Thomas & January Read Online Free PDF Page B

fifteen minutes late.
    “Shit! Nine-fifteen?” I asked no one.
    I rushed out the door, not because I was in a hurry to see what January looked like after all these months or to see what she thought of me. No, I was excited to meet my friends. Yeah, that’s it. I hailed a cab but when the cabbie asked where to, I couldn’t tell him. I’d forgotten to ask Jason. I’d flipped my cell open and rang him.
    “Yo!”
    “Jason, where’s this party at?”
    “The Bowery.”
    Seriously? Did she do this on purpose?
              “The Bowery,” I told the cabbie.
The Bowery was special to me for lots of reasons. I used to perform there all the time with my band, The Ivories, and Callum married Harper there. It was our place.
              “See you there,” I told Jason and hung up.
              The cab pulled up in front and I could hear the dull bass from the club beat into the street. My stomach dropped a little and my heart jumped in my throat. Just go in there and chill out . I walked up to the doorman.
    “Name?” He asked.
“Thomas Eriksson,” I said.
    The guy flipped through the list. “Sorry, you’re not on here.” His eyes lit up. “In fact, your name’s under the ‘Do not permit under any circumstance’ list.”
              “Is that a joke? What kind of list is that?”
    “Exclusively yours, it seems. Your name is the only one under it.” He smiled smugly.
    “You’re screwing with me.”
    “No, sir.”
    “Get Jason Barrett out here.”
    “I’m sorry, but it says right here...”
    “I know what it says. Just get Jason Barrett here.”
    “I apologize, sir, but we can’t,” the bouncer said, stepping in, enjoying his position of authority a little too much.
    “Screw this,” I said, reaching for my cell. I flipped it open and dialed Jason.
    “Yo!” I barely heard through the blaring music.
    “Jason, come to the door!” I yelled.
    “What!” he screamed.
    “Come to the door! ”
    He hung up and I just hoped he’d heard me correctly. Five minutes later, Jason walked out and signaled for the bouncer to let me in.
    “What was that all about?” he asked.
    “January,” I seethed.
    “Oh, hoo, hoo, ” Jason laughed. “That is rich.”
    “You’re gonna let her get away with that?” I asked, incredulous.
    “Hell yeah I am! She burned you and she didn’t even have to be there. That girl, I swear,” he said, shaking his head.
    When I finally glimpsed into the ballroom, I couldn't believe my eyes. The music pumped loudly, which wasn’t unusual, but what took my breath away was the swathes of billowy cloth that hung from the ceiling over our heads, giving the entire room an ethereal feel. I refused to give her credit for that. Probably someone else’s idea. Jason had abandoned me, distracted by an issue at the front again, leaving me to my own devices.
    That little punk ass. I searched the floor for her. I had a few choice words to lay into her. I wanted to be cured of her poisonous claws and burning me like that was one way to do it, thanks to her delightful butt. My eyes scanned the room around me. I almost hoped she was on the dance floor. I imagined myself dragging her off by her hair to the edge. No, too Neanderthal . She wasn’t near the bar nor anywhere near the throngs of girls in the line for the restroom. I finally spotted her on stage, leaning over the DJ’s tables.
    But spotting her held the opposite effect I wanted it to have on me. In fact, all vexation I previously felt for her dissipated into puddles at my feet. Damn it! She was as beautiful as I’d remembered. More so, in fact. She was bent over the tables, the hem of her short skirt riding slightly up her muscular thighs. Her long dark brown hair was down and cascaded over her shoulder, shielding her face. I hated how much I liked that she’d worn it that way. She’d curled it into waves and I thought back to how those strands felt sifting through my