Bret. He looked at Carlos, but she had a feeling he could hear Chu’s question.
“Just some guys, why?”
“Did you fuck them?” he asked with a shaky voice.
“Chu! What the hell kind of question is that?”
He shrugged his shoulders, trying to pull off nonchalant, but he failed miserably. Her defenses were immediately up.
“Why do you care?”
“I assumed that you’re particular about who you are intimate with. I can smell men’s cologne on you.”
The word oh covered her lips in response.
She felt bad for being uptight and snapping at him. She blushed for getting busted making out with two complete strangers, but Chu didn’t have to know the details.
“I’m sorry. I’m just tired. It’s really no big deal. I met a few different guys tonight.”
“Well, be careful, Mel. Sometimes things aren’t always as they appear.”
“You don’t have to say that twice.”
He covered her hand again, and he held her gaze.
“Be careful who you kiss. Sometimes men can be such animals.”
She got the chills from his statement and couldn’t understand why she had the feeling he meant something more to that statement. Instead of pursuing the topic, he began to talk about the club.
“It is so crowded in there tonight. I heard that some new stripper Lola made a surprise visit and knocked their socks off.”
She tried to hide her blush as she chuckled and nearly choked on the cherry she just popped into her mouth. If he only knew that it had been her, pretending to be Lola for Lilly. She had heard the gossip spread at the bar that Lola only did special events and that she was in the witness protection program. She chuckled to herself. Poor Lilly. Melissa figured she had better make a point in calling Lilly and explaining what happened. Who would have known the Lola performance Melissa did would create such gossip.
“Yeah, she did a real hot number. The bachelor party was rocking. I think the party is still going strong now,” she added.
Chu moved closer and whispered. “To think, right outside that door about a hundred cops are hanging out, and inside here major criminal scams are being discussed. It’s fucking crazy sometimes.”
The mention of the word cops made her think of Logan, Frankie, Vince, Sunny, and Jake. They really were exceptional-looking men. She wanted to know more about them, but she was scared. A relationship would never work. Sure, she was attracted to them, but she wanted more than just sexual flings. She wanted a normal life with normal things.
“Hey, what’s the long face for?”
“Nothing. Just thinking if I’ll ever be able to live a normal life.”
“What’s not normal about this?” he asked, gesturing to encompass the room.
She looked at the Asian man’s soft smile. He was handsome with dark black hair and light green eyes. The ladies often flirted with him, but he appeared to be flamboyant. She never asked him about dating, and truth be told, she really didn’t want to know. It wasn’t like Chu and she were friends. They were just stuck working for bosses that had a final say in tonight’s gig.
“Chu, get real, will ya. Don’t you think about getting old and settling down somewhere with a house, kids, and a normal life?”
“You’re fucking twenty-two years old, Melissa. You shouldn’t be worried about getting old. You should be planning your next love-fest or sex partner and living it up.”
She chuckled at his carefree description.
“I’ve got kids to take care of and bills to pay.”
His smile disappeared, and he covered her hand again, giving her a sympathetic smile.
* * * *
“Chu, bring the ladies outside for us. Get them some drinks,” Bret stated, calling to Chu.
“Melissa, can I get another drink?” Chico asked as he leaned against the bar. He watched her make the martini, and she wondered if he thought she would poison him. He wasn’t worth going to jail for. Bret was a different story.
Speak of the shithead, he walked behind her
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