Yesterday had been a little over the top, even I had to admit that. Not only did I have a very long encounter with the three Brittany’s, or whatever their names were, but on my way home at three in the morning, I’d been hit with another booty call that I couldn’t turn down. Thirty minutes later, I was back home, showered, and answering the door to welcome in two of my favorite friends’ with benefits - Tiff and Ashlee. Soon, they’d wake up and want more and if I didn’t eat something, I’d never make it through.
“Looks like even the four-legged pussy loves you,” Daine said, pointing to the cats, as he walked into the kitchen. He was still wearing yesterday’s clothes and from the bloodshot eyes he flashed my way, I’d say he was still under the influence of whatever he’d consumed last night.
“I guess,” I laughed. “You just get home?”
“Late night,” he shrugged, running a hand through his wavy red hair. “I need some fuckin’ sleep.”
“You and me both, brother,” I said.
“How many chicks are in your bed right now?” He laughed.
“Just two,” I said.
“You’re slackin’,” he quipped.
“Gettin’ tired in my old age, I guess,” I said.
“Vigorous sex is good for the heart,” Fox said, walking into the kitchen and heading straight to the coffee pot.
“Who said it was vigorous?” I asked.
“The screams I heard echoing off the walls at four in the morning, that’s who,” he said. “I can’t believe it didn’t wake up Tillie and Richie.”
“Shit,” I replied, shaking my head. “I tried to shut them up.”
“I bet you did,” Daine said, laughing, as he headed up to his room.
“Not like that,” I replied, unable to properly defend myself, because I had indeed tried to shut them up — exactly like that.
“You’re up early,” Fox said, sipping his coffee.
“I was starving. Skipped dinner last night.”
“Right,” he nodded. “All that sex requires lots of fuel. Make sure you stay hydrated, too!”
“Thanks, Dad,” I quipped, winking at him. “I think I’m good.”
“You working tonight?” he asked.
“Yep, early shift. Doing interviews for the new guy today.”
“Fresh meat, eh?”
“You know it.”
“Blaaaaaazzzzeeee!” Tiff’s voice called out from my room. Fox raised a brow and shook his head.
“My work is never done,” I said, stuffing a bagel in my mouth and heading back to my room.
CHAPTER 6
FINN
I only found one place that would let me rent a room without a credit card and it was still eighty bucks a night. At that rate, my money would be gone in no time. I bit the bullet and rented it for one night, with the intention to accelerate my plan, if I wanted to stay off the streets.
The bed was lumpy and hard, but still, I slept like a log. After going on a five mile run through the streets of L.A. at dawn, I attacked the continental breakfast bar like a savage. Three bowls of cereal and two bagels later, I checked out of the motel and hit the streets.
My original plan was to find a job as a waiter or a dishwasher, anything at all to earn a few bucks. But every greasy spoon I wandered into wasn’t hiring and the fancy restaurants kept asking me for a resumé. I strolled down the streets all day, with no luck.
Finally, I decided I was just going to take the plunge, handle the business I’d come here to handle, and then figure things out from there. The waiting was killing me anyway.
Knowing it would cost me, I hailed another taxi and got a ride to Tomcats.
It was early still. The evening sun was just starting to set on the Pacific, and as we traveled down the 101, I drank in the beauty of the ocean. I made a mental note to find a way down to the beach as soon as I could. Enchanted by the way the waves glistening in the sun, I couldn’t help but smile.
California was everything I’d dreamed of.
The parking lot was still empty at Tomcats. I paid the driver and stood gazing up at the neon sign. I couldn’t believe I was actually here. I ignored the pounding in my chest and put one foot in front of the other, opening the door and forcing myself to walk inside.
I paused, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness.
“Hey,” a voice called out from behind the bar that wrapped around the center island of the huge room.
“Hey,” I replied. The man standing there was tall, with long dark hair falling in loose waves around his face, his t-shirt straining to contain the muscles beneath. He walked around the bar and shook my hand with a friendly smile.
I shook it, doing my best to still my trembling fingers.
I had no plan.
I figured, in the end, I would just wing this part. I assumed the words would just come to me. God knows I’ve practiced them in the mirror a million times.
“I’m Blaze,” he said.
“I’m Finn,” I replied, pretending I didn’t already know who he was.
“So, you must be here for the job, right?”
“The job?” I asked, taken aback.
“Yeah,” he replied. “I’m doing interviews today.”
“Oh, right…”
He nodded and looked me up and down slowly.
“You’ve got the look, that’s for sure,” he said.
“The look?”
“Yeah, the chicks will love you. So fresh-faced. You’re not a minor, are you?”
“I’m twenty-one.”
“Good, perfect,” he nodded. “Come with me.”
He set off, strolling around the club, talking fast and showing me around.
“We’ve got three stages in the main room here. You’d rotate. Start with your primary performance on the main stage, then you’d rotate over to the smaller stages. Of course, the nights you aren’t dancing, you’d be back in the cabanas.”
My heart skipped a beat as I realized he thought I was here to interview to be a dancer. That was definitely not part of my plan!
I’d never been on a stage in my life, let alone taken my clothes off in front of a room full of people.
“What other clubs have you danced at?”
“Other clubs?”
“Boy, are you a parrot? Stop repeating everything I say. What experience do you have?”
“Uh…Cocktails,” I murmured, blurting out the name of the only other male strip club I could think of in town.
“Yeah? You danced at Cocktails?” he asked, raising an impressed eyebrow.
“Sure,” I mumbled.
“That’s great,” he said. “You’ll make more money here, though. It’s insane the amount of cash I go home with.”
“Really?” I asked, perking up. The promise of a park bench serving as my bed tonight loomed large in my mind.
“Hell, yeah, man,” he said, winking. “Not to mention the amount of pussy thrown your way. You aren’t supposed to fraternize with the customers, of course. But once they leave the premises, they aren’t customers anymore.”
“Oh, right,” I said.
“You don’t talk much, do you?” he asked, without waiting for an answer. “I like that. The silent, mysterious type.”
He led me outside to a row of Mediterranean-style cabins behind the clubs painted pastel pink.
“These are the cabanas,” he said. “This is where you make the real cash. If you can make a lady happy for a few hours, they’re very generous with their gratitude.”
“Right on,” I replied. They looked like lush hotel rooms on the inside, decked out with luxury furnishings and bedding.
Blaze stopped outside of one, looking me up and down slowly again.
“I’m supposed to watch you audition, but since you already worked at Cocktails, I’m gonna just assume you know what you’re doing.”
I nodded, my head spinning.
“When can you start?’ he asked.
“Right away.”
“Cool, man,” he sa
id. “I don’t feel like interviewing the others. You’re just what we’re looking for anyway. You’re hired. Start tonight.”
“T-t-tonight?” I stammered. “I um, I don’t have anything to wear yet.”
“We have an entire room full of costumes. You’ll never have to buy your own. If you need something, just ask, and Tillie will get it for you.”
“Wow, really?”
“Yep. Tillie and Richie take good care of the dancers. You’ll love them. You’ll love it here, man, just keep your chin up and mind your business and never be late. Treat the ladies like queens, and you can’t fail.”
“Got it,” I said.
He led me back into the club, showed me the locker room and left me in the costume room alone. I walked around, gingerly picking up sequined g-strings and leather chaps, shaking my head in disbelief.
What the hell had I gotten myself into?
CHAPTER 7
BLAZE
The knock at the door of Cabana Three was brisk and demanding. Opening it with a smile, I was happy to see the beauty staring back at me.
She was tall and svelte, with long, toned limbs that stretched for miles. Soft, loose curls framed her pretty face. Her high cheekbones practically guaranteed she’d done some modeling in her life.
“Blaze?” she asked, with a lifted brow and an upturned corner of her red lips.
“At your service,” I said, bowing slightly and stepping to the side to allow her inside. She walked in full of confidence and purpose, her chin held high as she placed her red leather Prada bag on the bed. I closed the door and faced her, counting my lucky stars that I’d scored this appointment.
She was a knock-out. Drop-dead gorgeous in a womanly way, a way that oozed wisdom and self-assurance. Gone was the uncertainty of a woman in her twenties. Absent from her direct gaze was the search for meaning I’d seen lingering in the eyes of thirty-somethings.
This woman was all woman, she’d lived her life and learned from her mistakes and she was completely in charge of her own destiny. I wanted to fall at her feet, learn from her, even as a man, even at first glance.
Because surely, she’d learned a lot about men in her time on this planet.
“Harley Jamison?” I asked, politely smiling at her, instead of falling to my knees in worship so soon. I had a feeling that would come later.
“That’s me,” she replied, her voice a low, raspy growl.
“Interesting name,” I quipped.
“My father loved motorcycles and whiskey,” she shrugged.
I laughed, perhaps a little too loudly, but it fit so perfectly — her name. Motorcycles and whiskey. She was the manifestation of both, no doubt. She was all rough vibrations and scorchingly intoxicating.
“You don’t recognize me, I can tell.”
“Should I?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I’m glad you don’t, to tell you the truth,” she replied, with a dismissive wave. “It’s refreshing.”
“I see,” I nodded. “In that case, welcome to Tomcats, Harley. Is this your first time here?”
“It is,” she said. “I have a friend who raves about your…services.”
“We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback,” I said.
“Listen,” she said. “I’m not really here to play games or beat around the bush. I requested the ‘domestic bliss’ package because I want to turn off the world, for just a few minutes, and pretend I’m still a woman. That I’m not some aging starlet who’s time has passed and has no appeal to the public anymore.”
I nodded slowly, letting her words sink as my eyes peered deeply into hers. They were almost violet, her eyes. The deepest shade of blue, where they nearly turn purple in the right light. I could have gazed into them forever.
“I just met you, Harley. But there’s no way in hell I’d ever think you were past your prime.”
She smiled a wry smile.
“And I’m not just saying that because you’re paying me,” I winked.
“You’re charming,” she mused. “I like that.”
“Harley, tonight’s all about you,” I said. “Let’s do just what you said. Let’s turn everything outside of this cabana off and just get to know each other and have a good time together. Just two normal people who don’t know a thing about each other.”
“That sounds nice,” she said.
“What would you like to start with? A bath? Dinner? A movie?”
“Let me ask you a question,” she said, taking a step closer, the scent of her perfume washing over me.
“Anything,” I urged, smiling down at her.
“If I weren’t paying you, if this were just a regular date,” she began, “what would you be doing right now? Would you ask me if I wanted a bath or dinner?”
I smiled down at her, her direct gaze cutting through any bullshit answer I could give her before I could even form it with my lips.
“You really want to know?” I growled.
“Yes,” she whispered, her lips begging me to taste them.
“If you were just some woman I met in a bar, or on the street, maybe through a mutual friend? And we were on a date?”
“Yes.”
“Well, Harley,” I began slowly, running a hand through my hair, as thoughts of what I’d actually do to her filled my mind, “the truth of the matter is that I’m a man, but I’m flawed, you see. I’m impatient. I like to get my way. I’m even a little stubborn.”
She nodded, a slight smile on her pretty face, “Go on.”
“Because of those things, I tend to barrel through my interactions with others like a bull who just heard the dinner bell.”
She laughed, a delightful twinkling laugh that lit up my heart.
“So, darling, to answer your question,” I said, leaning forward, little beads of sweat popping up on the back of my neck, “if you weren’t a customer in my place of work — which I enjoy very much, and intend to keep — then I must be honest and say I’d already have that black silk shirt you’re wearing ripped open, those tiny pearl buttons would be littered all over the floor and rolling under the bed, and that black lace bra I can see peeking out right there,” I reached over, sliding a finger under the strap and gently caressing the thin skin underneath, “would be unfastened and out of my way. More than likely, your slacks would be discarded in a pile, along with the matching black lace panties that I’m guessing you’re wearing under them.”
“Oh,” she murmured, her lips parting.
“I’d have already sunk to my knees and parted your milky thighs. I’d have already tasted you,” I nodded, slowly, my cock throbbing in my pants. I wasn’t supposed to be doing this — teasing both of us like this. But from the moment I opened that door and laid eyes on her, I’d been worked up like a stud on breeding day.
“So quickly?” she asked, raising an amused brow.
“Yes,” I nodded. “Like I said, I don’t like to wait for the things I want.”
“I must say, Blaze,” she whispered, her lips wet and plump, “that sounds very appealing.”
“You asked,” I replied. “I’m an honest guy.”
She laughed again and turned away, looking around a moment, before sitting on the bed.
“So, tell me, honest guy. How much more do I have to pay to make all that actually happen?”
I shook my head and smiled.
“As much as I wish it were possible, it’s not.”
“Everyone has a price,” she said. “And you’re a great salesman.”
“I’m flattered, really,” I said, shifting my rigid cock to the side before sitting beside her. “And there’s nothing more I’d like than the opportunity to have that experience with you. Unfortunately, it’s strictly against the house rules, as I’m sure you read in the agreement you signed.”
“It is,” she nodded. “But you can’t blame a girl for trying.”
“There’s nothing girly about you,” I said, giving in and leaning down and pressing my lips to hers. Her lips were as soft as I’
d imagined they’d be and my cock swelled painfully as she moaned into my mouth. I broke away with great reluctance, smiling at her gently. “You’re all woman, Harley.”
CHAPTER 8
HARLEY
His kiss ignited the flame inside me. I’d been ignoring it for so long, pretending I was just fine without human touch. But those lips…they broke through all my bullshit lies and showed me just how wrong I was.
I’d chosen Blaze’s photo out of the gallery on the Tomcat’s website, but he was so much more handsome in person. His long dark hair made me want to run my fingers through it. And those shoulders? Wide and strong, I imagined myself holding onto them for dear life while he slammed into me.
Five minutes in, I knew coming here was a mistake.
My dear assistant Melissa had insisted it would be just the thing I needed. A fun interlude without any commitment or messy aftermath. No arrogant prick to get possessive after I let him into my bed, as if that invitation alone was enough to invite him to rule my life. It had happened too many times to count and I’d given up on relationships long ago.
That didn’t mean my needs went away.
But this? Well, this guy was just a tease.
Blaze may have been everything I needed, in theory, but I was pretty sure now that I was here, the only thing I was going to leave with was more frustration.
I’d been craving human touch for months, and I’d refused to hire an escort because paying for sex just felt wrong to me. I didn’t mind if anyone else did it, but for me? I just couldn’t.
“What’s the difference?” I’d asked Melissa when she suggested I come here. “I told you I’m not interested in paying for sex.”
“It’s not the same, trust me,” she’d said.
“You’re not convincing me,” I resisted.
“Well, first of all, you aren’t paying for sex! You can’t fuck the guys at Tomcats,” she said. “An escort isn’t going to make you feel special. They aren’t going to take the time to make you feel the way you deserve to feel.”
“I fail to see the difference.”
“You’ll see when you get there,” she assured me.
TOMCATS [BOOK TWO] Page 2