“I’m going to need proof that they did it.”
“I can’t give you a signed confession, but you should be able to beat one out of them. If you got rid of them, it would be doing us a favor.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Shouldn’t you be paying me, then?”
“It doesn’t work that way,” Leonidas said. “My cousin speaks very highly of you. If he hadn’t . . . well, that’s not even worth talking about. You bring me five thousand dollars and the Rivs will leave Dalton’s alone. We won’t help, but we won’t trash the place. In return, you take the men who murdered your uncle and burned down his club and make them go away.”
I hoped Grier was getting all of this. “I don’t have the cash tonight, but I can get it for you by noon tomorrow.”
“Noon is good enough.” Leonidas nodded.
“If you gentlemen will excuse me then, I’ve got a club to run.” I dragged the chair back and plopped it at Grier’s table. He didn’t look up from Kikki, and I walked back to the dressing room.
The five dancers were in various state of undress when I walked in. Ginny ambushed me with a hug before I could stop her.
“I knew you couldn’t live without me.” She missed kissing me because I ducked away.
“Knock it off,” I growled.
Jackie leaned up against the wall with her arms crossed. She raised an eyebrow.
“What did Leonidas want?” Ginny asked.
“None of your fucking business. If you want to know so bad, go back and ask him. VIP room three is free.” Shit. If she could do that, I could set Grier up in my office to listen in.
“Fine,” she drawled. “Are you fucking the new girl?” Ginny pointed at Jackie. “Because rumor has it, you are.”
“Yes,” Jackie said, before I could say anything. “He’s fantastic in bed, in case you were wondering.”
“For fuck’s sake,” I groaned.
The other girls whooped it up, but Ginny’s lips tightened, then she flounced out.
“Sorry about that,” I said, jerking a thumb in Ginny’s direction.
“She’s a nosy bitch.”
“And a nasty one too,” Mina said, reapplying her lipstick in the mirror.
“So what am I doing back here? The security guy said you wanted me in the dressing room. I had all sorts of kinky ideas, but it’s a pretty busy place.”
“Don’t let us stop you,” Betty said. “I’d throw some tips to see Miles in action.”
I pointed at the door. “You’re supposed to be on stage.”
“Do you want me to dance too?” Jackie batted her eyelashes at me. “I thought I wasn’t working here anymore.”
“You’re not. There’s some dangerous gang members in the bar tonight and I didn’t want them to see that you’re with me.” I took her by the elbow and walked out the back door with her. “I sent you a text.”
“My phone’s dead. I forgot to charge it.”
“I’ve got some serious shit going down right now. I can’t have you here. You’re a distraction.” I rubbed my hands up and down her arms. “In a good way, but I need to keep my head on straight.”
“That sounds pretty serious,” she said. “I’m worried.”
“Don’t be. It’ll all be all right.” I pulled her tight against me in a hug. No one worried about me. It was kind of cute. I whispered in her ear. “My security team is top-notch and Grier is here. I need to know that you’re safe at the Wynn tonight. I’ll come by and join you later, if that’s okay?”
“More than okay.” She kissed me and I wanted to linger, but I didn’t want to risk any of the Rivs seeing us together.
“Go straight to the Wynn and stay there.”
“I don’t care what time you get through, come to me.”
I nodded. “How did the audition go?”
Jackie sagged against me. “There’s too much. I’ll tell you later.”
“You can’t keep me hanging,” I said. “Thumbs-up or thumbs-down?”
Shaking her head, she walked down the stairs. “I’ll tell you later.” When she got to the sidewalk, she turned back to me. “Thank you. I’ve had the best time of my life this week. But mostly I want to let you know how much it’s meant to me that you helped me find Lisa.”
“Why does this sound like goodbye?” I asked, my gut clenching.
“Not yet, it’s not. But I don’t know what’s going to happen with Lisa tomorrow, so I wanted to make sure you knew how I felt.”
I didn’t want to do this in a back alley over bags of garbage that had been stewing in the hot sun. And I sure as shit didn’t want to do this when I wasn’t anywhere near her. But I had to know.
“Is that all you feel?” I asked hoarsely.
“I’ll tell you later.” She gave me a seductive smile and walked away.
“Highway, send a few guys around the corner and make sure Jackie gets in her car okay,” I said over the Bluetooth.
“Got it.”
Going back inside, I made sure the two guards on the dressing room door knew that no one but me and the dancers were allowed back there tonight.
“If anyone has a problem with that, they can come to me,” I said.
The club was picking up. All three stages had dancers on them, each woman writhing to hard core electronica. Javi had a light show going on that was almost as entertaining at the girls. Leonidas wasn’t in his seat, but the three goons were enjoying the show. I didn’t see Grier. Checking my phone, I saw he hadn’t called either.
I went back to my office for a bit of peace and quiet while I thought about what I was going to do next. Grier was lying on the couch with a porno mag covering his face. I locked the door. “You’re taking a risk coming into my office during prime business hours.”
Grier sat up and tossed the magazine on my desk. “With the light show and those gorgeous dancers, if anyone saw me get up, they’d assume I was taking a piss instead of coming in here.”
“I’m surprised security allowed you to get this far.” When this was all over, I’d have a word with them.
“They didn’t see me either. And since you gave me the key, it’s all good.”
I flipped through the VIP rooms’ channels on my headset, but I didn’t hear anything but music. “I think Ginny and Leonidas are in room three, but I don’t hear any chatter. Did you catch Leonidas shaking me down?”
“Are you willing to wear a wire tomorrow when you give him the money?”
I nodded. “What if he’s lying about knowing who killed my uncle?”
“It could be he’s hoping you’ll be hotheaded enough that you’d off one of his rivals. But he didn’t say kill the men responsible. He said get them out of the picture. For all he knows, you would turn them over to the police after you roughed them up.”
“What do you need me to do?”
Grier thought about it. “You know Ginny’s a spy for him, right?”
I thought briefly about Ginny’s sudden interest that Jackie and I were together. I was glad that I’d sent Jackie back to the Wynn and she wouldn’t be in danger. The last thing I wanted was for Jackie to get hurt if they thought they could use her against me. It should be all right. She was safe in her hotel room, and tomorrow she was flying again to Carson City. By the time she got back here tomorrow night, it would all be over. I hoped.
Chapter Nineteen
Jackie Mitchell
Lisa called around midnight.
“Holy shit,” I said. “You do have my number.”
“If you had sent Chance fucking Bateman a month ago, I would have called you back.”
I sighed. “Are you going to call Mom tomorrow?”
“Probably not.”
“Are you all right?”
“Let’s go down Mom’s list. I haven’t lost my phone. I haven’t been kidnapped. I’m not strung out on pills or drinking myself to death. And I’m not coming back to New York. Ever. Does that about cover all your questions? You have no idea what the last three months have been like.”
>
Since she’d decided to be a snide bitch, I felt obligated to reply in the same manner. “You’re no longer a stripper. You’re not a hooker, but it was a close call. You are taking pain medication for your knee, and you’ve been quitting jobs and leaving people in the lurch all over Nevada. How am I doing for facts?”
I could hear the trombones of the burlesque music in the background. Since Lisa didn’t have a quick answer for me, I continued.
“So, no. You’ve only answered half of my questions. I’ve got a pressing one for you tonight and I’d like to see you tomorrow to get the rest of them answered. If I’m going to have to go back to New York and face the firing squad, I want to be prepared.”
“What?” Lisa snapped.
“How much money did you pay Parker to get him to give you the lead?”
“I was the clear choice for the star of the show,” she said coldly.
“Okay, I phrased that wrong. How much money did you pay Parker so he could put on the show and are you getting paid for your performances?”
“That’s two questions.”
I was going to put her through the wall. She was lucky she was six hours’ driving distance away from me. “Answer one of them.”
“None of your business,” she said sweetly.
“I’m your manager.”
“You were my manager in New York. I don’t need one here in Nevada.”
“Is Parker your manager?”
“He’s my boyfriend.”
“I’m still your sister. I came all this way to make sure you were all right.”
Lisa groaned. “I’m only three years younger than you. I’m an adult. I don’t need to ask anyone’s permission to move to Nevada.”
“No, but a few phone calls would have gone a long way to letting us know that you were safe and healthy.”
“At times I wasn’t,” Lisa said. “But I needed to do that on my own too, without Mom and you hovering all over me.”
“I didn’t want to come down here. Mom made me.”
Lisa scoffed. “Made you? Did she threaten to ground you? If you stopped and looked at your life, you’d run away too.”
That stung. It had hints of truth in it as well. We could rip into each other all we wanted, but that wouldn’t solve anything. “I’m concerned about Parker. If you’re not going to tell Mom about the burlesque show, I’m going to have to.”
“Don’t you fucking dare.”
“Why? What’s she going to do? Ground you?” I said in a snotty rendition of her voice.
Yeah, I wasn’t helping the situation. But I had a lot of anger and frustration I wanted to take out on her for the shitty way she’d treated me. “One phone call. Was that too much to ask when you knew I was in town?”
“I didn’t want you to fuck up my opening night.”
It was like she punched me in the stomach. Now, it was my turn to recover in silence.
“Look, I’ve got another set to do. I promised Chance I’d call to let you know that I’m alive and well and I don’t need anything. Go home, Jackie. I’m staying here.”
“It would still ease my mind if I could see you tomorrow. Can I take you and Parker out to lunch or something?”
She sighed. “I don’t know. Sure. I guess. If that’s what it takes for you to leave me alone.”
“That’s what it’s going to take,” I said. I needed to see her and Parker so I could report back to my mother and get her off both our backs.
“Fine. Meet us at the Goldmine Diner on Main Street at noon.” Lisa hung up before I could say anything else.
I ordered a cheesecake from room service. Not a slice of cheesecake. A whole cake. And you can damn well bet I was charging Lisa for it. Of course, my mother was going to wind up paying for it, so revenge wasn’t that sweet. Luckily, the cheesecake was. I hoped Miles would show up so I didn’t have to eat the entire thing, but he didn’t. The rat.
I had almost given up on him. The last time I checked the clock it was three a.m. After I disposed of the cheesecake evidence, I had put on my sexy stripper outfit, but the thong annoyed the shit out of me. I decided to just be naked. But then I got cold, so I put on the fluffy robe. I must have fallen asleep because the heavy knock on my door sent me into a panic. Leaping out of bed, I barely managed to not to smack into the wall before I got my bearings. Peering through the peephole, I saw Miles and my heart did a crazy little jiggle.
“Come on in,” I said, and hid a yawn.
“I’m sorry I’m so late. A lot of shit was happening tonight.”
“Did you call the police on the gang members?”
“Didn’t need to.” He locked the door behind him. “I don’t want to talk about that right now.”
Grabbing his hand and leading him to the bed, I slid out of the robe. “You’re overdressed.”
“Are you sure you’re not too tired?” he asked with a slow smile.
“I’ll sleep afterward.”
“As long as it’s not during.”
Miles shed his clothes and got under the covers with me. We held each other tight for a moment.
“This is nice,” he said, kissing my forehead.
I melted into him. It was more than nice. It was sheer bliss. Coiling myself around him, I slowly stroked his back, his arms, his hips, and leg. Mine. All mine. He returned the favor by kneading my shoulders and back. I groaned and leaned into the massage.
“That feels incredible.” I sighed. My eyelids drooped. I should have had coffee with the cake.
“How did the audition go?”
“It was intense.” I tried to hide a yawn, but it was no good. “They had us do combo after combo. I think I fucked up one of the routines, but so did everyone else. I did a solo and a few group numbers.” I stroked the hair away from his face. “I even got to wear one of the preliminary costumes. Those shoulder rigs are heavy. I almost went ass over teakettle into the orchestra pit until I found my balance.”
“I’ll take you to the gym with me and we can lift some weights.”
“I don’t think I’m in your league.” I trailed a finger over his biceps.
Miles lay on his back and pulled me half on top of him. Straddling his leg, I fondled his cock.
“Mmm, I waited all day to have your hand there,” he said sleepily.
Nuzzling his throat, I whispered, “Just my hand?”
“There wasn’t a lot of time for fantasies.” Tilting my head back, he kissed me softly. Miles felt like velvet steel in my hand as he hardened under my languorous strokes.
“I want to taste you, but I don’t want you to stop.”
I was already wet before he said that. Now I had a deep desire to feel his tongue in me. “That’s easy enough,” I said, switching positions.
Rolling all the way on top of him, I shrieked when he pulled my thighs to his mouth. My breasts brushed the hard plane of his abs. Stretching my hand out, I played with the silky hairs of his leg while I casually continued to stroke him with my other hand.
Miles kissed my pussy and gave it a long, slow lick. I shimmied closer. He held me to his mouth, his powerful arms wrapped around my waist. I realized I was trapped when he found my clit and darted his tongue all around it. Sharp stabs of pleasure made me shake and writhe. I wiggled and ground against his face as he relentlessly pushed me closer to the edge. I had been so caught up in my desire that I was just holding him in my fist.
Taking him into my mouth, I sucked him deep and bobbed my head up and down his hard shaft. His toes curled and he moaned. The vibrations sent me spiraling down waves and waves of pleasure. I was wild, but he wouldn’t let me go. The faster I went, the faster he went until he suddenly tensed. He tapped me lightly on the ass.
I came off his cock to demand, “Harder.” And then I went back to sucking on the tip and tasting the precum with wide swathes of my tongue.
“I’m going to come. I want to be inside you when I do.”
“Where are the condoms?” I asked, staggering off him.
&
nbsp; “Jeans.” He pointed.
Ripping open the three pack, I got one out. My fingers were shaking as I slid it onto his throbbing cock. “You want a lap dance, mister?” I asked, guiding him inside me.
“Yes,” he groaned. His hands on my hips were helping me bounce on his hardness. I felt like I could fly. The lights of the Las Vegas Strip gleamed bright neon through the curtains as I rode him. His eyes were closed, but his fingers rubbed me. We were going so fast that he barely touched my clit with each rocking motion, but it was enough. I squeezed down hard on him when I came. Miles slammed my hips down and thrust up one last time. I nearly toppled over like last time, but he held me in place.
We moved slowly then, unwilling to stop. I finally shivered and he gently rolled me off. When he went into the bathroom to clean up, I turned toward the window again and looked out at the Strip. Las Vegas Jackie could have this every night.
Miles slid back into bed and pulled me into his side. “I want you to stay away from the club for the rest of your vacation.”
“Why?” I asked sleepily, a little hurt.
“Too dangerous with the gang activity. I don’t want you to become a target because you’re special to me.”
Propping myself up on an elbow, I stared down at him. “I’m special to you?”
He nodded, his eyes already closed.
“You’re special to me too,” I whispered in his ear and followed him into sleep.
Chapter Twenty
Miles Carvello
I hated wearing the fucking wire. I thought it looked obvious as shit, but Grier assured me it didn't. I also hated giving five thousand dollars to Leonidas, even if everyone else on the block thought it was the cost of doing business.
“I'm going to get my money back, right?”
“It will be evidence, but yeah, after the trial you get it back.” Grier did some last minute tests on the microphone. “Try to get him in here if you can. But if you can't, sit as far away from the speakers as possible. Don't put yourself at risk, but try to get him to talk about what he's doing. I want to get him on racketeering, but if we can pin a drug charge on him, I'd like to see what he offers in exchange for immunity.”
Tough Guy: A Hero Club Novel Page 17