To Love and Die (18+)

Chapter Six

Renaldo was good company. His charming smile and witty jokes were enough to keep Meli from falling off of the deep end, at least for the night. She still hadn't received an answer from the young man about why or how he had found her in Dallas, but she was convinced that Fallon had let it slip up at the club. He had mentioned how he and his brother were looking to expand the family business. She supposed they were buying property in Dallas.

Meli had to convince Renaldo to accept a dance from Lola; she was sympathetic towards the dancer. The woman was still upset that Meli had spoiled her opportunity with Jaeden a few weeks back. This was Meli's apology gift to the stripper, especially since Renaldo was pretty much eye candy wrapped in a perfectly shiny silver bow—Meli was getting used to the chain.

Lola led Renaldo from the bar, sauntering away so that he would look down at her ass as he trailed. He glanced over his shoulder before giving Meli a wink.

The bartender smiled at the man and made a lewd gesture towards him— one that involved pressing her tongue against her cheek and moving her hand from side to side. She returned his wink when his eyes grew wide.

Lola was definitely the type to give extra to some of her customers. The club was told that under covers we're surely going to start lurking around because of how much word had gotten out. Granted, not all the ladies in the clubs were as forward as Lola. Most of them barely allowed patrons to touch them, let alone give out blowjobs.

The effects of alcohol were finally starting to make her head spin. If anything, she'd thought that it had delayed itself long enough. Maybe her tolerance was waning? Melicia drank pretty much every night since Houston. It would usually start off with a glass of wine and then she would always venture to something stronger. The wine turned to tequila, which turned to moonshine—yes, actual moonshine.

She shuddered at the thought.

There wasn't enough booze in the world to make her forget those boys she killed—or the man she fucked at Cloud 21+. Her life was so messed up. The only thing keeping her from jumping off of the world's tallest mountain was her little brother. Keian needed family, no he deserved it. She couldn't leave him alone like their parents' left them.

Looking around the club Meli noticed the place was dying down. It was nearing the end of her shift, and she had barely broken eight hundred. Benny is so dead. And I'm going to be forced to kill every single one of those idiots.

"And here I thought my brother would have taken you to that private room." It was playful, the voice. She knew exactly who it was. Of course, she knew, because she had his voice on replay. The way he rolled his r's was basically tattooed into her eardrum. His voice was like butter on biscuits, so fucking smooth.

"When did you get there?" He was at the end of the bar, looking devilishly handsome. Like his brother, he wore all black with a chain around his neck, but his necklace was a bit smaller than Renaldo's. The chain was not nearly as flashy, but it was platinum with a cross hanging from it. A rosary, a very beautiful one at that.

"Just now." That was it. No follow-ups. He just stood there, brooding and tall and by God handsome as all hell. Meli couldn't ignore the fact that it had been almost three weeks since Houston and she hadn't had sex since. Her purple vibrator was cute, but it was basically like trying to scratch an itch with a feather—never really hit the spot.

She couldn't call Jaeden. As much as she craved companionship and comfort, she couldn't risk it. She knew that the professor felt something for her and thus she claimed sick for the last three weeks to avoid classes. The woman was falling behind with school as she avoided campus at all costs. Unfortunately, the result, a very horny Melicia, and as anatomy would have it, her lady parts clenched at the sight of a sexy Julian in front of her.