Read Online Incubus of Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase - Free Book Online
Authors: Deanna Chase
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before. It wasn’t so much that she was being inappropriate. If she’d been Pyper or Kat, I wouldn’t have even blinked. But this was Charlie. She was…flirting. Charlie never flirted with Kane. Or men in general.
She flirted with me. And every other girl who came into the club. Even when her girlfriends were around. It was just who she was. “Hey, guys,” I said as they neared the bar.
Kane glanced at me then Charlie and back to me again, sending me a curious smile as if to ask what was up with her.
I raised my hands in an I-don’t-know motion.
“Oh, hey, Jade,” she finally said when she noticed Kane looking at me. “I was just telling Kane about my date for tomorrow night.”
“Date?” She’d broken up with her actress girlfriend a few weeks ago when the woman had been outed in a tabloid for kissing another starlet. Charlie had taken it harder than she’d let on, throwing herself into work. But if she had someone new, that might explain her overly affectionate behavior. “What’s her name?”
Charlie frowned. “Not a her. A him. And his name’s Bax.”
“Bax?” Kane and I said at the same time.
“Yeah.” Her brows knitted in confusion. “As in Baxter.”
We both stared at her wide-eyed.
“What?”
“Ah, nothing.” Kane shook his head at me. Not that I was going to say anything. She was free to date anyone she wanted. But in the time I’d known her, she’d never shown interest in the opposite sex. In fact, she’d been rather vocal about her love of women.
I cleared my throat. “Charlie?”
She met my steady gaze. “Yes?”
I wanted so badly to ask her why she’d suddenly changed her tune, but instead I asked, “Where’d you meet him?”
“School. He’s in one of my business classes.” She walked behind the bar and uncapped a bottle of water.
Kane sat on a stool next to me, watching her as if trying to decide how to respond.
She gulped down a quarter of the water then slapped the bottle on the counter. Meeting his confused gaze, she asked, “What?”
He raised his eyebrows. “It’s quite the departure for you, isn’t it?”
“So?” Defensiveness streamed off her in waves. “I wouldn’t say anything if you wanted to date a man.”
“I’d hope you would!” I added. “Considering he’s married to me.”
Her expression softened as she turned to me. “Right. That wouldn’t be cool. I just meant I wouldn’t care if he decided to switch teams, that’s all.”
“Hey,” Kane said, holding his hands up. “It doesn’t matter to me what team you’re on. No judgment here. You just took me by surprise, is all. And honestly, it’s none of my business anyway, so forget I said anything.”
She put the cap back on her water bottle and stared at the bar. Unease and doubt swirled around her slowly as if the emotions were just starting to form, but then she squared her shoulders and they vanished. “Okay. We’ll just forget about it.”
Why was she forcing herself to go out with a man? It seemed clear to me that deep down she didn’t want to. I lifted my hand to place it on her arm, to reassure her she didn’t need to do anything—or anyone for that matter—she wasn’t comfortable with. But I lowered my arm, afraid I’d upset her further.
“I’m going to go get lunch before I start rearranging the shift assignments,” she said. “Can I get you two anything?”
“No thanks. We’ve got a lunch meeting soon,” I said.
She shoved her hands into her jeans pockets. “All right then.” She nodded to Kane. “I’ll call and let you know if we need to do anything drastic.”
“Thanks. I’ll be back this evening to make sure everything is running smoothly, so that probably won’t be necessary, but if things change, I’ll let you know.”
“Sure thing, boss.” She waved as she strode to the back of the building, no doubt intending to go next door to see if Pyper needed anything. The pair took care of each other while they were working the same
She flirted with me. And every other girl who came into the club. Even when her girlfriends were around. It was just who she was. “Hey, guys,” I said as they neared the bar.
Kane glanced at me then Charlie and back to me again, sending me a curious smile as if to ask what was up with her.
I raised my hands in an I-don’t-know motion.
“Oh, hey, Jade,” she finally said when she noticed Kane looking at me. “I was just telling Kane about my date for tomorrow night.”
“Date?” She’d broken up with her actress girlfriend a few weeks ago when the woman had been outed in a tabloid for kissing another starlet. Charlie had taken it harder than she’d let on, throwing herself into work. But if she had someone new, that might explain her overly affectionate behavior. “What’s her name?”
Charlie frowned. “Not a her. A him. And his name’s Bax.”
“Bax?” Kane and I said at the same time.
“Yeah.” Her brows knitted in confusion. “As in Baxter.”
We both stared at her wide-eyed.
“What?”
“Ah, nothing.” Kane shook his head at me. Not that I was going to say anything. She was free to date anyone she wanted. But in the time I’d known her, she’d never shown interest in the opposite sex. In fact, she’d been rather vocal about her love of women.
I cleared my throat. “Charlie?”
She met my steady gaze. “Yes?”
I wanted so badly to ask her why she’d suddenly changed her tune, but instead I asked, “Where’d you meet him?”
“School. He’s in one of my business classes.” She walked behind the bar and uncapped a bottle of water.
Kane sat on a stool next to me, watching her as if trying to decide how to respond.
She gulped down a quarter of the water then slapped the bottle on the counter. Meeting his confused gaze, she asked, “What?”
He raised his eyebrows. “It’s quite the departure for you, isn’t it?”
“So?” Defensiveness streamed off her in waves. “I wouldn’t say anything if you wanted to date a man.”
“I’d hope you would!” I added. “Considering he’s married to me.”
Her expression softened as she turned to me. “Right. That wouldn’t be cool. I just meant I wouldn’t care if he decided to switch teams, that’s all.”
“Hey,” Kane said, holding his hands up. “It doesn’t matter to me what team you’re on. No judgment here. You just took me by surprise, is all. And honestly, it’s none of my business anyway, so forget I said anything.”
She put the cap back on her water bottle and stared at the bar. Unease and doubt swirled around her slowly as if the emotions were just starting to form, but then she squared her shoulders and they vanished. “Okay. We’ll just forget about it.”
Why was she forcing herself to go out with a man? It seemed clear to me that deep down she didn’t want to. I lifted my hand to place it on her arm, to reassure her she didn’t need to do anything—or anyone for that matter—she wasn’t comfortable with. But I lowered my arm, afraid I’d upset her further.
“I’m going to go get lunch before I start rearranging the shift assignments,” she said. “Can I get you two anything?”
“No thanks. We’ve got a lunch meeting soon,” I said.
She shoved her hands into her jeans pockets. “All right then.” She nodded to Kane. “I’ll call and let you know if we need to do anything drastic.”
“Thanks. I’ll be back this evening to make sure everything is running smoothly, so that probably won’t be necessary, but if things change, I’ll let you know.”
“Sure thing, boss.” She waved as she strode to the back of the building, no doubt intending to go next door to see if Pyper needed anything. The pair took care of each other while they were working the same
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