Page 14 of Turn Me On (The AfterGlow #2)

Charlie

I ran my lotion-covered fingers over my face as I sat at one of the vanities in the dressing room.

The bags under my eyes were dark, but that was no surprise given the night I’d had.

Sometimes on late nights like these, I slept over, but I wanted nothing more than to crawl into my own bed with Rider. Even if it was only for a few hours.

Lilah plopped down in one of the cushy loveseats in the back dressing room. “I am completely and utterly spent.”

“You look like you’ve been through the wringer,” I said, a knowing smile on my lips. Adam must’ve punished her well and good tonight. Perhaps the extra adrenaline from the Brad Situation spurred him on a little more than usual.

She stuck out her tongue as our gazes connected in the mirror and laughed. “I could say the same for you. Good crowd?”

I bobbed my head up and down. “Great crowd. I didn’t see you in the viewing area. Though I did see Brad. That was a whole thing.”

Lilah sat straight up. “What the hell?”

I held a hand out to calm her. “Rider sorted it out. Don’t worry. We can debrief tomorrow. Tell me more about your night.”

Brad was more of a breakfast topic. I didn’t need any more time wasted spouting off about him tonight. I pumped a handful of lotion onto my palms and began working it into my arms.

She squinted her eyes at me. “If you say so…Adam kept me plenty busy. I can’t remember the last time he shared me around that much,” she said wistfully. “Not only did I earn the right to call him daddy , but he kind of proposed to me, too.”

I gasped and clapped my hands together, careful not to splatter the remaining lotion in my palm. “Holy shit! That’s amazing! But I thought you hated marriage and tradition and all that jazz?”

She kicked her feet and wiggled her eyebrows at me. “It’s a bit of a story. I’ll explain when the sun comes up, but just know I’m fucking ecstatic about it.”

A knock sounded from the dressing room door, followed by Olivia’s voice saying, “Can I come in?”

Lilah shook her head. “She’s never going to just barge in here, is she?”

I giggled while applying cream to my legs. “Nope. Not her style.”

“Get in here!” Lilah hollered.

A second later, the door cracked open, and Olivia rushed into the room, quickly closing the door behind her.

Lilah patted the open spot next to her. “Oh my goodness, Liv. You’re not going to get in trouble for being back here with us. We’re both staff.”

“Yeah, but I’m not! I’m breaking the rules,” she whispered as she crossed the room to take a seat beside Lilah.

She put her hand on Olivia’s shoulder. “We literally have this conversation every time you come in here. ”

“I just don’t want to get kicked out or lose my membership. Especially after tonight.” A wicked grin lit up her innocent doe eyes.

“Spill!” I yelled a bit too loudly, spinning around on my poofy vanity seat to face them both. “We need all the details. Every single one.”

Olivia flopped her head back onto the armrest, letting her limbs sprawl out every which way. “It was so good . I need to install an anchor point in my bedroom.”

I squealed and reached between my legs, dragging my stool across the floor to close the gap between the three of us. “He suspended you?”

The bright red blush that spread across her cheeks was classic Olivia. Even though we were her best friends in the world, she still got embarrassed. I had a feeling that would fade after a couple more weeks at the club.

“Yes! I didn’t think I would like it, but I did .” She emphasised the last word and dragged her hands down her face. “I really, really did.”

I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled, “Watch out, Bridgette—Liv is coming for your job! ”

“I am not!” Olivia squealed, sitting up and slapping at my hands.

We both broke out in a fit of laughter and Lilah reclined on the loveseat with a smile. “Relax. She’s still out mingling at the bar.”

“Seriously, Liv, you should see if you can model one night for her demonstrations. I bet she’d say yes,” I offered.

That would be easy to set up. Bridgette was always looking for eager and willing models. Her rope designs paired with a woman who looked like Liv. Oof . The entire display would be fucking gorgeous.

“Nico would eat that shit up,” Lilah added.

Olivia twirled her short, dirty blonde locks around her finger. “I think I’d be up for trying that. Maybe.”

“Yeah, you would. Saucy little minx.” I winked, stood up, and pushed my stool back to the vanity.

Face was clean. Hair was brushed. Skin was moisturized. I was ready to hit the sack.

“What are you guys up to tomorrow?” Olivia asked.

“You mean today?” Lilah swiped her phone off the glass end table beside the couch. “It’s already two in the morning.”

I shimmied into the light blue pajama set Rider had gotten me for my birthday a few months back. It hugged my curves, but also felt like a goddamn cloud wrapped around my skin. Best of both worlds. “Want to get breakfast in, like, six hours?”

Lilah stood up, grabbed her purse, and slung it over her shoulder. “Meet at Twisted Fork at nine? I think I’m just going to crash in Adam’s room instead of going home. I’m too worn out for the drive.”

“Works for me,” Olivia agreed, standing from her place on the couch and crossing the room to give me a hug. “See you there, too?”

“Of course. You know I can’t say no to a croque monsieur and bottomless coffee.” I kissed Olivia on the cheek and waved goodbye to both of them.

Lilah blew me a kiss as she headed out the door, Liv close behind her.

I toed on my white sneakers and grabbed my daisy-shaped purse from under the vanity.

“Hey, babe,” Rider said softly, cracking open the back door to the room. “Ready to go?”

I padded in his direction and practically fell into his arms. “Will you drive? I think I’m going to fall asleep as soon as I buckle my seatbelt.”

His nose scrunched as he peered down at me. “Of course. When do I not drive?”

“I…don’t know. Good point.” I nuzzled into his chest. “You’re wearing clothes.”

The full, hearty sound of his laugh filled my ears. “I’m not going to walk out of here in the buff.”

I pursed my lips. “There was that time you forgot to put on underwear. And pants. And you made it all the way to the first-floor lobby before you realized you were half-nude.”

“ One time!” he shouted, picking me up and tossing me over his shoulder. “A guy forgets his boxers one time and never lives it down.”

I slapped his ass, which was square in front of my face. “You gave the lady at the security desk a heart attack!”

“No such thing happened,” he insisted, walking us to the elevators.

I went limp, succumbing to my fate of being hoisted out of the building like a rag doll. “I’m exaggerating. But she was hyperventilating so hard, she needed to use her inhaler.”

The club was quiet. Empty. It was always so strange seeing it empty after hours, but the quiet was welcome. The elevator chimed and I saw the doors open from my upside-down vantage point.

“Can you blame her?” he asked, loading us into the compartment and setting me on my feet.

“No.” I smiled up at him. “No, I can’t.”