Club Thrive: Vendetta (The Club Thrive Series Book 2) Read online

  “I’m a big girl, Shane. Tell me what happened.”

  “Skyler was attacked Saturday night after work. She was calling Logan as she was knocked to the ground. She was lucky the call went through and he heard what was going on. I had to lock up the club for him Saturday night.”

  She gasps and covers her mouth. “Is she okay? I can’t believe she didn’t call me. I would have been there for her.” I can see her hand shaking as her eyes begin to tear up.

  Placing one hand on each arm, I tell her. “She’s going to be fine. She was released from the hospital yesterday, but she’s resting at Logan’s. I’m sure she’ll call you soon.” I wrap my arms around her, giving her a quick hug. “I meant to get some sleep yesterday morning, and then once I was done going through my Sunday routine, I was going to call you, but I had to go see Logan to return the keys. In hindsight, I should have called you and brought you with me. I’m sorry.”

  She takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “It’s fine. I mean really, we only just started dating so it’s not like I was first on your mind.” She brushes me off, stepping onto her elliptical machine.

  “You’re wrong. You were on my mind all day. I kept thinking about the fact I hadn’t called you yet, and by the time I was free it was late and I was exhausted.” I start the machine.

  “I thought about you too.” She gives me a small smile, and we both quietly pick up the pace.

  Once we’re done, we talk about what she has and hasn’t done in the gym. I show her around the gym, pointing out some of the machines I’m comfortable with her using while I’m not with her, and she agrees to lift free weights while we’re together.

  An hour later we’ve done a complete workout and we’re both a sweaty mess. She pulls her towel from around her neck and starts wiping her neck, chest, and face. Hand in hand, we walk over to my desk to grab our things before we make our way out the door.

  “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.” It’s getting dark, and there’s no way I’m letting her walk to her car by herself. Plus, I’m hoping to get dinner out of her tomorrow night.

  When we get to her car, which is parked in the back of the parking lot, she opens the back door, throwing her gym bag in before shutting it and resting her lean body against it. “Thanks for the great workout.”

  Brushing my knuckles across her cheek, I lean in and gently kiss her on the lips. “Trust me, I have many different ways to give you a great workout.”

  She bites her lip, and a slight blush spreads across her cheeks. “I’m looking forward to experiencing each and every one of them.”

  “Have dinner with me tomorrow night.”

  “Come to my place and I’ll make us something.”

  “Are you sure?” I ask. “I have no problem taking you out.” I rest my forehead on hers.

  “It’s fine. I like to cook.” She licks her lips. Wanting to do the same, I gently lick at the seam of her lips. She opens her mouth for me, and our tongues collide. My hand goes to the nape of her neck, while the other is pressing her against my sweaty body. She tastes amazing. Her hand slides down my back to my ass, giving it a gentle squeeze and pressing my hardening cock against her. It’s amazing the things this woman does to me with just a kiss.

  As much as it kills me, I pull away, panting. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  She nods, and I open her door so she can climb into her car. I watch her drive off before I stroll to my truck, sporting a hard-on. I’m going to have to do something about this or my balls are going to end up seriously blue.

  Chapter 5

  Katie

  My phone alarm buzzes, reminding me to call and check on Sky. I sent her a text after meeting with Shane and told her I would check in with her today. “Hello.” Sky sounds tired.

  “Hey, lady. How are you feeling?” I feel so bad for my friend.

  “I’m okay. I’m tired, but I’m feeling a little better each day.”

  “That’s good. I was so worried about you.”

  “Thanks, but I promise I’m okay. Logan isn’t letting me out of his sight, and he’s taking good care of me. I’m actually moving around much more today. I’m just still not sleeping the best, so I’m a bit tired.”

  “Well, I’ll let you get some rest, but I wanted to check in.”

  “Thanks, sweetie. See you soon.”

  “You bet.”

  As soon as I cut the call with Sky, my office phone rings. “Good morning, this is Katie. How can I help you?”

  “It’s afternoon, and I’m waiting outside for you.”

  “Why are you waiting outside for me?”

  “We have a lunch date, remember?” Miranda screams into the phone.

  Oh shit, I totally forgot that I promised to have lunch with her today. “On my way.” I hang up on her, quickly gathering my things and running out the door. “Evelyn, I’m off to have lunch with Miranda. Do you need anything while I’m out?”

  “No, I have my lunch, but thank you.”

  I nod and run out the door, knowing Miranda’s going to kick my ass if I don’t get downstairs quickly. I normally would take the stairs, but I’m late and my legs are killing me from our workout yesterday. I don’t want to overdo it, so I grab the elevator. As the door shuts, my cell rings. “Miranda, I’m on my way.”

  “Who’s Miranda?” Shane asks.

  “Sorry, Shane, Miranda is my co-worker and friend. I’m on my way to have lunch with her, but I’m late.”

  “Well, I won’t keep you then. I had a break, and I realized that we hadn’t said what time we were getting together at your house.”

  I check my watch as I’m approaching Miranda’s car. I open the door and climb into her nice cool car. It’s really getting too hot here for business attire. “How’s six?”

  “That’s perfect. I finish up with my last client at five. I’ll go straight to your house after work.”

  “Great, see you then, Shane.”

  “Bye, sweetie.” I smile, cutting the call and look over to see Miranda staring at me with her brows raised.

  “I take it all is good with Shane?”

  “Yeah, we’re having dinner at my place tonight.”

  Miranda pulls away from the curb, and we drive to this little restaurant up the street from our office. They mainly serve Italian food, but they have a little bit of everything. Miranda loves Italian food and it loves her back. If she doesn’t stay on top of going to the gym, she freaks out because she puts on weight. She’s a pretty girl, medium build, with long gorgeous dark hair and huge brown eyes, but like I said, if she’s not careful, the food goes straight to her hips.

  “Connor called me last night,” she says out of nowhere. He’s her ex. They’ve been broken up for a while now.

  “What did he want?” I ask, looking out the window. I already know the answer.

  “He wants to talk,” she says with a sigh. “I don’t know what to do.”

  I look at her. “I don’t know what to tell you, Miranda. He’s not a bad guy, but you complained about your sex life with him. Do you think you can fix that?”

  She shrugs and says nothing. Pulling up to the restaurant, she kills the engine and turns to me. “I like him a lot, but you’re right. The sex was crappy, and we fought over stupid stuff. How do you fix that?”

  “I’m not sure I know the answer to that. You’re asking a woman who hasn’t dated in almost a year.”

  She opens her car door, so I do the same and follow her into the restaurant. As soon as we’re seated she picks up her menu, but I can tell she’s not really looking at it. She’s thinking about Connor and trying to figure out what she should do next. “Screw this,” she growls, slamming her menu down. “I’m having chicken parmesan, and I’m going to tell Connor to take a hike.”

  Wide-eyed, I ask, “What made you decide that so quickly?”

  “First, I’m hungry. Second, why should I torture myself with giving him another chance? He’s only going to argue with me over eating out with you or how ma
ny clothes I buy. He’s controlling and I don’t need that in my life. I’m a grown woman making my own money and paying my own bills.” She’s so angry.

  “Wow, calm down,” I tell her. People are starting to stare at us.

  “Sorry. I guess it just dawned on me that all the arguing was him trying to control me.”

  “I’m sorry, Miranda. I saw that, but it wasn’t my place to tell you. You had to see it for yourself. I didn’t like Connor all that much, but if I said something, you would think I was just doing it to be spiteful.”

  The waitress arrives, so we both place our orders and let her know that we’re on our lunch hour. She runs off to get our order in, and I focus back to Miranda. “Do you think it’s possible he’s changed?”

  “I don’t know. The only way to find out is to give him another chance.”

  She gives me a dirty look. “I thought you didn’t want me to give him another chance.”

  “Wow, I’m not saying you should. I’m saying it’s the only way to find out.” She sticks her tongue out at me. My brows shoot up and I laugh. “That was real mature, Miranda.”

  “I hate men. I’m sticking to B.O.B. He doesn’t yell at me, and he doesn’t care how much money I spend.” She sips the water the waitress just placed on the table. “What are you making Shane for dinner tonight?”

  “I have a roast in the crockpot as we speak,” I say proudly.

  “Look at you, playing Susie Homemaker.” She laughs as the waitress places our food on the table. We both dig in quickly, enjoying our meals. We’re running out of time, because we need to get back to work.

  “When do I get to meet him?” she asks out of the blue.

  “I don’t know. Maybe once I know we’re going to continue seeing each other.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Come on, you guys have gone to dinner, worked out together, and now he’s going to your house for dinner,” she says like it’s common sense.

  “Yeah, and he could get to my house tonight and think my cooking totally sucks and never want to eat it again.”

  “Are you serious right now? Your mom is a cook. She taught you everything she knows. You probably cook better than any of our friends.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything. My mother tried to teach my little sister how to cook, and she can’t cook for crap.” I’ve never had a problem cooking. I know she thinks because she’s one of my best friends, and that Shane and I have gone on one date, that means she gets to meet him, but it’s fun to torture her a little.

  “You’re messing with me.” The waitress puts the bill on the table, and Miranda picks it up. It’s her turn to pay. “Thank you,” she says to the waitress, who nods and walks away. “I know you better than anyone, but that’s fine, I’ll give you some time.”

  “Gee, thanks.” I’m shaking my head as she signs the slip.

  ***

  Shane

  As I leave work, I send Katie a text to let her know I’m on the way. I’m a little early because my last client wasn’t feeling well, so we only made it through about half of our workout. I’m getting into the car when my phone chirps with a new message.

  Katie: That’s fine. I’m home and dinner is ready.

  Shane: Great. See you soon.

  I thought about picking her up flowers, but I wanted to do something different. There’s a huge grocery store right up the street from her house, so I picked up some chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert—sweet, romantic, and hopefully something she enjoys.

  With the box of strawberries in hand I ring her buzzer, and as soon as she lets me in, I take the stairs two at a time, excited to see her. She opens the door just as I’m getting to the top of the stairs. “Hey,” she says with a huge smile.

  “Hey, sweetie. I brought us some dessert.” I show her the chocolate-covered strawberries, and she licks her lips.

  “My favorite. How did you know?”

  “Wild guess?” I say with a little side grin.

  “Come on, let’s get these into the fridge before they start to melt.” She welcomes me into her small but spacious apartment. She has a small one-bedroom place with a living room that opens into a kitchen, with a snack bar and small table that seats two. She has the table already set with plates, glasses, and utensils. “Make yourself comfortable,” she says from the kitchen, where she’s pulling food from a crockpot.

  “You have a nice little place here.” I’m looking at the pictures on her end table. There’s a picture of her with who I assume is her mom, dad, and sister.

  I hadn’t noticed her coming up behind me. I’m looking at a picture of her and her sister. “That’s my family.” Picking up another frame, she says, “My mom, Lilly, my stepdad, Mark, and my sister, Kara. She’s turning twenty. My parents wouldn’t admit it, but I think she was an ‘oops’ baby.”

  “That’s a nice way to refer to your sister,” I say with laughter. When I look at the picture I can see that Katie and Kara both look like their mom.

  “Nah, we’re close. She knows I’m busting on her when I say it, but things got really bad with my real father after she was born. I think my mother having another baby was a huge strain for them. What about you? Do you have a big family?”

  I give her a small smile. “No, my parents live a few hours away in Southern California. They didn’t exactly agree with me moving to L.A., and although we talk once in a while, we’re not exactly close.”

  “I’m sorry,” she says, taking my hand. “Come on, let’s eat so we can enjoy those yummy strawberries you brought. I made a roast in the crockpot.” She gives me a warm smile, obviously trying to lighten my mood. I miss my parents sometimes, and they’re getting old. They’ve never come to visit me, and I can’t expect they would now.

  I pull her close. “Seriously? You didn’t have to make anything fancy for me, but thank you.” I slip my hand into her hair and pull her in for a kiss.

  When I pull away, she says, “I wanted to make you something nice. Besides, I enjoy cooking.”

  “I like to cook too. I usually cook on Sunday and reheat stuff during the week.”

  “Beer?” she asks, pulling one from the fridge.

  “Sure. What can I help you with?”

  “Grab those plates?” She points to the table with her chin.

  On my way into the kitchen I take the two plates from the table, put them down next to the platter, and I start to put potato and carrots on our plates while she cuts the roast. She puts a piece on each plate and we take a seat at the table.

  “How was lunch with your friend? Melissa, right?”

  She chuckles. “Miranda. It was good. She wants to meet you.”

  “Does she? Why’s that?”

  “I don’t know. Probably because she’s one of my best friends, and she’s nosey.”

  I laugh at that. “This is delicious,” I say, after taking a bite of food. “To be honest, Steve was asking if you had a sister.”

  She laughs. “Oh really? Well, now you can tell him I do.”

  I devour the rest of my dinner in no time. I’m starving and hadn’t realized it until I sat down. “I can tell you enjoy cooking. That was amazing.”

  “Thank you. My mom is a chef and taught me a lot of what I know. I don’t make some of the fancier dishes that she does, but at least I can hold my own unlike my sister, who can’t boil water.”

  I laugh again. “Didn’t your mom teach her too?”

  “She tried to,” she says, finishing her dinner. “However, she just doesn’t have it in her apparently. She better find a man who knows his way around a kitchen or they’ll starve.”

  “What does your dad do?”

  “My dad is a detective for the Los Angeles Police Department. He’s really busted his tail on the force from day one. He’s taken down a lot of bad guys.”

  “Wow, you must be proud.” I take a swig of my beer before getting up to rinse my plate and place it into her dishwasher. She follows behind me, handing me her plate so I can rinse hers as well while she p
uts the leftovers away. “I am.” She smiles up at me. “Do you want to take a plate home?”

  “I’d love to take some home. That was really good.”

  Once she has the leftovers packed up, she kicks me out from in front of the sink to wipe down the crockpot. She had a liner in it so it’s not all that dirty. Cleaning it takes her only a matter of minutes. I grab my beer and lean on the counter next to her. I hadn’t realized that I was checking her out until she turns to me and says, “Like what you see?”

  I take a swig of beer, licking my lips, and nod, continuing to check out her gorgeous body as I do. She really is mighty fine. When she steps away from the sink I grab her arm and pull her forward, slamming her into me. Her hands go to my chest and my hands go to her hair, pulling her in for a kiss. Things between us instantly heat up. Our mouths open to one another and our tongues meet. She’s moaning into my mouth as my hands slide down her back to her ass, giving it a squeeze and pressing her to me. I want her to feel what she does to me, but I don’t want to push her too far.

  I press my forehead to hers. “I love the way your lips feel pressed to mine,” I say with a pant.

  “Me too.” She stands up on her tippy-toes, and our lips meet again. This time it’s a bit softer and sweeter, but it makes no difference because my cock is rock-hard. Scooping her up, I carry her into the living room where we settle onto the couch with her on my lap. She straddles me, grinding her hips. She kisses her way down my neck, and she licks back up to my ear, taking the lobe into her mouth and giving it a nibble.

  Squeezing her hips, I put a stop to her grinding. “If you keep that up, I’m going to need a change of clothes.”

  She whispers, with her lips just above mine, “I’m sorry. It’s been so long and you feel so good.”

  I flip her so she’s lying beneath me on the couch. I grind my cock against her and whisper, “Can I make you feel good?”

  “Please, Shane.” She’s panting as she begs.