“Now there’s an idea,” Mia drawled. “Our own private club. It has a certain ring to it.”Bethany snorted as they piled out. “All you’d have to do is tell Gabe you want one and he’d buy it for you.”Mia grinned. “This is true.”“Chessy, Gina and Trish are already inside waiting at the table,” Caroline explained.Then a big, goofy smile attacked her face and Josie glanced up to see what she was looking at.A tall, very muscular, very hot guy stood there, smiling indulgently. He had a goatee and he wore an earring in his left ear. It was obvious, judging by the way Caroline looked at him and the way he looked at her, that this had to be Brandon, the bouncer. He certainly looked the part.“Ladies,” he greeted. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your table.”“You did awesome, Brandon,” Mia said, patting him on the shoulder. “Caro’s ring is gorgeous!”He smiled. “Glad you approve. I wanted her to have the perfect ring. It’s only fair. I get the perfect girl so she gets the perfect ring.
Neither man had any issue with their women going out and having fun because afterward they came home to them and the reward was pretty spectacular.His cell phone rang, and he picked it up immediately, thinking it might be Josie. He hoped the evening was going well and that she was relaxed and having fun.He frowned when he saw his doorman’s name as the incoming call.“Ash,” he said shortly.“Mr. McIntyre, you have visitors in the lobby. They wanted to go up, but I called first. They say they’re your parents.”“Oh Jesus,” Ash muttered. Just kill him now. They had to be here tonight of all nights? They’d never set foot in his apartment building, just as they’d never set foot in his office building either. Hell, before the lunch his mother had intruded on earlier in the week, he seriously doubted they’d ever stepped into one of his hotels either.Such a move reeked of desperation. His mother had wanted to “talk” after making her scene in the restaurant and he’d let her know in no uncert
“I’ll be back to check on you in a little while,” Brandon said to Caroline as he brushed a kiss over her lips.Caroline flopped onto the comfortable couch next to Josie. Mia took the other side of Caroline and Bethany perched on the arm.“So you’re moving to Las Vegas,” Mia murmured.Tears filled Caroline’s eyes. “Yeah. Brandon wants to get married before we go. We have six weeks to find a place to live there, get married and move out there before he starts his new job. Mr. Wellington is being fabulous about everything. He’s paying for relocation and also helping with the down payment on the house. He’s very serious about Brandon and wants him to consider this a long-term position. He’s doubling Brandon’s salary so we won’t have to worry about money and I have plenty of time to find a job out there.”“That’s wonderful, Caro,” Mia said softly. “But I’ll miss you terribly.”“We all will,” Bethany amended. “Girls’ night out just won’t be the same without you!”Caroline hugged them both a
Thank God Brandon was out waiting for them. The line was still long. They would have never gotten in if it weren’t for Brandon.“Do I even want to know?” Gabe asked Brandon as they headed in.Brandon laughed. “No, I doubt it. They had a good night, though. Nobody messed with them. The club owner hung out with them most of the night and security is always tight around him.”“Who is this club owner and why the fuck was he hanging with our women?” Ash demanded.Brandon laughed again. “Not women. Just one. He seems pretty interested in Brittany. He’s been velcroed to her all night and that’s not like him. He’s never short on women to keep him company, but it’s rare for him to seek a woman out like he did Brittany.”Ash scowled. The man needed to stay away from his sister.Brandon led them up a short flight of stairs to the second level where many private boxes and open tables formed a semicircle above the dance floor. At the door, Brandon knocked softly and it opened, revealing Jace and a
Ash scowled at that. “He made you shivery? What the fuck?”She giggled. “S’okay. You know I only want you. But he’s hot. And he thinks Brittany is hot. I’m happy for her.”Ash sighed. “I’ll be the judge of whether we’re happy for her or not. I’ll have to do some checking on this guy. See if he’s on the level.”But then what could Ash say about being on the level? It made him a flaming hypocrite. He’d done some not-so-great things. He didn’t regret them, but they were there. He just wasn’t sure whether he wanted his sister involved with a man steeped in gray. He knew his intentions were good. But Kai Wellington?But enough of Brittany and Kai. He’d get a call later as Kai had promised or Ash would send someone out to check on Brittany. And then tomorrow he’d do some looking into Kai Wellington’s background and see if he had any skeletons that would make him unsuitable for Brittany.Right now he had a really drunk, really cute, sexy-as-hell woman he was dying to get home and out of that
It had never been like this. Never before. Only with Josie. His heart was so full, it felt near to bursting. So much he wanted to say. That he wanted to tell her.Her fingers stroked through his hair, caressing gently before they fell away, her body going lax beneath him. He picked up his head, staring down at her, a broad smile curving his lips upward.She was out cold.Chuckling, he gently extricated himself from her body and then he went into the bathroom, returning with a warm cloth to clean her up. After ensuring she was clean and comfortable, he pulled her heels off, then rid himself of the rest of his clothing before picking her up and positioning her on the bed. He crawled in beside her, reaching to turn off the lamp.The room was doused in darkness and he pulled her close, into the shelter of his body. He stroked her body, enjoying the feel of her warm and sated next to him.Yeah, girls’ night out definitely needed to be a regular event. There wasn’t anything better than havi
“Has he told you he loves you?” Bethany asked softly.Josie grimaced. “No.”“He does,” Mia said resolutely. “No doubt in my mind. Holy hell, the way he looks at you? Totally makes me shiver.”Brittany nodded her agreement. “Not to mention the way he went off on Mom when she made that scene at the restaurant and said that crap about you. I thought he was going to choke her. I wouldn’t have tried to stop him either!”They all laughed again and then were interrupted by the waiter bringing their orders. For the next several minutes they shoveled food in and laughed and talked about the guys, sex and well, more sex.Josie couldn’t remember when she’d had a better time. Everything was so . . . perfect. She had Ash, and really, if that’s all she had, she’d be one happy bitch. But now she also had really good girlfriends. She really liked them. They were genuine, had huge hearts and there wasn’t a fake bone in their bodies.What more could she ask for? She was now a successful artist—her work
Temporarily muting the call, he lowered the receiver and looked questioningly in Eleanor’s direction.“Sorry, sir, I know you’re busy but Miss Carlysle is here to see you.”It took him a moment to realize Miss Carlysle was in fact Josie. He straightened, ending the call without hesitation.“Josie’s here?” he asked sharply. “Send her in immediately.”Eleanor disappeared and Ash was already on his feet striding toward the door to meet Josie when she came in. Josie hadn’t been to his office before. Hell, he didn’t even remember if he’d told her where he worked.A moment later, the door pushed open and Josie walked slowly in, her face pale, eyes swollen. Like she’d been fucking crying.He was in front of her in seconds, pulling her into his arms. She went stiff and rigid and utterly unyielding.“What’s wrong?” he demanded. “What’s upset you, Josie?”She pried herself away from him and walked by, toward the middle of his office where she just stood, back turned, her spine stiff.His gaze n