Harder in Heels Read online

  “I’ve got to talk to Angel,” Ronan said, leaping to his feet again. He couldn’t be sure, but as soon as Jeff mentioned “developer” Ronan’s first thought was that Asaph had something to do with the club closing. He ran down the short hallway and rapped on the door of Angel’s office, entering as soon as he heard Angel’s voice.

  Angel wasn’t alone. There was a slender blond man sitting on his lap. Ronan was thrown, he’d never seen Angel with anyone, and the smile on his boss’s face was unusual as well. “Ro, come in. I don’t think you’ve met my husband, Marty. Marty, this is the wonderful Ronan Montgomery whose gorgeous dance moves have helped keep this place in the black for so long.”

  “Ronan, it’s lovely to meet you at last,” Marty said with a huge grin and not shy at all. “Angel’s right; you are adorable, although shorter than I thought you’d be.”

  Ronan looked at his bare feet. “I was relaxing; I usually wear high heels when I’m dancing.”

  “Not something I want you to try,” Angel said, with a bit of growl in his voice. Marty just laughed at him.

  “I’m too much of a klutz to wear heels, love.” The soft look Angel gave Marty was new to Ronan as well and he felt like he was intruding. Ronan surreptitiously sniffed the air. Marty was sick. Some kind of leukemia or lung trouble from the scent of it. The man was pale, but his smile for his husband was beautiful. Ronan felt his heart drop as he imagined what Angel would be going through in the coming months. Not that any of that showed on Angel’s face. After a shared smirk with his husband, Angel turned his attention to him.

  “I guess you heard about the club closing. I would have told you about it personally, but you haven’t been around much.” Like he needed a reminder. Ronan might have hung onto his dignity as he walked out on Asaph, but he’d spent the following five days holed up in his apartment, a walking cliché; tubs of ice-cream, afternoon television and a bad case of the sniffles. Asaph might have been arrogant, and boring, but he’d been Ronan’s mate, and Ronan’s wolf wasn’t coping well with the loss.

  “Jeff said you were selling up. I thought, after that run in with Mr. Bosch that nothing would convince you to sell.”

  “Some things are more important than money, Ro,” Angel said, casting another fond look at the man on his lap. “I know this is sudden, but it has nothing to do with that stuck-up property developer. We learned about Marty’s diagnosis just two days ago, and I immediately scouted around for someone who would take the building and be able to make good use of it. Someone who wasn’t Bosch. Our house has sold as well, and we’re moving this weekend. I’m sorry we couldn’t give you more notice, but surely you’ll be okay. I know you’ve had a ton of job offers since you started working here and I really appreciate your loyalty in staying here.”

  “Of course I’ll be all right.” Ronan straightened his back. “I’m pleased for you, both of you, you deserve some time to yourselves. Jeff was telling me about a new club that was advertising for staff, so I might check that out. How long?”

  “Till we close down? The end of the week. The papers are signed; the developer wants a vacant building. It’s time.”

  “Two more shows then. One tonight and then on Friday,” Ronan managed a smile. “We’ll do you proud, you know we will.”

  Angel nodded, but Ronan could smell the sadness in the air and mixed with the underlying scent of Marty’s illness it made Ronan’s stomach queasy. He quickly made his retreat, his mind going a mile a minute. Changes. Between his arrogant mate, and now the club closing, he was just going to have to suck things up and build a new life for himself. But sugar plum fairies and pixie dust. He hated changes.

  /~/~/~/~/

  “The three male dancers from Club Albion will be here at two o’clock,” Bronson said, coming up beside Asaph as he looked around his…well, Ronan’s new club. After Bronson outlined his plans, Asaph went through the list of buildings he owned, looking for something suitable. The space had originally been a warehouse, but with ten day’s work and a shit-ton of money the place had been transformed. Asaph’s reputation secured the licenses they needed to open and everything was on track for a grand opening the following week.

  “They still think they’re auditioning, right?” Asaph asked, his eyes taking in every detail. He was worried about the stage – was it high enough? If Ronan was dancing, Asaph didn’t want anyone being able to touch him. Maybe he should have made it bigger, but then what if his pretty wolf fell off. Not likely, but Asaph would hate for his mate to have an accident in those heels he always seemed to be wearing.

  “Yeah. It was a stroke of luck, the Albion closing so quickly. You didn’t…?”

  “No, I didn’t.” Asaph said firmly. In fact, he was peeved Angel sold his land and buildings to Rudy of all people. The land was in a prime developing area. But the coincidence, and that’s all it was, definitely helped push Asaph’s plans along. Ronan and his two dance partners would be looking for new work, and the adverts Bronson had placed for him couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s almost as though the Fates were finally working on his behalf.

  “Aren’t you going to change? They’re going to be here in less than fifteen minutes.”

  Asaph looked at his worn jeans and tight t-shirt. Unbeknown to most people, when he was on his own he preferred casual clothes; having spent every waking minute overseeing the club refurbishment and being hands-on most days, his jeans were like a second skin. “Nope,” he said shaking his head. “I already know Ronan’s unimpressed with power suits and anything to do with the business world. Hopefully he’ll like this version of me more.”

  “Be yourself, Asaph,” Bronson suggested quietly. “Relax, let him see the guy I know you can be; and for goodness sake, don’t go biting him in front of his human friends or our construction workers; this club will never get finished.”

  “What made you think I’d do that?”

  “Your fangs are showing.” Bronson laughed, and headed towards the main door. Asaph wasn’t sure if he should be there, or let Ronan look around the place first. Just then, his foreman yelled out, “I need a spare hand here,” and Asaph moved in that direction. He needed to do something to control his freaking nerves.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Nice place,” Jeff murmured, as the three men walked into the new and apparently as yet unnamed club. “Bet this cost a pretty penny to fix up.” Ronan nodded his agreement, although he didn’t say anything. The new club was bigger than the Albion, which made sense because it was in the warehouse district; but the fixtures, wall coverings, everything inside was new. The place reeked of class and money and Ronan felt a poor relation just walking through the doors.

  Jeff and Marcos dragged him along, insisting that the three of them share the audition. Ronan was tired, he’d barely been getting any sleep and trying to eat had been a joke. His wolf longed for Asaph with the simplicity that came from “mate” and while Ronan would never admit it, his heart was hurting. He wanted the safety and love a mate was supposed to offer. Ronan managed to hide it from his friends so he could get through his last two performances for Angel, but when Enzo knocked on his door that morning, demanding his presence, he knew his gaunt face, and the black rings under his eyes shocked his bubbly friend. It hadn’t been enough to stop him being dragged out though.

  “Are you three from the Albion?” A tall man in dress slacks and a polo shirt came towards them, gleaming teeth set in a handsome face, and hand outstretched. Marcos and Jeff pushed forward, while Ronan studied the newcomer. He could swear he’d seen the man before, but given where he’d worked, it was possible the man had been sussing out the Albion before opening his new place. Although this new club was nothing like the Albion had been.

  “I’m Bronson; I’m here to show you around. You must be Ronan.” As soon as the man stood close enough for a handshake, Ronan scented wolf and his first instinct was to run. But if he did he knew his friends would give him hell for it afterwards, or might even forgo the audition. Bronson didn
’t give anything away, simply shook Ronan’s hand with a smile, and then included Jeff and Marcos in the conversation.

  “As you can see, we’re just putting in the final touches. We hope to open a week from Friday. Have you bought music with you? There’s a sound system on the side of the stage with Bluetooth if you need it.”

  “Are you the owner?” Ronan felt compelled to ask. He could tell from Jeff’s and Marcos’s expressions they were taken with the place, but if the club was owned by a wolf then Ronan wouldn’t be working there. In fact, he was starting to wonder if he should get out of town. Ouch. Okay, he mollified his wolf. Maybe after the audition he would hunt Asaph down and see if there was any chance for them. He should never have left in such a snit….

  “No. I’m just doing the interviewing and trying to ensure we’re fully staffed before the big night.” Bronson’s voice broke through Ronan’s thoughts, although the man didn’t add any further details, just pushed them towards the stage. “I hope you don’t mind the construction going on. I know we could have waited until next week for the audition, but I’d heard good things about you three, and didn’t want to risk you being snapped up by any of the other clubs in town.”

  It was definitely noisy in a banging and yelling sort of way, rather than conversation, drinking and laughter the three men were used to competing with. Ronan deliberately chose an upbeat dance number that the three of them had used before. There were no poles on the stage, just a wide open space, and Ronan was keen for them to use it to their full advantage.

  From the first note, Ronan turned the volume up winking at Jeff and Marcos as they got into position behind him. No matter how depressed, tired or ill he’d been feeling, once the synthesized notes of Cher’s “Believe” belted out of the speaker he felt a burst of energy and the moment the woman’s sultry voice filled the room, Ronan let his body move.

  Trusting his wolf to keep him safe, Ronan closed his eyes and lost his body to the music. The routine was as familiar to him as breathing, and he trusted his friends to follow. Ronan had never been a foot-shuffler type of dancer. He danced with his whole body, from his long hair that swirled around him as he turned, to the fists he punched the air with. Three minutes fifty-five seconds of mind-bending bliss.

  This wasn’t Ronan or the boys first audition and as the music segued effortlessly into ‘N Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye”, Ronan let his knees go loose. The song required a lot of hip thrusting, gyrating and sensuality. Ronan slipped down Jeff’s and Marcos’s body at one point, and he tipped his hair to one side and let his ass shamelessly twerk to the beat. This was what he was born to do. Move. Dance. Feel. The boys hoisted him up, right on cue and Ronan didn’t miss a step.

  The final song was slower, with a sexy beat – yeah, he got a lot of teasing introducing Brittany Spears into their routine. But one of her first songs, “Baby One More Time”, had always resonated with Ronan and he moved into the choreography seamlessly, his boys right beside him. In this song all three of them had mini solo parts, which was why Ronan included it. Although Jeff and Marcos insisted that they were a threesome on the stage, Ronan knew his friends were talented in their own right, and he wanted anyone and everyone to see that. While he was dancing the problems with his wolf and his anguish over Asaph disappeared – he was one with the music.

  /~/~/~/~/

  “My Gods, I didn’t know a fella could move like that. How the hell does he dance in that footwear?” Asaph looked over at his foreman, a rugged man with about six kids if rumors were to be believed. George was a hard worker, and Asaph trusted him to do a good job, but the scaffolding they were removing was forgotten as George was mesmerized by what was happening on the stage. A quick glance around the room showed Ronan’s impact on everyone. All work had come to a standstill, nothing moving except the vibrant men who danced, totally oblivious to their audience.

  Asaph had only seen Ronan dance that first night. The Albion show had been all about sex – Ronan and a single pole, leaving everyone with vivid pictures of what he might do with a lover. In contrast the audition raised a different kind of vibe. The three dancers were having fun, and it showed in every movement.

  Asaph found himself smiling as his feet moved. He had to get closer. He worried that Ronan would be thrown off by his presence, but the beautiful man’s eyes were closed even as he threw himself around the stage. Every move was unconscious sensuality, and yet fun at the same time. Asaph knew in that moment, even if Ronan never accepted him, buying the club in his name, and giving his gorgeously talented mate the opportunity to have a place where he could share his talent was the right thing to do. Ronan owned the stage, and the audience knew it.

  Three songs later, there was deathly silence before a host of cheers, catcalls and whistles rang through the club. It seemed Ronan and his friends brought joy to an entire cross section of people, which would bode well for the club’s success. But Asaph didn’t have time to dwell on how well the club might do once it’d opened. Ronan’s eyes were open and staring straight at him. The man lost weight since Asaph had seen him last and it showed in his gaunt face and the black circles under his eyes.

  “You.” The voice was as smooth and sexy as Asaph remembered and for a second his mind went blank. His wolf was excited and happy, and yep, his jeans were getting tight. But Asaph had one slim chance to get things right. He had to show Ronan he wasn’t going to hide his mate from anyone, if the man would simply forgive him and accept him into his life.

  He flung open his arms, a huge smile on his face. “What do you think of your new club, baby? Signed, sealed and delivered, all in your name.”

  Ronan looked surprised, his jaw dropped, his eyes wide as he stood on the stage, looking around and taking in every detail. Finally, his eyes fixed back on Asaph and Asaph tensed, knowing he was about to have a defining moment.

  “You bought this place for me? It’s in my name?”

  Asaph nodded and that was all he had time to do; without caring about Bronson who was grinning wildly, the other two men on the stage who looked flabbergasted; or the workers watching the moment unfold like a television drama, Ronan jumped off the wooden platform and ran straight into Asaph’s arms. Asaph relaxed as his heart sighed, his wolf howled in his head, and it was as though his very soul was eased from an ache that had been a huge part of him since their ill-fated dinner. Having Ronan in his arms was the most perfect feeling he could ever imagine.

  Asaph wouldn’t ever let go. He knew that as his arms automatically caught his mate and held him tight, his nose awash with Ronan’s scent. He knew it as he accepted Ronan’s clumsy kisses all over his smiling face, and his body demanded he find them privacy. He was especially sure when he slammed the door to Ronan’s new office with his foot, and touched his lips to Ronan’s for the first time. In that instant he knew all of the crap he’d heard about matings, true mates, and Alpha and Omega pairings was absolutely, one hundred percent true. He was home.

  Chapter Thirteen

  For Ronan, jumping into Asaph’s arms was a defining moment. If the big lug, in his sexy jeans and too-tight t-shirt had flinched so much as a hair, then Ronan was prepared to walk out on his mate and the club. But the speed with which Asaph’s arms surrounded him, the ease with which he was caught and held; Ronan’s wolf was beside himself with excitement and Ronan wasn’t much better. When Asaph’s lips touched his, in what was his first ever proper kiss, Ronan felt it in every cell in his body.

  Wow, this is what kissing’s like. Ronan decided then and there he could really get to like the whole lip-smacking concept. He never imagined the pressing of a small body part against another could feel so intimate, so special. Asaph wasn’t rough with him; if anything he was too gentle. As his own need rose, a need he really didn’t understand but Ronan went with it anyway, he pressed his body hard against Asaph’s chest and lips, his hands gripping Asaph’s broad shoulders trying to pull his mate impossibly closer.

  Asaph growled against his lips and the arms around his wais
t tightened. The heat between them intensified and for the first time in his life, Ronan resented his clothes. Asaph’s lips were harder now, and when Ronan felt the man’s tongue against the seam of his lips he gasped, allowing Asaph inside. If anything, that seemed to spur Asaph on and his mouth turned hungry, his grip was tight enough to cause bruises, but Ronan was so on fire he pushed back.

  And then Asaph just stopped. Pulled his lips away from where Ronan was enjoying them and held his head away. Ronan growled – he actually growled at his Alpha.

  “We can’t do this here,” Asaph panted. “By the Fates I’m damn near coming in my jeans, and the thought of laying you over that tempting desk so I can fuck and claim you for life is riding me hard. But I will not have our first time in an office, no matter how much that desk is calling to me.”

  Desk? Office? Ronan looked around. It was a nice office, but really all he wanted to see was right in front of him. Disheveled hair, gleaming eyes and the way Asaph’s nostrils flared as he tried to control his breathing. He’d done that. He’d driven this Alpha male to the point of desperation. Ronan felt a certain sense of pride over the whole thing, even as Asaph’s words made sense. His pants were no longer comfortable – front or back - and the memories of his mother’s “sex” talk made his face flush.

  “So what do we…?” He trailed off. Ronan hadn’t been prepared to see his mate, or for his mate’s actions and the confidence he’d spent a day building up before he’d gone to that fateful dinner, was sorely lacking. Thank the Fates Asaph seemed to understand.

  “Will you let me show you the club?” Asaph said with an infuriatingly brief touch of lips. “So many people have worked day and night to get it finished, and although I tried to guess what you’d like, if you want anything changed now’s the time to speak up.”

  “But what about?” Ronan let his legs slip a bit so his ass was riding a decided bulge in Asaph’s jeans. He was thrilled when Asaph ground back and a deep rumbling seemed to come from his chest.