CHAPTER 22
Lex
We approached an old brick building in downtown LA, and Reggie knocked on a door with peeled paint and rust peeking through. An insanely large bald man opened the door and narrowed his eyes.
Amie and I lingered at the curb while Reggie held up his phone to show the man our invite. After close inspection, he let us through with a flip of his hand.
We rounded a corner to reach the main landing where the elevator pinged. Another group of partygoers had already pushed the button. The door slid open, and all of us gathered inside.
“What is this place?” I whispered to Amie as we rode to the top floor.
She grinned and leaned into me. “It’s a speakeasy—kind of. It wasn’t actually one of the establishments created during Prohibition, but there’s this cool retro vibe. And it’s totally exclusive to the Hollywood elite.”
Amie’s excitement was infectious, and when the elevators opened, I was already drinking the Kool-Aid. Shane would die when he found out where I was spending my evening. And when we stepped onto the main floor of Rooftop—located on, well, the rooftop—I gazed around and saw that the club wasn’t anything I’d expected. It wasn’t wall-to-wall with sweaty bodies, and it wasn’t loud and filled to the brim with couples practically humping on the dance floor. The 1980s décor was classy.
The entire floor was sectioned off with tall bushes, gazebos, and walls made entirely of brick. A chandelier hung from above the dark wood bar that sat in an alcove. The only thing that made the place seem like an actual club was the way everyone was attired—short dresses, big jewelry, expensive suits, and the tallest heels I’d ever seen.
Suddenly, I was happy Amie had nixed the outfit she’d seen me in when she picked me up. My black jumpsuit was fine, but it was obvious she’d understood the vibe of this place better than I. She had rummaged through my closet and pieced together a skintight nude stretch top with a low-cut rounded neck, light-wash ripped denim jeans, and ankle-high strappy gold heels.
Reggie pulled me away from Amie and gave me a tour of the place. He kept his palm on my back and stayed close. I knew he was just being friendly, but the gesture twisted something in my gut. As I walked with him, my gaze traveled around the perimeter. I liked it. I liked the ambience, the city lights over the edge of the rooftop, and the calmness of the busy city at this height. I’d been transported to Los Angeles’s greatest illusion—glamour and wealth, mixed in a bottle of glitter.
Over the next hour, I felt like a new person. A confident new person, smiling and laughing, socializing, and connecting with dancers who hadn’t yet given me the time of day. I felt as if I were on top of the world.
Until the elevator opened and revealed Theo, with Winter on his arm.
I swallowed against the thickness in my throat, my eyes betraying me as they stared at the gorgeous couple. Winter looked like a sex kitten in a knee-length white dress that clung to her skin like a press-on tattoo. Fake, but it looked good for the occasion. And Theo looked perfect by her side, wearing his typical leather jacket, a white V-neck underneath, and jeans.
Like Bad Boy Ken and Rock Star Barbie, they strutted through the crowd, attracting attention from every single person in the room—or so I imagined. Why wouldn’t they? They were beautiful.
I sipped club soda then bit my straw before finally turning away.
“Hey, Winter just ordered a shit ton of appetizers. Let’s devour,” Amie said, her hand already tugging my arm.
I let her pull me along, knowing good and well my stomach could use the nourishment. Shane was always the one who ran to the grocery and cooked for us. I knew it was time to get my ass together and do those things myself, but I never had the time, and while I still had money for food in my savings, I didn’t like spending it.
We piled our plates high, giving ourselves away as outsiders among the ritzy and classy. We found a high top near the edge of the roof, far from the majority of the crowd. I stared out at the city sky while I chomped on stuffed mushrooms and bacon-wrapped asparagus.
Amie turned to me after a few minutes. “You happy you moved to LA?”
“Yeah.” I glanced at her. “I am. It was a bit of a culture shock. This place is nothing like what I expected, but it’s growing on me, fast.”
“What did you expect?”
When I decided to move to LA with Shane, I knew nothing about the city except that it included Hollywood and was near Gravity. Those were the only things I paid attention to at the time. I didn’t realize it would be an entirely different world. Cutthroat and busy.
“I knew it would be a change. People said life would be faster, but I didn’t really know what that meant.”
“Do you know now? I mean, I’m not really sure I know what it means, and I’ve lived here my whole life.” She chuckled and took another sip of her whiskey.
“It’s just … different. Even out here.” I waved around the rooftop. “Everyone dresses to be seen.” I gestured at myself. “I never would have worn anything like this in Seattle.”
Amie grinned, her eyes squinting. “It was in your closet, Lex.”
“Yeah, for dance attire, not clubbing attire. It’s different.” I felt the need to explain. “I swear, the moment Shane and I landed, he took me shopping and bought me a whole new dance wardrobe. Part of me wonders if he wanted to move to LA more for me than for him. To get me away from my parents so I could breathe, you know?” Then I laughed before Amie could say anything. “Probably not, huh? Having parents in the industry, you probably had free reign to explore all that creativity.”
Amie shrugged. “Yeah, but we had other problems. I almost had too much free reign. My parents were always busy, and I got myself into a lot of trouble as a teen. I guess I was desperately seeking their attention or some shit like that.”
I understood all too well. “I’ll be honest. I’m lost without Shane. He always pushed me to be this brave person, and I could almost feel like that was real. Now, I’m here, which is a dream come true, but I feel like it could all just crumble to pieces any minute. He was always there to fall back on if I messed up. I know that sounds pathetic.”
“It doesn’t sound pathetic. But you know what I think?” Amie’s smile was warm and trusting as she held my gaze. “I think Shane leaving was the best thing for you.”
I wasn’t expecting that. The words echoed through my mind, and I wondered how I could ever benefit from my best friend’s absence. She was wrong.
“It’s funny. I didn’t see it the first day I met you, when you rocked it on that dance floor. You seemed so centered, so in control of every emotion in your movements, to the point I was fucking inspired. You should have that same confidence every single day, Lex.” Her tone was gentle, comforting despite the truth of her words. “You don’t believe in yourself enough. You should feel as centered in life as you do on the dance floor.”
Shane would have told me the same exact thing, which was another sign that I should trust Amie. “How do you suggest I change that?”
She smiled. “Ah. I’m afraid that one’s on you, girl. I will say this, though. Gravity is and always has been a tight-knit community. A family. And you’re a part of that family now whether you realize it or not.”
“A family that competes with each other?” That was absolutely the impression I’d gotten since Day One.
Amie chuckled lightly. “Even family has its ups and downs. But you need to change your perspective. Sure, there are some dancers out for blood. I won’t deny that, but you can’t think about them. They won’t succeed with that mentality. They may win a few battles, but their own insecurities will bring them down in the end. Successful people never use their peers as their goal markers. Never.” Amie shook her head adamantly. “The illusion of failure is real. The moment you start comparing yourself to someone else, you’ve already lost.”
We shared the silence as we gazed out at the city. It was in those seconds of silence that I realized I’d gained something immensely valuable since Shane had left, something I hadn’t even considered needing—another friend.
Amie’s laughter brought my focus back. “I hate to break up our little bonding moment, but I’m ninety-nine percent sure our friend Reggie has the hots for you. He keeps looking over here, like he’s waiting for the moment when he can pounce.”
“What? You’re joking. It’s Reggie.” I crinkled my face and let the information simmer. Romantic thoughts of Reggie had never even crossed my mind. Not even after Shane’s passing comment about him weeks ago. I hadn’t thought about much other than dance—and Theo—since getting the gig.
“I didn’t know if that would intrigue you or make things awkward, but I figured I’d throw that out there.”
Reggie stood farther down from us against the rail, his back turned to the city. He was making conversation with a couple I’d never met before, but I recognized them from Gravity. Reggie was cute in a bodybuilder sort of way, with gigantic biceps and thick thighs. I was amazed at how light on his feet he could be when required. And his laughter was always infectious, with the power to fill a room and spread joy. But there was something dark about him too. An anger he’d let slip a few times. It drew chills up my spine.
I stood, my throat dry from not drinking enough water during rehearsals today. “I’m heading to the bar. Want something?”
Amie raised her almost empty glass and nodded. “Please.”
“You got it.”
As I made my way across the rooftop, I purposely kept my eyes focused on the corner bar so I wouldn’t slip and find myself gazing at Theo and his client. Still, white practically blinded me in my peripheral. I hated that he was here with her. I hated the way he spoke to me today. I hated the way I’d broken so many of my own personal rules with him—letting him sleep next to me, partnering with him. I was in way over my head with no clue how to turn back.
“One club soda and then an apple whiskey, please.” It was open bar, but I was rifling through my purse to pull out money for a tip when someone slid up behind me.
“I got this,” Theo’s voice rasped behind me.
My body locked up tight, and all hair stood on end. My eyes flashed as he slid the bartender a twenty, a whole eighteen dollars more than I would have given.
I thought about pivoting to let him have it, to push away from him and walk off as I’d done earlier in the day, to do anything to be rid of the intoxicating scent of leather and mint that I already craved. Then I felt his chest press against my back, his arms set on the bar on either side of me, effectively trapping me. I should have hated being confined to so little space. I waited for the darkness to consume me. But once again, my body and brain didn’t work as they normally did when it came to Theo.
My neck tingled as he leaned forward.
“I told you not to come.” His words wrapped my bones and shook them.
I had to squeeze my lids shut, my muscles tightening to quell the ache between my thighs. Only Theo could have that effect on me. To tell me he didn’t want me around then make me feel the complete opposite. Yeah, it was fucked up.
“Anything for you?” the bartender asked Theo as he started to make my drinks.
“Yeah, a scotch on the rocks. Thanks.”
“Don’t forget your girlfriend.” My voice mocked with an innocence I didn’t feel, and when I turned to look at him over my shoulder, I regretted it instantly. The sight of him hit me harder than when he’d first walked in.
His eyes were narrowed, his thick lips full and shiny, as if he’d just wet them. I had the immediate desire to take his bottom lip between my teeth and suck.
“I knew you’d be jealous.”
The way he said it, so cocksure and angry, made my chest burn and my mouth turn up into a smile. “Trust me,” I purred. “I’m not jealous.”
His eyes flashed. “Bullshit.”
“Why would I be jealous? Because you’re here with your boss, pretending to be something more. Yeah, I’m not buying it. And I’m not impressed.”
He tipped his head to the side, tightening his jaw.
I breathed out a laugh and turned to face front. Just then, the bartender slid my drinks across the bar. I lifted them over my head and turned in the tight space between the ledge and Theo, locking gazes with him one last time. “Enjoy your night. Excuse me.”
With that, his arms fell. He took a step back, and I walked away.