Retribution (14 page)

Con stepped up between his two best friends and business partners and said quietly, “This is what you want, Dray?”

“It’s the way it has to be, Con. You both know this isn’t about what I want. Hell, if I had what I want, I’d be somewhere nobody could find the two of us; I’d be
with
her. I wouldn’t be here holding hands with another woman, about to embark on a lie that will tear her further away from me.” Dray felt a rip in his soul at the words.
Goddamn Peter Dempsey.

Surrey shook his head and cursed roughly. “I won’t be party to this, Dray. I can’t. I love that girl like she’s my sister. I’m going back down because, as I’m sure Con informed you earlier, I have a little business of my own to take care of. For your sake, I hope I can keep Hal occupied long enough for you to do your damage, but don’t hold your breath,” Surrey caustically stated and headed back into the club.

“You know, if it goes this well inside, you’ll be batting a thousand when it comes to pissing off the people you care about. I mean, not that you want to be doing that well when it comes to pissing people off, but you could maybe join the BoSox with a batting average that high,” Dawn contributed sarcastically.

“Shut up, Dawn,” Dray said in exasperation.

“Yeah, Dawn, shut up,” Con mimicked and then turned his full attention to Dray. “You are royally screwing up, but you’re one of the best friends I’ve ever had, and I know for a fact you’re hurting just as much as Sasha is. If it wasn’t for that, I’d kick your ass and then hand you over to her. Since you have that one thing going for you and you’re bound-damned-and-determined to do it, let’s go inside. You’re in for a rare treat when you see what’s coming up. Damn Bennoit women are not sane. Hot as hell, but definitely missing some cogs in the wheel.” Then Con clapped Dray on the back as they headed into the club.

It felt like a death knell to Dray.

Winding down an iron spiral staircase, they entered the third level of Ray’s. Dray noticed two things: Ray’s wasn’t your average down-in-the-country nightclub, and Sasha and her sisters were dancing on the floor while everyone else in the club cheered them on.

Burnished gold-colored wood polished to a high sheen reflected the lights mounted from the ceiling. Strobes shot various colors around the entire second level, creating an almost dizzying kaleidoscope. A heavy beat thumped from the speakers, and the crowd of onlookers at the edge of the dance floor writhed in ecstatic glee as the Bennoit sisters engaged in a little bump and grind. The four women moved in coordinated, almost choreographed movements, but Sasha held his complete attention.

She was easily the most beautiful woman there, and that was saying something because with Sasha’s sisters and Dawn in the room, there were plenty of beautiful women to compare to. She moved like she’d never been hurt, like her hip had never been replaced, her ankle never broken, and her hand never crushed. Dressed in tight black pants that left every detail of her fabulous ass on display, he had to grit his teeth to keep from storming the floor to grab her.

Fuck!

Sasha wore wicked-looking stiletto-heeled, shiny, black leather boots that came up to her slim midthighs and made her legs look a mile long. The boots had to add about four inches to her short frame. She had on a scooped neck, sequined gold top that glittered when the lights struck it. It was the exact color of her eyes. The sleeves of the top delineated her firm but slender arms, and when she moved, the neck of the garment offered a tantalizing almost-view of her luscious bosom. She was stacked to be so small. Her waist could be spanned with his hands. Her hair swung loose around her shoulders and still had that sexy, choppy cut that showcased her face. She was as beautiful today as she had been two weeks ago. Hell, a year and a half ago.

Dray clenched his free hand at his side as every muscle in his body strained to pull him in her direction. His heart stopped and then thumped in time to the swing of her hips. He had to go to her. He wanted to see her eyes. Those beautiful, golden-colored eyes that could pull a man into her fire, burn him, and make him never want to leave. He closed his own eyes for a brief moment, tried to beat back the animal urge to go to her, pull her to him, and claim her in front of all these people trying to touch her. Dawn pulled at his grip on her hand.

She leaned toward his ear and whispered, “You’re breaking my hand. Take a deep breath. You’ll get through it. Keep focused.”

He opened his eyes and wished he hadn’t. She moved like sin as she sassily grinned at a guy who’d dared step too close to her. The dude tried to grab her hips and move his pelvis against her bottom, but she turned at the last moment, pushing him away slightly and giving the no-no-no sign with her finger. Then she walked back up to him, turned around, her back to his front, dropped down at the waist and proceeded to shake her ass in the man’s leering face. After a couple of shakes, she looked over her shoulder, smiled seductively at the guy, and moved away again.

As the singer belted out about being somebody’s baby, Sasha moved with the beat of the music as all the sisters reached the middle of the floor and were mobbed by other clubgoers looking to get in on the dance. There had to be two hundred people on that floor, all of them dancing wildly, yet Dray could only see her. He was focused on only her.

“Told you, man. When they party, they go at it hard. All of them move like they’re having sex on the floor, and Sasha is well on her way to being incredibly drunk, so her inhibitions are
really
lowered. Wait until you hear the tape from earlier. It’s frigging hilarious.” Con laughed before he made his way toward the Bennoits’ table.

“Well, that’s just fucking great, Con. Thanks for the heads up, buddy!” Dray called out sarcastically.

“Are you really ready for this, Dray?”

It was the same question he’d been asked at least ten times before walking in here tonight.

“No, I’m not, but let’s get it over with. I can’t stand seeing but not touching her. I’ll probably kill the next dude who even looks at her. I need to do this and get out of here before I fuck up and stay,” Dray responded harshly.

“Then let’s get it on!” she replied.

*

“Me, oh my, Sasha dear, who knew you had it in you? Shaking that ass up on the floor, giving it what-for. Just doing-the-damn-thing!” Hal shouted above the music.

“Yeah, I still got it, huh?” she asked her sisters as she poured a shot of Goldschlager into her glass. Tossing it back, she winced slightly and turned to view the dance floor. “Who’da thunk it? Me out-dancing Dev? You saw that, right? All of you, oops—” she hiccupped and continued, “saw me working it, right? But uh, hey Hal? This doesn’t mean you get out of the bet. I saw Surrey come back while we were on the floor, and his eyes never left you.” Sasha made a
V
with her fore and middle fingers. She pointed them at her eyes and then Hal’s.

She poured yet another shot and called the closest waitress over to their table.

“Sheryl, will you pretty please bring me another bottle of this fine liquor?” she asked the server.

“Umm, Sasha, did you just finish off an entire bottle of Goldschlager on your own?” Sheryl asked in disbelief.

Sasha’s eyes were crossing a bit, but it looked to her like Sheryl was shooting an accusatory glance at Hal, Devyn, and Kara as if to say, “You let her?”

Sasha giggled at the thought. “No, silly. Not by myself. Some of these kind people around here helped me. But I’ll be honest, can you keep a secret?” she whispered, motioning Sheryl closer. “I did drink between a quarter to a half of it. Yep, I am preeetttteh drunk. Not falling down drunk…well, I mean, not yet, but working my way there. Can you help me with that, Sheryl?”

“Of course, I can. But how about instead of a whole ’nother bottle, I just bring you a shot at a time?”

“Well, it’s better than nothing,” she said as she shrugged her shoulders.

Sheryl winked at her. “Sure, I’ll be right back.”

“Hey guys, have you ever noticed that there is really gold in this alcoholic beverage?” she asked as she peered down the neck into the bottom of the bottle. “I mean, do you think that after drinking it you could actually shit gold bricks?”

“Is anybody listening to this?” Kara looked from side to side, asking no one in particular. “You are so messed up it isn’t funny. Are you feeling all right? You don’t need to throw up yet, do you?”

Sasha glared at Kara. “Nah, ’m fine—no throw up yet.” She turned, and once the room stopped swerving around her, she located her original quarry. “Now where were we, Hal? Oh, yeah, Surrey was watching you really close, like a hawk even.” She snorted as she crossed her hands with her palms turned toward her chest, linked her thumbs, and made movements like a bird.

“You are too much. I had forgotten how funny you could be. I like you better when you drink, I think. You’re a bit…looser,” Devyn teased.

“Loose? Who said ’m loose? ’m not loose. I could
get
loose real quick if Dray was here, but ’m not loose.” She was starting to slur her words so bad even she noticed. “At least not yet.”

“I meant you aren’t uptight, not that you’re easy, sister-mine, but however you want to take it and run is fine with me,” Devyn replied with a chuckle.

Her head was spinning, and man she had to use the bathroom, but Sasha smiled at Devyn and then turned to taunt Hal. “So when you gonna go handle your business with Surrey, Hal? No time like the present I always say. But wait! Maybe I won’t remember this, and I want to remember it well, so—oh hell! Just go get it over with. Dev or Kara, one of y’all go ask the DJ to play us some George Michael. I don’t know if I can walk over there to do it just yet. That dancing took it right out of me.”

“Do you have to yell everything you say?” Kara asked with a grimace.

“Yes! It’s the dancing!” Sasha responded in what she thought was a perfectly modulated tone.

“Yeah, it’s definitely the dancing,” Hal remarked with a sarcastic snort.

When had Hal grown another head? Sasha turned to Devyn and raised an eyebrow.

“What?” Devyn asked with a raised brow.

“George?”

Devyn’s brow lowered. “Huh?”

“Michael? Music? Please?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Devyn said as she saluted to Sasha and said to Kara, “I’ll take care of it. You watch her.” As she turned around, she ran smack dab into Con.

Sasha groaned. There went the good will and even better buzz.

“Whoa there! Where’s the fire?” Con asked Devyn, holding onto her shoulders to keep her from falling. He let go of her and smiled at the women.

The man was a menace. They all were. “Who invited you?” Sasha rudely asked.

“Nobody invited me. I’m here with Surrey,” Con replied as if that made everything okay.

“Oh.” Sasha shook her head trying to figure out why that wasn’t okay. “Well, who invited Surrey?” she continued belligerently.

“Nobody, we just got thirsty and wanted to check out the local nightlife. We figured if it was good enough for the Bennoit sisters, it was good enough for us. And guess what, little bit? It is. It’s been a riot watching you girls hustle, bump, and grind. Oh, and drink. Can’t forget the drink,” he tacked on for good measure, pointing at her empty shot glass.

The waitress picked that moment to place another full one in front of Sasha. It distracted her enough to allow Con to keep his head. She’d been ready to take it off his shoulders.

Maybe she still was.

“So what are you now, the liquor police? Gonna make poor little Sasha-washa stop drowning her sorrow in the booze? Tell you what: why don’t you march your happy little ass back to wherever you all came from and leave me to get blissfully wasted in peace?” She polished off the shot, never taking her gaze from Con.

“Liquor makes you mean, Sash. But I don’t think I’m going to take you up on your offer of leaving. It should only get more interesting around here as the night wears on. Nope, I think we’ll stay. You never know when Surrey or I will be needed.”

She ignored Con and inquired of her sister, “So once again, Hal, where were we? You gonna go put a handle on our old Surrey or not? He meets all the criteria and he
was
the first one through the door. Or are you gonna fold and let me win without a fight?”

She tried to slow her brain, but the second she caught up with it, her heart started hurting again. Con and Surrey reminded her of Dray, and that she didn’t need right now.

Con coughed and Hal threw him a derisive look. He put his hand over his mouth to cover a smile, and that just pissed her sister off even more. Her eyes went wide, and for some reason alarm hit Sasha in the solar plexus.

Or maybe that was the liquor.

“Yes, Sasha, I’m going to win our bet. I’m going to work Surrey over, but we have a bigger problem right now.” Hal stared over Sasha’s shoulder; her tone was pissed and low as she leaned toward her.

Something vicious moved in Sasha’s gut as her sister continued to speak.

“I want you to focus on me for a second, okay? I need you not to lose your cool here. I need you to stay calm. No, no, focus on me, don’t look around yet. Listen to me,” Hal grabbed Sasha’s cheeks and wouldn’t let her pull away. “Dray just walked in
with another woman.
”

It took Sasha a second to process her sister’s words. When they hit her, she stiffened in disbelief.
Dray was here.

Hal released her face and grabbed her hands. “We’re all going to act like nothing unusual is going on. I guess he took you up on your offer of coming to you instead of the other way around. Look at me,” Hal demanded as Sasha tried to pull away and look behind her. “He’s holding hands with this other woman, and he doesn’t look very happy to be here. You are in control, Sasha, right? Get a grip on yourself quickly, because he’s headed our way.”

Hal shot a veiled look toward Con and then walked around the table to stand behind Sasha.

It was happening at a distance for Sasha, and she was stuck on the fact that Dray was here in the club. And Hal refused to let her go to him. She took a deep breath and felt butterflies take wing in her stomach. Everything was fuzzy and she tried so very hard to tamp down the confusion as she tried to get Hal’s face to stop waving like heat off hot asphalt.