Silver's Rebel: Billionaire Bodyguard Brothers (Silver Brothers Securities Book 1) Read online

  “Hartley? He already has the hotel on one side.”

  I lifted my glass to my lips, but stopped.

  “Why does Scar need a strip club again?”

  “It’s a back-up plan… we found out something new. The organization is growing.” The brothers eyed one another in a way that made the hairs stand up on my arms.

  “Scar believes Infinity will operate in the building next door. Rebels will be sandwiched between the Hartleys. It could be our in.”

  “Rebels?”

  “The new strip club.”

  Axel moved in closer. “This is an opportunity Silver Securities cannot miss. Hartley knows no limits. The longer the DA waits, the more brazen he becomes.”

  I set the drink down and leaned in. “Get Julian involved. I’m not in that business anymore. The case belongs to the Flintstones.”

  “Until someone you love gets involved.”

  That’s why I don’t have anyone to love.

  “You’re connected. We’re all connected. And if Infinity operates across the street, your girl’s business is in trouble.”

  “Kendra’s not my girl. She’s a client. I’ll talk to the team, and we should set up a meeting. Obviously all Silver resources are yours..”

  Resources were not the issue, and my empty offer felt a little nasty, but I wasn’t in a fucking good mood. I hadn’t been in a long time.

  My focus shifted to the small crowd around the bar. “Enjoy yourselves tonight. The drinks are on the house.”

  The brothers clinked their glasses and relaxed in the cushioned seats.

  I jumped over the bar and removed my leather jacket.

  Morgan, the other bartender on duty, frowned. “You’re late, and the crowd’s thirsty.”

  I stuffed the jacket underneath the counter and washed my hands. “I’m not late.”

  “Well, it’d be better if you were here a few minutes early to prep.”

  “It’d be better if I got paid for this job.”

  That was a lie. I didn’t need any payment to help family. Besides, a couple of extra hundred bucks wouldn’t exactly change my wealth portfolio.

  “That kind of attitude will get you in trouble with the boss.”

  “She’s your boss, not mine. Where is Kendra, anyway?” I asked.

  Morgan shrugged as a glimpse of a blonde braid caught my attention from the other side of the bar. “And that one? What’s she drinking?” I pointed to Kendra’s friend from the alley.

  “A virgin Mary.”

  “Maybe not such a rebel after all.” The devilish smirk that lifted in the corner of my mouth was new. I didn’t expect it, but it had been a while since a woman had lifted my spirit.

  “What, Silver?” Morgan asked.

  “Nothing. Let’s do this.”

  “Apron.” She handed me the black fabric with an extra large pink lip print glowing in the dark.

  “No, thanks.”

  Her laugh echoed above the hum of the crowd. “Come on. This place is gonna get crazy. Someone’s bound to spill one on you.”

  “I. Don’t. Spill. Things.” I lifted my hand to stop her reply and pointed to the side of the bar where the blonde ‘rebel’ was sitting on a stool. “I’ll take that side. Let me know if you see Kendra.”

  I stuffed the horrid apron underneath the counter and strolled around the corner of decoratively stacked beer mugs.

  She was sitting at the bar cross-legged, sipping on her tomato juice.

  Gross.

  As much as I hated tomatoes, I wouldn’t hold that against her because I knew someone else who loved the fruit. And I loved her dearly.

  Get a hold of yourself.

  She lowered her gaze to her breasts, and I blabbered the first thing that popped in my head.

  “Find anything in there you like?”

  Chapter 2

  Sam

  Music drummed deep inside my chest while a conversational hum carried through the club. The dance floor filled as women dressed in short skirts and tight crop-tops competed for attention. I wasn’t sure whose attention, but it was working, because men did what they knew how to do best: drooled.

  Kissed had to be the perfect spot to find a one-night stand. I sat at the bar in the middle of my best friend’s nightclub and watched a voluptuous bartender work her magic behind the marble counter. Her plump boobs jiggled inside her clingy tank top. The black cotton fabric hugged her perked yet ample breasts, giving the salivating men at the bar plenty to fantasize about. She was working it, and it showed by her overflowing tip jar.

  Implants?

  I watched as she reached for the top shelf. Her breasts bounced in slow motion as she stepped off the bar ladder. She left to the other side of the bar, and I side-eyed the seats beside me before peeking down my corset top to compare.

  “Find anything in there you like?” I jumped up at the manly voice behind the counter, and my mouth dropped open.

  “I… I… I dropped a peanut,” I babbled.

  The barman’s heated stare lifted from my boobs, meeting my confused eyes. Recognition slowly set in, along with a wave of heat that started at my cheeks. “It’s… it’s you.”

  His mouth lifted at one corner.

  “It is. Gabriel Silver. My friends call me Gabe.” He reached his hand over the counter for mine.

  I returned his businesslike shake. His sky-blue eyes sparked with maturity and promise. I wasn’t Kendra or the heavy-topped bartender, but I hoped to make a better impression than someone who lost a peanut down her chest.

  Or a girl who peed in an alley.

  Gabe’s attention remained on my face, like he couldn’t get enough of it, which made me blush that much more. He rested his arms on the counter, his weight forward. I swallowed hard through my dry throat, miraculously remembering his introduction.

  “Samantha Connor. You work here?”

  A shade of shame heated my cheeks as I suddenly wished we’d met under different circumstances. Anything would have been better than him catching me peeing in an alley, and I hoped forgiveness was one of his better qualities.

  “You could call it that. Are you Kendra’s friend?”

  I was Kendra’s only friend, but admitting that would mean she was my only friend as well. At least, my closest friend. The past few years searching for my birth-mom hadn’t been easy. After I lost my mom to cancer and Dad in a freak shark accident, I found myself alone in the world, searching for my biological family had become a priority. Point was, all I had now was Kendra and a few work acquaintances.

  “Yes, and you? I mean, you work here, so you must know her.” I’d never have put him for a barman, but the brawn strength and confidence would make him a perfect bodyguard.

  “Yeah, I know her. I’m surprised we haven’t run into each other before.”

  Me too.

  His stare consumed me, heating my body from head to toe.

  I bit my lip. What Kendra told me when she invited me to join her on the opening night of Kissed was right: tonight would be a good night.

  “Mr. Silver?” Someone called for the buff barman from the other side.

  Silver, Silver, Silver… I ran the last name in my mind, but it didn’t click.

  He leaned in, his shirt that was a size too tight yet oh-so-perfect, scrunched up in all the right places. “Excuse me a moment. Don’t leave.”

  His gorgeous blue eyes dazzled like gems. Their brilliant contrast against his tanned skin and chocolate-brown hair that was a little too long—yet perfect again—made me hold my breath as he turned around. The bangs shifted, revealing a silver streak of maturity and experience. He left, and my stomach completed its two-point-five somersault. I exhaled hard, took a moment to myself and swiveled around on my stool to regroup. The music picked up its beat.

  I bounced to the danceable rhythm, my legs swinging back and forth.

  Okay, Sam. You’ve got this. He’s just a mysterious bartender who eats women for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and you can be his dessert.
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  I reached back for the frosted glass and took another sip of my virgin Mary. Condensed water dripped onto my lap, staining my pleather pants. As the second verse began, with Gabe busy on the other side of the bar, a sweet, pungent scent of roses swirled around my nostrils. I perked up at the familiar scent.

  “Kendra! You’re here!”

  My bestie scanned me and gave a nod of approval, then wrapped her arms around me in a hug. Her straightened hair tickled my cheek as she whispered, “You’re early.”

  I took another whiff of her classic scent of roses and fresh auburn dye.

  “I couldn’t miss your opening night,” I grinned, then squirmed as all girlfriends do when their best friends reach their lifelong goals. If someone had told me after meeting at an ancestry group, where we both broke down, that we’d be hugging it out six months later, I wouldn’t have believed them. “I can’t believe it’s your opening night.”

  Great boobs, glorious hair, great everything. I was certain that tonight would be Kendra’s best night. I just knew it. As I added all the attributes my best friend embodied, the bundle of nerves in my chest grew. What if I flew under radar tonight? But then again, I was spending the evening with Kendra, who had delivered on promised nights of fun since the day we met.

  She looked me over once more, and I couldn’t help but ask, “You approve?”

  “Much better than your pencil skirt suit.”

  “I wouldn’t wear office clothes to a club!”

  Her laugh carried across the bar, turning heads. I no longer minded the attention and focused on the blinding light that twinkled overhead and the spinning room. I grabbed the counter to steady myself. It was either the virgin Mary or the sudden overcrowding room that was getting to me. Sweat dripped from underneath my arms.

  “Did I not tell you I have an awesome sense of style?” Kendra tapped my nose with her finger. I blinked twice, and the room came back to normal.

  Earlier in the week, she’d sent me a link to buy the corset top and the skin-tight pleather pants. I wasn’t sure how I’d remove them later, but I tried not to worry about that part. Hopefully, the problem of pant removal would fall into the hands of a handsome stranger. The pants clung to my body like another layer of skin.

  The heat in the club was unbelievable. Or was it just me? I fanned my hand in front of my face.

  “So? Anyone yet?” Kendra scanned the bar like she was on a hunt. Poor girl. She was in love with a man who couldn’t return that love, and my heart ached for her. Our search for our families had brought us together, and although we’d met only recently, Kendra had felt like family from day one.

  “Anyone what?” I asked.

  “Anyone you fancy? I’m making sure you get laid before the sun’s up.”

  I shook my head. “Shh. Lower your voice. Everyone can hear you.”

  She laughed again. “So? That’s the point. If you advertise what you want, you get what you want.”

  I was all for ‘getting some,’ but not at the expense of my reputation and embarrassment in the middle of a nightclub. “Don’t you have more important things to worry about tonight? It’s your opening night.”

  She’d been working her ass off for months to get this venture going. I thought she’d be taking it more seriously by now.

  “This club was a success from its inception. Besides, I have people for that.”

  I set the virgin bloody Mary on the countertop. The half-empty club had filled up like an overflowing dam. The security let in a handful of people at a time, and only those on Kendra’s exclusive VIP list made it inside. Thank goodness Gabe had suggested I checked the VIP list.

  “You look great!” I raised my voice over the loud music, but the volume lowered just as I finished my compliment, turning a few heads my way.

  “Thanks!”

  Kendra paid no attention to anyone else. Her silk halter blouse draped over her breasts in folds and waves, leaving little to the imagination. She must have taped the collar because when she leaned over the bar and lifted her hand for attention, the fabric held firm against her skin.

  I peeked at my boobs again to make sure they stayed put.

  No fear there!

  Those suckers would be lucky to fall out. I did not need tape. My twins had peaked at sixteen, so there was no danger of indecent exposure from me.

  “What are we drinking?” Kendra flung her body my way. Her hazel eyes held a shade of red, and I wondered whether tonight’s preparations had finally tired her. Kendra had dreamed of opening a nightclub on Fifth Avenue for years. And now, the three-level Kissed club, with a posh lounge and a rooftop garden overlooking Manhattan, was the talk of the city.

  “A Virgin Mary.”

  “Virgins are fine, but not in a drink.”

  I squeezed my knees at the comment. Unfortunately, it had been a while. A long while. Casey wasn’t exactly the giving kind, and masturbation could only get a girl so far. Kendra had been on a mission to fix me with someone since the day I vowed to stay single and cried crocodile tears in her lap. She’d failed. Miserably. Not her fault, but my own. Work had taken the lead in my life, leaving me no time to play as I climbed the corporate ladder for a promotion. My sex life was dead.

  “This place is amazing. I still don’t get how you managed the investment.” I grabbed her attention with the one thing I knew Kendra loved talking about, and that was herself. She had been searching for a partner to help with the establishment for months.

  “I found a silent partner.” She winked my way and just as quickly turned her attention to the muscled bartender, waving him down. “Gabe, two orgasms!”

  I sat upright.

  She leaned into me and whispered, “You need to relax, Sam. Here, take this. I’m prescribing fun for tonight. Nothing else.” Her lips quickly took mine in a delicate kiss that left a little pill on my tongue. She pulled away and winked. “Now swallow.”

  A wave of nerves sprinkled over my arms, but Kendra was my bestie, and I was very ready for a bit of fun.

  I deserve this, I reminded myself. A one-night stand was exactly what I needed to get back up on the horse.

  One night. Nothing more and nothing less.

  I sipped on the Virgin Mary and waited for the pill to hit my stomach. The sound of a plummeting mistake echoed back. I wanted to ask Kendra how long it would take for the pill to kick in, but I forgot my words as soon as I saw Gabe stroll over from the other side of the bar. His sexy grin stretched across his face. He beamed with confidence as he set two shot glasses on the counter in front of Kendra. A whiff of his strong cologne displaced my balance. The tantalizing scent circled my lungs like an aphrodisiac.

  Gabe reached for a bottle on a higher shelf. His shirt lifted above his belt, exposing his toned backside. Delectable shivers tingled in all the right and wrong places on my body, overstimulating my senses. He grasped the bottle’s neck, and from that point, I couldn’t look away. As he prepped the shots, flipping the bottles in the air, the muscles in his arms bulged and twisted. A tattoo of a thorn peeked from underneath the edge of his short sleeve. It encircled his bicep, appearing to pierce his skin in random spots with inked drops of blood.

  I had no tattoos because I preferred to live pain-free. Also, the fear of needles was real.

  Gabe tossed the bottle in the air like a pro. His strong fingers caught the flask on the way back down, where he gripped it and tilted the bottle, ready to pour the liquor.

  Fucking sexy as hell.

  I shifted in my seat. The onslaught of his manly moves made me think of Casey’s lack of any moves and how much I needed something firm and stable… someone, someone with experience like Gabriel Silver. Where did Kendra find him? The music faded in and out, and I wondered why the sound system was wonky. Sweat dripped down my back. The room spun. I glanced back at the thick crowd of bodies moving over the dance floor like a swarm of ants. Claustrophobia had never been a good friend to me.

  “He’s good with his hands, isn’t he?” Kendra played
with the end of my braid, bringing my attention back to her. She seemed rather calm and playful for an opening night.

  “Yeah, he is,” I replied in a dreamy voice. If Gabe heard me, he didn’t let on. Should I have said it louder?

  Argh!

  Gabe excused himself towards another customer. “One sec.”

  “Where did you find him?” I asked as soon as he left.

  “He’s a friend of a friend. They’re cousins. We’re one big happy family.”

  I wasn’t sure whether that was sarcasm, because the room was spinning.

  “But you could almost say I found him in heaven.” She giggled, swaying back and forth on her stool. “I’m fixing you up with him tonight.”

  “What? Wait, you’re not serious, are you?” My heart pounded in my chest as I lifted my gaze in slow motion to an irresistibly sexy grin. Gabe pushed the shot glasses forward, drawing my attention to his talented fingers and hands.

  “To great orgasms! I hope they please you as much as I like to please.” He winked, turning on the charm and I heated all over again. The silver streak near the bangs matched the mysterious sparkle in his eyes. The scar across his brow lifted each time he looked at me. It must have taken an effort to lay that on someone his size.

  More sweat dripped all over, and I made a mental note to use the ladies’ room as soon as possible. Yet I didn’t want to leave.

  Did he even know we were being set up?

  I snuck another peek at my hopefully-soon-to-be adventure. In the shadow of his longer hair, his piercing blue eyes dazzled like gems. A spark of mystery glistened in their center. They stood out against his tanned caramel skin, and just like that, my hormones threw a party in my pants. Evidence of experience and charismatic personality vibrated against the counter as he served the guests. He was older, but I wasn’t about to age discriminate against that body and experience.

  His stare encouraged a new rush of heat below my navel. My muscles lost their tension, and my attention shifted to the half Virgin Mary I was finishing. Maybe it wasn’t a virgin after all? An icy shiver sprinkled over my body, and I concluded my hormones were working overtime this evening.