Hollywood Rebel by Misti Murphy

Chapter Ten

 

Rebel

I hadn’t planned to go out tonight.

I wasn’t about to leave the sanctuary of my house for somewhere as awful as this club. But then I heard that guy’s voice through the phone and yeah, that was a problem for me.

The next thing I know I’m stalking Summer Heart’s Instagram like I’m some loser with nothing better to do, trying to find out where she and her friend are spending their evening. I’m acting like Summer did when she showed up at my door and refused to leave. And if she could do it to me, well, then I wasn’t going to feel guilty about doing it right back.

Of course, she’s smart enough to have a work Insta and a private one so there was no clue there.

Rogue came in with a bottle of whisky and poured us both a drink. Considered me as he propped his heels on my coffee table, deduced that whatever the fuck was going on with me was entertaining enough to stick around for, and texted Riot.

By the time Riot rocked up from band practice one of Summer’s friends had tagged her work account as well as her personal with a picture of the group she was with. Some guy I now know is Bray had his arm around her and had lost his eyeballs in her cleavage. Not literally, though the idea of knocking them out of his head crossed my mind for a moment.

Yeah, irrational thoughts about other men hitting on Red are not ideal, but it is what it is. I want her. I want her naked in my bed and I want her sparring with me verbally and physically and I want to be the only one who touches her goddamn hand.

Riot had peeked over my shoulder and pointed out that he knew the club. We all knew the club, it turns out. Rogue and I were just blind drunk the many times we’d ended up here.

Tonight, I’m not drinking. Sure, I had a beer and a couple of glasses of champagne at lunch, but I hadn’t touched the rest of the bottle when we left. Even though I’d planned to after I saw that paparazzi taking photos of Summer and me over lunch. The same photographer that took photos of me as I was escorted from the car into the police station after I was arrested this last time. The one that stuck.

But then Summer had put me in my place about driving Emmy and I’d been way too fucking invested in making sure my baby got back to the garage in one piece to drink anymore. I’d poured it out once I got home.

I didn’t even drink the damn whisky Rogue poured me. It’s still sitting on the bar at home.

I reach out and take Summer’s hand and tear her away from the guy she’s with. She trips over her feet and plants her palm on my chest. I use the misstep as an excuse to steady her at the waist. “Boyfriend?”

“No.” She blinks like she just now realized that she could have lied to me.  “I mean—”

“Too late, Red.” I glance over her head at the guy who doesn’t look too happy about this turn of events. “Do you matter?”

“This is Bray. He’s my friend. Do you have to be so rude?”

She might think he’s a friend, but he doesn’t want to be. “Let the rest of your posse know they’re welcome in the VIP lounge.”

“Okay.” He gives her a lingering look but drops his attention when I stare him down.

“You’re a jerk.” Summer withdraws her hand from my chest. “He doesn’t work for you. And right now, I’m off the clock.”

Rogue and Riot move ahead with security.

“Sweetheart, you’re never off the clock.” I let go of her hand despite the urge to hold onto it all night. “Not since you showed up at my door and camped out twenty-four hours a day for a week. That kind of devotion to your job doesn’t go unnoticed.”

Her lips part and her eyes widen with the realization that I’m going to make her pay for pestering me. Even if her sheer stubbornness is almost, well, admirable. “That’s—”

“Ready?” There’s no back to the emerald dress that makes her hair glow like flames and the orange flecks in her eyes stand out that much more. It could also be because she’s mad. Like little lightning strikes of anger waiting to tear through my skin. Whatever they are, I could stare at them for the rest of the night. My palm finds the small of her back. Her silky skin is cool compared to my hand. I need to take a breath to deal with how much my dick wants to respond to that small amount of contact as we follow my brothers into the roped off area.

A shot girl with a tray full of colorful liquids in thin tubes offers us a drink.

Rogue and Riot both take one.

Summer snatches one off the tray and downs it before either of the boys have lifted their drink to their mouths.

I hand my credit card to the girl. “Start me a tab. Everyone in VIP is on me tonight.”

“Damn straight.” Riot snags another tube and salutes me. “You drag us out, you pay.”

“What are you doing here?” Summer glares at me, stepping into my personal space like she owns it. Her eyes are a little glazed, but she’s not overly tipsy. She’s too focused.

“You’re like a little rabid dog.” I chuckle.

“Wow, that’s rude.”

Yeah, that did not come out how I wanted it to. I grimace and scratch the back of my neck. I meant in a cute way. I thought she was scared of me, but every time I push her, she pushes back, and damn if I don’t want to see how far I can take it.

“He meant you’re a go-getter.” Riot leans in to speak over my shoulder. “A ball buster. A…”

“Bossy bitch,” I offer.

She blinks at me.

“I think he meant boss bitch,” Riot says.

“Oh no. I think I got it loud and clear.” She takes another step in my direction and jabs me in the chest. “And now this bossy bitch wants to know what you’re doing here. Did you follow me? How did you know I was here?”

“I can’t believe it. Are you serious with this guacamole, Summer?” The girl who put the picture on her Insta screams as she bursts into the VIP area. The rest of their friends follow her in. Her blue eyes are wide as saucers as she points her finger at me. “You’re Rebel Maddox. That’s Rebel freaking Maddox, Summer.”

“I’m aware.” Summer stares at me like I’m dirt. The dirtiest of dirt. Maybe a bit of dirty gum stuck to the bottom of her shoe. Completely unimpressed with my decision to follow through on her suggestion that I needed to be seen in public.

“This is your new client, Sum?”

“We’re working together,” she admits.

“Jennie.” I can’t help a smirk.

“You know my name?” She inhales the words so hard it’s a possibility she’ll choke on them.

“I follow you on Insta.” I shrug my shoulders. Well, I do now since half her feed includes Summer.

“You do.” She claps her hands together in front of her chest as her knees give out.

It’s only Summer’s grip on her friend that keeps her upright. If looks could kill, I wouldn’t be standing, though. “That’s how you knew where I was?”

“Happy coincidence.”

She shakes her head.

“Hey, Sum. You want another drink?” Bray asks, coming up and resting a hand on her shoulder.

“Everyone’s drinks are paid for tonight,” I snap out. “By me.”

“I’m good, Bray. Thanks.” She glances up at him with a softness that I haven’t seen from her yet. But I don’t want softness from the little firecracker. I want her bite. I want the fire in her eyes. I want to see her lose her control and find out what’s underneath it.

“Yeah, she’s good, Bray.” I cross my arms over my chest.

Those orange lights in her eyes spark. “Do you want me to stay, or do you want me to go? Because Bray and I are happy to leave—”

I huff. So much for getting her away from him and closer to me. I hold out my hand to the guy. “We cool?”

He looks at her for what to do before shaking my hand. “We’re cool.”

“So do you really follow me on Insta?” Jennie touches my arm to get my attention as Summer and her pal move to one of the love seats at the far end of the VIP area.

“Do you want a drink?” I tuck my fists into my armpits and search out the shot girl. “I could use a drink.”

“I like tequila,” she tells me. “It makes me flirty.”

“Tequila, hey?” I smirk at her.

Over the next couple of hours it’s clear that Jennie wasn’t kidding. It’s like tequila is her rocket fuel. Not only has she flirted with everyone; my twin, Summer, the bouncer standing guard to the VIP section, but she’s been practically trying to give me a lap dance for the last hour. It’s getting old, but it’s also having an effect on Summer that I find quite amusing.

Summer glares at me over Jennie’s shoulder as she moves from the other side of the VIP section to sit on the loveseat directly across from us. Bray drops down beside her, his drink spills a little on her dress in the process. It turns out he’s not one to turn down free booze, and he’s well and truly on my nerves. And a little on Summer’s too by the exasperated glance she shoots him as she swipes the drops away with her hand.

“Sorry,” he slurs into her neck.

“It’s fine,” she says, watching Jennie as she grinds down between my thighs.

I latch my gaze with her and dare her to do something about it. This girl is her friend. Her issue to deal with. It’s her job to make me look good.

Bray is squeezing her hip.

My jaw is locked. If he doesn’t get his paws off her soon, I’m going to have a problem.

Jennie’s butt is practically in my face, but all I can see is Summer.

“You might want to ease up on the eye fuckery,” Rogue slurs in my ear. He has another girl on his lap. Some chick named Posey. She’s cozied right up, and his hand is massaging her thigh. Riot on the other hand is deep in a whisky laced conversation about rock and metal with a couple of the guys.

“There’s no fucking going on,” I snap back.

“There could be if you wanted there to be,” Jennie purrs as she turns to wrap her arms around my neck and shimmy her tits against my chest.

“Jennie.” Summer jumps to her feet and grabs her friend’s arm to pull her away from me. She wraps her other arm around the girl’s waist, and they sway together. “You don’t want to get involved with him. Not while I am.”

“You’re involved with him?” Bray asks.

“Buddy, she’s had her mouth on my dick.” I wink at the poor fuck.

“No, that came out wrong.” Summer gapes at me, the color drains from her face. “And I have not… I would never…”

“When did this happen?” Rogue asks.

“At my welcome home party,” I say. “Found her waiting for me upstairs. She was very flirtatious. Left her lipstick all over me.”

“You’re so fucking welcome,” he crows.

“Oh shut up.” She turns scarlet. I swear I can almost see steam pouring out of her ears. “That isn’t what happened.”

“I’m sorry, Sum. I didn’t know you two were hooking up,” her bestie croons into her shoulder. “I never would have flirted with your guy. Is he good though, you know…in the sheets?”

“Are you drunk? He isn’t my guy. He’s not my anything. Except my client. He’s my client.”

“But you touched his penis, which means per the best friends’ handbook, it’s an off-limits penis to me.” Jennie lifts both her hands like she’s stopping traffic. “Keep Summer’s penis away from me.”

“It wasn’t his dick.”

“Was it Rogue’s?” she whispers at full volume. “Because I could see how you could get mixed up.”

“I wish,” Rogue says over my shoulder, and I have the temporary desire to lift my fist directly over my shoulder and into his nose.

“It wasn’t Rogue’s dick. It was Rebel’s. But it wasn’t.” Summer’s drowning in her explanation.

I could help her, but fuck if I don’t want to see how she gets through this one.

“It either was, or it wasn’t.” Bray stands up and puts his glass on a table. Only he misses and the rest of the contents spill on the carpet and the glass rolls under one of the couches.

“It wasn’t his dick,” she snaps.

“It was,” I argue.

“Will you please shut up,” she snarls at me.

I shrug and settle back into the cushions.

“It was a gigantic…” She spreads her arms to indicate the width of the artwork hanging in the hallway outside my bedroom but looks like she’s explaining how huge my cock is.

“I mean, it’s big, but it ain’t that big, Red.”

She lets out a little scream and stamps her foot.

“I think I’ve had enough tonight. It’s late.” Bray kisses her on the cheek. “Can I call you tomorrow?”

“It was a photo,” she blurts out. “A huge print on his wall. I tripped and fell.” She closes her eyes.

I sit forward when she sways more than I like.

“We can talk tomorrow,” he says. “I’m going to bounce.”

“My face landed on his… crotch.”

“Cock,” I correct. “Plus, there was a little tea-bagging action.”

“We’re not involved. It’s work. My career,” she calls out after him before she turns to face me. “This is why you shouldn’t be here tonight. This was supposed to be my personal time. I can’t be drunk…” She hiccups. “And babysit you at the same time.”

“You think you’re babysitting me?” I get to my feet. If anyone needs a responsible eye on them tonight, it’s her.

“Jeez.” She eyeballs the empty glass in her hand. “What’s in these drinks? Truth serum?”

“Girl, you are a lightweight.” Jennie cackles and almost falls on her ass.

“Yeah.” Summer hiccups again. “I think I might have had a bit too much.”

“We’re going to leave too,” Rogue says, with Posey tucked under his arm. “It’s almost closing time. Riot, you coming?”

“Yep.” He finishes off his drink and stands.

“I’ll come too.” Jennie attaches herself to my youngest brother.

“I bet you will.” He grins down at her.

I chuckle at the horrified look on Summer’s face. “We’re going to the same place, Jennie,” she says.

“I highly doubt that.” Jennie blows her a kiss as the foursome pass us.

“Looks like it’s you and me, Red.”

“Just you.” She hunts around for her purse, finds it tucked into the cushions of the couch. “I’m leaving.”

I run my thumb over my lip. “Great. Me too.”

“Great. You go first.” She flounces down on the couch. “I’ll wait.”

“That’s not going to work for me.”

“Too bad.” She gives me a sour look.

“You’re belligerent when you’re drunk.” I chuckle.

“You’re no picnic,” she snaps back. “You urinate on people’s pets.”

“That was one time.” I drag in a breath as I consider offering up a prayer to the Big Man above. I am never going to hear the end of that stunt. “And I’m not drunk.”

“Yes, you are.” She rolls her glassy gaze at me. “You’ve been drinking all night.”

“Soda,” I admit.

“What about the shots?”

“Didn’t have any.”

“That can’t be right.” She arches her neck, exposing the delicate skin below the hinge of her jaw. “Do you really think I’ll believe that you came to the club not to drink?”

My mouth moistens, and I want to nip her with my teeth. Pull her flesh between them until I leave a bruise that she won’t be able to hide from anyone. “Did I start any fights, Red?”

“No.”

“Have I taken off my clothes?”

“Mmm.” She makes a humming sound in the back of her throat as she runs her gaze over me. A small groan is accompanied by the lick of her lips. “No.”

“Then trust me when I say I’m not drunk.” I offer my hand. “Now, let me get you home.”