Reckless Abandon (The Cave Series Book 1)

by Teri Kay

  “Alright ladies,” I stood up and shouted in the middle of the room. “Time to wrap it up.” I immediately go to the blonde beauty and picked her up off the table and carried her to the couch in the back office. As she wrapped her arms around my neck, I smelled her hair. Coconut. Something so California beachy about that. I definitely needed to put that in my memory bank. The last thing I wanted to do was put her down, but I had a room full of drunk, frosting covered strippers that I needed to deal with.

  I shuffled the girls into the limo, and despite their drunk pleas to join them, I closed the door and sent them on their way. What warm-blooded, straight male really shuts the door and ignores the invite of four drunk strippers? A smart one that’s who. I learned my lesson with strippers a long time ago. I bee-lined back into the office to see Rose and the mystery woman snuggled up on the couch together. “Fucking sexy.” But as sexy as Rose is, her husband is a big dude. Not a line I would ever cross in the first place. I’d be asking Jeremy more about Rose’s friend though.

  “Let’s go, my beauties,” I whispered as I gently shook Rose awake and scooped her friend into my arms. Damn, her body felt good next to mine. She nuzzled her face into my neck, looked up at me with big brown eyes and whispered, “You’re really cute,” and fell right back to sleep. I led them out of the club, heading for my truck.

  “Umm…we can ssswalk,” Rose spit out as she tripped over the edge of the walkway. “Okay, maybe not.”

  The Wynn was only two blocks away, but Vegas at four in the morning could be a sketchy place, even for a bigger guy like me. I pulled into valet and told the kid to hold it up front and that I was just dropping the ladies off. “Yes sir, Mr. Sims.” It was still a kick being recognized here and there. Being semi-famous in Las Vegas is a definite perk.

  I got the girls up to their suite safely, and Rose had started to sober up enough to take over babysitting duties. I laid the sleeping, snoring angel down on her oversized bed and had to resist the urge crawl in bed with her and hold that beautiful body against mine. I've never even spoken to this girl and yet I couldn’t wait to see that smile again. I brushed a piece of hair that fell across her nose off her face and gently tucked it behind her ear. Something about her was different.

  “Thank you for making sure we all got home safe tonight, Nathan,” Rose said loudly next to me, watching her friend. Again, not trying to look like a creepy stalker, I reluctantly pulled my eyes away to meet Rose's.

  “Shh! don’t wake her up,” I whispered. “Looks like she’s had a long night.”

  “Uh. No. Watch this!” Rose then proceeded to jump up and down on the bed yelling, “Wake up! Wake up!” Okay, maybe she wasn’t that sober yet. Blondie didn’t move a muscle. The whole scene was actually quite humorous.

  “Alright. On that note, I’m outta here. Go to bed, Rose!” I ordered and started to let myself out.

  “Wait!” Rose shouted. Well if she didn’t wake Sleeping Beauty over there, she’ll at least piss off the neighbors. “Thought you wanted to know her name?”

  Fuck, how could I forget that? “Of course I do.” I flipped around to see Rose standing right in front of me.

  “Vaughn. Vaughn Haley,” she chuckled and closed the door behind me.

  On the drive back to my place, I couldn’t help but to keep from running her name through my head. Vaughn Haley. Something unique and strangely familiar about that name. She didn’t have a ring on her finger so that was a good thing. I was happy as fuck to find out she wasn’t Vanessa’s girlfriend. I hadn’t seen her around the club before so I didn’t think she was a dancer. “Vaughn Haley,” I repeated out loud. “Fuck that does sound like a stripper name.” I really hoped she wasn’t one of the girls. Dating strippers is one of my hard limits.

  As I pulled into my driveway, my cell phone alarm started going off. “Awesome. Time to wake up and I haven’t even gone to bed yet.” Spending the evening meeting Vaughn, even though we never actually spoke, may just have been worth feeling like shit all day.

  Once inside, I grabbed an energy drink from the fridge. Yeah, that stuff’s bad for me but it still tastes better than coffee. Figuring out how much time I had before I needed to leave for the airport, I decided to go on a quick run to clear my head from the previous night’s festivities. My ten-year-old English bulldog, Cheech, was sprawled out on my loveseat, snoring away. I got crap for his name every time I introduced him to someone new, but that dog has been with me since I was a college stoner math whiz. Those days were long behind me, for the most part, but this old beast is still with me.

  By the time I got home from my run, I had just enough time to enjoy a hot shower, grab my stuff and hit the road. Again. Oh, the life of a professional poker player. Most of what I do is here in Las Vegas, but there are some high dollar tournaments all over the world. This week it was Atlantic City, New Jersey.

  During my shower, I couldn’t help but think about Vaughn. She was one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. There was something more innocent about her than most of the girls I'd met, especially the ones that party all night with strippers.

  I thought about the way she danced with her face pressed into Vanessa’s full chest and my dick instantly went hard. There was no way I could be on a plane for the next five hours with a raging hard-on. Her perfect tits bouncing up down in that nearly see-through dress swam before my vision as I started to run my hand up and down my shaft. It wasn’t going to take me long to cum. My dick had been hard since the moment I laid eyes on Vaughn earlier that evening. I felt my balls tighten and they were quickly ready to explode. I closed my eyes and saw her sweet, sexy smile as I carried her to my truck. That right there, that image, sent me right over the edge. My cum ran over my fist as I let the memory of her beauty take over my release.

  “Time to go make some money, baby,” I said as I got myself out of the shower and ready to leave.

  Glitter in the Air

  When I woke up, I could already feel the bright morning sunshine burning my legs. Damn the Nevada summer heat had already arrived. As soon as I sat up, the entire room started spinning like I was on one of those tea cup rides at an amusement park. I gripped the edge of the bed to prevent myself from falling down. “Where the hell am I?” I whispered as I surveyed the room around me. I vaguely remembered some cute guy with tattoos for days carrying me to bed. Oh shit, did I hook up with up some random guy last night? I heard breathing behind me. I was scared to death to turn around; to see who was in bed with me. Rose wouldn’t let me do that, would she? I sat there for a minute and tried to remember the night before.

  “Oh good, you’re up,” Rose said as she dug her foot into my back. “Go get us Starbucks. It’s your turn,” she groaned.

  Oh, thank God it was Rose in my bed. “Um, nope it’s actually your turn,” I plopped down on the pillow next to her. “What the hell happened last night? Thanks by the way, I had an amazing time. Well what I can remember. And thanks for sending the guys home before we went to The Cave. It was so much easier to relax.”

  “I got the coffee yesterday. And last night was a fricken’ blast. And I knew it would be for you. What happened, you ask? Check Instagram under the name, Vaughn Haley,” Rose said coyly.

  “Yesterday was my birthday so those coffees don’t count. See, your turn. And really? Public pictures? You know how I feel about that!” I was getting slightly pissed off. “And who the hell is Vaughn Haley? Is she one of the strippers? I told you I told don’t like that crap!” I yelled.

  Rose gave that—I’m not taking any more of your crap—look. “Alright, cool your shit. Go grab your phone and look her up. I’ll call room service. You need coffee and some damn chill pills.”

  I rolled over and grabbed my phone off the nightstand, brought up the app and typed in Vaughn Haley. There was a couple of people with that name. Wait, why did one have my face? Obviously that’s the profile I was looking for. I clicked on her name. This chick only has two followers. What’s the point in even having an Instagram w
ith only two followers? I started scrolling through all the pictures and they were all of me from last night. What the hell was going on? “Rose, could you come in here please? And the coffee better be here!” I yelled to her.

  She came walking in, luckily with coffee in hand. “I can explain. The story is actually kind of funny,” she laughed, handing me some aspirin as well.

  “Oh it better be. And who is IGotTheNuts21? And why is he the only other person besides you who likes this profile?” I asked.

  Between the Instagram photos, Facebook tags, and what little was left of our memory, Rose and I pieced together most of the night. “I can’t believe that Nathan’s Instagram name is IGotTheNuts. I never pictured him as gay,” Rose scrunched her nose, looking slightly puzzled.

  “Why the hell would you think he was gay? Because his screen name has the word nuts in it? Oh, you can’t be that dumb,” I replied as I picked up a pillow and tossed it at her. “You said he’s a poker player right?” She nodded. “Okay, dingbat, Nuts is a poker term meaning having the best possible hand at any given time. I really am going to miss you.”

  “Well that makes more sense. Wait, what? Miss me? Where are you going? What’s going on with you? I knew there was something you weren’t telling me,” Rose barked, irritated.

  I crawled back into the bed next to her like we’ve been doing since we were teenagers. “I'm moving back to California with my mom and her boyfriend at the end of the month,” my breath hitched as I finally revealed the truth. “I love my mother, but living with her and Stuart is not how I wanted to start off my thirties. But I’m broke, Rose. Like straight up, barely squeaking by paycheck to paycheck broke.”

  My mother met Stuart a few years back on a senior’s single cruise to Mexico, and according to her it was love at first sight. He's been good for her, and makes her happy. When my mom’s happy and off traveling with Stuart, she stays off my back. She loved Lucas, according to her he was the best thing that had ever happened to me. Arguments between us often led to her blaming me for our divorce. Needless to say, our relationship has been rocky over the past year. So having to live with her is not something that even remotely appeals to me. And to make matters worse, Stuart is a self-proclaimed nudist. I unexpectedly figured that out when he jumped off the couch last Thanksgiving when I came to visit them for the first time. Let’s just say he was excited when his team scored a touchdown.

  “Why haven’t you said anything?” she asked. I knew she wanted to help, there was nothing she could do.

  “There’s nothing you could have done to help. Since the divorce, it’s been a struggle to make ends meet. I need a place that allows me to have Roxy, so I had to stay at the condo. New teachers don’t make the best money, so I'm just surviving. I want to live not just survive,” I explained as I blankly stared out the window. The last thing I wanted to do to is live with my mother in Northern California. I love this town. Las Vegas became my home when Rose and I moved away from the small town we were raised in. When I got accepted to the University of Las Vegas, she came to Nevada with me and went to Bartending School. It's the reason I didn’t leave after my divorce. But I've run out of options.

  We sat there in silence together for a few minutes. I knew Rose was trying to figure out ways for me stay. “I’ve already gone through every scenario. Going back home for a while is my only option,” I explained.

  “Come work at The Cave!” Rose blurted out.

  “And do what?” I asked with my typical smart ass tone. “You know they don’t need another bartender. I’m an awful server. Remember Denny’s 2006? Four broken plates, a sprained ankle, and some guy ended up with marinara burns. The only other thing at The Cave is dancing.”

  “Well…” she gave me a contemplative look. “Those girls make damn good money. I’d do it if it wasn’t for Ali. And Jeremy, I guess.”

  “Are you serious? Last night I had an issue with wearing a dress that was too short or showed too much cleavage in front of my friends. And now you suggest I shake my naked lady bits in front of strangers. Obviously you're still drunk!” I huffed and stormed out of the room, slamming the bathroom door. Rose knew me well enough to not to say shit to me in that moment. I poked my head out the door. “AND WHAT IF ONE OF MY STUDENTS SAW ME?” I screamed at her.

  Rose literally spit her coffee out all over the bed. “You teach fucking kindergarten!” she screamed right back at me.

  I loved my best friend, but at the moment, I absolutely hated her. She knew I couldn’t dance at The Cave. I couldn't, could I? No, there’s no way in hell I could ever strip. I'm a kindergarten teacher for goodness sake.

  I lived for the oversized tubs in hotel suite bathrooms. It’s just what I needed before I had to go back to reality. One day, when I bought a house of my own, I was going to make sure it had the most magnificent tub. I let the hottest water I could handle fill the tub and added in a few drops of coconut scented bubble bath. I lit the candle that was on the counter, and powered on my Ipod to my escape playlist. Pink’s Glitter in the Air played through the speakers. I carefully stepped in and let my body sink down until I was almost neck deep in the water. The lyrics completely filled my mind as tears slowly started falling down my face.

  “Hey Ryann,” Rose softly knocked on the door. “Can I come in, honey? Can we talk?”

  “Yeah, it’s open.” I wiped my eyes. I really didn’t need Rose to see me crying. “What’s up?”

  “Look the last thing in the world I want to do is make you upset, but the thought of losing you is the worst thing that could happen to me. We've never lived more than fifteen minutes apart from each other since middle school. The thought of you being over ten hours away kills me. Maybe I’m being selfish. I know teaching is your passion, but maybe you could make dancing your job for a while? At least until you can get a handle on your finances. The girls at The Cave make anywhere from five to seven hundred a night. You could dance through summer vacation and make plenty of money to get caught up and put some away for the school year.” Rose looked at me like she had the answers to all my problems wrapped up in one little ball.

  “Don’t you think I've thought about all of this?” The hurt I was feeling inside at the thought of leaving my best friend caused my tone to come out sharper than I intended. “Do you realize the consequences if I get caught? I’d lose my teaching credential. Everything I’ve worked so hard for. Not to mention I'm not one for the spotlight. You know how shy I am. There’s no way I could parade around naked in the club.”

  “First of all, it’s topless, not nude,” Rose retorted. “Second, you know Vanessa could completely change your appearance so no one will recognize you. And last, I’d bet you’d be shocked to find out what most of these women do during the day, so stop looking down your damn nose on us. We have an hour until check out.” With that, Rose stood up and walked out, leaving me alone with just my tears.

  **

  It’s been four days since Jeremy picked Rose and I up at the Aria after our fight, and she had yet to call me. Her stubborn streak was good. Better than mine, that’s for sure. I hated not talking to her. But with the silence, I had nothing but time to think. Think about if I could really have the confidence do what she suggested. If I could really live with my mother and Stu (Hmm. Confidence booster right there). Too often I found myself thinking about Mr. Nuts. Each time I looked at the Vaughn Haley Instagram, I noticed him. Nathaniel was only in the background of all the pictures. He never joined the party, leaving me to wonder why.

  At nine-thirty that night I drove to The Cave to finally talk to Rose. Thursday’s are usually her slow nights so we should have some time. I snuck in and her back was to the door. She didn’t see me. The place was packed. Rose told me things usually pick up during the summer months, but damn this was crazy.

  “Hey, baby, can I have an Angel’s Tit?” I asked in my best manly voice.

  “Sorry, we don’t serve perverts here,” she retorted as she turned around and chuckled.

  “Ou
ch. That one hurt,” I pretended like I was shot in the chest. “But you gotta admit that’s a pretty good one!”

  “You have to stop Googling dirty drinks. What’s up? I’m working and we’re a little busy. Some country festival bullshit,” she yelled over a group of rowdy cowboys.

  “I was hoping we could get a chance to talk about things,” I told her.

  “Well can we do that at home, please?” Rose asked.

  “I can’t apply for a summer job from home,” I smiled.

  “Good thing I have an in with the management. Let’s go talk to Vanessa.” Rose grabbed me by the wrist and drug me into Vanessa’s office.

  ***

  Rose and the girls took me shopping the next morning for everything I needed. Apparently, the club doesn’t provide your outfits. And now that I thought about it, that’s probably a good thing. Ewww, gross. I would not want to share things with some of the other girls. There is a plethora of costume, lingerie, and sex shops in Las Vegas to help me create the exact persona I wanted to become each night. Outfits were needed for floor and lap dances, the stage performances, catering to the fantasies of certain clients, and for the different theme nights when the club put on a party and the girls dressed similar. And I needed at least three outfits for each night, according to Jade. Well, there goes my emergency credit card. But I guess somewhere in this crazy world, stripper heels are considered an emergency.

  At lunch, Vanessa and Ashlynn gave me the run-down of how a typical night at the club worked. I had no idea that you actually had to pay the club to be able to dance there. It’s like their cut. “The harder you hustle, the more dollars in your G-string,” Ashlynn said to me. Made sense. “Just a few simple rules to live by. One: Only participate in what makes you comfortable. Don’t let anyone make you do something you don’t feel comfortable with. Two: Don’t date the clients. It always turns out messy,” she chuckled. “Okay. I didn’t mean for it to sound like that. And three: The most important rule, have fun. Loosen up with a few drinks if you need to, but don’t get drunk. Sloppy strippers are no bueno. I watched a girl walk right off stage once.” Ashlynn had a sense of humor that could make anyone laugh.