Page 9 of Bad Luck, Hard Love (Heaven’s Rejects MC #6)

CHARLOTTE

Thor had been gone for an hour when Minny finally stirs from the couch, her slumber interrupted by the sharp blare of her alarm. She pokes her head over the top of the sofa, her hair a wild halo of disarray, pointing in every direction.

“Morning,” she mumbles through a wide yawn, her words blending together in a sleepy murmur. She stretches her arms wide, her joints cracking audibly as she groans with the effort. “What time did we get back?”

“I don’t know,” I reply with a shrug.

Minny rubs the remnants of sleep from her eyes, blinking slowly as her focus settles on me. Her expression shifts—concern etching itself into her features as she takes in my demeanor.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

“How much do you remember about last night?” I inquire. She pauses, her mind diving into the hazy remnants of the previous night, her eyebrows knitting together in thought. Doubt flickers across her face, and she shakes her head slightly.

“I...I can't really remember much,” she admits. “Just fragments. Drinks. The casino. A couple of guys hitting on us. A guy with a man bun. Why?”

I nod, my expression grave. “Something occurred at the club.”

She sits up, now fully alert, her hair cascading around her face. “What do you mean? We...we didn't do anything illegal, did we?”

I shake my head, relieved to be able to offer some reassurance. “We were drugged.”

She blinks. “Drugged? Are you serious?”

I nod solemnly. “Yeah. Thor said it was the guys at the bar.”

“Who the hell is Thor?”

“The guy I woke up next to this morning.”

Minny throws her hand up. “Wait. You’re going to have to say that again. You woke up next to a man this morning named Thor?”

“I know, it sounds ridiculous. Believe me. I think it sounds ridiculous.” My hands fall to my hips as I let out a slow breath.

“But it’s true. Thor saw one of the guys dose our drinks and stopped me from drinking it.

It turns out they may have spiked our cocktails, because not long after he stepped in, I blacked out.

He carried me back here, and then you passed out on the couch. ”

“So let me get this straight. We were drugged, and Thor… some random guy you woke up next to saved us from whatever those guys had planned?”

I nod, my heart pounding in my chest. “Yes, it’s insane, I know, but that’s what happened.”

She falls silent for a moment, processing the information. Slowly, she rises from the couch and walks over to the kitchenette counter, leaning against it for support. Her fingers tap against the marble surface as she takes deep breaths.

“Jesus Christ,” she breathes, running a shaky hand through her tangled hair. “That's...that's fucking terrifying, Charlie. We could have...” She trails off, unable to finish.

I cross the room and place my hand over hers. “I know.”

“And this Thor guy just happened to be watching us? How do we know he's not just spinning some hero story to get into your pants?”

“I thought the same thing at first,” I admit. “But he didn't try anything. He could have taken advantage of the situation, but he didn't. He just made sure we were safe.”

Minny's skepticism fades slightly. “Man bun guy,” she murmurs, recognition flickering across her face. “I remember him now. Tall, built like a brick shit house, with those intense eyes.”

I nod, a slight flush creeping up my neck. “That's him.”

She slides onto a barstool, wincing as her head throbs. “So, what happens now? Do we call the police? Report those assholes?”

“Thor already alerted security. He said the guys are probably long gone by now.” I fill a glass with water and hand it to her. “Drink this. Slowly.”

She takes small sips, her hands still trembling slightly. “I can't believe this happened. I've been going to clubs for years, Charlie. I should have been more careful.”

“Those fuckers.” She sets her glass down with more force than necessary, water sloshing over the rim. “We're supposed to be having fun, not dealing with...with this.”

“I know.”

“So where is he now? Your knight in shining armor?”

“He left about an hour ago. But...” I hesitate, feeling a flutter of nervousness in my stomach, “he asked me to dinner tonight.”

Minny's eyebrows shoot up, her jaw dropping before transforming into a sly grin. “And? What did you say?”

I nod, feeling a flush creep up my cheeks. “Yeah, he kind of insisted. I bet he won’t mind if you come along too.”

“He insisted, huh?” She smirks mischievously. “Well, well, well. Looks like someone made quite an impression on you.” She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

“It’s not like that,” I protest, though my cheeks grow hotter. “I barely know him. I just want to thank him properly for helping us.”

“Oh, sweetie,” Minny laughs, wincing slightly at the pain it causes her head. “That's exactly what it's like. And there's nothing wrong with that. And no, I will not be crashing your dinner date. This is your chance to have some fun with a hot guy who literally saved us.”

“It's not a date,” I insist, though the flutter in my stomach suggests otherwise.

“And I'm not nursing the worst headache of my life right now.” She grabs my hands. “What are you going to wear?”

“I have no idea,” I admit.

“Then we need to go shopping.”

“Don’t you have a conference to attend?”

“Shit,” she swears when she peers at the clock. “It started like an hour ago.” She rushes around the room, tossing open her bag and pulling out an outfit before she disappears into the bathroom. A few minutes later, she emerges, dressed, with her hair slicked back into a tight bun.

“I’m sorry to have to leave you, but my boss will kill me if my name doesn’t appear on the attendance list.”

“I get it.”

Minny grabs a pair of dress shoes from her bag and slips them onto her feet.

“What time is your date?”

“I’m not sure. He didn’t set a time, just said he would be back to pick me up.”

“Well, hopefully, I’ll be back before he comes by.

I’d like to meet this guy. You know, give him the once-over.

” She smiles as she heads for the door. “Feel free to borrow something out of my bag if you don’t feel like shopping.

I’m sure there will be something in there that will work.

” She opens the door with a smile. “See you later. Maybe I can sneak out, and we can grab lunch.”

Closing the door behind her, Minny heads off to her conference, leaving me to catch up on some more sleep.

I wake up around noon when Minny texts me to let me know they catered lunch in for the conference.

I consider ordering room service or delivery, but my stomach is still upset. So, instead, I opt to lay back down.

By late afternoon, I find myself getting ready for dinner with Thor.

The nerves kick in as I stand staring at my bag, contemplating what to wear.

I didn’t pack for a date. Truthfully, it’s been so long that I have no idea what people wear for dates these days.

Dates stopped the second Terrance and I got married, unless it was for a work function.

Finding nothing in my bag, I check Minny’s. She apparently prepared to party because her bag is filled with dresses in various colors and lengths. I find a one-sleeve black dress toward the bottom of her bag and pull it out.

“This might work.”

It’s not too short, and the shoes I wore yesterday will still work with it.

I change into the dress and stare at myself in the mirror.

The cocktail dress hugs my curves in all the right places.

There’s a slight sheen to the material—not quite disco ball, but it shimmers in the light.

It makes me feel confident and sexy, and I figure it’s the perfect choice for dinner.

I slip on the strappy heels and carefully apply my makeup, opting for smoky eyes and red lips.

Satisfied, I head out to the main room of our suite and get settled on the couch until he shows. An hour ticks by, then another. A third one rolls around, and noise outside the door sends my heart fluttering until the keycard reader beeps, and Minny steps inside.

“You’re still here?” she asks. “Please tell me he didn’t stand you up.”

“No, he didn’t stand me up. He just hasn’t shown up yet.”

Minny raises an eyebrow, a mix of concern and annoyance crossing her face. “He better have a damn good reason for keeping you waiting like this,” she says, stepping farther into the room, closing the door behind her.

“I mean, we didn’t set a time. Maybe he didn’t mean tonight.”

Before I can respond, there’s a knock on the door. We both turn our heads toward it, anticipation building in the air. I rush to answer it, hoping Thor has finally arrived.

As I swing open the door, my heart sinks. It’s not Thor standing there but a hotel staff member holding a tray of food. “Room service for Ms. Anderson,” he says with a polite smile.

“Oh...” I mutter, feeling deflated. “I didn’t order any food.”

The staff member checks his list and then looks back at me apologetically. “Apologies, ma’am. It seems there’s been a mistake. This tray was meant for another room.”

“No worries,” I say with a forced smile.

As soon as the staff member leaves and I shut the door behind me, Minny lets out a frustrated sigh. “You know, it won’t take me long to change. We can go grab dinner instead.”

A second knock comes to the door. Minny sidesteps me and flings it open. “Dude, we didn’t order—” she declares loudly before she trails off. “I, um… think it’s for you, Charlie.”

Peering over her shoulder, I find Thor standing on the other side. My heart leaps in my chest as I lock eyes with him, his green gaze sending a jolt of electricity through me. He’s dressed in a simple button-down shirt and jeans, looking effortlessly handsome.

“I hope I’m not too late,” he says with a warm smile.

I can’t help but blush at his words, feeling both relieved and thrilled that he finally showed up. “No, not at all. I was just starting to think you weren’t coming.”

Thor’s smile widens as he steps into the room. “I apologize. There was an emergency that required my attention.”

“Do you want to come in?”

“Sure.” He smiles. I tug on Minny’s elbow, drawing her from the door to let him inside.

“You look stunning.”

“Thanks.” I blush.

“Introduce me,” she whispers, pretending to clear her throat.

“Thor, this is Minny.”

“Nice to officially meet you.” He laughs, “I take it you don’t remember much from last night either.”

“Thanks for that. I appreciate the assist.”

“It was nothing. Like I told Charlotte this morning, I was happy to help. No one deserves shit like that to happen.”

“Charlotte?” Minny smiles with raised eyebrows. I hated being called Charlotte. My full name sounds too formal, but the way he says it sets me on edge. His voice’s sultry, deep tone overrides the disdain I have for it.

“Are you ready to go?” he asks, extending his hand to me.

Blushing, I take his hand and let him lead me out of the room. Minny peeks out the door with a smile on her face. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she yells after us before stepping back inside.

As we walk down the hotel corridor toward the elevator, I can’t help but feel a flutter of excitement building within me.

“Do you have an idea of where you’d like to go?” I ask him as we wait for the elevator.

“I have it all taken care of,” he smiles.

“You do?” I ask as the elevator dings, and he pulls me inside. He never releases my hand as he presses the button for the penthouse floor.

“The penthouse? I thought we were going to dinner.” The apprehension must be clear in my tone because he shifts to look at me.

“Do you trust me, Charlotte?”

My breath hitches in my chest. “Yes, I do.”

The elevator doors close, enveloping us in the small space. “I’ve arranged for a private dinner on the rooftop terrace.”

My heart skips a beat at his words, and I can feel the anticipation building within me. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”

Thor chuckles softly, his thumb gently brushing against my hand, still entwined with his. “For you, it’s no trouble at all,” he says sincerely. “I wanted to make tonight special because you deserve it.”

A warm flush spreads across my cheeks as his words wash over me. It’s been so long since anyone has made me feel this way—deserving of something special. I lean in closer to him, my heart pounding with nerves and excitement.