“No. I really want to be upstairs tonight.”
“I don’t know, Shay. I like having you down here at the front bar. It’s good for business.”
I didn’t want to spend my night fielding sly questions from Lola about him. Now that I didn’t see her as a friend, I wanted to be as far away as possible from her. “Stefan, I’m asking you as an employee who’s always done what you asked. Please let me man the fourth floor bar tonight. It would mean a lot if you’d be cool about this.”
I wasn’t sure what part of what I said convinced him, but any qualms he had about me heading up to the fourth floor seemed to vanish. “Okay, Shay. You got the fourth floor. I’ll find someone else for the front bar with Lola. Any suggestions?”
Shaking my head, I moved toward the ladies’ room. “Nope. Whoever you choose.”
I didn’t stick around for the bartenders’ meeting since I knew where I was stationed for the night, so after I’d hid out in a bathroom stall for a half hour telling myself I was stupid for feeling bad about Lola turning on me, I quietly headed up to the fourth floor bar to get it ready for the night. Since Stefan hadn’t assigned anyone before I asked, the area had to be prepped from top to bottom, but at least that would keep my mind occupied instead of having it wander to why suddenly the only real friend I had in the bar had turned me into her competition.
Unlike the bars on the main floor, the fourth floor bar was dark and secluded. Located at the far end of the floor away from the stairs, it was technically above where the front bar was located down on the first floor but it couldn’t have been more different. Nestled in a corner just past the fantasy rooms, it was dimly lit and without any reflective surfaces on the wall behind it. No mirror, no glass at all. I imagined that had something to do with the purpose of this floor.
Who wanted to stare at themselves while they grabbed a drink after getting freaky in a fantasy room?
I got to work in my new secluded area and became so involved with making sure it was ready when members arrived that I didn’t notice Kane leaning against the bar as I crouched down to clean a sticky spot on the floor.
“Hey, what are you doing up here? Stefan exile you for something?” he asked in that husky voice so unique to him.
Looking up, I smiled and stood to my full height. “No, I asked to be put up here tonight. I needed a break from downstairs and heard this bar was as good as the front bar.”
Kane leaned his body forward and rested his forearms on the top of the bar. “That’s what I hear too. You should do well tonight. Tuesdays are pretty busy, and every room on this floor is booked all night.”
“Sounds good to me. I’m all about the money for the short time I’m here.”
His crystal blue eyes flashed a look of recognition. “That’s right. We only have you for a few months more before you leave us. I’m sure Stefan will miss you. I know he relies on you and Lola to take care of things downstairs.”
“He’ll be fine without me, I’m sure. I bet bartenders come and go here, so he’ll just replace me with someone else.”
Kane’s usually serious expression softened, and a slow grin spread across his lips. “He does go through them pretty fast, I admit, but it’s rare when he gets one of your caliber.”
I couldn’t decide if I should interpret his words to refer to me as a bartender or me as a woman. Kane likely didn’t know his brother and I had slept together—or maybe he did. The vision of Stefan bragging about his latest conquest the morning after having sex with me marched through my mind, and it didn’t take much to convince me that it had happened very much like that.
“Yeah, well, I’m sure I’ll be forgotten as soon as I leave, Kane.”
He stared directly into my eyes for a long moment and then in low voice said, “Then he’s a bigger fool than I thought he was.” I stood there surprised by Kane’s words, and as if my reaction made him uncomfortable, he leaned back away from me and added, “But that wouldn’t surprise me. Stefan’s always had a streak of stupid in him.”
Now it was my turn to feel uncomfortable. Kane had never unnerved me before, but as we stood there in the dim light and not more than a foot away from one another, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of power coming from him that I’d never recognized before. Maybe it was his size or maybe it was his deep voice, but something made me feel small next to him at that moment.
A nervous giggle escaped from my throat as I tried to understand what I was feeling. “Well, you know what they say. There’s always one in the family.”
“And we have Stefan,” he said with a laugh. A few members began filtering in from the stairs and in a second Kane changed back to that friendly guy he always was with me. “I’m just up one floor if you need anything, Shay. Don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thanks, Kane. I might since this is my first real experience with your part of the club.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. There’s always security on each floor, but I’ll put Jason here tonight. Members don’t even think about messing with him.”
“That’s nice of you. Thanks! I’m sure I’ll be fine then.”
He backed away down the hall, the whole time wearing a sly smile. “Come up and see me. We can talk more about my stupid younger brother or other more interesting topics.”
I didn’t know if I’d take him up on his offer, but I had a feeling hanging out with Kane would be nothing like spending time with Stefan. As different as night and day, the two men intrigued me each in their own way. Whereas Stefan was all fun and good times, Kane always seemed to be reserved and mysterious, even when he was smiling and making jokes. The serious side of me found that so appealing. His younger brother might act like the consummate player, but Kane appeared almost disinterested in women. I didn’t think he had a girlfriend or liked men, but I’d never seen him spend any time even talking to women other than me. If I was a real player like Carrie claimed, I’d have gone after Kane. For as much as Stefan seemed to be the perpetual bachelor, his older brother might have been one of the most aloof men I’d ever encountered, and I had an inkling he was friendlier with me than most people. A player would set her sights on that prize.
I left my thoughts on the two available Club X brothers behind as a crowd of people began to form in front of my bar. For five hours I waited on members as they prepared to enter their fantasy rooms and after they’d left them, loving how different this area was from downstairs. It had a sexy feel the front bar lacked, and the members were even friendlier here. I couldn’t believe Lola hadn’t mentioned how much better this was and the money I made even rivaled the night of the private party when she and I had made a killing. She probably didn’t like it as much as the front bar because Stefan was nowhere to be found.