Page 51 of Between Love and Loathing
Her words rattled me. Like she didn’t know her worth. Did she expect me to not know it either? “You’re always worth it, cupcake,” I whispered before I lifted the man up by his neck and pounded his head down into the bar.
It took not one but two bouncers and Dex to get me off the man, and when the manager of the bar hurried out from the back to see what the commotion was, he pointed to the man immediately for the bouncers to remove him. “So sorry, Mr. Hardy. Please, I don’t want problems.”
No one wanted a problem with the Hardy empire. We owned most of these clubs in some way anyway. He and I both knew it. “Make sure he’s never allowed back in here,” I ground out.
Dex had turned to the people with phones and muttered “shit” before he quickly got on his.
The lights flickered, and I knew exactly what was happening. My brother was working on clearing the footage. “Leave it,” I commanded. “I don’t give a fuck.”
Dex mumbled to himself before he glared at me. “My deal goes through, I won’t care either. Till then, I’m keeping your dumb ass in line.”
Someone had to, I guess, because as I looked up at Clara still kneeling on the bar, I knew my mind wasn’t operating right with her. She was the sweet to my sour and the calm to my storm. I couldn’t have her balancing me out when I had to be more on top of my game now than ever before. “Come on, Clara. No more bar dancing.”
Squinting at me, she put her hands on my shoulders so I could grab her hips and swing her off. “You’re not going to reprimand me?”
“For what?” My hands were at her waist as I set her down and didn’t let go right away. I pulled her close and whispered, “My girl wants to have every guy’s eyes on her. I told you, they just have to be ready to fight.”
She scoffed. “I was only dancing, but maybe—”
“Go, keep dancing.” I smacked her ass and smiled when she gasped. “Paloma looks about ready to combust. So go have fun with her.”
Smiling, she rose up on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek before whispering, “I think I might combust, too, if I don’t get away from you.”
Watching her make her way over to her friends had my neck on a damn swivel now. I didn’t want any guy near her, not after that.
“Okay, so, no bars in the future when we go out. She can go on stage, but not—” Noah started, suddenly back by my side like he was going to mend a fence that he broke the second he put her up there.
“Fuck off, Noah,” I said, my voice low and quiet, but I knew he heard it even with the music loud. “I’m not here to play with you. I don’t even like you. So, don’t play with me. You’ll lose.”
“I’m aware. I already lost her to you, not that I really had her anyway.” He frowned. “I never wanted her that way. Even so, I don’t really think there’s more to lose here tonight.”
“How about your damn ego? I’m happy to bring you to the ground after the shit you just pulled.” I cracked my knuckles, still ready for a fight. My body itched for it at this point.
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew he was in the wrong. The man could have assaulted Clara, and he’d instigated it. “You know what? I like you, Dom. I really do. But you just started seeing her, right?”
Clara and I hadn’t gotten through the details of what we’d been doing. I wasn’t going to elaborate with him now. “Not your business, Noah.”
“Fine.” His shoulders sagged a little as we both stared at Clara animatedly describing something to Paloma over the table. “But I’m going to tell you something in case you don’t know. Clara doesn’t get up on the bar. She doesn’t have the fun she’s having here. Ever. She doesn’t do anything for herself. You know that, right? She’s quiet and sweet and does everything for her mom and her sister. She gives them the limelight when she should be in it.”
“What’s your point?”
“Let her shine here, man. She fucking deserves it.”
So, he cared about her more than just wanting to sleep with her. I filed that thought away for later. I still wanted to punch his dumb ass, but not as much. “I know how to take care of my girlfriend.”
“We’ll see.” He shrugged and we both watched as she laughed at something Dex was saying to her and then turned to Paloma. “Honestly, if you don’t know how to take care of her, Dom, I’m coming for you.” Before I could reply, he cut me off. “Not because I want her. I don’t. I actually came to tell her that specifically. I got a girl I’m going to wife up if it’s the last thing I do.”
“You …” I stopped. “What the fuck, man?” He chuckled as he backed away from me. He’d been irritating the hell out of me for no reason. “If you intend to wife up some girl, better make sure she doesn’t know that you came to visit your friend with benefits, dumbass.”
His face fell momentarily, then he murmured, “Fuck.” He glanced up at me. “You got Clara tonight?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, man. Go do damage control.”
He went and hugged her, then was gone. Dex chuckled next to me, “She’s going to give you hell man.”
“I’m more than aware.” I shook my head as we both stared at her coming over to our cocktail table. Clara sauntered up, her laugh light and airy as she looked at my scowl. “Relax, Mr. Hardy.”
I hummed when she dropped low in front of me, that dress of hers was long but had slits going up to the thighs allowed me a direct line of sight to her soft supple skin. Then she brought her ass right up against my cock. Fuck, my body instantly reacted as I pulled her against me and then caged her back to my front against the cocktail table. I felt how she rolled her ass right against my length. “Jesus, cupcake, we need to leave.” My patience had frayed at every edge.
