Not Quite Juliet: A Club Imperial Novel (Silver Soul Book 1) (33 page)

There were papers scattered everywhere on the floor with notes and cases, as well as documents on the screen of the laptop so I could go back to cases I’d actually located. I jotted down the newest case I had found; it was dead on for what I’d been looking for and did a little happy wiggle.

Dervish looked up and meowed at me from my hip. I looked over and stuck my tongue out. I turned back and found Butter settling on to the keyboard. They didn’t just get along, the two little fuckers were conspiring against me.

“Shoo, Butter!” I nudged her off the keyboard before she was fully settled. She meowed indignantly and went to sit at my other hip. Dervish started beating against me with his tail. I rolled my eyes and went back to the screen, erasing the interesting pattern Butter had created. I heard Nick walk into the room and I was about to look up when his hands landed on my shoulders and started a gentle massage.

The gentle caress shot through me, and my nipples tingled. The caress turned into a firm thorough massage at my neck, and shoulders and the top of my spine. “Jesus, kitten. You’re tense.”

“Where were your magic fingers an hour ago when I couldn’t find Hubert V. State?” I leaned back into his legs. He kept working quietly at my shoulders. “This feels so domestic.”

His breath was warm against my ear. “This feels so right.”

It did. And it wasn’t frightening. Monday had been a whirlwind, trying to get clothes and cats together. Lisa had also needed help getting her stuff boxed up. Her boy-toy couldn’t be there, so Nick and I helped her pack and drove her out to Galloping Ridge. The sprawling estate where Franz now lived with his boyfriend Victor was stunning, and more than large enough to accommodate Lisa. And even better, Lisa instantly made friends with their nanny Lauren and fell in love with their daughter Sylvia.

We’d come back with Nicole and gotten her settled in. She took the basement bedroom, which I appreciated and Nick told her was unnecessary. She responded with a hardy laugh, and hauled her bag down the steps.

Even though I knew she’d called the Marathon County police to let them know she was alive, I did it again anyway. They told me she needed to check in herself again, but my call would put a halt to the missing persons that had gone out. My mother had been in several times to find out what was going on. They asked if I wanted to leave my number for her.

I declined. Wasn’t ready for that yet.

I told Nicole she had to call. She rolled her eyes at me, and I could see the ‘why bother’ all over her face. “You’re going to bother because if you don’t, Nick or I could be arrested on interstate kidnapping charges. That wouldn’t look very good on the rap sheet of a judge, do you think?”

“I don’t want anything to do with them up there.” Her voice was full of anger I was entirely too familiar with it.

“Do you think I took any pleasure in calling that place? God, what if someone I knew answered the phone? Mom was the only one in anyway. Dad’s...”

“Dad doesn’t give a shit about his harlot daughters.”

“Not even close.” I smiled and sighed. “Don’t do it for them. Do it for you and me. I don’t want to have to answer questions about you in the near future. I don’t want the FBI busting in doors to this house. It’s not mine, and I like it.”

“Please.” She snorted. “You just like what lives here.”

“Point in fact, I love what lives here. So. Please. Just call tomorrow.”

We slept so late on Tuesday we were barely out of the house on time. Then Nick got stuck at work and had to cancel our date for that night. I climbed into the bed to wait for him to put the moves on.

And promptly fell asleep.

Wednesday we woke up early enough to take our time and we were out of the house when we needed to be, but I had two lectures that night and he had practice. By the time I got home I was exhausted; I’d shut down the library the night before. Last student out. I let myself in the house, and made it up the stairs to the bedroom. Nick was laying there in my favorite black silk boxers. There was a light snore resonating from him. He’d crawled in the bed to put the moves on when I got home.

And promptly fell asleep.

From constant non-stop sex to barely being awake around each other. Just a match made in heaven. At least we were well established in our sleeping patterns.

“Any chance I can get you to put down your books for dinner?” Nick’s fingers worked their way into my hair and started massaging. It felt so good, certain anatomical areas started pointing and tingling.

“This brief is due Tuesday,” I said. “I’m so close to being done. If I can get this done, I can just relax this weekend.”

“Are you working?”

“Friday night shift, early Saturday.”

“How about Nicole?”

“She’s got a job at the mall already.” I smiled. I had been helping her sort through the nursing school information she’d already found.

“You like having her around, don’t you?”

“It’s nice having a sister again.” I stretched as he started massaging my shoulders. “I wish it wasn’t like this. But I’m also glad she had the sense to leave.”

“Me too.” He brushed his hand over the back of my neck. “Hungry, kitten?”

“I could eat a horse.”

“Good, I brought dinner. You didn’t eat lunch again, did you?”

“Nope.” I shook my head. “I have to stop that. It defeats all that time at the gym.”

“It’s not healthy.”

I leaned back and looked up at him. “Thank you doctor.”

“You’re welcome, your Honor.”

“Let’s eat. We have to go to rehearsal tonight.”

I turned around, and gazed up at him. “Is tonight the night?”

“It is,” he said. “This has been a long time coming.”

“I hate I’m reason you have to do this.”

“Kitten, you are not the reason this is happening. Dave’s an asshole and he’s been turning into a bigger and bigger asshole. The four of us agree it’s time to fire him.”

“He did have a point.” I blinked a few times. “I’m not quite Juliet.”

“And I’m far from a perfect Romeo. I mean, would a proper suitor have shagged you less than four hours after meeting you the first time?”

“Three.”

“See?”

“You’re a naughty monkey.” I smiled at him. “I like it this way. I wouldn’t change it.”

“Exactly.” He ran a finger over my eyebrow. “I wouldn’t change it either. We’re both horn dogs, we both like to push the envelope, and we’re both sitting here like idiots, hungry, when there’s food getting cold in the kitchen.”

“Ooh, dinner!” I popped up and scared the hell out of Dervish.

I helped unload the bags he brought in from the store. There was a rotisserie chicken, heat and eat mashed potatoes and a bag of frozen vegetables. I lined it all up on the table. “We’re going gourmet tonight!”

“Hush, woman.” He started putting away something else from the bags.

I opened the next bag and the first thing on the top was a box of condoms. Oh, we were so done with this. I took them out, put them on the counter and pointed at them. “What now?”

Nick looked confused. “We’re almost out.”

“I thought we were done with this?”

“Morgan...”

“You need to explain.”

He sighed. “You’re right. I’m being ridiculous about this.”

“That’s not ‘explain’.”

He ran a hand down his face, and didn’t look like he was going to tell me. I walked over to my purse and pulled out the results of my physical, and the blood work, and threw them down next to the box of sacred condoms. “There.”

“What?”

“That’s what you wanted, right? That’s the all clear from my doctor. I have no funguses or viruses. My triglycerides are a little high and he’d like to see those come down. He also wants me to lose weight. Thanks for that, Captain Obvious.”

Nick pushed the paper back on the counter without looking at it. He walked over and wrapped his arms around me. “I’m sorry, Morgan. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it sound like you do that. I just...” He sighed in my ear. “After Ava died, and after Casey moved out, I went a little wild. I slept with a few hot groupies I’d gotten to know. Or thought I did. Somewhere along the line, one of them gave me chancroid. I gave it to two other girls before I knew what was going on.”

“What the hell is chancroid?” I couldn’t process this. “Is that like a graboid?”

“Oh, my God!” He started laughing. “You just keep proving to me that I’m an idiot and I have to get over this shit. No, it’s not a graboid. It’s...a sexually transmitted disease.”

I twisted my lip. “You have polluted man bits?”

“Once upon a time, yes. But chancroid, while nasty and hideous looking, is easily cleared up with a simple antibiotic. I freaked out so bad when I got it. On top of everything with Ava, I now had a raging infection.”

“On your dick.”

“Oh it wasn’t
just
there.”

“Ew.”

“That’s putting it mildly.”

“I think I’ve lost my appetite.”

“Me too.” He nodded, clearly grossed out by his own confession. “I got the antibiotic, got the wiener cleared up, and then I took those two lovely women to the clinic and got them treated as well. I never saw them at a show again.”

“Yeah, there’s a shocker, germbag.”

“All clear. Have been for two years. You would think I would’ve gotten a Thank you.”

I laughed. “A thank you for what? I don’t think Hallmark makes ‘Thanks for the Venereal Disease!’ cards.”

“I did ask them about a ‘thanks for paying for our meds for us’ card.”

“You’re foul.” I paused. “We’re done with those?”

“Should probably use up the box.”

“Nicholas.”

“I bought them.”

“Donate them to Lisa. She’s going through them like a bat out of hell.”

“So were we.”

I studied him, and stepped in close. “So you’re all clear?”

“Yes.” He nodded.

“Well, what if I don’t believe you?”

Nick looked worried. “What do you mean?”

I slid my hand into the front his pants. “What if I want an inspection? Up close. In detail.”

He quirked an eyebrow up, and tried not to laugh. “Are you a doctor?”

“No, but I’m dating one.” I wrapped my hand around his just-stiffening shaft.

“And what’s his specialty?”

“Why I do believe he said he was a doctor of love.”

“A PhD in Love doesn’t qualify you to inspect the goods.”

“I don’t know, I heard it does. And it gets me backstage passes.”

“Gets you backstage sex as well.”

“Oh, seriously?” Nicole’s voice floated into the room laced with exasperation. “Are you really grabbing his unit?”

“Didn’t hear you come in, sis, hi how are you, nice day?” I rolled my eyes.

“You two are like rabbits.” She tossed her purse on the floor. “Call me when dinner is ready.” She poked her head around the corner. “And for the love of God, wash your hands and wipe the table.”

Nick and I burst out laughing.

~*~*~

L
isa sat on the couch with me on the opposite side of Nick. Nadine was sitting on the arm of the couch, Jose and Sal were on the love seat and Donovan was in the chair. Oliver was there; this was serious. I’d never seen Oliver with them except at the club.

We were making small talk and I didn’t want to be there. Nick had called Nadine and Lisa to come with us as back up. He didn’t want me to be there without backup. And Dave was late as usual. I had a solid buzz going not long after he was supposed to be there. If he didn’t show soon, I was going to be completely plastered.

“So, do you guys want to put an ad in Craig’s List?” Van asked.

“Isn’t that what got us in this mess in the first place?” Jose said.

“What do you want to do?” Sal asked.

Oliver turned and looked right at Nadine. “I want her.”

“What?!” Nadine, Lisa and I all gasped.

“You. I want you on the lead guitar.” Oliver looked at the others. “You all told me she was shredding when Dave wasn’t here last week. I want to hear this shred and I want you all to think about taking her on. Having a woman on lead guitar would be an amazing shift in the paradigm that started with that damn song you wrote for this one.” He pointed at me.

“Wait, hold up,” Nadine said. “Don’t I get a say in this? I have a life, thank you very much.”

I raised my hand. “She does.”

“I looked you up, Ms. Franks,” Van said. “After you impressed the hell out of us. You’re a former member of the Ton of Metal. They were wildly successful on the indy circuit about five years ago, and then you all just disappeared.” He reached into the cushions of the chair and pulled out a CD. “Did you think this would stay hidden?”

“You found Ton of Metal!” I clapped my hands enthusiastically.

“Oh, God.” Nadine ran a hand over her face.

“Play it!” Lisa demanded.

“Oh, God, don’t.” Nadine groaned.

Van walked over to the small CD player they had on top of the mini fridge. I looked at Jose. “Who has a CD player anymore?”

“Apparently, we do,” Van said, slipping the disk into the player.

Nadine’s guitar work was exquisite. It always had been. But the CD reminded me of how truly amazing her abilities were on that instrument. She could do anything with it: classical, jazz, rock. Didn’t matter. She was amazing, and the “Flight of the Bumble Bee” was just the tip of her iceberg. She’d been the primary writer on most of the songs for Ton of Metal, and I could see her trying not to hum along or tap her foot.

“Her, huh?” Jose turned and looked at Nadine.

“I have a job.” Nadine picked at her nails.

“So do I,” Nick said.

Van nodded. “Me, too.”

Sal and Jose echoed them. Oliver nodded as well. “We all have full time jobs. We don’t want to top the Billboard one hundred, Nadine. The guys play because they want to. I do the PR and booking because I’m good at it. We’re happy here. That’s why we work. Why there’s only an album once in a while, why we’re not signing with Geffin or Dekka or Def Jam or any record label at all. We have lives, we like them and we like where we are.”

“That’s bullshit.”

Everyone swiveled to find Dave walking into the rehearsal cage. He was dressed like he always was: like he was a rock star who had just walked off stage. He stared at me for a long, angry moment then moved on to Nick, Oliver and Sal. “You all know you want to be famous. We have the talent and we should completely exploit this. Did you get the call from Def Jam?”