Chapter 5

Alexis's driver pulls up in front of Minutiae alongside everyone else. Minutiae is the place to be on a Friday night. The line is long and I can hear the music from outside. A parking attendant moves to open our door, and I see a familiar face. He helps Alexis out and then offers his hand to me. It confirmed my suspicions when our eyes meet.

"Jackson?" I smile. Jackson works at the Rowan Laurel as a valet. Everyone calls him Frenzy, but I just know him as Jackson. He's a year older than me, but he's a good guy. I've always had a little crush on him. But he must moonlight here, too. It would explain why I didn't see him this morning.

His smile is brighter. "Well, well, if it isn't Miss Cora Eldredge," he chuckles. He does a little spin of me and then pulls me in for a hug. "God, you're looking beautiful, as always."

I thank the gods it's dark and he can't see the blush creep on my cheeks. "Thank you," I answer just as Alexis clears her throat loudly. I chuckle and pull her to me after Jackson drops his arms. "This is Alexis, my best friend forever."

"Pleasure to meet you," he answers before looking between us two. "What brings you to Minutiae tonight?"

"Cora had a shitty day and we're going to make it better with booze, dancing, and hot guys," Alexis boldly announces. She doesn't know I'm crushing on this guy, and her response makes my face feel like it's on fire.

"Well, the booze is good and the dancing is fun, but I can't comment on the hot guys," Jackson replies. "But you two have fun. When things die down out here, I'll be done for the night."

"And then you can join us!" Alexis exclaims. "Right, Cora?" she asks, nudging me.

I clear my throat. "Right, right," I answer, feeling rather flustered.

Someone calls him by his nickname, and he hollers at them to hold on before looking back at me. "Let me get you guys in," he says, taking my hand. I frantically reach for Alexi,s and she and I both laugh quietly to ourselves. Jackson has always been a man who knows what he wants. Perhaps I'm wrong to assume that he wants me, but a girl can dream, right?

He talks to the bouncer. I can hardly hear him over the complaining peanut gallery to our right. When he's done, the bouncer gives him a nod, and then he looks back at us, but I notice his eyes only go to me. "I'll catch you two soon," he says. The look in his eyes says that's a promise, and that promise makes me excited. I can feel the butterflies fluttering excitedly in my stomach.

The bouncer ushers us through, which prompts more angry complaining from the people to the right of us again. "Shut the fuck up!" he exclaims. Staff friends have an advantage, but everyone has an equal right to enter. Make friends with staff if you want to skip the line."

The commotion calms, and I feel less like a horrible person for getting the VIP treatment. But this didn't stop me from turning back around and seeing if Jackson was still close by, when our eyes met, he grins and winks before disappearing to do his job.

And of course, barely inside, Alexis nudges me in the side. "Who the fuck is that sex god?" she asks. "The one who clearly couldn't stop checking you out. You've got to get yourself a piece of that, I swear to God."

Still grateful for the lack of light, I shake my head. "He works at the Rowan Laurel," I answer. "As a valet."

"But you clearly know this guy before your job at the Rowan Laurel," she remarks, looping her arm around mine. "So we're going to go get some apple martini's and you're going to dish on how you know that sexy ass man and then we're going to come up with a way to keep you two from eye fucking each other and actually fuck."

I shake my head and laugh. "Whatever you say, darling," I answer.

"Damn straight, chick-a-dee," she replies.

We enter the main part of the club, and I exhale a relieved sigh. The music is loud and bassy and I can't wait to escape the shit show of my life for a while.

She drags me straight to the bar and hails the closest bartender as we take a seat. "So how long have you known this Jackson fellow?" she asks, hitting me in the thigh.

I chuckle. "Since I was twenty-two, I guess," I reply. "I think he started for the Rowan Laurel just before then. He's been a very valuable asset to the hotel. They call him Frenzy because he's quick to get people in and out of the valet."

"What can I get you two gorgeous ladies tonight?"

"Two apple martinis," she answers and before I can actually look at the man, she brings me back to her and her desire to know more about Jackson. "I wonder if the ladies he's been with think he's a frenzy in the sheets," she winks. "Because let's face it, a man that tall, that dark and handsome, that brooding, he has to be an amazing fucker."

"Alexis!" I hiss, reaching out to smack her in the arm. "You can't just say that about people!"

"But don't tell me you haven't wondered!" she cackles. "Because I mean, I want to, but like, he seems really into you and I can't wonder because that's your job. You've gotta know what he's working with, chick-a-dee. Almost four years of sexual tension between you two is way too long."

Ugh. I hate that she's right. I've let this go on for too long, but then again, I always knew him to have a girlfriend. I feel like I would just be his rebound and he deserves better than just a rebound. But I can't help but wonder what he'd be like. He strikes me as a gentle giant, knows how to show a woman a good time without being too aggressive and if his hands are any indication about his size... Fuck, these are thoughts I shouldn't be having.

Casually, I cross one leg over the other to put pressure on my suddenly throbbing pussy to get it to stop. I lean against the counter a little more. "I suppose if he can join us tonight we might be exploring this," I remark.

"Oh, fuck yes!" she exclaims. "You deserve a good fuck from a guy like him."

The bartender clears his throat. We both look at him. Alexis doesn't even bat an eye, but I suddenly feel myself transfixed by this man. He reminds me of—

"Yes?" he asks, grasping the counter on either side of him.

This man is confident as hell. He's wearing a tan hoodie and probably some dark-wash blue jeans. I swear he looks just like Elias Dabney-Aparo, the man I saw in a towel just hours ago. That man wasn't wearing his signature glasses and his hair was messy because it was wet. This man isn't wearing glasses either, but his hair is styled nicely. He also has a thicker five o'clock shadow than the Elias I saw this morning. Maybe he has a twin?

I reach out and smack Alexis in the shoulder before nodding to the guy. "Who does he look like to you?" I ask. I'm not being subtle.

She squints. She's already halfway through her martini, meanwhile, I haven't touched mine. "That one dude," she says.

I roll my eyes. Talk about vague. "Come on. Be serious," I reply. "Who does he look like?"

The guy shrugs. "Been told I look like a lot of people."

"Yeah, that's very helpful," I grumble. "You both fucking suck at this."

She tosses the rest of her martini back and points to her empty glass as she hands it to the mystery man. "I mean, does it matter?" she asks, looking back at me. "He's sexy. A certifiable sexy silver fox."

I watch a smirk find the guy's mouth as he makes her a new martini. Maybe I need to drink mine to take the edge off. So I toss back half of it and wait for it to warm my body a little before I take another sip. "I suppose, if you like that kind of thing," I remark, shrugging. Of course, I think he's a certifiable sexy silver fox, one I'd gladly fuck over and over again because he strikes me as someone who knows how to pleasure a woman in every way she deserves. And dare I say, he could probably do better than Jackson, but I can't dock Jackson until we actually fuck. Then I'd have something to base these thoughts on.

"If you like that kind of thing," he chuckles, handing Alexis another glass. He starts working on another, which I know is for me. "Do you like that kind of thing?" he asks, looking me directly in the eyes and it's weird because my breath catches in my throat. I swear he sees right into my soul, like he sees just what I need, what I've been yearning for, and I know, without a doubt, he could give me those things.

"Cora here was telling me she'd fuck a guy a like you," Alexis says, patting me on the back. She's not coming in for the win here.

My cheeks are on fire again and I toss back the rest of my first martini and then I grab my other. I give Alexis a dirty look and this sexy bartender guy an uneasy look before I walk away from the bar. I can't do this. Alexis took that too far even if she wasn't wrong, yet again. She really doesn't know when to shut the fuck up and she should be lucky that I still love her like a sister, regardless.

I watch them exchange some words, but then his eyes move to me. I swear we share something and I realize what it is. That is fucking Elias Dabney-Aparo and I definitely can't fucking show my face at the Rowan Laurel again.

I panic and push through people toward a booth. Eventually, Alexis catches up to me with a wicked grin on her lips. I don't like it. Something's up.

"Lighten up," she sighs. "That was Ford Vance," she adds. "I was just razzing you."

I shake my head. "That's not Ford Vance," I reply. "That's fucking Elias Dabney-Aparo."

She makes a face. "No," she exaggerates. "It can't be."

Groaning, I pull my phone from my bra and look him up. First thing that comes up with his LinkedIn profile. Right there at the top reads Elias Ford Vance Dabney-Aparo. I turn the phone to her. "That is fucking Elias Dabney-Aparo. Your mother is friends with Elias. Ford Vance is just part of his name and a way for him to slide under the goddamn radar."

"Well, what the fuck do you know?" she mumbles.

"I don't leave you two for very long, and it doesn't appear as though either of you are having fun."

I look up and see Jackson. Just the reprieve I need. I toss my martini back and I grab his hand. "Just waiting for you," I say, grinning. Which is partially the truth. I need this distraction. Elias is making me feel things there for a moment, and if I plan to go back and fight for my job, I can't explore those things. Now, I can explore absolutely everything with Jackson without repercussions, and that's exactly what I need at the moment.

He takes me out to the floor and his hands never leave me once, but that's definitely not the only thing that never leaves me. The more he grinds against me, the more I feel the growth of his groin swelling and the more I need to explore it. And the best part about this all? Elias can't keep his eyes off of me and that's fucking delicious.