Always There

Chapter One Hundred and Eleven

Songs for this chapter:
• Crazy in Love - Sofia Karlberg

Chapter One Hundred and Eleven:

Bryce's POV

"I think that this is the best day of my life," Jordan says from his seat beside me.

I adjust my tie and turn to glare at him. "Of course you would say that. Horny fucking bastard."

Jordan flicks me in the arm. "You were the one who took me to a strip club. What else do you expect?"

Mateo suddenly plops down into a chair on my other side. "He does have a point. But this technically wasn't Bryce's idea either. It was his manager and all those other weird old men over there who wanted to come here."

I grin at Mateo. "Thank you, Matt."

Jordan huffs and takes a sip from his drink as he collapses back into his chair.

Mateo isn't wrong, though. Richard and a few of his music industry friends wanted to spend this fine Friday evening at a glorified strip club that Richard use to frequent when he was younger, and he decided to invite myself and Theodore. Since Jordan was in the city to visit me, I felt like I needed to bring him along, and when Vanessa overheard where him and I were going tonight, she practically shoved Mateo out the door with us.

The club is . . . absurdly fancy. Richard called it a "gentlemen's club" rather than a strip club, and we were all instructed to wear suits.

As soon as we stepped in the door of this place I was stunned. The walls are painted black, the lighting is dim and tinted red, and all of the seating is dark wood covered in crimson velvet. A large stage is in the centre of the main room with a pole running from floor to ceiling on either side and several smaller stages with one pole each are scattered all along the room. The main room branches into several smaller, private rooms, one of which we were immediately escorted into by two scantily-glad women wearing sky-high heels.

The same two women are currently occupied by Richard and the rest of the men sitting with him in the other corner of the room. The woman with deep brown skin and dark, bouncy curls is seated in Richard's lap while the girl with tanned skin and blonde waves is seated between two men I had never met before tonight.

A third women is spinning around the pole on a small platform in the centre of the room, her red hair like flames as she twirls. Theodore is sitting in a plush velvet chair as the base of the platform and staring up at her in awe.

"This is pathetic," I mumble. I raise my glass to my lips and take a long sip of water.

"I disagree," Jordan replies cheerily. "This is the best moment of my life. I want to grow old and die here."

I turn to face Mateo for help, and he just gives me a small shrug.

"When are we going to go out into the main room again? It seems way more fun out there. So many gorgeous girls," Mateo says, dreamily and completely unhelpfully.

"I know, right!" Jordan exclaims.

I nudge my brother's arm with my elbow. "Nessa said you can look, but no touching."

Mateo looks offended that I would even suggest such a thing. "Of course not. I would never do that to her."

The hurt in his eyes makes me regret even speaking.

I rest a hand on his shoulder. "I know you wouldn't. I didn't mean to suggest you would."

Matt gives me a small smile. Our chairs are close enough together that he's able to lean in and rest his head on my shoulder.