I could rest.
Toby and Shane got a separate room a floor below mine.
“Dinner’s at seven, so wanna meet in the lobby at like six thirty?” I asked.
“That works. It only takes five minutes to get back to the other hotel,” Toby answered as he stepped off the elevator and onto his floor. Shane followed silently.
“See ya then.”
When the door closed, I rested my head against the elevator wall. My body ached, and I wanted to close my eyes for a little bit. I opened the door to my room, tossed my shoes, and faceplanted onto the bed. It wasn’t long before I was drifting off, my head full of red hair, gray eyes, and shy smiles.
The ballroom at the hotel where the dinner was held was like any other. Chandeliers dripped with crystal; there were floral carpets and large round tables with extravagant flowers and fine china. I was glad Toby and Shane were there so I could use them as a buffer. As weird as it sounded, I wasn’t a huge people person. In my DJ booth, it was me and the music. On special nights I interacted with Atlas on the stage, but the booth always gave me a sort of protection, a separation from groping hands and unwanted closeness.
“Are you going to the con in California this year, Ledger?” Trinity, who was placed at our table, asked.
“No. I only came to this one because it wasn’t too far from Joker’s Sin, and I only had to take a couple of days off work.”
Trinity flipped her lavender hair off her shoulder and folded her hands on the table. Her cleavage was not to be ignored.
“Why do you work in a nightclub exclusively? Your talent is unique, and you should be traveling.”
I felt Toby sit up straighter, readying himself to speak, and I jumped in quickly. “I’m not a traveler. I like having one place that’s familiar. I did my time traveling and now—”
“You’re settling,” she said.
“Have you ever even been to Joker’s Sin?” Shane asked before I had a chance to respond.
“No,” she scoffed. “Unlike Ledger here, I like to hop around.”
“I asked you if you’d ever been to Joker’s Sin, not about your bed-hopping.” An angry Shane was hot: his gray eyes blazed, his skin flushed a gorgeous red, and when I saw his fist clench his napkin, I wished it were my bedsheets.
“Why, you little—” Trinity started to say but I defused the situation.
“You’re insulting where we work, Trin. He’s being loyal and protective. Maybe don’t push, and you won’t get it in return.”
“I wasn’t talking to him—why would I?” she sneered. “I was talking to you. Why don’t you join me in Miami next month? It’s not a con, but it is a festival. Chill and calm, remember when you would do those? You always said they were your favorite.”
She wasn’t wrong, but if I were going to go to a festival, it wouldn’t be with her. “I’m not sure that’s possible, but I’ll look into it.” I ended it there, happy when the servers placed our salads in front of us. I could feel the heat radiating off Shane, and my skin tickled with an overwhelming urge to comfort him and get him to relax.
“Sorry,” Shane whispered to me while everyone else was busy in conversation.
“Don’t be. You had every right to defend Joker’s.”
“She—I don’t like her.”
I laughed, not because I was surprised he didn’t like her—that was obvious—but because he’d genuinely pouted when he said it.
“I know. She makes it hard to like her at all.” I looked over at Trinity, who was sipping some fruity drink and talking to who I assumed was her assistant. “She wasn’t always like this. But fame got to her head and never left.”
“You’re not like that.” Shane placed his fork down, eyes on me. Fuck, I wanted to kiss him.
“No, I’m not. Never been keen on the fame part of it all. I love what I do, not the crazy it brings.”
He nodded. “Then why do this con?”
“Because it draws attention to Joker’s Sin. And that helps the club, and for the club, I’d do anything.”
He smiled like my answer was the best thing ever, and I felt like I’d won the lottery.
The rest of dinner was uneventful. We ate, and there were a few speeches thanking us and explaining what tomorrow would bring. Knowing Shane would be there didn’t make me nervous. I was excited; maybe I could get to know him a little better.