Page 67 of Crush

Clearing my throat, I watched the table of men Leonie was serving who were pretty much salivating all over her. Her smile was sweet and innocent, she totally didn’t realise why they were appearing to be so friendly. I felt a surge of annoyance.

“Guess where I am?” I said, attempting to keep my tone neutral. I had to shout as the music for the next dance routine kicked in. Abbie appeared back from the bar. I assumed she’d asked our server to come over as she wasn’t holding any drinks.

“How the hell should I know?” Gabriel chuntered moodily. I imagined I’d interrupted his studies. He was a proper workaholic.

There was no way to sugarcoat it. “Strip club.”

I could almost imagine him grinning down the phone. “And what? You’re calling me because you feel guilty?” What a laugh a minute.

I decided to break down my news into sections, his reaction would then be far more rewarding.

“Guess who’s here?” I added, grinning at Abbie who slid her hand under the table and placed it around my cock through my jeans. Her keen little fingers did little to stir the beast and I tried to imagine she was Amber.

“You tell me. You’re mother?” Gabe said with a chuckle.

I fake laughed. “Funny.”

Our banter went back and forth as I lined up my revelation.

“Your tasty little house guest is here.”

BOOM. Absolutely silence at the other end of the phone as Gabriel’s sharp mind processed my bombshell.

His garbled reaction when it came was missed as Abbie curled her fingers more tightly around my length. Under usual circumstances, we’d have a full-mast situation but I was enjoying toying with Gabriel too much. And he reckoned he felt nothing for Leonie.Whatever.

After I revealed that yes, I was talking about Leonie, he kicked off.

“You’re shitting me!”

“Does a rocking horse have a wooden dick?” I sang with a grin. The conversation then carried on for a while and then I started to get bored. Winding Gabriel up was always short-lived, once the cork had popped, I was usually done with my ribbing.

As our server came over, I ordered another round of drinks and the girls clapped with glee. Clearly getting the message that I was more into my phone call than her attempted hand job, Abbie moved on to Marcus.

I promised Gabe I’d make sure Leonie got home safe.

As usual, Gabriel’s temper had started to fray and he began to bust my balls, coming over all superior and pissing me off. He was the master of turning the tables. He was training to be a lawyer at the end of the day and so he was well-practiced.

After more ribbing about Gabriel and Leonie sitting in a tree, I started to focus on what was going on with Abbie and Marcus.

I faintly heard Gabe say I was his fucking lap dog or something and I ended the call. I mean, as entertaining as it was to wind up, I soon got bored.

That last rum and coke had done its job and I was drunk. Probably too drunk to take either of the women I was with home with me. And adding to that, did I want to? No. They were attractive but neither held a match to Amber. I toyed with texting her but thought better in my inebriated state, I didn’t want her to think me a desperate loser.

Loser?

As I stretched against the seat, I glanced around taking in the clientele. What the hell was I doing in such a dive? I then realised that I no longer belonged there. Something had shifted and I felt the urge to run out of the building.

I signalled to Trevor, the lead bouncer and asked if he and a member of his team would escort the ladies out and get them into a taxi if Marcus left them. I knew both Abbie and Lucy lived together and so could travel in the same Uber. Safety in numbers and all that. Yes, I could act like a prick but I was a gentleman when it came to a woman’s safety. Thoughts of Alexander Harker spread through my mind like cancer. Fuck.

I spoke to Trevor again, saying how I knew Leonie and he reassured me that he always made sure the girls got home safe after hours. I’d been to school with his daughter and he remembered me, sort of.

Once again, poor little Leonie. Gabe was not impressed she worked in a strip club and there would probably be hell to pay when she got in.

As I flagged a black cab and made my way home, I got another urge to message Amber. I wondered what she was up to and what she would think of me if she knew I visited dives like Aquarius. Those thoughts were a shock to the system. Since when had I given a toss what a woman thought about me?

Since now.

As I lay on my bed, still fully dressed, only one woman was in my thoughts, Lady Amber-Leigh Swift. She had ruined me for anyone else and I was screwed. I’d had a couple of missed calls from Natalie and as sleep started to take over, I decided I’d go and see her and break things off with her. Yes, we were fuck buddies orwerefuck buddies, but I needed to put a stop to it. I would be honest with her, I always ended hookups in the right way and we had never promised each other anything.

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