ASHER
"It's a pleasure to have you all back here." The owner of Blue Cove, a voluptuous woman in her thirties beams at my brothers and I. "You know you're my best clients. I was worried the marriage scandal would force you guys to end our business relationship. I am glad it didn't."
She flicks her ring-studded fingers and ladies in lingerie file in, carrying our favorite bottles topped with sparklers. On the long table at a corner, a buffet is generously laid out. The girls deliver our drinks with great flourish and proceed to grind on us as the music crescendos. Ashal is unsurprisingly in a foul mood and picks a bottle over a girl. With a scorched stare from the club owner, the poor thing slithers away with her tail between her legs.
"Is this how you plan to compensate for breaching our privacy rights, Donna? With food, alcohol and sex? You do realize my brothers and I don't lack these things, don't you?" I shove the girl dry humping me to glare at Donna whose cocky grin fades in seconds. "How did a stranger manage to get past security and make her way to our private space without getting flagged?"
"I can assure you that we are looking into it. We have interrogated the people on duty that night. The police are working hard to find the culprit as the cameras were faulty that fateful day."
"Well, isn't that convenient?" The music stops at my signal and I demand the room be cleared. After the girls leave, I turn to Donna once more. "Don't get me wrong. Demi is a beautiful addition to our family. However, your carelessness and incompetence forced my brother into a marriage earlier than he planned. The entire country wagged their tongues and judged us for something he was too intoxicated to remember. Do you realize the damage you caused?"
Donna falls to her knees. "I cannot apologize enough. We take full responsibility for what happened. Please Mr. Rollins, do forgive us. The Blue Cove will work tirelessly to regain your faith and trust in our establishment."
I spare a glance at my brothers. Where the fuck is Ashton? Speak of the devil, I think as Ashton emerges. His face is set in a hard line as usual. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he looks like he just got rejected. He plops into the sofa and accepts a drink Ashely has already mixed for him. My eyes meet Donna's frightful ones.
"This matter is hardly over." She nods and surges to her feet. "We don't want any disturbance. Have just one of your girls serve us tonight."
"Which one, sir?"
"Anna Prescott." Donna hustles out to find Anna.
As expected, my brothers lock eyes with mine. "I can't believe how stupid Donna thinks we are. Who else would have snuck Demi in if not her very own best friend who works in this same club?"
"Are you going to interrogate Anna?" Ashely asks with a frown. I smirk at him.
"Interrogate is a strong word. I'm thinking more like coax."
"How exactly do you plan on coaxing her?" Ashton asks with an impatient look on his face.
"He's going to do one of three things." Ashal slurs with reddening eyes. "Ply her with alcohol so she spills the tea on Demi. If Anna is smart enough to refuse getting wasted with us, then Asher plans to threaten to have her fired and possibly arrested. The last option is a bit of a long game; he'll seduce her, make her fall for him and after he's made her betray Demi, he'll dump her."
"Get out of my head, Ash" I laugh at how accurate Ashal is. I don't know how he does it but he can be scary some times.
"You're more of an open book than you think. It isn't hard to think like you."
"Touche" I raise my glass in toast to him. "Although the last option isn't necessarily a long game. I don't have the time to spend fake dating anyone. I'll just flirt with her, take some raunchy photos and make sure Demi sees them."
"Why should Demi care?" Ashely asks. "Our marriage is just a contract."
"Oh, she would care. Women always do. She did care when she saw the photos of you and Nicola trending online." I nod, recalling the look Demi kept giving Ashely at the breakfast table when he kept ignoring his calls. It screamed of jealousy. "Those two seem awfully close. We give them something to fight about and one of them is bound to spill what truly transpired that night. My money is on the broke best friend."
Just then, the bouncer informs us that Anna is at the door. We let her in. She stands coyly in the middle of the room with her head hanging low.
"Good evening, sirs. Donna said you specifically asked for me."
I like that her smile means that last part makes her feel special.
"That's a sexy dress you've got on. Come over here." She cautiously scoots closer and twirls at the gesture of my hand. "Anna, we're sorry to trouble you but the incident with Demi's intoxication and the marriage that ensued has left us with no other choice. We've become wary of letting just anyone around us here. We wouldn't want another scandal on our hands, don't you agree?"
Anna visibly gulps. "I understand." She crouches to mix our drinks. My hands play with her wiry thatch of pee colored hair. Her hands tremble slightly as she pours our drinks. Ashal watches me work my charm silently. Ashely and Ashton discuss in hushed tones. Great, I'll do all the work myself.
"You were here on the night Demi got drunk, right?"
Anna nods softly.
"Did you see her enter this club or climb upstairs to the VVIP session? I understand she's never been here before so my guess is she might have stopped by to see you and wail over her being cheated on."
Anna's face is flushed with trepidation as she stares from one brother to the other. Surprisingly, everyone waits on her response with bated breath.
"S-She um…she c-called me c-crying earlier that night. Iman had cheated on her again. She couldn't bear it. I tried to calm her down over the phone and beg her to wait t-till I get off work. I didn't want her to harm herself." She pauses to take a deep breath. "I didn't expect her to come to my place of work. I d-didn't see her that day. I was just as shocked as everyone else when the marriage certificate was leaked."
"Very few people know we visit this club, mostly because they work here. Did you ever tell Demi the Rollins brothers frequented the Blue Cove?"
I look up with surprise as Ashely took the question out of my mouth.
"Y-yes. I must have mentioned it."
Ashal carefully drops his drink and takes the reins. "Anna, you have nothing to be afraid of. We are happy to have Demi in our family. However, there are a few things that need clarifying about that night. We are trying to get to the bottom of it so elite customers like us can feel safe while drinking in this fine establishment." Anna nods in agreement. "Donna tells us that before that day, Demi had never step foot in here. That makes one wonder how she got in and how she found her way to this room on that fateful night especially while drunk." Ashal leans forward on his elbows. "It appears that she had help getting into the club and getting up here."
With a loud oath of disgust, Ashton turns to Anna. "Enough with this dilly-dallying. WE KNOW YOU LET HER IN THAT NIGHT, ANNA. What we want to know now is why."
Anna goes pale. "I am sorry I lied. I did see Demi that day. She came here very drunk. I couldn't leave her on the street so I pretended she was a regular who had accidentally wandered off and brought her in to sleep it off. She must have w-woken up and wandered upstairs while I was working. When I returned, she was gone. Her phone was switched off. After waiting for half an hour for her return, I left for home thinking she probably did the same." She looks up at me, looking white as a sheet. "I am sorry. I shouldn't have brought her in in the first place."
Wow. I did underestimate this woman. She's still lying in our faces.
"Leave." Ashal tells her. I can't believe he's buying it. Anna takes to her heels.
"What the fuck was that? She clearly lied."
"Of course, she did." He replies me harshly. "And she was going to keep lying to save her skin and stay loyal to her friend, something we brothers may never understand."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He takes a shot of tequila and indulges in a long sigh. I have no idea why he is acting like a bitch tonight.
"Let's just go home. We will figure out another way to get rid of Demi."
I grit my teeth as they all start leaving. This wasn't just about getting rid of Demi. That will happen sooner or later. This was about following a hunch father has about Demi, one I also suspect; that there's more to her story than she's letting on.
"You coming?" Ashely asks me, hovering by the door.
"Yeah, go on. I'll be home in a few."
The second they all leave, I have the bouncer send Anna up again. The color has returned to her cheeks and she stands with her head screwed on straight. Her eyes are firm. It almost seems like she's had some time to recollect her story.
"I wanted to apologize for putting you in a weird spot. I had questions and I thought of calling and asking you privately but I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable being alone with me. I thought you'd feel more relaxed with my brothers around."
Anna mirrors my smile. "I don't feel uncomfortable around you. With your brothers around, a lot of women will agree that's intimidating." She chuckles.
"I want to make it up to you. I feel terrible." Her eyebrows wing up in surprise. "Don't say no. You're like a part of my extended family through your ties with my sister-in-law. Coffee? Brunch? Something simple if simple is what you want." Her eyes crinkle in a smile.
"Is simple what you want?" I tuck stray strands of hair behind her ear. We are standing really close now, our belly buttons an inch away from grazing. Anna's eyes are glassy with wet dreams. I lean down to whisper something in her ear before heading for the door. She catches my wrist. How dramatic. I spin to face her only to have her lips smashed against mine in a passionate kiss. Her hands curl behind my neck moments before she buries them in my freshly styled hair. I don't have time to be mad at the boldness. The taste of her coats over the fatigue in my bones. When she eases back, I stare into her doe eyes while my senses gradually return.
She kisses me again, catching my bottom lip between her teeth. "You still owe me coffee."
"Yeah?" I manage between gasps as excitement begins to ball in my belly. Her directness stirs my soul.
"Yeah" She walks to the door, turns to shoot me a glittery yet sexually suggestive smile before sauntering away. I run a finger over my warm lips. How can a simple kiss make one feel so alive? Damn, I wish I can hit that but there are other pressing matters.
"Kane?"
The bouncer enters.
"Did you get it?"
Nodding, he passes his phone to me and I hit replay, reliving the hot kiss I just shared with Anna Prescott. My smile darkens as I imagine the circuits in Demi's brain getting fried at the sight of the video.
I just have to send it to Demi. I can't wait to see how their friendship holds up against this. I am sure Anna would kill to be in my bed. It could change her life. She obviously needs money. What I am unsure of is whether Demi won't mind her best friend French kissing a man that looks exactly like Demi's husband, a man who could very well be the Ash Rollins who wedded Demi that fateful night.