Stripped Love (Guys Next Door #1) - Baylin Crow Page 0,66

curtain. The last time we'd been in that position had been in high school when we'd been busted skipping class and smoking behind the gym.

Dealing with Principal Roden, with his oversized thick glasses and graying walrus mustache, was a walk in the park when compared to the raging woman tearing through the room.

Desi's palms smacked against the top of the desk, and she leaned forward, bright green eyes narrowed to slits. "Dominic pays me to keep the entertainment fresh, talented and in line. Those guests are not only his friends but important to the club. Each of them invests heavily to keep us running the way we do, which is why I sent my best dancers up there." Her eyes shifted between me and Damon. "So, one of you better explain what the hell was going on."

Anger fired in my veins. "I've told you not to pair me with Aiden. If you're looking to punish someone, you need to talk to him."

"Aiden?" She tilted her head, condescension coloring her expression. "I know you two have history, and I know it's caused you some personal issues. But what I walked in on up there? I can't see how he was responsible when he was still where he was supposed to be? With his party, just as you should have been."

"Because he texted my boyfriend—"

She held up her hand to stop me. "Let me stop you there and make sure I'm hearing you correctly. The boy upstairs was your boyfriend?"

"Yes, and Aiden texted him from my phone to come pick me up. I didn't invite him here." My hands fisted where they rested on my bare thighs as impatience and frustration coursed through me. "And then when Archer showed up, Aiden put a fucking handcuff on me, using the other side as a fucking puppet string. I love my boyfriend. And Aiden's jealous ass purposely fucked things up. I was trying to follow your rules. I should have shoved the asshole off of me. Instead I tried to create distance between us, but he'd use the handcuff to pull me back!" By this time, I was yelling and could feel my face reddening. But the look on Archer’s face, completely devastated, crushed me. "I'd already planned to tell you, and I have told you time and again to keep him away from me!"

"One"—she held up a single finger—"watch your tone. You are riding a fine line as is, Nix. Two"—another finger flicked up—"this is why boyfriends aren't allowed in our club. You should have made sure he understood the rules before he entered the premises. That was your responsibility. And three"—a third finger joined the others—"why would Aiden do that, and how did he get ahold of your phone?"

I gritted my teeth. "You happen to look at my locker when you passed by, Des? The fucking lock is busted."

Aiden hadn’t even tried to hide it, and my phone was sitting on top of my clothes, as if he was flaunting what he’d done. I felt violated. How much of my and Archer's privacy had he been privy to? Anger reignited, blazing hot over my skin.

The leather chair next to mine squeaked, and I looked over as Damon leaned forward. "The why, Phoenix already answered. Aiden is a jealous prick, and you can ask any of the guys. Phoenix has dealt with more than he should have to. The how? Obviously, he broke into his locker. But you make have bigger problems than a broken locker to fix. You may have to do some digging to confirm, but it's the only explanation I've found that makes sense. First, let me ask you a question, Des."

"Let's hear it." Her tone bled impatience.

Damon cocked his head. "How did Archer get into the club at all? How did his name get added to the list?"

The question caught me off guard because I'd been too consumed by Archer's grief—caused by me—and my anger to consider it.

Desi grew quiet, and my gaze darted to her. "I made that list myself, and he wasn't on it." Her chuckle was humorless. "Apparently more of my staff isn't capable of fulfilling their job. I'll deal with Oscar once we're done here."

Oscar was one of the bouncers who guarded the front door. He was a hard ass, and I couldn't see him letting someone slip by him uninvited.

"I think if you check, you'll find Archer West on that list," Damon added.

Desi glared again before turning to the open laptop on the desk.