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Fuck.
Me.
I knew these girls were good
looking but,
damn
, they clean up nice.
They all look stunning but I’m actually a little disappointed that
Tina is wearing a lot of makeup. She’s normally adorable but
tonight she looks sexy. When I leaned in closer to her I caught her
smell. Goddamn it, she smells like cake! Like vanilla, cinnamon,
and sugar mixed together.
The dress she’s wearing shows off her body; it hugs every sweet
curve. She looks hot.
I’m feeling a little protective of her. I don’t want any of the
guys here to make a move on her. I want her to relax
tonight.
Yeah, keep tellin’ yourself
that.
Hush, brain.
Someone behind me clears their throat. Ghost is standing there with
Trick. I gave the boys the night off because I want the girls to
enjoy themselves tonight and when we we’re celebrating at lunch the
other day everyone seemed to get along really well.
Trick takes a seat next to Lola but Ghost remains scowling at
Natalie who is staring right back at him.
Oh damn, it’s a stare off.
I’m
just about to tell Ghost to sit the hell down when Nat straightens
her back, leans her head forward slightly, and scowls theatrically
hard at him.
I can’t believe my ears when I hear him chuckle behind me. Ghost
isn’t what many would call a people person. But he has his
reasons.
He rolls his eyes at her and plonks himself into the seat next to
her.
Everyone has a drink and starts conversations with each other and I
find myself listening to answers Tina gives to the questions asked
of her.
I find out she’s lived in New York two years, formerly a California
girl. She’s twenty eight. Nat shares Tina’s apartment with her. She
has a cat named Bear. Her dad lives in Cali but her Mom’s passed
away. That’s too bad. She and Nat have been friends for as long as
they can remember and they’re both of Croatian descent. She also
advises that she’s a lightweight and to not let her drink more than
three drinks.
Two hours pass and we’re all still deep in conversation with each
other. Tina is on her third drink and I won’t let her drink anymore
tonight. Ghost is not much for conversation but he seems to be
listening to whatever Nat is talking to Mimi about. Everything is
going well and I’m glad we’re all getting to know each other better
because these girls are the
shit
. And I can’t stop looking at
Tina.
She’s beautiful and she looks so relaxed, laughing so hard she
almost chokes on her drink. I rub up and down her back and her
skin’s bare. Her skin is
so
soft.
Jeezus.
I like these girls. A
lot. They are real deal kind of girls. Nice girls who like to have
good conversation. No drama kind of girls.
My kind of girls.
And
then…
“You fucking asshole!”
***

“
You fucking asshole!” The
entire booth turns to face the shrill
voice.
Oh, dear
god!
There at the end of the booth
stands She-Devil.
Miss I-Wanna-Return-My-Three-Hundred-Dollar-Ruined-Dress.
Nik’s face turns hard as he snarls, “Sissy, what the fuck are you
doin’ here? I told you, it’s done.”
Her scowling face turns to mine. She asks, “So, you fuckin’ her
now?”
Nik’s reply makes my stomach knot, “None of your damn
business.”
Damn it, why didn’t he say
No!
She-Devil Sissykins smirks at Nik
and leans forward a little and states tartly, “I am going to make
your life a living hell.”
Oh, Hell
no. That shit doesn’t fly.
I stand up
and out of the booth, I’m immediately flanked by my girls and we
stand tall.
Nat speaks first, “Oh, hell no, Hoochy Spice. You do
not
come into this man’s
club,” she points her thumb back at Nik, “and start shit while he’s
hosting a private party. You got shit to say to him, you wait for
an appropriate time or make an appointment to see him. What you
don’t do is bring your two dollar made-in-china silver hair
extensions to our booth and make a fuss like a five year
old.”
Mimi speaks next, “And there is no way you’ll do anything to make
his life a living hell, either. I know you think he’s your man or
some shit but have some dignity and move on graciously,
bitch.”
Lola turns it up a bit, “And if we find out you’ve done anything to
make any of these guy’s lives harder than it should be,” she
whispers loudly, “we’ll come after you.”
I hide the fact I’m flushed, itchy as hell, and finish it up, “I
know you’ve got no problem starting something here where you can
talk big but I promise you,” I take a step closer to her, “you do
not want to take us on. Because back there,” I point my thumb back
at Nik, “you’ve got a man who won’t lay a finger on you. But right
here, you’ve got four angry women just itching to rip those ratty
hair extensions out of that pretty head of yours.”
She-Devil’s face is flushed and contorted with anger. She tries
hard to stare us down. She opens her mouth to rip me a new asshole
when a hand closes over her upper arm.
B-Rock the Bouncer has her gripped tight.
Nik stands and holds out his hand. He barks, “Your VIP pass,
Sissy.”
She stares him down but hands him the pass.
He puts the pass in his pocket, sits down, and cautions, “You’re no
longer welcome here. I see you in here again, I’ll have you
arrested. B, please escort Sissy out.” B-Rock pulls her along and
Nik doesn’t even look at her which I’m sure cuts her deep.
We all take our places in the booth. The guys are shocked and open
mouthed.
Nat teases, “Close your mouths boys, you’re catching flies.” Then
she rolls her eyes at them. Mimi and Lola chuckle.
Ghost smirks and shakes his head, a smiling Trick sips his drink,
and Max laughs and slaps his thigh.
I feel an arm around my shoulders. I turn to see Nik looking down
at me with a soft face. He says, “You didn’t need to do that, you
know?”
I lower my eyes and smile, “What are friends for?”
He looks at me a moment before lowering his mouth to my temple. He
kisses me so softly; I close my eyes and lean into him. He smells
so nice and masculine like sandalwood.
I exclaim, “Oh!” I straighten up and hand him my VIP pass and
explain, “Just in case I forget later.”
Nik looks around the table as the girl’s fish out their passes to
give him. He clears his throat and mentions, “I realize I didn’t
give you any information when I gave these to you so I’ll explain a
few things now. When you arrive, you walk straight through the
door. This booth is yours. And the passes,” he opens my hand, puts
the pass in, and closes my hand over it, “are unlimited. You girls
are permanent VIPs here and welcome any time.”
I gasp and put my fingers over my lips, “No. Way.”
He nudges my shoulder with his and smirks, “Way.”
I look around the table and the girls are suspended in shock. The
VIP passes are a hundred dollars each. And we have them permanently
with unlimited use!
We all squeal. I hug Nik while bouncing up and down. Nat, Lola, and
Mimi all reach over and hug him over the table.
The guys are covering their ears and laughing. Well, Ghost is
scowling. Other VIPs are watching us and the waitresses clap and
laugh.
When we finally let go of Nik, he’s flushed and embarrassed. He
looks
so
cute!
I can’t help but laugh at him. “Bet you’re regretting those
permanent passes now, huh?”
Looking around the booth, he clears his throat, turns his face back
to me and reassures, “Nope. Not even a bit.”
I smile like a loon.
I love these
guys!

Chapter Seven
Lunch for three

It’s Monday afternoon. I
check the wall clock: 2:27pm.
I know I should be getting some work done but I keep thinking about
Tina.
God, she’s
beautiful.
The girls left The White
Rabbit around 2am. As soon as they left, all us guys were gabbing
about them all for another hour before we all went about our
work.
After the girls became my own personal soldiers in the Sissy
showdown, the atmosphere at the booth changed. I could tell the
guys were impressed with their display of protection and loyalty
towards me. I was shocked when Ghost started joining in the
conversations and,
gasp
, even laughed a few times. We were all much more comfortable
with each other. We spent the rest of the night joking and teasing
each other.
The girls had earned all of our respect and although they really
didn’t need to do what they did, I was grateful for it. They
stopped an even larger scene from
occurring.
Just send her a
message.
Yeah, I think I’ll do
that.
I haven’t seen Tina since Saturday and I’m already itching to see
her again.
I sit at the computer and open up the instant messenger.
Nik123: Hey teeny Tina, how are you today?
A few minutes pass before I get a reply.
TheTomicBomb: Hey Nik the Dick, I’m good thanks. How r u?
I laugh. She’s been talking to Max.
Nik123: Have you been talking to Max? How do you know about Nik the
Dick?
TheTomicBomb: Haha, he might’ve mentioned it when he brought the
passes to Safira.
Nik123: Whatever he tells you, I’ll deny it all. How did you enjoy
yourself at the club?
TheTomicBomb: Oh. My. Gawd!!! It was
awesome
! The girls have already
decided we’ll be back this Saturday.
I’m really happy about this. I’m smiling like an idiot.
Nik123: That’s great. I’m so glad you girls enjoyed yourselves.
Like I said, that booth is yours. I’ll reserve it under Safira
again.
TheTomicBomb: Awesome! Thanks :) will u guys be joining us
again?
Nik123: Definitely but we’ll have to take turns because we all work
on club nights.
TheTomicBomb: Really?! I know u own it but what do the other guys
do?
Nik123: Ghost runs security and mans the CCTV, Trick does a bit of
everything, and Max is a VIP host.
TheTomicBomb: Wicked. How cool is it 2 work with ur best friends?!
I love it.
Nik123: Yeah, it’s pretty great. How’s work?
TheTomicBomb: Well I was so busy I 4got 2 get lunch so I’m a little
hungry :(
I don’t like that. She should’ve sent one of the girls to get
something for her.
Nik123: That’s not good. You need to take better care of
yourself.
TheTomicBomb: I know…but Nat hasn’t eaten either so we’ll get an
early dinner. Sorry Nik, I’ve got 2 go. Talk 2 u later x
TheTomicBomb has logged off.
I like the little kiss she wrote. I stare at the little
x
a few seconds before I
grab my wallet, then I’m out the door.
***

“
Will this day
never
end?” Nat
complains as puts her forehead on the counter with a thump.
It’s only the two of us at the store today and we’ve been pretty
busy. There was a pupil free day at a few schools around the area
so we’ve been off the hook, packed full of young girls.
We’ve sold a bucket load of jewellery, bags, and accessories. So,
even though we’re exhausted and haven’t eaten, we’re happy.
Nat’s just seen to a small group of high school girls and the
exhaustion is catching up to us.
Rawr
Raaawr
We both look up and there’s
Nik, looking handsome as ever, holding a brown paper bag.
He looks at the state of us both, shuts the door, and locks
it.
“Eat…Now.” He says this in a voice I wouldn’t dare to
question.
Nat walks over to him, puts a hand on his chest, and kisses his
cheek. She beams, “You. Are. A.
God
!”
She takes the brown paper bag, clutches it to her chest as if it’s
life saving medicine, and walks straight to the staff room.
I walk over to him with a small smile. Without saying a word, I
kiss his cheek, lean my head on his chest, and hug him tightly
around the waist.
He places one arm around my back, uses the other to stroke my hair
and admits, “I don’t like thinking about you goin’
hungry.”
God, his arms are
nice.
I look up at him and chuckle, “It was only a few hours but I’ll
admit it, I am
so
hungry.” Still tight in his arms I ask, “So, what did ya
bring me?”
Nik looks toward the staff room door and says, “Well actually, I
got something for you, Nat, and for me. I missed lunch, too.”
I put on the best stern voice I can muster, “And you’re worried
about
me
not
taking care of myself? Tut tut.” I look to the staff room and sigh,
“We better get in there or she’ll eat it all.”
Natalie eats like a horse and never gains a pound. I hate her for
that. In a loving, best friend way.
Untangling myself from Nik, I take his hand and lead him to the
staff room. There is a small table which seats four people. Nat has
already organized the food and placed three wrapped parcels and
three salads in front of three of the four seats. Nik and Nat take
a seat while I go over to the fridge and get us some sodas.
I take a seat and we all unwrap our
huge
Reuben sandwiches.
Geez Louise, this guy is
perfect.
With a mouthful of sandwich
I moan, “You
are
a God, Mr Leokov.”
Chewing, he smiles at me.
I take the lids off all the salads and dress them. I start moving
the olives in my salad to one side and notice Nik moving his cherry
tomatoes to the side of his container.
“You don’t like tomatoes?” I ask.
He looks disgusted and states, “No, I don’t. I like them cooked but
not raw. Mom tried to force ‘em on me when I was little but stopped
when I threw up all over the dining table.” He chuckles to himself
and says wistfully, “Good times”
Nat and I chuckle with him. He looks over to my container and
questions, “You don’t like olives?”
I grimace, “Yuk. No.”
Nik leans over me to my salad container, takes it over to his, and
dumps all the olives into his salad. Then he lifts his container
and puts his cherry tomatoes into my salad.
Nat and I watch fascinated like. He puts down both containers,
claps his hands together, and smiles a triumphant smile. “Problem
solved”
I think I love
you.
What the heck? Where did that
come from?
Nat and Nik are chatting away about EPL Soccer and I listen in
silently. I find out he barracks
for Tottenham and has been known to watch the
games on cable even if it means getting up at 3am.
He tells us Max and Ceecee live with him and have since Ceecee
became paraplegic; he doesn’t tell us what happened to her but I’m
sure he believes it’s Max’s story to tell. Nik is thirty four.
Ghost (whose name is really Asher) has been a part of his family
since he moved in with them senior year of high school. I want to
know more about that but don’t want to interrupt him. He tells us
he’s owned the club for seven years and has two silent partners.
Trick is Nik’s cousin, their mothers are sisters. I ask where
Ceecee goes when Max works at the club. Nik tell us his Mom and
sisters all take turns watching her and that Ghost is Ceecee’s
godfather. He tells us a bit about the club. Nat and I are both
listening closely; we’re both curious about our new friends.
I straighten up having just remembered to ask him something. “I
haven’t seen you taking your cigarette breaks anymore. You hiding
from us?” I tease.
He looks a bit sheepish as he rubs his hand on the back of his neck
and says, “Well, see, I met this little woman who told me smoking
kills.” He scrunches his face and looks at me, “So I quit.”
Unbelievable. I actually don’t know what to say. I’m pretty sure I
mentioned the ‘smoking kills’ thing the first time I ever spoke to
him.
That’s all it took to make him
quit?
Then I realize something,
frown, and complain, “But now I won’t see you three times a day.”
It’s only after I say it that I realize how pathetic I sound so I
quickly add, “But it’s so good you’re quitting!” with a big smile
and I quickly ask him more questions about the
club.
Phew, quick
save!
An hour of random conversation
passes and Nik stands and excuses himself. “Sorry to leave you
ladies but I really have to finish some work.” He looks at me and
informs, “By the way, we’re officially sponsored by NT3
Advertising. I got the contract in the mail
today.”
That. Is.
Awesome!
I stand, hug him, and smile.
“Congratulations. I know it was a big one.”
He hugs me back quickly then looks at Nat and questions, “You know
she’s the reason I got a seven hundred thousand dollar
sponsorship?”
WHAT THE
HECK?
Nat gasps and we both stand
there open mouthed. He takes in our obvious expressions and
chuckles. “Yeesh, too cute.”
He lifts his fingers to us as a goodbye, unlocks the door and
leaves.
I know he said the sponsorship was a big one but I had
no idea
it was almost a
million dollar contract. I suddenly don’t feel bad about taking the
VIP passes anymore. He can afford it.
No one can resist the cupcakes.
Nat nudges my shoulder to get my attention and tells me,
“I’ve changed my mind about him. I really, really,
really
like him.”
I smile up at her, “Yeah, me too.”
Like, a lot.
Maybe too much.
***