Page 43 of Hollywood Comes Home

“Oh, you’re going to tease me now?” He stalked to the sofa.

Kirsten entered the room from a hidden door. “Mr. Cortés, what can I get you?” She peeked at me, beaming, before turning her attention back to him.

“Mojito.”

She and I made eye contact once again, stifling our smiles. There was a running joke in the club that any man who ordered a Mojito was lacking in size where it counted. Fighting back a small snicker, I danced to the music on the pole. Stirring my hips seductively, I taunted him. Alejandro provided his full attention.

Moments later, Kirsten returned with his drink, placing it directly in his hand. His eyes peeled away from me as he focused on her, but only long enough to nod. After gulping his beverage, he set the glass on the end table, then waved me over.

Taking a deep breath, I kept my composure, dancing my way to his slouching body. I hovered over his thighs, rolling my hips, resting my hands on his broad shoulders. Grabbing hold of my sides, he inched his fingers up to my chest, but I contorted out of his grip at the very last second.

Twitching my finger at him, I scolded him for trying to touch my breasts. He threw his head back, laughing as if he assumed I was only joking. Thankfully, it was almost time for me to appear on the main stage.

“Sorry,” I flashed him a pleasant wink, “you’ll have to see the rest on stage.”

“You don’t have time to finish?” He wrenched me onto his lap, forcing me to straddle the bulge in his pants. “You’ve been teasing me all night.”

Not wanting to upset Ian about his handsy friend, I laced my fingers in his, backing off gently. “Rain check?” I curled the corner of my lips in a half-smile.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

9

NO PHOTOGRAPHY

CHANCE

While sitting in the owner’s booth with Luke and Tyler, I took turns sipping on sparkling water and vodka. Tyler was buried in his phone but would peek up every once in a while, to chime in on the conversation. Every pore in my body seethed as I wondered what Alejandro was doing with Amber. While he was trying to move in on her, I was plotting his murder.

As Luke and I chatted about how I was able to skip out of the last week of production, I noticed him darting his eyes around the room. Then, he would check his watch before leaning around the bouncer and Dragon, who were standing nearby.

“Looking for Ian?” Tyler set his phone on the table, following Luke’s line of sight.

“No, Alejandro, actually.” He shrugged, taking a swig of his drink.

Tyler shrugged also, returning to his phone, scrolling. “I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“Amber’s giving him a private dance,” I scoffed.

Tyler froze instantly. Laying his phone back on the table, he stared at me with his mouth agape in a wide grin before his gaze shifted to Luke. Lifting his brows, Luke pursed his lips, bobbing his head in deep thought.

“What?” I fired a scowl at them both.

“And you’re okay with that?” Tyler wrinkled his nose.

Before I could respond, Luke lifted his chin behind me. Both Alejandro and Ian approached the booth together. Luke and Tyler stood to let Ian sit in the back. He liked to be in the center of the bench so he could see the entire club.

Alejandro got ready to sit next to me, but Luke stood, moving over to my side. “I’ll sit over here so you have a better view.” Luke insisted, though the view was the same. Leaning over to my ear, he muttered, “I can’t stand that prick.”

My eyes widened, but he didn’t react. He chugged the rest of his beverage before pouring himself another from the bottles in the center of the table. I opened my mouth to speak, but the music faded, switching to Amber’s song.

Clanking his glass to mine, he smiled. “Sláinte.”

“Hollywood!” Ian shouted over the music, his arms crossed over his chest. “Why are you drinking?”

“Because I’m a grown ass man.”

The spotlight brightened, commanding the room’s attention to the stage. She captured the fascination of everyone, hypnotizing the crowd while she moved as one with her song. I took a slow, deep breath as my gaze stalked her every shimmy, twist, and twirl. The people loved her. And so did I.

---