“Hey, Shay! You’re here early tonight.”
“Just wanted to get a jump on the night. You know how it is.”
I intentionally busied myself with arranging glasses and prep to avoid speaking to her as much as possible, but once Stefan emerged from his office, there was no way I could avoid her. His version of keeping us on the down low actually drew more attention to us, not less. While I tried to keep my eyes off him, his gaze seemed glued on me, which didn’t escape Lola’s attention. At times, it felt as if his stare was burning a hole in my side, and after about an hour of him acting like that, I wasn’t surprised when she finally gave in and asked me about it.
“Did something happen between you and Stefan, Shay?”
I served the member who’d ordered a gin and tonic and steeled my expression before turning to face her. Squinting, she wore the look of someone who suspected her man had been cheating on her. “Something happen? What do you mean?”
Lola’s body twisted into a defensive pose as her right hip shot out. “He can’t take his eyes off you tonight. I’ve been watching him since he came out of his office, and he hasn’t stopped looking at you.”
“How do you know he’s not looking at you? We’ve been standing right next to each other since you got here,” I offered, silently praying that my deflection worked.
No such luck. “He’s looking at you. What’s going on? Did you two sleep together?”
My mouth fell open in genuine surprise. Christ, she didn’t pull any punches when she thought someone was stealing her man. “Sleep together? Jesus, no!” She continued to glare at me, and something made me want to be spiteful. Not that being that way was ever a good idea.
“I’m not like Mika or Kat or Jana. I know better than to sleep with a man whore. That’s a road to nowhere.”
My mother’s repeated caution when I was a child not to spite my face by cutting off my nose rang in my ears as Lola’s eyes flew open in shock that I’d basically just indicted her along with the other women at Club X who foolishly slept with Stefan believing he would someday choose them and them alone. She may never have admitted to me she’d been sleeping with him, but we both knew what had been going on. I didn’t need to be defensive about her questioning or her sleeping with him, but I couldn’t help it. Something about the way she acted like Stefan was all hers bugged me, and if I couldn’t say anything outwardly about it, I’d take whatever opportunity I could to slip in a dig or two.
She worked quickly to regroup and contain her anger at my comment. “I know. It’s ridiculous that they think he cares about them. I wonder why he’s looking at you then.”
“I have no idea. I’m sure if he has a problem with me, he’ll let me know. It’s not like Stefan ever holds anything back. Remember how angry he was with me about the Mika thing?”
Lola nodded and appeared to consider the truth in my statement. “You’re right. I was probably just seeing things.”
I looked toward the door as a steady stream of members made their way into the club. “Let’s hope so. I don’t need him yanking me out from behind the bar tonight. Looks like we’re going to have another great tip night. I don’t want to miss that.”
My enthusiasm for making money seemed to put to rest her concerns that Stefan had taken a shine to me, but something told me this wouldn’t be the last time I’d have to deal with her suspicions.
One step into Stefan’s condo and any ideas I had that he was just any other guy flew right out the penthouse window. A nearly 360 degree view of the bay may have been the selling point for the place, but the inside of the condo was nearly as spectacular. Impeccably furnished, his place could have been a showcase for contemporary design. Unlike most apartments I’d been in with that style, though, his had a warmth to it instead of a sterile feeling.
Throwing his keys on the kitchen counter, Stefan spread his arms and smiled. “Welcome to Chez Stefan. What do you think?”
I sat down on one of the barstools lining the island. “It’s gorgeous, but I’d expect no less. You’re a man who likes to enjoy life, and this condo shows that.”
“You make it sound like I’m some billionaire playboy, Shay. I’m just a bar owner. That’s all.”
Raising my eyebrows, I chuckled. “Going for the humble thing now? I’m not sure you can pull that off, Stefan.”
“I figured it was worth a try. Come with me. I want to show you something.”
I followed him out through the glass doors that led to the terrace and stopped dead at the sight of the view he had. It nearly took my breath away. The bay looked like it went on forever and from where I stood it seemed like I could see the entire world.
Turning toward me, he grinned. “What do you think? Pretty nice, huh?”
“It’s stunning. Utterly breathtaking. I can’t imagine having this right outside my window every day. I’d never leave home.”
His eyes filled with pride. “I thought you might like it.”
“Like it? I love it! It’s so gorgeous I could stay right on this spot forever.”
He stayed silent for a long time as we looked out over the water and then moved behind me to wrap his arms around my waist. Leaning down, he rested his chin on my shoulder. “About that. We’re still doing the truth thing, right?”
I turned my head and his lips softly grazed mine. “The truth thing, as you call it, is probably best for whatever we’re doing, friends or otherwise.”
Stefan gently turned me to face him and kissed me, his tongue sliding into my mouth to playfully tease mine. He pulled away after a few moments as a jolt of need tore through me straight to my core, but I saw in his eyes he had something he wanted to tell me.
“So about that truth thing…I have to tell you about something that you might not like,” he said in a quiet voice.
“Like what?” I asked, worried that what he was about to tell me would ruin everything I felt for him already.
“Maybe I should give you a little background so you can see this in the proper light. Kane and I have a love-hate relationship. Well, sort of. We used to be really close when we all got together to run Club X. He’s always been a little moody, but we had a good time.”
“Chasing after women and having a good time?”
“Well, for me, yeah. Him not so much. Kane never chases after women. I don’t know why or what the hell happened to him, but he’s never really had many women in his life. Other than how he is with you, which drives me out of my fucking mind with jealousy, he really only talks to Olivia and his dancers, but he never touches them.”