“I got a feeling it’s the latter.”
Kate was making quite a spectacle of herself, grinding up on Candy like she was her next big conquest, and the crowd was enjoying every second of it. It wasn’t the first time one of the girls brought someone up on the stage with them. It was a way of changing things up and drawing more attention, and tonight was no different. The way Candy and Kate were carrying on was definitely drawing attention. As much as I wanted to say ‘fuck it’ and let the show continue, I couldn’t do that. Even if she was a royal bitch, she was Marlowe’s sister, and I needed to get her the hell out of there. When I started towards the stage, Country called out to me, “Hey, man. Whatcha gonna do?”
“I’m gonna put an end to this shit.”
“Why?” he pouted. “It’s just getting good!”
Ignoring him, I continued forward, weaving between all the tables and made my way over to Kate. By the time I actually got to her, Kate was reaching for the pole and was about to take a twirl. “Kate!”
She stopped and turned to see who’d called her name. As soon as she saw it was me, her lips curled into a provocative smile and she purred. “Umm, Rafe. Hello there, handsome.”
“It’s time to go.”
“What? Why?” she slurred. “We’re having such a good time.”
“I see that, but the party’s over. It’s time to get you home.”
I motioned my hand for her to come towards me, but she didn’t budge. Instead, she grabbed ahold of the pole and took a quick spin, making sure to lean back far enough for everyone to get a peek at her cleavage.
I quickly turned my attention to Candy and nodded my head, letting her know I was done with the bullshit. Not wanting to make a bad situation worse, Candy inched over to Kate and coaxed her over to me. The second she was in reach, I grabbed her by the waist and tossed her over my shoulder, then immediately charged towards the front door. All the while, Kate was giggling and calling out to Candy, “Do your thang, girl! Shake what your momma gave ya.”
Once we were outside, I dropped Kate to her feet and started searching for a cab. I was just about to start hailing one over when Kate stumbled over to me, plastering her chest against mine as she batted her eyelashes at me and slurred, “My, my, my. Handsome and strong like an ox. I can see why Marlie is in love with you.”
I knew it was just the booze talking, so I eased her off me and held her forearm until she got her balance. “You should really take it easy on the tequila next time.”
“Won’t be a next time.” She straightened her stance, trying her best to hide how wasted she was as she announced, “I’m done with this damn city, and I’m done with Marlowe too.”
“What’s the issue with your sister anyway?”
“Oh, haven’t you heard? She’s not really my sister. She’s adopted.” Before I could respond, she drunk giggled. “She had no idea. I mean really. For a girl who’s supposed to be so smart, she can be so dumb.”
“I just don’t get it. Why the hostility towards you sister? What’s she ever done to you?”
“She left and never looked back.” For a split second, Kate looked almost vulnerable as she muttered, “I’ve dreamed of doing that for years but never had her strength. Marlie was always so independent, so strong. She didn’t need ... Forget it. None of it matters now. We’ve both moved on.”
If I hadn’t known better, I would’ve thought the prissy, overly confident bitch was actually just an unsure, insecure brat who was jealous of her adopted sister—so much so, she set out to make her life hell. I was tempted to call her out on it, but unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance. Before I could form the words, a cab pulled up to the curb, and the driver called out, “Where to?”
“The Omni on Fifth,” Kate answered.
“You going to be able to make it back on your own?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” I opened the door, and as I helped her inside, Kate looked up at me and said, “I’m sorry if I caused you any trouble in there.”
“Not me you need to be worried about, Kate.”
“Marlowe will be fine. She always is.”
With that, she closed the door, and the cab sped away. I was standing there watching as the taxi’s lights disappeared into traffic when Lynch and Country came barreling out the front door of the strip club. I could hear them bantering back and forth, laughing and carrying on as they made their way over to me, and had no doubt they were both about to give me a hard time. Before either of them had a chance to speak, I turned and said, “Party’s over, boys.”