TRUTH (36 page)

“Everything all right?”
 

She nodded, but her entire body was rigid from her anxiety.

He looked to me for confirmation. “Perhaps getting inside and to our table will help.”

Ross seemed to agree. After saying a few words to the bouncer, I handed him our tickets and we were through the door.
 

The club was dark, as most clubs were. People were everywhere, and I made sure to position Brianna in front of me as we started moving through the crowd. A woman bumped into us about halfway to our table, and Brianna froze. Without overthinking it, I halted our movement and reached into my pocket. Removing the collar, I used both hands to secure it to her wrist.
 

Her reaction was almost immediate. With the collar around her wrist, she calmed considerably. In this instance, the low light worked to our advantage. No one around us gave any indication that they’d noticed the addition to her wardrobe. No one but Ross. As we approached the table and he turned around, he zeroed in on the piece of leather around her wrist and followed the leash up to where I had it wrapped around my hand.
 

I was sure he was going to say something until Jade popped up from her seat and broke the growing tension. “I’m glad you came, Anna. This is going to be so much fun.”

We all took our seats, and I positioned Brianna as close to me as possible. Ross frowned. Jade smiled knowingly.

“I guess we should introduce everyone.” Ross was still giving me the evil eye, so Jade took over the introductions.
 

Brianna

There were people everywhere. I’d been close to saying
yellow
when that lady ran into us. Everyone was so close, pushing each other. Each breath had been an effort, and then when she’d touched me, everything stopped.

The feel of leather enclosing my wrist brought a sense of comfort and security. I knew Stephan had brought the collar. I’d seen him slip it into his pocket. Maybe I should have felt awkward or embarrassed because he had me on a leash, but I didn’t. He knew what I needed, and I trusted him to do what was best.

Jade introduced us to the other people at the table while Cal sat grumpily by her side. I knew he still didn’t care for Stephan, but his reaction seemed over the top given we’d only just arrived. I didn’t understand it. Had something happened I wasn’t aware of?

“Anna, Stephan, I’d like you to meet Justin, Mandy, and Phillip.”

Stephan adjusted my hand so that it lay in his lap, just below his crotch. I knew without his saying anything that he wanted me to keep it there. “Nice to meet you.”

A man approached the table, and I leaned into Stephan. He was about as tall as Stephan, maybe a little taller. The man smiled. He didn’t seem threatening, but sometimes it was impossible to tell.
 

“I see your friends got here,” the man said.
 

“Hey, Brian.” Jade motioned to us. “This is Anna and Stephan.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Stephan held out his hand to greet Brian.

“Anyone been over to get your drink orders?”

The question was directed toward Stephan and me, but Jade answered. “No. Not yet. Everyone looks pretty busy.”

“They are, but I’ll send someone over. No matter how busy the bar gets, they still need to take care of the tables.” He glanced at his watch. “I need to get backstage and check on the band. Make sure everything’s ready to go.” Then he turned his attention to us again. “If I don’t make it back over later, it was nice meeting you.” Brian’s gaze lingered on me a little too long before he walked away from our table, and I shivered.
 

“I’m right here,” Stephan whispered in my ear as he tugged on the leash.

I nodded and took a deep breath. Everything was fine.

Justin shifted in his chair and took a drink of the beer in front of him. Everyone at the table had a drink except Stephan and I. “Have you guys ever been to Crazy Lewie’s before?”

“No. This is the first time.”

“How about you?” This time his question was directed solely at me.

I shook my head.
 

“I didn’t think I’d seen you around before. Cal here was telling us you and he grew up together.”

Justin’s continued scrutiny made me uneasy, but I tried to remember that this was a social get-together. We were all supposed to talk. “Yes.”

He smiled and leaned in as if confiding some sort of secret. “Do you have any dirt on Cal we should know about? Any skeletons in his closet?”
 

Jade punched him in the arm.
 

“Ow!”
 

Everyone at the table laughed, except me.
 

“Stop bothering Anna with your silly questions. You’re just mad about your birthday.”

The entire group, minus Stephan and me, snickered.
 

“You would be, too!”

Cal rolled his eyes. “Oh, stop whining. It’s not my fault your mom decided to drop by unannounced.” At that, the snickers turned into full-blown laughter.
 

Philip noticed our confusion. “Justin’s just a little sore because Cal threw him a big bash for his twenty-fifth birthday party last month that included some . . . female entertainment, and his mom showed up right as it was getting good.”

“Yeah. And she didn’t talk to me for a week after that. My own mother wouldn’t even take my calls.” Justin sank down in his chair.

Female entertainment?
 

My heart pounded in time with the words as they repeated over and over in my head. The palms of my hands began to sweat, and my breathing accelerated.
 

Suddenly there was a sharp tug on my arm, and a hand gripped the back of my neck. “Breathe, Brianna. Deep breath in. Now let it out. Again.” I did as he said, taking one breath at a time.

When I opened my eyes, Cal was staring right at me.
 

“Good girl.” Stephan’s words pulled me out of my trance, and I turned to face him. He ran a finger down the side of my face, making me forget about everyone around us.

“Hey, you all right?” Mandy broke into our world with her question.

Stephan didn’t take his eyes off me. “She’s fine.”

“I didn’t mean to make you—”

“He said she’s fine.” There was finality in Cal’s voice. Everyone at the table stopped talking.
 

“Well, it looks like we’re going to have to go fetch our own drinks.” Mandy placed a hand on Philip’s and Justin’s shoulders. “Come help a girl out.”

There was a brief exchange where Stephan told her we’d just take some water, and then they were gone.
 

“I’m so sorry, Anna. I wasn’t even thinking when the subject of Justin’s party came up.” Jade’s voice was full of regret.

By that point, I was resting my head on Stephan’s shoulder, and he was playing with my fingers as they lay in his lap.

Cal leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “What can we do to make it better, Anna? I wanted you to have a good time tonight.”

Stephan laid his cheek on my head, holding me close. “She’ll be all right.”

“Anna?” Cal didn’t seem to be taking Stephan’s word for it that I’d be okay. “Talk to me. Please.”

Without lifting my head, I shifted so I could see Cal’s face. “I’m fine. I didn’t . . . I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

“Forget about me. I’m only concerned with you.”

I smiled, trying to reassure him, but it was weak.
 

Activity on stage dragged our attention in that direction. The band was taking their places.
 

“You don’t have to stay.”

The thought of going was appealing. I could go back to the condo and hide with Stephan. It would be safe.
 

Without introduction, the band began to play, filling the room with sound and making talking difficult. Mandy, Phillip, and Justin rejoined our group a few minutes later and placed two waters down in front of us. Stephan picked up one of the glasses and handed it to me. I took it and drank. He did the same with the other glass.
 

As the band continued playing, I got caught up in the music. They were good. Some of the songs I recognized. Others were completely foreign to me.
 

Every now and then the lead singer would make a comment or tell a joke between songs, and I found myself laughing at some of them. I was having a good time. I didn’t want to go home.

Chapter 26

Stephan

Brianna had finally calmed. As the music filled the club, and people’s attention was redirected to the entertainment, her breathing mellowed. It was good to see her happy and content, especially given where we were and how many people were around us.

I’d shifted our position slightly. We were both facing the small stage, with her back against my chest. The leash was draped across my lap and loosely looped around my wrist. No one could see it unless they were looking, which Ross was. Every few minutes, he’d glance in our direction. Occasionally we’d make eye contact, but more often than not he’d look at Brianna then down to where the leather circled her wrist. He would frown, close his eyes, and then refocus on the band. It happened so often I was beginning to wonder how much attention he was paying to the concert.

When the band announced they were going to take a break, people began milling around again, and Brianna stiffened almost immediately. I was going to do my best not to let her mind get the better of her, though.
 

“Do you like the band?”

She nodded.

“Use your words, Brianna.”

“Yes. I like them.”

I kissed the side of her neck in a show of approval. “They’re good. I can see why there’s buzz about them.”

All the guys, including Ross, left the table and headed toward the bar along with roughly half the club’s patrons.
 

“Did you want anything to drink, Anna? The guys went up to get us something. I’m sure Stephan could get you something, too, if you wanted.”

Jade was tilting her head to the side, and raising her eyebrows, making it obvious that she wanted some girl time with Brianna. I wasn’t thrilled about leaving her alone in this crowd, and I shook my head, silently telling her what she wanted wasn’t going to happen. She looked disappointed but didn’t push it. I handed Brianna her water and nodded to Jade in thanks for not pressing the issue.

“So what do you think?” Mandy had a wistful look on her face as she gazed toward the stage.
 

“They’re better than I expected them to be.”

She shifted her attention back to us. “Yeah. Brian’s really good at finding local talent. I don’t know how he does it, but he always does.”

I felt the need to keep the conversation going. The activity at our table was helping to keep Brianna from getting overwhelmed. “How long has your brother been the manager here?”

Jade finished off the last of whatever it was she was drinking. “It’s been about two years now. He really loves it.”
 

I’d caught sight of Jade’s brother a few times throughout the night. He floated from one side of the club to the other, making sure everything was as it should be, but it was done in a way that wasn’t intrusive. Jade was right. Brian did appear to be good at his job.

We talked some more about the band. Brianna listened for the most part. The one time she spoke up was when Mandy asked her if she’d had a favorite song. “
Forever
,” Brianna mumbled, before blushing and hiding her face against my neck.
 

The song was one of the last the band had played before taking their break. It was a love song about unlikely lovers. Brianna was a romantic. I wasn’t surprised with her choice.

Phillip and Justin returned to the table, followed by Ross, who set a glass filled with dark liquid in front of Brianna. “I considered getting you something stronger, but I figured he wouldn’t let you have it anyway if I did.”

I quirked one eyebrow up at him in question.

 
“Relax. It’s only soda.”