by J. L. McCoy
I looked around the room, found Brian and called him over. “Everyone, Brian will be assisting me tonight. He will come by and get you when it’s time to switch cages or go on break,” I explained as I attached the black wristband to his wrist. “And, Eden will be our relief floater.” I turned to her and met her smile with my own. If you guys have any problems or questions, do not hesitate to come and ask me or Brian, okay?”
Everyone nodded in agreement and I turned my attention to my barback Ducky, and my two cleaning crew. The man who had passed out yesterday after finding Greyson’s body thankfully had the night off.
“Ducky, I’ll need you to help me work magic tonight, bro,” I said with a laugh.
He laughed too and smiled. “Piece of cake, Skye.”
I turned to the cleaning crew, gave them a wink, and then I thanked everyone, turning the music back up. I didn’t have to give the cleaning crew any orders. They knew exactly what to do. I pulled Brian off to the side and quickly explained the VIP and PVIP house rules. I told him that he was not to be up there unless he was relieving someone or escorting someone up. He nodded his head in agreement and I gave him a happy hi-five.
“Thanks, Bri,” I said with a smile. “I appreciate your help tonight. Oh, and before I forget, make sure you check to see that Courtney is wearing her pasties tonight if she’s going to wear a mesh shirt again.”
“You got it, boss lady,” he said with an understanding laugh and went back to getting ready.
I quietly left the room and made my way down the hall to the main floor.
When I walked in, I noticed Lochlan and Aoife were at the second floor bar prepping for the night. I glanced over at the first floor bar and found Quinn, Trey, Hunter and Seamus chatting around a few drinks. I happily strolled up to them and took a seat on the barstool next to Trey.
Trey immediately turned to me with a questioning arch of his eyebrow. He looked me over, head to waist and back, and narrowed his eyes slightly. I began to fidget in my seat, hyperaware of his divine power of empathy, and tried to calm my nerves.
“Well,” I finally hissed under my breath. “If you’re going to ask, ask already,” I said eager to end the speculation.
Trey chuckled and put his hand on my knee. He briefly closed his eyes, then opened them and grinned slyly. “Oh, you dog!” he teased quietly in his slick southern lilt. “Burning desire, need, adoration, happiness, and…oh my,” he said as he blushed and took his hand off my knee. I quickly glanced over to make sure the other guys were paying us no attention and smiled at Trey.
“Yes,” I said and felt myself blush.
He pursed his lips and looked at me thoughtfully for a moment. “It’s not who I think it is, is it?”
I shrugged my shoulders coyly and grinned. “A lady never tells.”
He cocked his eyebrow and put his hand on my knee again. I waited patiently as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His brow furrowed suddenly and he let go, opening his eyes. “Hurt, fear, anger, and disappointment lie under those happy feelings,” he said aloud quietly, more to himself than me. He looked me deep in the eyes and asked me again, “It’s not who I think it is, is it?”
I scoffed and cocked my head to the side. “Probably,” I replied in a thoughtful whisper. “But it doesn’t matter anymore, honey. I’m washing my hands,” I said as I made a show of dusting them off.
Trey leaned over and bumped shoulders with me. “Good for you, darling,” he said with a small smile. “You deserve all the happiness in the world.”
I reached over and hugged his neck before getting up and walking around the bar. I exchanged quick pleasantries and small talk with Quinn, Seamus, and Hunter before getting to work behind the bar.
A few minutes later Hunter came around the counter to work as the other men went off to ready their stations. Ducky joined us a few minutes after and the three of us joked around as we prepped for the night.
I was in the middle of catching a cherry in my mouth that Hunter threw in the air to me, when out of Archer’s stairwell walked a group of muscular, handsome men wearing black shirts and slacks. I stopped mid step, dumbfounded, leaned my head back down and turned my head to get a better look. The cherry that Hunter had thrown hit me square in the forehead and he and Ducky laughed heartily as it bounced to the floor.
The group of men, ten in all, was followed closely by Archer and Jameson. Archer gestured to the large lounge area in PVIP and led them over to a private, curtained table. They all piled around the table on five large couches as Aoife and Lochlan brought them over three bottles of liquor and several glasses.
“That’s The Faithful,” Hunter whispered reverently to me.
I nodded my head in awe. “They’re huge,” I muttered with wide, appraising eyes. And, they’re frickin’ gorgeous, I thought silently. They all looked like they could have been runway models and I licked my lips absentmindedly at an involuntary lustful thought.
Hunter chuckled and elbowed me. “Wait until you see them up close.”
One of the men turned my way and looked straight at me. Hunter quickly busied himself with cleaning the spotless counter, but I couldn’t look away. His eyes were a gorgeous shade of emerald green and his chiseled face was stunning. I felt butterflies flutter rampantly in my stomach as my lower abdomen clenched tight. Dear God, I need to get laid, I silently thought as I tore my eyes away from his. I blamed Jameson for my out of control hormones and sincerely hoped that he could help me with them later tonight.
The music started and I quickly looked up at the DJ booth. Quinn was up there and he had the house laptop up. Jameson had once told me that he and Archer personally put together over three thousand ten-hour playlists that they could choose from on any given night to play at the club. I was overly impressed with their music selections and danced around the back of the bar with Ducky as I helped him pour ice into our beer coolers.
Before I knew it, all of the dancers were in their cages and customers were pouring in. Ducky, Hunter and I worked as a team and made fast work of the incoming orders. The night was passing quickly and it was midnight before we knew it. I chanced a peek at the full second floor and saw the curtain drawn around the table that the large gathering of men was at.
Someone tapped my shoulder suddenly and startled me. “That guy over there wants to talk to you,” Ducky said as he handed me a bottle of beer and motioned with his head to the right. I thanked him and walked down to the end of the bar.
“Well hello again, beautiful girl,” a handsome man purred at me and it took me a second to recognize him. His name was Dic and I met him last night on my break. We shared a beer and some engaging small talk.
I smiled and happily greeted him, handing over his bottle of Dos Equis. “Well, hey there handsome,” I said with a grin. “Fancy seeing you again.”
He smiled a heart-stopping smile and laughed. His deep dimples flashed and I felt my stomach flutter at his handsomeness. Dic was in top form tonight. He had on a tight black V-neck t-shirt that showed off his muscular, tattoo covered arms and his rich, brown hair was carefully messy. I found myself leaning into him as he spoke. “I told you last night that I’d be seeing you again,” he said in a deep, masculine rumble.
I felt my face flush hot and grinned. “Indeed you did,” I teased. “So what brings you back, tonight? Is it the music, the drinks, or the dancing?” I asked, leaning closer to him.
He cocked his eyebrow at me and smiled. “Something like that. Care to dance?”
I laughed and bit the corner of my lip. Why the hell not? I looked around at the bar and saw that we weren’t overly busy so I held my finger up to him and motioned for him to wait a moment. I walked over to Ducky, asked him to take over for 15 minutes, and walked around to the front of the bar. Hunter gave me a questioning look and I quickly told him I’d be right back. I love to dance and I’d been dying to let loose on the dance floor all night.
I took his hand and allowed him to lead me to the middle of the floor. We star
ted dancing as the crowd closed back in around us. I was rocking my hips to the beat as my hair whipped about. Dic pulled me closer to him as the song slowed and morphed into another. We wordlessly danced up against each other, my body hyperaware of his tight, muscular one. He pulled me even closer to him and we ground against each other, lost in the pounding of the song.
Dic bent his head down and spoke softly in my ear as he gripped my hips. “You’ve got some serious moves, toots.”
I smiled and looked up into his rich, chocolate brown eyes. “Right back at you, babe,” I said with a laugh.
We danced for a few more songs before I remembered that I was still at work. I didn’t want to stop, but I had to. “I’ve got to get back to work,” I said with a groan, standing on my tiptoes to speak in his ear.
He smiled, grabbed my hand, quickly spun me around and dipped me. I laughed as he pulled me back up. “God, you’re fun,” I said genuinely as I laughed and looked up into his eyes.
He cocked his eyebrow and chuckled. “Maybe we can do this again?” he asked hopefully.
I bit my bottom lip, excited at the thought, and smiled. “You’re on, mister.”
He quietly led me back to the bar and I walked around behind it. I got him another beer and walked down to the end of the bar to give it to him, but he was nowhere in sight. Hm. That’s weird, I thought. Where did he go? He must have gone to the men’s room or something. I took the beer for myself, chugging it down quickly and got busy filling drink orders. I didn’t see Dic for the rest of the night and I was slightly disappointed. I had at least wanted to thank him for the dance.
By 2 am the music had shut down, the club was closing and people were slowly making their way out. A few of the cage dancers came by the bar to say goodnight to me as they made their way back to the employee lounge to change and leave for the night.
I was almost finished counting out the tip jar when Trey and Seamus walked over and sat at the bar. Trey looked absolutely worn out and my heart went out to him. Scanning hundreds of people’s emotions couldn’t have been easy.
I walked over to Ducky, handed him his cut of the tips, thanked him for being such an awesome barback tonight, and quietly told him that he could cut out. He gave me a quick hi-five and took off for the employee lounge.
I poured up a fat glass of bourbon and sat it down in front of Trey. “Drink up, honey. You’ll feel better soon,” I said sympathetically.
He smiled tiredly at me and wordlessly thanked me with his eyes. I reached over, gently patted his hand, and turned to Seamus. “What can I get you hon?” I asked him as I got out a clean glass from behind the counter.
“Whiskeh’ darlin’ and don’na be holdin’ ou’ on meh’,” he said in his deep Irish accent with a sigh, running his fingers through his short black hair. I quickly poured him five fingers of good Irish whiskey and slid the glass in front of him.
Hunter finished counting down the drawer and he gathered the cash and credit card receipts together and put them in a bank bag. “You want to take this up to the office, or shall I?” he asked with a smirk.
I pursed my lips at him and grabbed the blue zippered bank bag. I didn’t know what he was smirking at, but I didn’t want him thinking I was scared to go upstairs for some reason. “I’ve got it,” I said, smirking back and then smiling. He was teasing me and I couldn’t help but find it a little funny. He’d been playful and light hearted all evening. It was nice to finally get to know Hunter as more than just the pretty face he was.
“Hold up now, young’en,” Seamus said quickly as he pulled a thick stack of cash from the inside pocket of his black blazer. “Give ‘dis to ol’ Jameson fer’ me. Tell ‘em to put it in da’ safe wit’ yours.”
I took the huge stack of cash, thanked him, and made my way over to the grand metal staircase. I slowly made my way up as Aoife and Lochlan made their way down.
“Evening, Skye,” Aoife said as she narrowed her eyes at me. I involuntarily flinched and looked away from her. “Good evening, Aoife,” I said quickly and stepped faster, eager to get away from her.
Lochlan was a few steps behind her and he dramatically wagged his auburn eyebrows at me. “’Ave a fun night,” he teased.
I shot him a look that begged him to zip it. I didn’t want anyone overhearing him and reading into it. He laughed as I quickly passed him without a word. I got up to the second floor and saw that one of the cleaning crew was hard at work already. The janitor was reaching over to pull back the closed curtain around the table that I had last seen The Faithful occupying. My mind immediately flashed back to Greyson’s mutilated body and I clutched the envelope and the money tighter to my chest. I felt my heartbeat speed up as irrational panic set in. My breath quickened as my heart pounded in terror.
He pulled back the curtain and I saw that it was unoccupied aside from a few empty bottles and glasses. I sighed in relief and my knees suddenly felt weak. I silently thanked God as I clutched my chest. I didn’t know how many closed curtains I’d have to see opened, or how many weeks would have to pass before I got over the horrible events of last night.
I swallowed thickly as I shook my head and made my way up the small spiral staircase and over to Archer’s office. The door was open and I tentatively peeked inside. Jameson was sitting on the couch, his head tilted back, and his hands clutching a tall glass of blood.
He opened his eyes when he heard me walk in and he smiled tiredly. “Hello, a luaidh,” he said sweetly.
I dropped the money and envelope on Archer’s desk and turned back to Jameson. “Is Archer here?”
He shook his head and rubbed his right temple. “Thank God, no. He and An Dílis left a few hours ago.”
I quietly shut the door and walked over to him, sitting in his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck. “What’s wrong, honey?” I asked as I placed a soft kiss on his lips.
He nuzzled my neck with his nose as he took a deep breath in and sighed. “You smell so good. I can tell you were dancing tonight. I smell the sweet sweat on your skin,” he said as he softly growled.
I shivered in momentary excitement, got up from his lap and sat down in the chair across from him. It was hard to do, but something was bothering him and I wanted to know what it was. If we started attacking each other sexually, I might never find out. “Talk to me babe,” I whispered seriously.
He sighed again and ran his fingers through his shoulder length brown hair. “It’s not easy keeping my brother out of my head.”
I sat up straighter and grasped the arms of the chair. “Tell me,” I demanded. “What happened?”
He licked his lips and quickly downed the full glass of blood. He looked at me for a few seconds before he answered. “When I came back upstairs with the bottle of Connemara, one of An Dílis noticed red lipstick on my mouth and brought it to my attention.”
I cringed. “Damn it,” I cursed in a whisper and shook my head.
Jameson chuckled dryly and continued. “Yeah, my thoughts exactly, love.”
I got up out the chair and took the empty glass from his hands. I set it down on the small bar against the wall and walked back over to him, straddling his lap. “Then what happened?” I asked as I gently ran both of my hands through his silky hair and massaged his cool scalp.
He leaned his head back into my hands and sighed contently. “Archer asked who I had been kissing.”
My fingers froze mid stroke and I took a deep breath. “Does he know?” I asked warily.
He opened his eyes and looked deeply into my own. “No,” he said with a small, cautious grin. “One of the men asked him a question and I quickly thought of something else.” He smiled up at me and grabbed my hips in both of his hands. “You have no idea how hard it was to not think about your soft body lying in wait under mine.”
I blushed and shivered at the thought of our near intercourse earlier in the stockroom. I wetted my lips and slowly brought my mouth down to his, lightly licking the width of his bottom lip before gently sucking it into my
mouth, teasing it softly with my teeth.
Just then a knock sounded at the door and I allowed Jameson to have his lip back so he could speak. “What is it?” he called out. The door slowly started to open and Jameson used his vampire speed to lift me up off his lap and place me on the couch next to him.
Lochlan poked his head in and smiled widely, his dark blue eyes shining with amusement. “’Ello, lovebirds,” he teased in a mocked British accent.
Jameson crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. “Can I help you, brother?”
“Aye, brother,” Lochlan said with a mischievous grin. “You can let me watch you and this fine feek here go to town.”
Jameson laughed, shook his head and hurled a throw pillow off the couch at him. “In your dreams, cac ar oineach!”
Lochlan threw his head back and laughed hard as he gently tossed the pillow back to Jameson. “And I have a feelin’ it will be tonight!”
“Burraidh,” Jameson bit back with a laugh. “Get to the point, old man.”
He smirked at me and looked back at Jameson. “We’re done for the night and everyone is leavin’. Are ya’ comin’? I thought I’d trade places with Trey tonight and ride with you. Thought maybe you’d be in the mood to tell me a bed time story…one that involves a stockroom an’ a gorgeous topless girl?”
This time I picked up a pillow off the couch and launched it at Lochlan with stunning accuracy. He easily caught it and laughed again.
“Alright, you two,” Jameson with a smile. “Enough. Lochlan, Skye and I are going to go out for some coffee, so why don’t you catch a ride home with Seamus. Tell Trey to do the same.”
Lochlan crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. “Who are you foolin’? You can’t drink coffee, Jameson. And we’re not supposed to leave unless we’re wit’ our buddy. Remember the rules?”