Brian's POV:

"Alright, I'm ready!" Ruby called from the bedroom.
"Finally, fuck!" I groaned, having been waiting at least an hour and a half for her to get ready.
"Oh sod off, you big baby, this is fucking Vegas, I'm not gonna half ass it." She called back.
"Will you just hurry up so we can go?!" I exclaimed. "I'm bored!"
"Alright, alright, fuck!" She laughed, emerging from the room.
"It's about t--" I was cut short, and had to blink twice to take in her appearance.

Ruby's long red locks were curled and she had on more makeup than I was used to seeing her wear. Her foundation wasn't too thick, she had on just enough to smooth out her complexion. Her top eyelids were lined with black winged eyeliner, and she'd heaped on the grey and silver eyeshadow. The effect gave her the look of a true rock chick.

She wore some kind of black corset'y style top with a bunch of digital looking pink skulls all over it, which stopped a few inches above the black skinny jeans she was wearing, exposing her pale skin. The top accentuated her bust, and the skinny jeans made her legs look longer than they actually were.

She looks fucking Sexy...

"You okay?" She giggled.
"You're wearing heels." I blurted out quickly, adjusting myself and hoping she wouldn't notice.
"Yeah." She smiled, ducking her head in shyness. "Trixie taught me how to walk in them." She explained as she approached me.

With the added height on her feet, she had to concentrate on her footwork a lot more than usual, which caused her hips to sway in a way I wasn't used to seeing them move. I drew in a deep breath and licked over my lips as she passed me on her way over to the fridge.

"I'll just grab my water bottle and we'll be ready to go." She said, as she bent over slightly looking for her bottle, her jeans tightened around her backside.
"Fuck..." I spat under my breath.

Her ass is so perky now, has she been working out?

"Something's different about you." I noted.
"How so?" She asked, straightening up and taking a swig of water.
"It's the way you carry yourself, it almost seems as if-"
"As if my body's changed?" She blushed. "Well, my ass was starting to jiggle from all the fucking McDonald's I was consuming during my grieving period over Jack, so I decided to get a little more in shape."
"Well." I exhaled. "You look great."
"Thanks." She smiled.

Your smile looks great too...

***

Ruby's POV:

We pulled up outside of Feelgoods Rock Bar & Grill, and I gave Brian a questionable look.

"Doesn't look like much," Brian said. "But trust me, you'll like the place."
"You better be right, I didn't get all dressed up for nothing." I chuckled, grabbing my bag.

We got out of the car and entered the venue and I was instantly reminded of home. It had the same vibe as Johnny's Bar, dosed up on some hardcore Rock n' Roll drugs. Guitars hung on the walls and a band was tuning up their instruments on the tiny little stage at the back of the venue. Brian led me through the crowd to the bar and purchased the both of us a drink.

"Who's playing tonight?" He asked the bartender.
"Crimson Coyote, they're a little rock band from Australia, got a vibe kinda like The Pretty Reckless, singer's got red hair, you'll probably like her." He nodded at me. "Sexy little thing too."

A familiar sounding guitar riff rang through the air, and Brian led me closer to the stage. The band played a few bars, and the vocalist took the stage. Her bright red hair fell in a fluffy mess to her waistline, her lips were a matching shade of crimson, her eyes rimmed in catlike eyeliner, a single lone black star decorating her cheekbone.

She wore a sleeveless form-fitting leopard print top, the neckline plunging down in a steep V shape and filled in with grey mesh. She had on the tiniest denim shorts, and black lace gloves on both hands. Her arms were littered with various bracelets and cuffs, and zebra print hoops hung from her ears.

She cleared her throat and began to sing; "Somebody mixed my medicine, somebody mixed my medicine."

"Oh my god!" I squeaked. "They're covering The Pretty Reckless!"
"Big fan of that band, aren't you?" Brian chuckled.
"Shut up!" I snorted, playfully punching him.

The singer caught my eye and smiled at my style as she continued singing; "You hurt where you sleep, and you sleep where you lie, now you're in deep and now you're gonna cry, got a woman to the left and a boy to your right, I'm startin' to sweat so hold me tight!"
"Somebody mixed my medicine, I don't know what I'm on, Somebody mixed my medicine, now baby it's all gone, somebody mixed my medicine, somebody's in my head again, somebody mixed my medicine again!" I sang along.

They played through the rest of the song and the singer spoke. "How you doing tonight, Vegas?" She asked, earning a roar from the crowd. "We're Crimson Coyote, and we come from Melbourne, Australia." She introduced. "This next song's an original, it's called Devil In Disguise, hope you enjoy it."

An 80's sounding guitar riff and drum beat filled the air, and she began to sing again;

"Well her Daddy’s a preacher but she sure ain’t no saint, looks like an angel but you know that she ain’t, and when she walks by, you can’t help but stare, from her long, long legs to her blazin hair,

And what would her Daddy say, if he knew she acted this way?

With her killer heels and electric eyes, she’s a dirty little devil, in disguise, she’ll make you beg for mercy but she’ll keep you alive, ooh, devil in disguise..."

It was better than I'd expected, a little bland in a way, but the singer was able to rock it and make it work.

I'd been dancing as I listened, and it was now that Brian pulled me toward him and began to dance with me. Nerves kicked in almost instantly as my mind wandered back to the night we'd danced together at Johnny's bar. I tried to keep my body a safe distance from Brian's, but his dark eyes lured me in like some kind of invisible fishing line, drawing me ever nearer.

I swallowed hard and tried to contain the uncontrollable moan that escaped me as his hands grabbed my hips in a firm grip. My eyes fell to the black shirt he was wearing, unbuttoned just enough to expose his tanned chest, and I felt desire surge through me, burning and fierce.

No, this can't happen!

I pulled away and darted back through the crowd to the bar. I quickly ordered a tall glass of water, and gulped down half of it in one go. I breathed heavily, running my hands through my hair, the humidity of the crowded bar only adding to the flustered feeling coursing through my body. To anybody around me, I must have looked like I was on some form of drug.

Such an intense feeling, brought on merely by Brian's touch. While intoxicating and alluring, I would not allow myself to go there with him. It'd be all fun and games at first, the both of us letting off steam and enjoying ourselves, but before we knew it, one of us would get attached, and I wasn't ready to let that happen again.

After Jack, I knew better than to allow a friendship to turn into romance, it had ended in a complete disaster, destroyed our friendship, and now we never spoke. Brian was my best friend, and the guys were all I had now, I couldn't risk losing that, couldn't risk allowing myself to give into my desires and destroy our friendship too.

"You alright, lass?" A strong male Welsh accent sounded from beside me.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." I sighed, taking another sip of water.
"You sure don't seem fine." He noted, empathy in his voice.

I turned to him, taking in his features. The strong, square jaw structure, clear blue eyes, thick lips with a small blonde soul patch below his bottom lip, contrasting against his long jet black, box-dyed hair. He didn't even have to say his name, I knew exactly who he was.

"I'm Matt." He smiled, holding out his hand.
"I know." I smiled back. "It's kinda hard not to recognize the frontman of Bullet For My Valentine, nice to meet you."
"Syn's friend, right?" He asked as I shook his hand.
"Yeah, Ruby." I introduced myself. "And before you ask if I should even be here, I'm Nineteen." I told him. "I look younger, I know."
"Not right now you don't." He laughed. "All dressed up."
"Thanks, I kinda whored myself up tonight." I giggled.
"I don't think you look like a whore." He said. "Sexy, Yes. Whoreish? No."
"Okay." I sniggered. "Now you're just flirting."
"Maybe." He sighed, leaning back against the bar. "Why?" He smirked. "Is it working?"
"Maybe." I teased.
"So you and Syn?" He asked.
"Just friends." I grinned.
"Ahh, I see." He smirked, his eyes dark. "Well in that case, you wanna get outta here?"
"Sure."

***

Brian's POV:

My phone vibrated in my pocket about five minutes after I lost Ruby in the crowd. I pulled it out and saw that I had one new message.

From: Ruby

Leaving with someone, don't wait for me, enjoy your night xo

"What the fuck?!" I growled, stuffing my phone back into my pocket.

So she runs off on me without giving me a fucking explanation, and then bails...

Fine.

I glanced around the bar, my eyes catching sight of the blonde prostitute who'd been eyeing me off outside the Hotel earlier. She must have followed me here, and I wouldn't doubt she knew exactly who I was. Our eyes met and my lips curled into a smirk, mirrored soon after by hers.

I'll have my own fun tonight...

Notes