Pride (Living In Sin #1)

Chapter 20

Alec

I didn't like the idea that Pry thought we were actually going to have the dance he had been threatening me with all week. I had thought I'd dissuaded him by now, but there was no such luck. The thought made me nervous. Not because of the dance with my boss. Because of how I knew it would make me feel.

I wasn't stupid enough to think I wouldn't have some sort of reaction. Pry and I had been dancing around each other all week. He was the brother I saw the most of. It was devilishly hard to ignore him and the way he made me feel. And let’s just say that it wasn't the only thing that was 'hard'.

I don't think I'd popped so many boners since I was a kid and discovered what my dick was for. It was like I was walking around constantly aroused and I'd taken to wearing the baggiest pants I could get away with. It was ridiculous, and I was having a hard time not blaming all Pry's teasing for it. Even though he wasn't responsible for my reactions, I felt like he could ease up just a little so I could get my work done.

He doesn't do anything that stops you from doing your work. My brain was a traitorous shit, but it wasn't wrong. Pry left me alone for most of the workday. He didn't hang around when I was in the middle of something. And if he ended up working in the office with me, he was quiet and mostly well behaved.

It didn't make it any easier to stand up and wander around.

Now, he wanted that silly dance. My loose boundaries hadn't worked, and it was going to be time to set some new ones. Or else I was going to end up shagging my employer. I was having a hard time remembering why that was a bad thing, though. None of it was fair. I couldn't remember the last time I was attracted to someone who was obviously keen on me.

And Pry was not shy about how into me he was.

"Will you go for the dance?"

Chef wasn't cold, but he certainly wasn't as warm either. It was frustrating, but I didn't know how to fix it. I wasn't responsible for Pry's actions, or Chef's response, for that matter. I didn't like that it obviously affected the already tenuous relationships in the club.

But at least Chef was still keen to feed me. He made the best sandwiches I'd ever had. And they were just sandwiches. Christmas dinner with him cooking must be out of this world. If I ever got the chance to have a holiday meal with Chef involved, I would jump at it.

"I'm trying to get out of it." I chewed at the bread, glaring at nothing. "Pry's been hinting at it for a while. Sidestepping it was easier, but that’s not working anymore. I might have to actually just get it over with. Rip off the bandaid as it were."

Pry was going to be relentless. That much was obvious. And I was going to have to decide how to handle it sooner rather than later. And I would not let Little Alec make the choice, either. He was happy to be dancing with Pry. It was exciting for him. I hated Little Alec for how free and easy he was with his feelings.

Chef shrugged. Again, he was in a weird mood and I hated it. I didn't know what to do about it and it was frustrating. "You'll figure it out."

He left without another word, making me sigh. Eating dinner was a quiet affair for a change. When I finished, I couldn't put it off any longer. I didn't want him to come and find me. He might drag me out. Though part of me, particularly Little Alec, seemed to like the idea of hair being pulled. The traitor.

The club pulsed louder than expected. With the soundproofing, the office was a silent oasis. The place was even louder than it had been at the beginning of the week. There was something about it that seemed to pull at me. I was already bouncing on my feet by the time I came out of the hallway and into the main room. I couldn't believe how full the place was.

The dance floor was surprisingly empty. In the middle of the floor was a pole and it surprised me to see it. And that no one encroached on the space. The place buzzed with barely contained excitement. I surveyed the crowd, looking for Pry, surprised I couldn't see him. It was not what I expected. I thought he'd be waiting for me. I didn't want to think about why I was so disappointed by that.

Standing at the edge of the floor with everyone else, I could only wonder what the crowd was waiting for.

Then the music changed. Somehow, the beat seemed to get… dirtier. The pulse was deeper. More primal. And the whole club seemed to move together. It would have been creepy if I hadn't found myself wanting to move as well.

The curtain at the back wall opened, and the person who walked out made my breath stop. They were dressed in neon pink and black fishnets. Grabbing the pole, they spun to the cries of the crowd, causing the skirt to flick up. The moan the people made ran up my spine. It didn't mean I didn't moan, too. I was trying not to think about the flash of lacy knickers they showed off. Their body stretched up and around the pole, basking in the attention.

"My younger sibling, Des, has returned. The patrons have been waiting for them."

I didn't even realise Pry was next to me until he spoke. He stood taller than me, and his boots added enough height so he could tower over me. His shirt billowed around him, the white contrasting with his bronze skin, and he was poured into leather pants. Well, my mouth had gone dry with Des, but Pry stopped my heart.

He smiled down at me, and I didn't know what to do. Pry's hand pushed a strand of my hair out of my face, and for a moment I forgot where I was. The club melted away; the music surged through me but it was somewhere in the distance. Pry was the centre of the world.

"Now, Alec, it's time for that dance I promised you."