Page 44 of Chase

“She’s a fucking blood sucker!” That comment was made by James.

Kade murmurs in agreement.

“I won’t be inviting her anywhere from now on, don’t worry. It was a mistake. Layla is my priority now and I’m not going to do anything to mess it up.”

“You still have to deal with her at work, and she’s so high maintenance, she’s just going to be a bitch on purpose now, to try and get your attention.”

“I know, fuck. I should just cancel the show. We can get another act; it’s not a big deal. Her regulars might be pissed, but I can’t help that.” Chase replies. Chase’s phone beeps, and he curses. “Speaking of the devil. Problems at the club. Already, for fuck sake. If it’s Aubrey, I’m gonna be fucking pissed.”

I open the door and walk over to them.

“Baby, you’re awake.” His voice softens when he talks to me, and I hate that I love it.

“If you’re going to Heat, you are taking me with you.” I can see a muscle in his jaw tick, and his lips and pursed together.

“No way in hell are you going in there babe, but nice try.” I stand up straighter, crossing my arms over my chest.

“What’s the big deal? Unless you are hiding something else?” James and Kade exit the room. Smart men, those two.

Chase considers, and then says, “I’ll take you on one condition. You promise not to leave this house, threatening to move out again. You see something you don’t like, we fucking deal with it. Together. No running.”

“I promise I won’t run. I don’t have anywhere to run to! But we are over Chase, we aren’t a couple. I can’t deal with this, all the women, all the drama, I’m just going to get hurt, over and over again. We can only be friends.” It hurts so damn much.

“Friends?” he spits the word out with venom. “As long as we are exclusive friends and no one else is touching you, you can label me however you want. Get dressed we will leave in twenty.”

“We aren’t together, so it’s none of your business who I let touch me. You need to understand that Chase,” I say in a heated tone.

Chase glances at me like I’m crazy and I’ve lost my mind. Maybe I have.

“No one is gonna fucking touch you, you are mine.” he strides over to me and grasps a bunch of my hair in his fist at the back of my head, lifting my face up to his.

“I’m not yours, Chase, not anymore.” I can feel his arousal against my stomach. Apparently us fighting turns him on.

He laughs, and it is not a pleasant sound. It is bitter and sarcastic. With that, he turns around and punches his fist into the wall.

“Fuck!” he roars. Eyes wide, I slowly step back, which earns me an ice cold glare. “Don’t you even try to act like you are scared of me, Layla!” He takes a few deep breaths, trying to gain control. After a few moments, he sighs, resigned.

“You’re pissed now, but when you calm down, you will change your mind. So I will give you this play- for now. But I don’t care what you say, no other man fucking touches you. Get dressed.” He tries to kiss me but I push him away. His lips pursed in anger, he turns around and heads to his room.

I walk out wearing my black high waisted shorts, with a net lace tight top which is tucked in and black pumps. My hair is in its natural, wavy long, black tresses. I added a little volume with my teasing brush, and added some gold color to my eyes. I wanted to look sexy, but not so sexy that I looked like I might work in the club.

Chase’s eyes heat when he sees me, and I can see him checking me out from head to toe. When his eyes hit mine, I can see the heat turning to anger. He barks out one word. “Change!”

“No. I look fine. Now let’s go.”

“Yes you look fucking fine. You want to torture me don’t you?” He pauses for a moment, and then shakes his head and sighs. “Fuck, let’s get this over with. Come on.”

Even angry at me, he still opens the door for me. I try to hide my grin. As we get closer to Heat, Chase visibly starts getting nervous. I know this because I can see him tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, and I can see the muscle ticking in his jaw. Okay yes, he is taking me to a strip club, his strip club. But there is something else, and I’m curious as hell.

Even if the thought of Chase owning a strip club kills me, the building he has designed is a piece of art. The man is clearly talented. The building is black and modern, with asymmetrical features. We walk in and are greeted politely by the bouncer. Inside the place looks exactly like you assume a strip club would look. A bar, podiums with poles, tacky lighting and loud music. But Heat also has a large stage; I assume that’s where he also holds performances.

Chase puts his hands around my waist and quickly leads me away from the fun and towards his boring office. “Stay in here for a minute, I need to handle some business.”

“Okay.” I answer sweetly.

He narrows his eyes at me, like he knows I’m lying. He shakes his head in exasperation, then leaves.

I am so not staying here. I want to explore. A few minutes after he leaves, I walk back out to where we came from, to see a security guard blocking the path I need to exit. Did Chase tell him to do that? Damn that man knows me well. I wait for a few minutes, contemplating my next move, when he becomes distracted by a huge pair of boobs. I slowly sneak through, then head for the bar. The bar tender is a beautiful red head, she has lots of tattoos and looks like a pin up model.

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