Surrender (Club X #2)(32)
Author: K.M. Scott

“So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying don’t do this. Someone’s going to get hurt. You had your fun, but if you don’t want to be with him again, tell him and be done with it. You already can say you got the best of him. The player wanted a second round with you. I doubt many females who’ve been with him can say that.”

I saw in her eyes there would be no changing her mind on this, so I did my best nonchalant shrug and smiled. “Okay, I hear you. I guess I thought I was striking a blow for all women, but I see I’m acting no better than all those players we’ve hated all these years. I won’t go through with it.”

Carrie studied me for a long moment to judge my sincerity and then nodded her approval. “It’s the right thing to do. Somebody was going to get hurt, and that’s never good.”

“You’re right. I know. Let’s get a bite to eat and forget all about this. My treat.”

“Your treat? You must be making a killing at that club, Shay. I thought you were saving up for your trip.”

“I am, but money’s been good at this job. I can afford the nicer things in life now, like taking my best friend out for brunch,” I said with a chuckle.

“The nicer things, huh? Well, this girl’s never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so let’s get this show on the road.”

“Sounds good!”

As I followed her out my front door, I pushed down the tiny pang of guilt inside me from lying to my best friend. No matter how right she may be, I’d gone too far into this thing with Stefan to turn back now.

STANDING HUNCHED over the back bar, I hoped to avoid Kane and his entirely unamusing way of making my day even shittier than it already was. My older half-brother had a knack for ruining even my best moods, and in my present state, all it would take was one of those goddamned smirks he liked to give and I’d want to smack the hell out of him. That I wouldn’t simply because I knew it would result in even more pain than I already felt from the worst hangover ever experienced by mankind didn’t change the fact that I’d want to.

I’d hoped a night of heavy drinking and fucking would take the edge off Shay’s rejection, but even though the sex with Kat and Jana had been more than good, as it always was when the three of us got together, and the tequila had numbed me enough to forget how it felt being left sitting there with my fucking rock hard dick hanging out, when I woke up this morning all I knew was I wanted Shay and for some reason, she didn’t want me.

Or she was playing some game.

That idea made me feel a little better since games I could win. Whether it was high school football where I excelled as the star quarterback or poker where I could beat the best players Tampa could throw at me, I could play games. Nobody played games like I could, so if she wanted to play, I was up to it.

“Examining the top of the bar for any particular reason, Stefan?”

And there went my fucking day. Kane, who I swore had been put on this earth for the single reason of bringing me misery, stood behind me ready with his snarky bullshit even though he likely knew I was hung way over.

“Go away. It’s too early for your crap,” I said as I attempted to lift my head without feeling like it was going to explode all over the back bar.

“Just wondering how you’re handling all those balls you have in the air,” he said in that tone that told me he thought I wasn’t handling anything at all.

I groaned and slowly turned around to see him smiling down at me. “Don’t worry about my balls, Kane. Concentrate on your own balls, which I suspect are a nasty shade of blue by now.”

Kane threw his head back and laughed way too loudly for me in my state. “You never fail to go for the sex joke. Trust me. My balls are fine. Thanks for caring. It’s your balls and the people you share them with that’s the concern of all of us here, Stef. Are you still managing Lola while you try to get back into Shay’s pants? Any luck with that, by the way?”

He knew I’d struck out with Shay the night before, even though I doubted she’d said anything to him about it. Probably watched my office door from the second floor like some kind of fucking stalker.

“I told you I’d handle Lola. As for Shay, it’s in the bag, big brother. Just sit back and watch how a master works.”

He pursed his lips and smacked them loudly. “In the bag, huh? I didn’t get that last night.”

I walked around him toward the front bar, wishing he’d just leave me alone with my booming headache. He followed and after I downed my fifth glass of water since I woke up, I felt slightly better.

Good enough to spar with him, at least.

“You said yourself that she would take something more. Isn’t that how you put it? Well, that means she’s going to take a little more time than my usuals. Don’t worry, Kane. I’ll win our bet and then you’ll finally see how to handle a woman so if you ever get another one to spend any time with you, you’ll know what to do.”

“Stefan, I’m more concerned that you know how to juggle all these women. If it was just Shay, I’d be far less interested in your nightly activities. It’s not, though. Lola needs to be taken care of.”

“I told you I’d handle it, so I’ll handle it! Get off my back about it, for fuck’s sake!”

Kane narrowed his eyes to slits and stared at me. “Don’t mess this up, Stefan. We can’t carry your ass forever. It’s time you carried your weight around here. I will say this, though. At least we haven’t been sued in the last couple months.”

Before I could tell him to fuck off, he headed off in the direction of Cash’s office, likely to discuss at length how little they thought of my abilities in running this place and how big a pain in the ass I was to both of them.

Whatever. They could both fuck off.

I knew how to handle my business. When the time came, I’d manage Lola like I managed everything else in this fucking place. Until then, my focus would continue to be on Shay and whatever game she was playing.

What was she up to? Our time together had been hot, so it couldn’t be she didn’t want a repeat. She may be that science nerd everywhere else, but around me she couldn’t hide the sexy, even if she wanted to. There was no way she didn’t have a good time at her apartment. So why did she give me the rebuff last night in my office?

Pouring myself another glass of water, I trudged back to the scene of her rejection and sat down behind my desk to try to get some work done. Cash’s repeated demands for my monthlies played in my head, but as much as I wanted to get them done just to get him off my back, I couldn’t concentrate. In part, it was the hangover, but even more it was Shay.