Page 25 of Craving Paradise
JASPER
“Congrats on the summer opening. It’s going off,” I cheered, slapping Alistair on the back. We’re in the VIP section of one of the hottest clubs in Ibiza, and it’s all his.
“Thanks, man. Sorry I can’t stay, but I have to get back to London immediately,” he explains.
I can see the stress on his face as a line creases his forehead. He got a call earlier that his parents were involved in a car accident, and it looks serious from what he shared in the friend chat. This was his night, but family comes first. If only they paid him the same respect, though. That’s neither here nor there now when they are in the hospital. What’s important is his parents are getting the best medical treatment, thankfully at the same hospital where his fiancée works, which will be of some comfort. I hope his asshole of a brother doesn’t cause him any grief. It’s the last thing he needs.
“It’s important you get home. Don’t need to worry about me. I can party by myself. I’m that awesome,” I reassure as I hit him with humor during this stressful time.
He flips me off.
“Daniel’s landed. He said I can take his plane back as it was returning tonight anyway.”
“Autumn texted me an hour ago saying she was coming, which means she’ll be here in three hours. Go be with your family and good luck. Call me if you need anything,” I tell him as we hug each other.
“Thanks, man, drinks are on me. Whatever you need, I’ve got you covered. The staff knows who to look after,” Alistair says, pointing at the bar.
I wave him on and sit back at my table, waiting for everyone else to turn up. I stare out across the rainbow-colored laser lights of the mega club with a drink in my hand. The music’s beat thumps through my chest as it vibrates everything around it. My mind drifts back to the other night with Ren, how intense and hot it was but also how strange it was to fall asleep with her curled up against me. It’s been a while since I’ve cuddled with a woman while I’ve slept. As much as I have commitment issues, I’ve never dated one person for more than six months. That’s usually the spot where women want more of a commitment. I’m not willing to give more, so they give me the flick.
Will I ever be ready for a serious relationship? Maybe, hopefully. I’d like a family one day in the future to carry on my family’s legacy, but I also don’t want to be someone’s baby daddy. I want to be a part of my children’s lives full-time. Anything like that is years away and something I shouldn’t be worrying about as I sit in the VIP section of one of the hottest clubs in Ibiza, surrounded by beautiful women.
Which then brings my mind back to Ren. She’s been occupying my thoughts all week since our hookup, especially when my hand is wrapped around my dick. I should go back to The Paradise Club and see if she’s there, and maybe we can create some more magic. Maybe it was a full moon or something that made that night great. That’s what’s thrown me off—the fact that after we had some of the best sex, we hung out, laughed, talked, and she watched sports with me without complaint. And I know she wasn’t putting on an act because she had been forthright about what she wanted after the fun had stopped—burgers, beer, and to chill. If she were a guy, I’d have made a new friend. That’s something the boys and I do together. Not the sex, but all the other things.
A hard slap on my back knocks me from my wayward thoughts of Ren, and I spill my drink down my hand as a deep laugh comes from behind me. I swing around, ready to knock this asshole out. But I realize it’s my friend, Daniel, the French fuck.
“You fucker,” I curse, standing up and greeting him. “You made me spill my drink all over me.” I shake the now sticky droplets from my hand.
“Oh, poor baby,” he taunts, sitting beside me in our private lounge area.
A gorgeous waitress comes over and greets us warmly. She’s dressed in a red mini dress that clings to her curves so much so that her breasts almost spill out of the top. Her dark hair and blue eyes remind me of Ren, but my dick doesn’t twitch when I check her out.
“Can I help you boys with anything?” she questions, giving a slight seductive tilt to it as if to say she’s happy to offer more than what’s on offer at the bar.Noted.
“I’ll have another old-fashioned because this guy spilled mine. Could I also grab something to clean my hand with, please? It’s kind of sticky.”
“I’ll have the same, except I don’t mind having sticky fingers,” Daniel adds with a smirk toward the waitress, whose cheeks flush with Daniel’s flirtation.
She nods and skips off to get our drinks.
My friend could say the creepiest shit, but because of his French accent, the women eat it up. It’s ridiculous. I speak French fluently, but it’s not quite the same as when he does.
Asshole.
“Thanks for giving Ali your plane. I hope everything is all right with his family.”
“I didn’t get to see him as we passed each other at different times, but anything to help him get back home quicker. I hope George will not be an ass to him when he gets there. You know what he’s like,” Daniel states.
Alistair’s brother is one of the worst humans I’ve ever met, and the fact his family allows him to treat Ali as he does because George is the firstborn is beyond me. He’d sell his mother if it meant he could win. The guy is diabolical.
“Miranda is pretty good at standing between the two of them and getting George to simmer down when he’s gone too far,” I mention.
“Here’s hoping. Onto lighter news, there are a lot of hot women here,” Daniel states as he looks across the room filled with models, influencers, celebrities, and even some European royals.
“Any of them take your fancy?” he asks.
Several beautiful women are hanging around our peripheral I wouldn’t mind having fun with. There’s no point thinking about Ren, a woman who isn’t here. I know where she is, and when I get back to London, I’ll head back to The Paradise Club and order a second round.
“The night’s young,” I answer him, holding up my glass to clink his.