Page 9 of City of Salvation

We might’ve been from completely different cultural backgrounds, not to mention criminal organizations, but I knew he was a cool fucking guy from the moment he spouted off that brilliant shit about needing to stand behind Ryan or kneel in front of her. Of course, those words had been for Gunner. It’d been clear to anyone around that they’d end up together.

Eh, well, some moments I’d thought maybe they’d kill each other—pretty sure it was foreplay for them.

I reached down and swiveled Robert’s barstool so we were facing the stage.

“Oh,nowyou want to watch the show.”

“There’s half-naked women dancing…of course I want to watch the show, Beto.” I was lying to myself and him that the move had nothing to do with the fact that I knewexactlywhich dancer was coming up next. The house lights changed, bathing the club in crimson. The crowd cheered with anticipation.

“Sure, and it has nothing to do with the fact that yourbestieis up next,” he taunted, throwing up air quotes aroundbestie.

“Never shoulda told you dick about that whole thing. Nikki and I aren’t besties, but our friends are fucking, so we hang out now.” I paused before tacking on, “As a group.”

He chuckled from beside me. “God, it’s hilarious to watch you two. I don’t know who wants to bend who over more.”

Disappointment left a bitter taste on my tongue.

“Well, it’s not her. She made thatabundantlyclear.”

Dickwad burst out in laughter at my expense. Memoriesof Nikki chucking a shoe at my head and telling me we wouldneverfuck replayed in my mind every single time I was around the woman. I slept around a lot, and every one of those hookups knew the score.

No relationships.

No emotions.

Definitely no Old Lady offers.

I knew how to fuck a woman and then walk away. So, I didn’t understand what Nikki’s hang-up was. Especially since she was the vagina version of me. Maybe it was the fact that she wouldn’t sleep with me that had me feeling all funny when I saw her?

I wanted to let out a pained groan when a stunning blonde strutted out onto the stage. Her legs went on for miles in her clear stilettos. I didn’t know if I loved or hated the lacy crimson set she wore. The sensual rhythm of “Mimosa” by LATENIGHTJIGGY bled into the room and Nikki’s body movements matched it perfectly. Something about the way she moved was elegant—beautiful.

I flicked my chin toward the stage. “I’ve seen a lot of strippers, but I’ve never seen anyone move like her,” I said, reaching back and grabbing the bottle. I was going to need it to make it through this performance.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Robert nodding his head. “You should’ve seen her when I taught her how to dance some Latin styles. She was a natural. It’s how she ended up headlining. No one else picked it up the way she did.”

Nikki chose that moment to kick her leg up, lifting it so high that her legs practically made a straight line. “Damn. That’s some flexibility,” I said, taking a large swig and shifting in my seat, my jeans suddenly a little too tight in the crotch. Nikki wasfirmlyin the off-limits zone, and I was nothelping myself by staring while her lace-clad body moved into positions I’d only seen in my dreams.

Robert snickered beside me. “The guys fight over who gets to help her stretch out her splits.”

My head whipped to the side so fast I was surprised I didn’t give myself whiplash. “Stretch her out how?” He shrugged his shoulders, not seeming to notice the way the tone of my voice had changed.

“Depends on what she needs. One guy she asked had to sit behind her and hold her legs open as she leaned forward and laid her upper body flat on the floor. Pretty sure she just wanted to fuck him, though.”

I fought to keep my voice neutral and uncaring because that wasexactlyhow I was supposed to feel about Nikki. We’d agreed after a few littleincidencesthat we couldn’t be anything other than friends—and that was a generous term—since our best friends were now both fucking and in love.

“He still work here?” I asked.

“Nah. I don’t know what happened to him.” His eyes followed a group of girls walking by. “Nikki probably crushed his ego and he couldn’t handle it. Dudes always seem to think they will be the ones to break her “no attachments” rule,” he said, clearly no longer into the conversation.

This was why I was the perfect fuck for her. I was the captain of team “no attachments”.

I shoved Robert’s shoulder, pushing him off the stool and laughing as he fought to catch his balance. Fucking lightweight. “Go. Go get your dick sucked or whatever,” I said, pointing to the girl who kept looking toward Robert.

His eyes bounced back and forth between the stage and the girl, indecision clear on his face.

“Go,” I insisted. “I’ll make sure nothing happens whileyou’re away. Besides, there’s no way you’ll last more than two minutes.”

He smirked, flipping me off. “Fuck you. I can last at least five.” With that, he ran off toward the group, scooping up the one he’d been eye-fucking.

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