girls. You haven’t seen them in months. How about I pick you up on Monday morning? We can go to the spa and get a mani and pedi before you have to start work next week.”
Camryn nods her head. “Okay, that sounds good. After dinner, I’ll grab some things and throw them in an overnight bag. What is on the agenda for tomorrow? I need to know what kind of clothes to pack.”
Jamie replies, “Whenever we get up, we can head to the gym, or for a run in Central Park. Whatever you want to do. I figured, we’d spend the day together, grab a show and dinner or something,”
“I’d like that. I’ve been dying to see Lion King, and who better to take me than you.”
“Anything for you, Tink. After all, I’ve never been able to deny you anything before so no sense starting now.” I grin as I say this, hoping she reads into my unspoken innuendo.
“Awe, Jamie, you’re such a sweet talker,” Camryn says as she pats my cheeks with her warm hands.
I’m looking forward to spending as much time as possible with Camryn while she’s home. I may never get this opportunity again to tell her how I feel and I’m really hoping that we stop denying ourselves of what we both know is happening between us.
JAMIE
ONCE WE FINISH dinner, we say our goodbyes and Cami’s father, Mark, drops us off in the City. We had plenty of time to get ready before the girls were meeting us at Aces at ten o’clock. I texted Lincoln to see what club he would be at tonight. Aces is located in Chelsea, not too far from where Lincoln’s apartment is. It’s a laid-back bar with old rock and roll nostalgia on the walls, a stage, and a few pool tables. Aces isn’t anything elaborate, just a great place to hang out, see some bands play, and eat some surprisingly tasty bar food. Christian and I spend almost every weekend here. He is always scoping for possible new clients, and my band, Side Effects, plays there every other Friday night.
Having Lincoln own Aces benefited Side Effects tremendously when we first started out. It gave us a steady venue to play. Now we bring in a large following, but Linc keeps us on the schedule. He gave us a chance when no one else would. Aces is and will always be like home to us.
Lincoln’s other club, Redemption, has a totally different feel from Aces. Whereas Aces is more laid back and is a great place to hang out, Redemption is a full-blown club. Lincoln’s girlfriend, and Camryn’s best friend, Morgan, is in charge of this club. She handles everything from entertainment, private parties for high profile clients, hiring and firing of staff along with promotional work for both Aces and Redemption. Morgan is great with pulling in crowds, she spotlights up-and-coming bands and also scores some big names to play at both clubs. Morgan was also able to bring on DJ Magnum, one of the hottest DJs in the New York City scene. His name, alone, on the sign out front packs the house.
When I get a text from Christian, I grab my jacket and head down a few floors to his apartment.
When I walk in, he’s in the kitchen grabbing shot glasses from the cabinet above the stove. “What poison are we starting the night off with?”
I shrug my shoulders, “Whatever you have is good with me. Just nothing sweet. That shit doesn’t sit well in my stomach.”
“Decision made, Absolut, it is.” He pulls the freezer door open and grabs the bottle of vodka. He pours three shot glasses and grabs the lemon from the fridge, I assume in case Camryn wants to do her favorite shot, a Lemon Drop.
“Hey, Cami, how much longer are you gonna be? I told Lincoln that we’d meet him there around ten,” Christian shouts down the hall. We do our shots, and he pours us another. We down our second shot, when the door finally opens. I hear the click of Camryn’s heels on the hardwood before I see her.
When my eyes meet her standing before me, I damn near fall off the stool. My heart pounds against my chest and I feel like there is a lump in my
David Stuckler Sanjay Basu
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