More Than Friends (Kingsley #4) (29 page)

The proverbial other shoe began to drop in the third bar of the night, when Sherr
y’
s naked form had Michael coming to a complete halt halfway across the room, his drink slipping from his fingers. He had been on the way back from the bathroom and Xander was sitting, crimson with embarrassment, at the party table just below the stage. She grasped the pole and turned, bending at the waist to showcase the curves of her ass, and Michael felt his hands clench to fists.
What the hell was she doing in a place like this?
Michael himself had only agreed to come because it was Eva
n’
s turn to pick, and their choices had been slim. At just twenty years old, Evan was one of two designated drivers for the group, but his youth made it harder for them to find clubs to go to since he could
n’
t be served alcohol. He had suggested The Slip as a great place to hang out, a place that had good beer on tap and cheap pitchers on Fridays, and the guys had all gone along without much fuss until the
y’
d realized where they were. Adam, Mac, and Drew had all gone to call their wives, Michael had texted Renee, Xander had texted Harmony, and Evan had groaned in exasperation.

“
God
,
” h
e’
d grumbled
.“
You bunch of pansies. All of you calling your women to ask for permission to go into a bar
.
”

“
You just watch it
,
” Adam had warned, raising his eyebrows at his youngest son
.“
Yo
u’
ll be lucky if your mother does
n’
t skin you when we get home. You should have heard what she said when I told her you chose this place.And do
n’
t give me that shit about being here for the beer, either. You ca
n’
t drink bee
r
– yo
u’
re here for the tits
.
”

“
Thanks, way to throw me under the bus, Dad
,
” Evan had answered rolling his eyes.
“
Like none of you like tits
.
”

“
Well,
I’
m sure as hell not laying under the bus
.
” Adam had given his son another warning look, shaking his head
.“
And I do
n’
t seek out strange wome
n’
s tits either, thank you very much. I do
n’
t even want to know how you found out about a place like this
.
”

Michael and Drew had elbowed each other amusedly as Evan tried earnestly to convince their father that he had only come to the strip joint for the cheap beer his friends were mostly old enough to drink, and that he only came with his friends from his football team. Everyone gave Evan a hard time, but it was clear that through the shock, Adam believed hi
m
– so with the reluctant approval of the family women, Adam, Michael, Mac, Drew, Xander, Evan, and several of Xande
r’
s work friends had made their way into the club.

Now, he watched Sherry, the girl who said she could never be anyon
e’
s Sunday brunch, drop to her knees and slide to the end of the stage, the cherry blossom tattoo rolling erotically as she lowered herself onto her back and liftedher legs into the air. Michae
l’
s breath quickened as she opened her thighs, offering a good look at her nether region to Michae
l’
s family and friends. She left the stage and he could
n’
t help the hardening in his jeans as she sashayed around the table, flirting shamelessly with those beautiful blue eyes; her breasts swayed enticingly as she worked her way through the crowd, and Michael felt strands of tension clenching tighter around his chest.

It was bad enough to watch her shake her ass in front of Xander, barely two weeks before the guy married Michae
l’
s baby sister, but when she stepped up and buried his fathe
r’
s face between her breasts, Michael had had enough. He crossed the room and stepped out of the shadows of the bar, reaching for his seat at the end of the table. She was
n’
t as focused on Adam as she looked; his movement caught her attention and she looked over, freezing in place with her hands on Ada
m’
s head, his face still sandwiched between her breasts, her red hair spilling over both of them. Michael waited until she took a step back, crossing her arms over her chest. She stood with her thighs clamped together, as if suddenly aware of her own nakedness, and Michael arched an eyebrow in silent challenge.

“
I gotta go
,
” she answered, her eyes wide
.“
Uh, i
t’
s my break. Have a good party, boys
.
” She congratulated Xander on his upcoming marriage, and his face flamed again as his friends roared with laughter.

Michael elbowed Drew and leaned close to speak to him over the music
.“I’
ll be bac
k
– I know her. If Dad looks for m
e
–“

“
Yo
u’
re in the bathroom, got it
,
” Drew answered, his eyes fixed on the drink between his hands
.“
But
I’
m gonna tel
l‘
em all she left because of you. And how the hell do you know a stripper, anyway
?
”

“
Long story
,
” Michael groaned, rolling his eyes.

Drew sighed, choosing not to push
.“
I hate this
,
” he said
.“
How much longe
r‘
til the next place
?
”

“
I do
n’
t know man
,
” Michael said sympathetically, glancing down at the time on his cell phone
.“
An hour in each place, s
o
… twenty minutes, maybe thirty
.
” He could see how uncomfortable Drew was, and he felt bad for leaving him there with no one to talk to, but he had to find Sherry.
What the hell was she doing working here?

It took almost fifteen minutes for Michael to find a bouncer willing to retrieve Sherry from the backstage area, and another ten before he finally came back out
.“
Sorry man
,
” the bouncer said, shaking his head
.“
She would
n’
t come out. She said she ca
n’
t see you right now. You wanna leave a number for her or something, in case she changes her mind
?
”

“
No
,
” Michael said, still shocked
.“
No thanks, man. She, uh, she knows how to find me if she wants to. We used to know each other
.
”

It was
n’
t until he had turned to head back to the table that she came out of the backstage entrance, dressed in a long red tunic with gray tights and black boots that hugged all the way up to her knees
.“
Wha
t’
cha doing here, Michael?This is
n’
t your kind of hang out
.
”

She crossed her arms over her chest again, and Michael wanted suddenly to shake her.
How could she take her clothes off in front of just anyone, and then cross her arms like a shy little innocent? What was left for her to hide?
“
Well
,
” he said slowly, trying not to sound angry
.“I’
m here for a bachelor party. What the hell are
you
doing here
?
”

She laughed softly, hooking her arm through his and leading him toward the bar
.“
I work here
,
” she said.

“
Why? Did something happen at the bar
?
”

She shrugged, the movement sliding her elbow along his side. He watched a couple of men in a booth on the other side of the bar watching them, leering at he
r
– it made him want to tuck her in close to his side and drag her out of the club. He wanted to tell her she could never expect anyone to think she was worth Sunday brunch if she kept treating herself like this
.“
I still work there, too
,
” she said
.“
But
I’
m here once a week, sort of as a favor to the guy who owns the place
.
”

Skidding to a halt, Michael gripped her arm and steered her to a table, where he pushed her shoulders until she sat. He dropped into the seat across from her and glared
.“
What? What the hell kind of man would ask that of you
?
”

“
One that I owe a favor to
,
” she said, shrugging
.“
He did a favor for me once, got my sister out of some trouble. Besides, the tips are good
.
”

“
So tha
t’
s what happened then
,
” Evan said from behind Michae
l’
s shoulder
.“
You two know each other
?
”

“
You could say that
,
” Michael gritted out.

“
Oh. Well, i
t’
s time to go
,
” Evan answered with a shrug
.“
And i
t’
s Dre
w’
s turn to choose, so come on
.
”

As it seemed like Evan had no intention of walking away, Michael turned in his seat to glare up at his youngest brother
.“I’
ll meet you out there
,
” he said slowly, a menacing tone in his voice
.“
Dude. Go
.
”

When he turned back, Sherry was smiling
.“I’
m glad we ended things on a good note though
,
” she said, standing
.“
You have a good bunch there, nice guys. That one your brother
?
”

“
Youngest. H
e’
s a dumbass
,
” Michael grumbled.

Sherry laughed, throwing her head back
.“
Look
,
” she said when the laughter subsided
.“
I know the kind of guy you are. I know you see me in here and you think you want to fix me. But
I’
m goodand I do
n’
t need fixing, okay? So go on, get drunk, party the night away. And watch out for that little brother of yours
,
” she added,
“
because I see him in here all the time. H
e’
s gonna get himself into trouble hanging out in a place like this
.
” She winked sassily, turned, and walked away, waving flirtatiously to the two men who had been watching her.

Michael watched her walk away, dumbfounded, unable to imagine what would make her spend her time in a cheap strip joint on a back road on the edge of town
.“
I know, right
?
” Drew asked, throwing an arm over his shoulders
.“
Come on, man, le
t’
s get the hell out of here. My ski
n’
s crawling
.
”