I knew what she was asking. I gave her a slight nod. Who was I to stand in her way? She smiled and took Jeff’s hand. “Let’s dance.”

She didn’t give him time to respond before she, in typical Krissy fashion, dragged him down the stairs and onto the dance floor. I watched them for a while, enjoying the fact that my friend was having fun. Not that I wasn’t happy to be here myself. I had a delicious drink, the music was good and the club beautiful. While it might’ve been nice to get some male attention of my own, this wasn’t half-bad.

“Bartender, another Apple Martini for the lady.”

The drunken slur next to me caught my attention. A man had taken up Krissy’s seat and he was leaning towards me, leering in a way that made me feel like I needed to take a shower. I gave him a polite smile. “That’s quite all right,” I said. I didn’t like being rude, not when the guy was obviously wasted. “I’m fine.”

He poked a finger towards my near-empty glass. “I saw your drink was almost empty, so I figured you’d like another. Apple Martini, right?”

I sighed. Apparently he was going to be a bit more persistent. “Sorry, no, that’s not what I’m drinking. And it’s okay. I don’t want another one.”

“Sure you do, sweet thing.” He leaned close enough for me to smell the Scotch wafting off of him.

I resisted the urge to back up. It wasn’t in my nature to show weakness. But, it also wasn’t in my nature to be rude without a true cause. “I’m going to be leaving soon, so there’s no point in wasting a drink.”

“But you just got here, baby. I saw when you and your sexy girlfriend came in a few minutes ago.” He ran his eyes over me and my skin crawled.

I really didn’t want to know what he’d been thinking about when he saw Krissy and me walk in together. “I’m sorry, but—”

“Don’t be such a tease,” he said. “You can’t hint at the goods and not expect to have to give a little.”

The moment he put his hand on my thigh, politeness went out the window. I jumped up and back, forgetting that I had the last of my drink in my hand. I was reminded immediately as the drink spilled down the front of my dress. Well, not my dress, but Krissy’s dress. I rarely lost my temper, but when I did, look out.

“Dammit! Look what you did!” I had to force myself to set the glass down on the bar instead of slamming it like I wanted to. “What were you thinking, putting your hand on my leg? I don’t know you.”

“Come on, baby.” He stood, reaching out as if he were going to touch me again. “It’s no big deal. Let’s say you and I go someplace and I can help you clean up.”

I could feel my hand curling into a fist. If he touched me again, I was going to punch him, consequences be damned.

“There you are, babe.”

I froze. I knew that voice, but it couldn’t be real. It had to be just a figment of my imagination. I turned slowly towards it and saw that I wasn’t imagining things. Or, if I was, it was the most vivid hallucination of all time. Gavin stood there, looking more delectable than ever, and smiling at me in a warm way that made things deep in my stomach twist. This was the second time he had shown up unexpectedly, but tonight his timing couldn’t be more perfect.

Chapter 5

“Sorry I’m late.” He looked sheepish, which just made him more adorable than ever. “Worst boyfriend ever, I know.”

Boyfriend? I gaped at him. What the hell was he trying to pull?

“Boyfriend?” The drunk echoed my thought. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

I snapped my mouth shut and tore my eyes away from Gavin to look back at the man who’d been hitting on me. He, too, was staring at Gavin, but the look on his face was one of contrition rather than awe.

He continued to stammer, this time directing his statements to me. “I’m so sorry, miss. I had no idea he was your boyfriend. Let me pay for the dress.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Gavin said, moving until he was standing right next to me. “Just get out of here. And make sure you take a cab. You’re too wasted to drive.”

“Yes. Right. Good.”

The man stumbled away, leaving me and Gavin alone. Or, as alone as two people could be in a packed club. Now that the incident was over, I looked up at Gavin, questions flooding my mind. What was he doing here? Was he seriously stalking me? I’d joked about it before, but Gavin being here had to be more than coincidence, didn’t it?