the building.
“It’s crowded tonight,” Langston said.
“Appears that way,” Jarred responded.
“I’m going to follow Brice. He knows this place inside and out. He’ll know where there’s parking.”
“I thought you’d been here before?”
“I have. It’s just been a while.”
They found parking a block away from the lounge. Jarred was surprised that by the time they walked back around to the club, the crowd had practically disappeared.
“Where did all those people go?” he asked.
“Most probably weren’t allowed inside, so they left. There is a dress code. No jeans or sneakers. Business casual is the preference,” Brice said, as they walked up to the door.
The bouncer, a tall man with a large build and a buzz cut, stood there. “Brice, my man! I haven’t seen you here in a little bit. Go on in. You know your table is always available.”
“Thanks, Norman. How’s it going?”
“I can’t complain. The lady herself is here tonight. You all are in for a treat.” Norman smiled.
“She’s back?”
“Yep, and on fire. Go on in. She’ll be on in a few.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll talk to you later. By the way, these are my brothers, Jarred and Langston. Langston’s been here before with me, but you weren’t on duty,” Brice said.
“Nice to meet you. Go on inside.” Norman waved Brice through. Jarred and Langston followed on his heels.
“Is there anyone he doesn’t know?” Jarred whispered to Langston.
“Our brother does get around. I’m wondering who this she is.”
“I can hear you two,” Brice snorted.
“So?” Jarred and Langston responded simultaneously.
Brice led them to a table in front of a dimly lit stage. A gold Reserved sign sat on the table.
Jarred glanced around the lounge. The place seemed like one giant booth, with leather seating and lit candles in rust-colored holders giving the room an orange glow. Very cozy, he had to admit, very relaxing. This was a place one would want to come after a hard day. The round table that he and his brothers occupied could easily fit eight people.
“So who is this she the bouncer was referring to, Brice?” Langston asked.
“You’ll see, Lang my boy.” Brice smirked.
“If you call me Lang again, you won’t be seeing anything or anybody,” Langston countered.
Jarred chuckled. Brotherly love. What can I say? Nothing, and that’s what I’ll do. Say nothing.
A big, circular spotlight lit the center of the stage, and people began to stand and clap.
Jarred eyed all of them suspiciously. There was no one on the stage. A few moments later, a lone figure walked out into the center and Jarred’s mouth dropped open. The woman had legs that went on for days. They were displayed in a formfitting black dress with a deeply cut V neckline and a long, almost waist-high split up the side. Her natural hair was styled in a thick, wavy bob that stopped at her shoulders. Her skin tone was slightly darker than caramel, but lighter than pecan, more like cinnamon. Her body was to die for, and her smile shone brighter than the stage lighting.
“If you don’t close your mouth soon, bro, you are sure to attract flies,” Brice said.
“You all sure know how to make a lady feel loved,” the mystery lady said. Her voice was so sultry and soulful, a shiver of awareness coursed through Jarred.
He could do nothing but stare at her, spellbound by her presence. He squinted his eyes and leaned forward to get a better view. Upon closer inspection, he recognized that there was something familiar about her, then it hit him like a sack of bricks.
“Hey, isn’t that—”
“Nerd Girl,” Langston finished.
“Be quiet, you two. Her name is Nevealise not Nerd Girl,” Brice said angrily.
“We know her name, Brice,” Jarred countered. “It was just an expression and you know it. We all called her that back then.”
The last time Jarred saw Nevealise, she was headed to Cambridge for her freshman year at MIT. Jarred had known from his sister that she had a crush on him. Nevealise had been Kat’s friend and math tutor, and was often at the house. Kat had kidded him often enough about her friend’s crush. However, he had no interest in the young woman who, at eighteen, was six years his junior. Jarred remembered he’d called her “Jailbait.” At the time he considered her far too young for him. Besides, he was already in a relationship with Lainey.
Well, I’ll be damned. Little Nevealise Tempest has grown into a stunning woman.
She used to come around with her father, and usually had a book in her hand. He and his brothers had dubbed her “Nerd Girl” because she was always spouting something she’d discovered in a book, and was a whiz at equations. Her visits with her father were what led her to become his sister’s tutor. If he remembered correctly, she was two years older than Kat, which would put Nevealise at around twenty-eight now. No longer jailbait. If he was honest with himself he’d admit the moment their eyes met, he wanted to drag her offstage and have his way with her.
“What the hell is she doing, singing in a club? Didn’t she graduate from MIT?” Jarred murmured.
“Damn, she is fine,” Langston declared.
Just then Nevealise bellowed out a soulful rendition of Joss Stone’s “Put Your Hands On Me.”
That voice. It held Jarred captive. He couldn’t turn away even if he tried. Not only was she beautiful, but her singing was glorious.
“Does her old man know that his daughter is a lounge singer?” Jarred asked.
“None of her family knows. For the record, she isn’t only a singer, she owns the place. Hence the name,” Brice told them.
“Who cares whether or not her family knows? She’s good,” Langston said, bopping to the tune.
Like magnet to metal, Jarred and Nevealise’s eyes met and lingered. She was the first to break eye contact as she finished the song and transitioned directly into another. This time she sauntered out into the crowd, stopping at their table to place a kiss on Brice’s cheek. She flashed Jarred and Langston a quick smile, then continued mingling with the other guests. For the first time in his life, Jarred was jealous of his youngest brother.
“Don’t get your hackles up, big brother. Nev and I are just friends,” Brice snorted.
“What are you going on about, Brice? What hackles?” Jarred said, unable to take his eyes off the woman.
Langston
