DEREK'S MATCH (DEREK #1) SAMPLE, NOW PUBLISHED

7. just come with me

Derek lied.

The bar is not close from my job at all. It's a thirty minute drive before we get there but it honestly feels like ten. I don't know if it's the car or the good music Derek lets me play or the cold air as it hits my face. Maybe it's all of it.

I'm actually disappointed when the car begins to slow down and then it comes to a complete stop after Derek parks. He reaches out and lowers the music.

"You have a nice voice, Gin," he says as he turns the car off.

I roll my eyes at him. "Shut up."

He laughs as we get out of the car. It's probably past midnight and I'm suddenly freezing. The only thing I have to cover myself is my chef coat but I left it in my bag in the car. I don't want to wear that in a bar.

The bar is located in a corner of an intersection. It's in the nice area of the city, of course, and there are a couple of stores and other bars and restaurants around it. There is a group of people outside laughing at something. I look up at the black building.

"Euphoria?" I ask as I read the name of the bar. "That's a weird name for a bar."

Derek shrugs. "He called his club Barcode. My brother is weird."

I laugh then look up at him. "Your brother has a club and a bar?"

He grins. "He has more. You already know I have all the perks."

"Is he here?" I ask. I meant it when I said I didn't want to be around people. Derek is already a handful. I don't know why but the thought of meeting his brother makes me nervous. It's just the thought of meeting anyone from his family, really. I guess it reminds me that deep down, very deep down, he has a family just like everyone else.

"No," he says shaking his head. "He's at the club on Fridays. Come on, let's go through the back."

I follow him around the building. There's a door with two bodyguards outside. They nod at Derek and let us in. It's dark inside, just a light in the hallway. I can hear music coming from the bar. Derek unlocks a door to the right and allows me into an office.

"I'll be right back," he says before walking out.

I just nod as I look around the room. It looks like any other office. There's a long, black desk with a computer and papers on it. There's a black couch to the side by a window, the blinds are closed. I sit down and look across the room at a bookcase. This is so cool. I didn't know Derek's brother owned bars and clubs. I wonder which one it is since he mentioned he had two. I wonder if they're as stuck-up as he is because they're obviously rich too.

The door opens a few minutes later and Derek walks in holding drinks in his hands. He kicks the door shut then walks towards me.

"Here's a gin for a Gin," he says with an amused look on his face as he hands the drink to me.

I shake my head with a smile. "Thank you." I take a sip of the drink as he sits down next to me. "Are you going to keep calling me Gin?"

He raises an eyebrow at me. "Do you completely hate it?"

I roll my eyes at him. "No."

"Then yes," he says with a grin. "I'm going to keep calling you Gin, Gin."

I laugh. "You're so..."

"Handsome?" He suggests when I trail off. "Sexy? Charming?"

"Self-absorbed." I finish.

"Self-absorbed." He repeats then shrugs. "That's a first. I'll take it."