Miranda
We have done a lot of planning for today’s meeting. The discussion with Higgins didn’t go as easy as I would have liked. When I told him I wouldn’t step foot in the club without my security team, he caved just as I suspected he would. Stone is extremely nervous and has had lengthy conversations with both Cole and Slade in regards to this meeting. I’ve made it clear to Higgins that he has no more than thirty minutes of my time. He was less than thrilled with that, but finally accepted it, so we’ll see what happens.
I’m going through my papers to make sure I have the full non-disclosure agreement printed and ready to go. I also have his bill, and I’m really hoping he tells me he’ll mail the check in because that will allow me to get out of there even quicker.
I’m broken from my thoughts by a knock on the door. It’s the security team telling us it’s time to roll. The meeting is at eleven-thirty, but because of the security and the stress of the meeting, Tanya told me to stay home this morning and to call her as soon as it was over.
Stone appears at the door, looking through the peephole to see the team. He opens it and asks, “You guys have what you need?”
Both guys open their suit jackets to reveal the pistols they’re carrying. “We’re good, man,” Slade says, patting Stone’s shoulder.
“You ready?” they ask me.
“Fuck no, but I guess I don’t have much choice, do I?” I stand up in my heeled boots. “Let’s get this over with.” Slade and Cole walk out the door first, and Stone is behind me. I have my briefcase carrying the few papers I’ll need.
We’re all riding there in Stone’s truck. I’m in the front with Stone, and the two guards are in the back. My stomach is churning the entire way there and I swear I’m going to be sick. I keep taking deep breaths, trying to calm myself because I really don’t want this pig to see he’s gotten to me.
We’re about to pull up to the club when Slade says to me, “Miranda, you know we have your back, right? I mean, I get why you’re nervous, but we wouldn’t let you in there if we didn’t think we could keep you safe.” I nod. “If anything happens, Stone will get you out of there and we’ll protect you.” I nod again, trying to let what he said sink in. “I want you to go in with your head held high. Don’t let this bastard get to you, because there’s no way in hell we’re going to allow him to hurt you.”
“Thank you, Slade,” I say with a tight smile. I turn to Stone. “Remember, he’s going to do stuff to try and piss you off. Like kiss my knuckles or say shit about me. Don’t let him under your skin. I need you strong and focused.”
“I got your back, baby. You just do what you got to do so we can get out of there as quickly as possible.”
“Let’s go.” Slade and Cole climb out of the truck. Cole opens my door and helps me out. We’re not even at the entrance yet when Benny opens the door with another goon by his side.
“Welcome back, dickhead.”
“Thanks, I know you love seeing us and I’m sorry to say today’s the last time you’ll have the pleasure.”
He chuckles. “Don’t count on it.” We walk past him and straight into the club where Higgins is already waiting for us.
“Mr. Higgins, thank you for agreeing to meet with me today.”
“Are you kidding? It’s a pleasure to have such a fine piece of ass in my club. I wish you would consider working for me permanently.” He takes my hand and kisses my knuckle.
“Thanks for the offer, but as you know I already have a job, and that’s what I’m here to discuss.” I take a seat and wait for him to follow suit. The guys are all standing directly behind me.
“I can see you’re all business today.”
“I’m always all business, Mr. Higgins. Now as you know, we’ve started the planning for your event, and we would like to continue to help you with said event, however, due to the incident that happened the last time I was here, I am not comfortable being in the club. Therefore we propose that I continue planning your event, but your club gets all the credit. We do not want our name mentioned or associated with this event in any way, shape, or form.”
“Is that so?”
“It is. As a matter of fact, we would like you to sign this agreement stating you will not mention my firm in any way, positive or negative, in relation to your club, or any of the work we have done for you.” I pull out the paper and place it on the table for him to look over.
“What if I disagree and refuse to sign?”
“Then our work relationship is over and we will cut ties, considering the amounts you have already made as payment in full for what we’ve already done. If you sign, then I continue to help you plan via phone and or email.”
“Fine, I’ll sign. At least this way I’ll get to hear your beautiful voice.” He looks at Stone and gives him a dirty gin.
I hear a growl escape from deep in Stone’s throat. Higgins is starting to get to him, I need to wrap this up. “Great, I’m glad we could come to an understanding. I have your invoice here.” I hand him the paper. “If you could just sign on this line. I’ll have Tanya sign and get you a copy for your records. You will need to pay half the invoice before we continue any further.”
He stares me down, pulling a pen from his pocket, only breaking contact to ensure his signature is on the line. He hands it back to me. “Thank you very much. I’ll be in touch.” I stand from my seat, and as soon as I do, the guys are all around me, ensuring my safety as we walk out the door.
As soon as the door is closed, I take a deep cleansing breath. “Holy shit. I was a wreck.”
“You did awesome, baby,” Stone tells me as we walk across the lot, but as we get closer, we notice all four tires on his truck are slashed. “Bastards,” he says, punching the hood. He picks up his phone to make a call. “Hey Logan, we’re stuck at Vixen. They slashed my tires while we were in the club.” He pauses. “Yeah, it’s all four of us,” he says into the phone. He cuts the call. “Logan is sending a car for us.” He opens the back of the truck and lifts me up to sit on the bed.
“Hey, before you do that, let me make sure it’s clean,” Cole says, walking around the truck.
“You think they’d rig my truck right in their own parking lot?”
“You never know.” He looks underneath the truck and all around the bottom.
“It looks fine,” he says.
“I would assume they wouldn’t have slashed my tires if they were going to do something else to it.”
“True, but I’d rather be safe.”
“Thanks,” Stone says, picking me up to sit in the bed of his truck while we wait. The guys stand by my side, looking all around to make sure all is safe while Stone calls a tow company to pick up his truck. When he’s done, he reports it directly to Katie’s father, Detective Cooper. I’m so thankful we’re all going out tonight. Katie’s sister, Kara, is working, and we want to surprise her with a visit to the club. Plus, I can’t wait to show the girls my ring and tell them about our engagement. They’re going to be so excited for me.
I’m sitting in the truck swinging my legs over the edge while we wait for our ride to get here. My cell phone rings and I see it’s my boss. “Hey, Tanya.”
“How did the meeting go? I was getting nervous when I didn’t hear from you,” she says, sounding a bit shaken.
“I’m so sorry. We got outside and the tires on Stone’s truck were slashed, so we’re sitting at the club waiting for a ride. Anyway, it went fine. He signed the agreement.”
“Really? I figured he would be pissed.”
“Oh he’s mad, but he said something like at least he’ll still get to hear my voice. The guy is a total creep.” A chill runs down my back just thinking about it.
“Did he give you a check?”
“Nope, and I told him nothing more will be done to plan for the event until half the bill is paid.”
“Okay, that’s fine, spend your time concentrating on other clients then, and I’ll let you know once he’s paid the invoice.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you on Monday for our meeting. I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to get out of here and I need to get some lunch. I’m starving.”
“Do you have someone coming?”
“Yeah, Stone called Logan. Someone should be here any minute to pick us up, but we have to wait for the tow truck too.”
“Good, call me if you need anything and I’ll see you Monday.”
“Thanks, Tanya. Have a good weekend.”
“You too, Miranda.”
A limo pulls up and Logan pops out of the back. “You guys need a lift?”
A smile spreads across my face. “Yes. Please get me the hell out of this place.” Stone lifts me from the bed of the truck and sets me down. “Thanks, babe.” He plants a kiss on my lips and we all climb into the back of the limo to wait for the tow truck, who happens to pull in a minute later. Stone takes care of everything with the guy and we head home.
***
“Someone looks excited for tonight.” Stone chuckles as I skip out of our bedroom holding my shoes.
“I can’t wait to tell our friends the good news and show off my ring.” I’m beaming with excitement.
“Well, have fun, but remember, you don’t go anywhere without Cole or Slade,” he reminds me for the twentieth time today.
“I won’t, I promise. I don’t want to screw around where this guy is concerned. I just want to go out with my friends, have a little fun supporting Kara, and celebrate my engagement. I don’t think that’s a lot to ask.” I slip my shoes on.
“You’re right. Under normal circumstances, it’s not a lot to ask. This guy’s picture has been spread throughout both clubs, but that doesn’t mean he won’t try to sneak someone else in, which is why I can’t be there with you. I need to be at Club Heat making sure everything goes smoothly,” he says, slipping an elastic into his hair. He never works with his hair down, and I think he looks kind of hot with it up.
“I understand, so do what you have to do and meet me back here tonight. We’ll have our own celebration when you get off work.”
He pulls me toward him so my chest is pressed against his. “I really like the sound of that.” I lick my lips, and as I’m about to speak, he covers my mouth with his, our tongues collide, and when he pulls apart, he says, “I have to go. Stay safe.”
“I will. I love you.”
He winks at me. “Love you too, baby.”
He walks out the door and I’m left to wait for security to take me to the club. Today is a bit weird though, because I don’t typically ride with them, but I promised Stone I would. I clean up from making myself a quick bite to eat and the knock I’m waiting for happens. I look through the peephole to see Slade, who greets me when I open the door. “Ready to go?”
“I will be in one second. Come on in.” He follows me in, shutting the door. I put the last few dishes in the dishwasher and grab my coat. “Okay, now I’m ready.”
We make our way down to the waiting car, where Cole is sitting in the driver’s seat with the car running. Slade opens my door, looking around as I climb in. As soon as Slade gets in, Cole takes off. They are parking in the back, but Cole is going to drop Slade and I off at the front door.
When we arrive there’s a line a mile long. Jonah is standing outside with the new guy. Slade opens my door for me and I’m greeted with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. The guys shake hands and we’re let right in with no cover fee. I chuckle at the grunt and groans coming from behind us. It’s nice to know people. When I get inside, Katie is already here and I’m greeted by both Logan and Shane. They both give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek while Slade takes his place near our booth. When I take my seat, I lean on my hand with my ring practically in Katie’s face, but it takes her a minute to see it. “Holy shit!” she screams. “Is that what I think it is?”
I burst into laughter and nod. “He asked last night.”
She grabs my hand, pulling it toward her. “It’s gorgeous,” she gushes, checking it out. The guys hug me again and congratulate me. That’s when Kara comes over. She’s actually not working the bar tonight, she’s cocktail waitressing.
She comes over to us and Logan says, “Kara, please deliver the ladies a bottle of champagne on me.” He then turns to me and says, “Enjoy. I’ll check on you ladies in a bit. I need to make some rounds since we’re short-handed tonight.”
We both thank him and he and Shane walk off to work, leaving us squealing over my engagement ring. As the champagne arrives, so does Lila, “Champagne?” she questions. “What are we celebrating?” I stick my hand out, showing her my ring. “No way! Okay, you have to tell us everything.” She beams, totally excited for me.
Kara arrives with our champagne and some glasses. We congratulate her on her new job and ask her how she likes it. “I love it so far. Everyone here is really nice and fun to work with, and I make really good money.” She looks so happy as she pours us some champagne. “I have to get back to work, but I’ll check on you in a bit.” She runs off to check on her other sections.
Lila takes a seat and I start on the story about how he proposed. I leave out the sexy details and only include the bath and the bed with rose petals as well as the teddy bear. “Awww, that is so sweet,” Lila says.
“I know. He told me he got the bear because I’m always telling everyone that even though he looks rough and tough on the outside, he’s as soft as a teddy bear on the inside.”
“He is a softy,” Katie says.
I look at them and ask, “Will you girls be in the wedding?”
They both bounce up and down with excitement. “Of course,” Katie answers.
“I’d be honored, thank you for including me,” Lila says.
I clap my hands. “I can’t wait to start planning. Katie, I’d love for you to be my matron of honor, if you would.”
She nods with a smile, holding up her champagne glass. “To the happy couple,” Katie says. We all clink glasses and drink up. “Now let’s go shake our asses.” We all stand and hurry out to the dance floor for some fun. When we get out there I can see the panic on Slade’s face as we get pushed toward the center of the dance floor. I tap the girls and we push our way back toward the edge so he can relax a bit. He gives me a smile and Cole appears on the opposite side of us, ensuring we stay safe. I’m approached by a big guy with short hair blond hair and a nice build. He starts dancing behind me. He’s attractive, but certainly no Stone. I turn and tell him I’m all set, showing him my engagement ring. He smiles and walks off to find another girl he can hit on.
We’ve had a great night but it’s getting late, and they’ve just announced last call. I can’t even think about another drink after the bottle of champagne and the hard liquor we drank, but Kara is there to check on us one last time. “You did great taking care of us tonight, Kara, but we’re good.” We hand her a fat tip for doing a great job.
“I’m beat.” Katie collapses in the booth.
“Me too. Are you ladies ready to call it a night?” I ask with a yawn and they both agree. I let Slade and Cole know. Shane comes out to grab Katie to bring her to the back until the club is empty. Once she’s gone, my guards walk Lila to her car and they take me home. I just hope I can stay awake long enough to wait for Stone, because my eyes are really heavy. This lack of sleep is getting to me.
I’m jolted awake when Slade taps me on the arm. “We’re home, Miranda,” he says. “Come on, I’ll take you upstairs.” He helps me from the car, and when we get upstairs all is quiet. “I’ll be right outside the door until Stone gets home.”
“Thanks for everything, Slade.” He nods and smiles as I close the door, locking it behind me. I quickly change and climb into bed with my book. I try so hard to wait for Stone, but it’s no use, my eyes are just too heavy.