I leave Bill’s table and do my best to hide my displeasure. My first lap dance would be easier with him. The thought of having it auctioned off and going behind the curtain with a complete stranger makes my pulse race in the wrong sort of way.
“One more drink to deliver.” Steve puts a glass of whiskey down in front of me when I return to the bar. “The gentleman in the corner over there.” He points.
“Okay.” I nod and pick up the drink.
I turn to find my customer, and my pulse gets even faster when I see who it is. Bram. He is the last person I expected to see in the club. Again, at least. He never struck me as the type to begin with, but he was with a friend the last time—an annoying friend. Tonight, he’s all alone.
If I’m delivering his drink, he asked for me. The conversation we had at his office obviously isn’t over, even if he let me leave. I really don’t want to continue it in the middle of the club and get upset or come close to shedding tears.
Max definitely won’t like that.
“Bram…” A lump rises in my throat when I get to his table, and I try to swallow it.
“Kiana.” He nods. “Or do I have to call you Lavender Rose when you’re wearing that wig?”
“Kiana … is fine.” I exhale sharply. “Just, keep your voice down.”
“I don’t think anyone can hear me over the music.” He shrugs. “Can you sit for a moment?”
“Okay…” I slowly sink into the booth opposite of him.
Bram isn’t my father, but sitting down across from him—seeing a look in his eyes that mirrors the disappointment I would have expected from both my parents—it doesn’t feel very good.
I went to his office on my terms with a specific purpose, and I hoped that would be the end of it.
Obviously, I was wrong.
This isn’t a conversation I want to have, but it doesn’t look like I have a choice.
Chapter Six
Bram
Another night in a place that I hate. Jack isn’t even here to give me an excuse. I want to find out what is going on with Kiana. Confronting her in the middle of the club isn’t the best plan, but at least she’s my captive audience for a moment. However long an overpriced drink allows.
“I’ve been watching you tonight.” I take a sip of my drink. “Not your show, just how you interact with people.”
“Oh?” She practically blushes underneath her lavender wig.
“I can tell you’re not happy. You put on a nice act when you deliver a drink, but that’s all it is—an act.” I lean forward. “Why don’t you just tell me what is really going on here?”
“I’m making money. That’s it…” Kiana’s voice trembles, and she can’t even keep eye contact.
“No, it isn’t.” I see the owner of the club out of the corner of my eye and motion to him. “Is he forcing you to do this? All you have to do is tell me. I’ll put an end to it right now.”
The owner looks like a bitch. I could drop him with one punch. The bouncers might be a problem, but I still like my odds.
“I’m… Bram, I’m here by choice.” She still won’t make eye contact. “It’s the only choice I have right now.”
That sounds true, but it’s obviously not the full story. I know how Kiana was raised. She might not be the same girl she used to be, but she should be in college, interning at a company that sets fashion trends; those were her dreams before something pulled her away from them. And I want to know what the fuck did that—who the fuck did that. I gave her my word, and I won’t call her father, but I’ll be damned if that is going to be the end of it.
“Just talk to me, Kiana.” I reach for her hand, but she pulls away.
“I’m sorry, I need to go.” She stands up from the table.
One of the bouncers has noticed our exchange. He gives me a glare that lets me know I’ll be fighting my way back into the club if he has to toss me out. I could, but there’s no reason to start a fight unless absolutely necessary.
“I’ll be right here.” I finally get to make eye contact with her again. “All night—tomorrow night too—and the next.”
“Bram, please…” She turns to walk away but stops in her tracks.
I have her on the cusp of saying something that I need to hear, but a commotion on the stage draws both of our attention before she can continue.
The lights lift, the music slowly dies down, and the owner, Max, walks up. He gets a few boos from people who don’t want to see anyone that doesn’t have tits on it.
“I know, I’m sorry to interrupt the show, but I have something very special in store for you tonight.” Max calms the crowd with an even tone and a sleazy smile. “Lavender Rose, would you please join me on the stage.”
The crowd likes that. Max is forgiven by the horny masses. I’m forced to let Kiana walk away because every eye in the place is on her. I’m pissed. I feel like Max saw us together and orchestrated whatever this is just to end our conversation. I’m probably overthinking it, but I can’t push that thought out of my head.
“Gentleman, the lovely Lavender Rose has been with us for a little over a week, and I know she’s already one of your favorites.” Max put his hand around Kiana’s waist as soon as she steps onto the stage, and it makes the hair on my neck stand up.
The crowd agrees with Max. I noticed she was popular, even though I did my best not to watch her routine when she was on the stage.
“Is she going to dance for us again?” A drunk guy with a redneck drawl lets out a woot, and several others in the crowd join him.
“Yeah, baby—take it off!” Another guy, even drunker than the redneck.
“Oh, she will.” Max winks to the crowd. “But not for everyone. See, Lavender Rose here has a secret…”
A few oohs echo in the crowd.
“She’s a…” Max lowers his voice so that the crowd is forced to quieten down to hear what he’s going to say. “…lap dance virgin.”
I don’t like where this is going, but the crowd does. They’re wolves that want to do more than just watch Kiana dance on the stage. Max is about to feed her to them—or one of them—if my suspicions are correct.
“I’ll pop your cherry, baby!” The redneck lets out a louder woot. Apparently, it’s half his vocabulary. One more and it’ll end up on my list of things I hate.
“Someone’s going to get to pop that cherry tonight.” Max winks at the crowd for the second time. “For the right price.”
Kiana looks nervous. The same look she hides when she’s at someone’s table but is so obviously present in her eyes when she walks away. Did she know this was going to happen tonight?
“How much?” one of the other drunk patrons yells out, thankfully without a sound effect to go along with it.
“I’m going to let you decide that.” Max nods. “We’re about to have ourselves an auction! The higher the price, well, the more gratitude Lavender Rose will show you behind the curtain.”
That gets a roar from the crowd and makes my blood run cold. Gratitude? What the fuck does that mean? I didn’t actually ask if this was the kind of place where someone could take one of the dancer’s home. I just convinced Jack it wasn’t. Is Max auctioning off more than a lap dance?
Part of me that wants to charge the stage, grab Kiana by the arm, and fight my way out of this place. That would have been more feasible when every eye in the place wasn’t on her. I could end up fighting an entire room full of drunk, horny bastards deprived of their prize.
Not the best odds, even for me.
The other odds aren’t the best either, but when the auction starts, I realize there’s one avenue to get Kiana alone, to continue our conversation, and make sure she doesn’t have to do a lap dance at all. I just have a win.
“Alright, now normally it’ll cost you a dirty thirty, and hopefully a generous tip…” Max grins. “But since this is her first time, I think we can start the bidding at fifty.”
It’s an odd thing. If I was the type of person who wanted a lap danc
e, I don’t think I would pay more for an amateur. But that’s not what the men in the crowd are salivating for. They’re getting blinded by the first time, lap dance virgin, and all of the buzz words Max is throwing out. Kiana’s Catholic schoolgirl uniform makes it salacious and taboo.
Someone else beats me to the fifty-dollar bid. I go sixty. A guy on the other side of the bar holds up his hand to go seventy, and then someone waves a hundred-dollar bill. Max is enjoying it. Kiana is trying to smile, but she notices I’m bidding and is doing her best to plead with me from the stage.
Those eyes. Still windows to her soul. I can read them like a book.
“A hundred dollars? Well, Bill—I think you’re going to get what you want.” Max’s grin gets even bigger.
“Two hundred.” I hold up my hand and shoot daggers at the man called Bill; he’s old enough to be Kiana’s grandfather.
“Whoa, we’ve got a war now!” Max laughs. Kiana’s demeanor doesn’t change, but her eyes are glazing over.
She realizes I’m going to win. Maybe she sees the determination. I might not be rolling in money like I used to, but this isn’t the kind of place where someone will spend much more than I’ve already offered to get a lap dance.
A couple of others bid, but I match them with a ten percent jump every time. I made my statement when I doubled it. Now I just need to wear them out. That doesn’t take long.
“I believe the war is over.” Max locks eyes on me. “The winner is—I’m sorry, I don’t believe you’re one of our regulars.”
“Bram,” I reply with a nod.
“Okay, Bram.” Max lets go of Kiana’s waist. “Come and claim your prize.”
Gladly. Just not for the reason you think. Kiana shifts on her toes as I approach the stage, but she doesn’t let the smile fade from her face. Another part of her act. Smile through it all, no matter how degrading or awful it is.
I extend my hand, and she takes it. I have to put on an act too. If I want to take her behind the curtain and finish the conversation we started, I can’t let anyone here see that this is anything more than a lap dance I paid for.
“One moment, sir.” Max puts his hand on my shoulder. “You have to pay up front, I’m afraid.”
This gets a laugh from the crowd. I just glare at Max and fork over the money. The deal is made. The crowd parts, some guys slap me on the shoulder, others just give me a jealous stare—except Bill. He’s looks like he’s somewhere between amused and pissed off. Probably because he expects to get what I paid for at a discounted rate when I pop her lap dance cherry. But I’m not going to do that. She’ll be fully clothed for the entirety of this discussion.
“Sit down.” I motion to the chair when we get behind the curtain. “Let’s finish our conversation.”
“No.” She looks through the crack in the curtain then pulls it closed. “My boss is going to be watching.”
“Watching?” I raise an eyebrow. “How?”
“There.” She points, and I have to narrow my eyes to see a pinhole camera that is obviously filming our encounter.
“What the fuck?” I growl angrily.
“You paid for a lap dance.” She sighs. “So you’re the one who has to sit down.”
“No.” I shake my head. “Just tell me what is really going on here, and that will be the end of it. I’ll fix this, Kiana. Trust me.”
“You can’t.” She looks down at the floor. “It’s not something you can just snap your fingers at and get it to go away.”
“Try me.” I put my hands on my hip.
“Fine.” Her tone stiffens up. “Got a few hundred grand laying around? That’s what my brother owes to a man who will kill him if I don’t keep making regular payments.”
“That’s...” I blink in surprise.
“Crazy? Yeah, I know.” She sighs. “But this isn’t a game, and my brother’s life means a whole lot more than my dignity right now.”
I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. I figured it was something bad, like being forced to work against her will, anything to give me an excuse to put my fist through someone on our way out. Her brother? He was always the good kid between the two of them. Obviously a lot that has changed since I last spoke to Lawson.
“Okay.” I finally regain my composure. “Then let’s figure it out, but not here. You don’t need to do this. There has to be another way…”
“I wouldn’t be here if there was.” She glances at the camera. “And if my boss doesn’t like what he sees when he gets to the security room, this isn’t going to be an option either.”
“I don’t want a lap dance from you.” I hold up my hand. “I’ll tell him I changed my mind.”
“It’s too late for that.” Kiana sighs. “You’re my first customer—if I screw this up, I won’t get another chance.”
I’d welcome that—celebrate it even—but I can’t. My financial situation has never been worse. I can’t write a check and get Kiana’s brother out of whatever mess he’s in, certainly not to the tune of a few hundred grand.
“Sit down, Bram.” Kiana points at the chair. “You’re going to have to get what you paid for, and at least pretend like you want to be here.”
I briefly look toward the camera and then take my seat. I immediately remember how I reacted when Kiana first took the stage, what the sight of her gorgeous curves did to me. I managed not to watch the stage when she was doing her routine earlier. It won’t be that easy to ignore her when she’s right in front of me.
She may be my best friend’s daughter.
But she’s all grown up now…
Chapter Seven
Kiana
Bram knows the truth. So be it. He can’t fix anything. His company was doing well when my father left, but now neither of them have that kind of money laying around. They were better together, terrible apart. My father has said that enough, but he’s too stubborn to pick up the phone. So is Bram. It’s past the point of being too late. I don’t even know if Bram would recognize the man he always said was his best friend.
“You don’t have to like what you see, but at least smile a little bit so my boss thinks you’re having a good time.” I walk over and hit the music.
One song. That’s what he paid for.
I should be embarrassed to give Bram a lap dance, but part of me may actually enjoy it. I always did have a thing for him, and now I get to watch him squirm. Ironic in a way. I did a lot of squirming when I was alone in my bed, thinking about him when I shouldn’t have had those thoughts in my head.
“Okay, here goes…” I start to move, and Bram closes his eyes. “No, don’t do that.” I run a hand along his arm. “He doesn’t have a mic in here, but he’ll certainly notice if you don’t watch.”
“You’re not making this easy.” He exhales sharply, and his eyes open.
“You get to keep your clothes on.” I dip and grind against him. “Don’t talk to me about easy…”
I mimic the moves I saw the other dancers do when I was watching from the security room, and time my moves with the music so that I can keep the same pattern I use when I’m on stage. The only difference will be the final minute—instead of a tease, I have to show him everything; that’s what makes a trip through the curtains worth the price. Bram paid extra, so I’m sure Max expects me to go the extra mile.
I fill my head with Rhonda’s words, the ones of encouragement she gave me when we discussed my first lap dance. They’re a distraction so that I don’t focus on what is really happening here.
“You’re supposed to want to touch me.” I strip my shirt off and toss it around his neck.
“It isn’t allowed.” He moves his hands away.
“Not while I’m on the stage.” I let go of my shirt and leave it draped around his neck. “But back here, the rules are relaxed. Max isn’t going to believe that someone dropped as much money as you did just to keep their hands to themselves…”
Is that true, or do I actually want him to put his hands on me? My thoughts
are conflicted. I know it’s wrong, but I fantasized about having his big, powerful hands on my curves—touching, teasing, and so much more.
Bram hesitates, then lets his hands rest on my hips. That’s a start. It’s safe. I saw the other girls letting the guys touch them, so I know Max isn’t going to send a bouncer through the curtain.
His fingers are rugged, but not as much as they used to be. Why is that what I notice? I like the way they feel on my skin. I reach for the zipper that is holding my skirt in place and pull on it.
“Fuck…” Bram exhales, and his eyes light up. I’m not the little girl he remembers—I like seeing that realization unfold in his eyes as much as I like feeling his hands on me.
“You can pull it off if you want…” I leave my skirt hanging loose underneath his hand. “My boss will like that.”
I don’t know if that’s true either, but it sounds good. Bram slowly lets his hands drop until his fingers are in the waistband of my skirt. I turn away from him and bend as he slides my skirt down my hips—then I sink against his leg and move to the beat of the music. My skirt hit the floor and I kick it off as I lift off his lap—he gets a full view of my ass before I turn around.
“This is the part everyone likes.” I reach behind my back and begin to unfasten my bra.
“I’m not everyone.” A growl echoes in Bram’s throat.
“You’re right.” I lean forward as my bra slides down, exposing my breasts. “They don’t get to touch them—you do.”
There is some excitement stirring inside me. Bram looks like he’s fighting that feeling off with everything he has. I can tell he is losing whatever battle is going on behind his dark, piercing eyes. He doesn’t want to like what he sees, but he does, and my excitement grows when his hands slowly move to my breasts.
“This is so fucking wrong…” The words leave his lips in a gasp, but they don’t sound true—obligatory, if anything.
“You paid for it.” I slide into his lap and move to the beat of my song.
Daddy's Possessive Friend (Once Upon a Daddy Book 12) Page 4