by Gwyn McNamee
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about our conversation over coffee. Her reaction to my pressing her about school and stripping surprised me. Given how deferential and timid she usually is, I assumed she’d crumble under my pressure and answer anything I asked. Clearly, I’ve underestimated the effect whatever happened to her in school had on her. The intensity of her reaction to my questions ensures me there’s more to that story.
I’d be tempted to delve deeper to find out, but being in the same vicinity as Nora is bad for my control, and my libido. I wanted to chase after her when she left in a huff. Whether to apologize or push her more, I’m not sure. Either way, I had to force myself to let her go. She needed the space, and I’m not one to force someone to do something they aren’t ready for. It’s evident she needs some time before she’ll be ready to talk. I want to help her, but I also know being near her is dangerous. For both of us.
Yet, instead of staying away from Nora, I’m going to be heading right for her. Although, she may be at TWO tonight…if fate is on my side.
Yeah fucking right.
Fate has never been on my side. If anything, that bitch hates me.
She took my father, she led me down the dark path that brought me to the worst moment of my life, and then when I finally get my shit together and figure out what I’m going to do with my future, she tosses Nora in my path.
That woman is pure temptation.
My own goddamn kryptonite.
And I haven’t even kissed her yet.
No, Stone.
Just like you told her, that can’t happen.
Something’s definitely up tonight. Savage and Gabe have been wandering around the club, almost like they’re waiting for something or someone. Savage usually stays in his office, and Gabe is so laid-back most of the time, so seeing them like this is putting all the employees on edge.
I’m sure it’s nothing, but in the back of my mind, I worry it could have something to do with Dani.
I grab the drinks off the bar and place them on my tray. “Do you know what’s up with them?”
Byron shrugs. “Nah, they’ve been like that since last night. I don’t know what’s going on. Don’t worry too much, they get like this sometimes when personal shit gets in their heads. They’ll chill out eventually.”
There really isn’t anything I can do other than trust him. He’s been here forever and knows them better than anyone here. And if it were about Dani, I’m sure I would have either received a call from her, or Savage would have told me what I need to know by now.
Of course, my instinct is to run to the back and grab my phone to call and check in on her. But it’s after eleven, and Dani is probably passed out after dealing with Kennedy all day.
I just need to get back to work and stop worrying about other people’s headaches. I have enough of my own as it is.
But even now, I can’t get what Stone said out of my head.
You put on a good show while you’re center stage, but there’s something in your eyes that tells me, in your heart, that’s not where you want to be.
His words shook me more than I’d like to admit.
Others have voiced their concerns—primarily Dani and Mom—but no one has ever hit so close to the truth before.
Crap.
I don’t know what to do with him. Things were going so well here, and now, Stone has me second-guessing everything I’ve decided is best for my life with one dang observation.
I’m so distracted, I almost walk past the table I’m carrying drinks for. “Hey y’all, I have your drinks here.”
“Thanks, darlin’. What time do you get off tonight?”
I usually don’t mind helping out on the floor when we are really busy. It usually keeps me from thinking too much because I’m running all over the place. But tonight, I kind of wish I had said no and could just sit in the back. I don’t have the energy to deal with these guys tonight and remain perky and friendly like I need to.
“Too late for you, hon.” I plaster a smile on my face and lean against the table, giving him a good view of my mostly-exposed breasts.
He chuckles, and I give him a wink before Byron waving me over to the bar catches my attention. “I gotta go, boys. Does anyone else need anything?”
Cassanova grins and me and waggles his eyebrows suggestively. Real charming. “Just your number.”
A round of laughs follows me across the room until it’s drowned out by the music. Thank God I only have twenty minutes before I need to be back on stage. At least there, I can lose myself in the music and forget everything around me, including Stone and those yahoos.
I lean toward Byron over the bar so he can hear me. “What’s up?”
He grins. “I need you to settle a bet between those two guys.” He tosses his head to the other end of the bar where two men are in a heated debate.
“What’s the bet?”
“Genius number one was saying one of his friends almost died from carbon dioxide poisoning from his AC unit going out and his buddy keeps telling him it’s carbon monoxide, not dioxide. They have been arguing about it for twenty minutes. Why the fuck one of them doesn’t just pull out their cell phones and Google it is beyond me. But I told them I had someone who could settle it once and for all.”
Great.
Now I’m a sideshow act? The stripper who knows her chemistry. I’m sure Byron didn’t think asking me to help would offend me. And really, it doesn’t, I just can already anticipate the reaction from these guys when I school them. One thing I learned pretty early in life, that’s only been reinforced working here, is that most men want their women pretty and silent. I’m not much of a talker, so while misogynist mentality bothers me, in general, I don’t put up much of a stink. But men who think women should be pretty and silent tend to not respond well to a woman who is pretty and smarter than them. The macho pride prevents them from just accepting the fact they aren’t the smartest one in the room. So I already know this likely won’t end well.
Still, Byron wants my help, so I force a smile and make my way over to the end of the bar. As I approach, their bickering cuts through the loud music. When I step up behind them, they turn and stop mid-sentence.
“I heard you boys need a little science education.”
The tiny guy on my left barks out a laugh and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, right. A fucking stripper is going to teach me anything.”
After plastering on an even brighter smile, I clear my throat. “Actually, I was valedictorian of my high school and pre-med at Tulane on a full scholarship..”
Funny man’s smile disappears quickly, and his friend freezes, mouth agape.
“Which one of you thinks it’s Carbon Monoxide?”
The guy on the right tips his beer toward me with a small grin on his face.
I turn to the smartass on my left. “Carbon Monoxide, or CO, does not occur naturally in the atmosphere. It’s the result of oxygen-starved combustion in improperly ventilated fuel-burning appliances such as oil and gas furnaces, gas water heaters, gas ovens, gas or kerosene space heaters, fire places and wood stoves, and is also produced by gasoline engines that don’t use a catalytic converter. Carbon dioxide, or CO2, on the other hand, occurs naturally in the atmosphere. It’s a natural byproduct of human and animal respiration, fermentation, chemical reactions, and combustion of fossil fuels and wood. Some cars do produce it, if they have a catalytic converter. However, if your friend was in his house when he was poisoned, it was Carbon Monoxide, not Dioxide. Your buddy is right.”
Without waiting for their responses, I turn on my heels and make my way back stage to get ready for my dance.
Take that, pompous d-bag.
When I pull into the parking lot of the club, I’m tempted to turn right around and drive home or maybe down to Bourbon Street.
The meeting with Dom was tense. He wasn’t happy with my inability to resolve the issue with Castillo.
Like it’s my fucking fault the asshole is an arrogant prick who has balls
the size of Texas.
What was I supposed to do? Put a gun to his head and demand he call off his guys? That’s not my style and Dom knows it. But now he’s had time to stew since I talked to Castillo, and he’s pissed.
I got out of there when Dom called in his muscle. Their plans are none of my business. I prevent the messes where possible and clean them up afterward. The middle is out of my hands.
Having a showdown with my brother is the last thing I want to do right now, especially if there’s a chance I’ll run into Nora. I need to be completely on my game when dealing with Savage, and seeing her will throw me off in a way that’s not fixable. Even if she’s not here, I just don’t have it in me to deal with him tonight.
Shit.
I don’t have a choice. Savage is relentless and won’t stop until he says whatever he needs to get off his chest. It’s a trait I can’t really fault him for considering I’m the same way. It’s why not getting Nora to open up has been eating away at me so much. Maybe I’ll figure out a way to get through to her without putting myself in a too-tempting situation with her, but I don’t hold out much hope for that.
Besides, right now, I need to concentrate on getting whatever this is with Savage done fast so I can go home and crash.
With a resigned sigh, I shove open my door and trudge up to the front door of the club through the drizzle. There’s no need to sneak in the back this time.
Flashing lights and thumping bass assault me as I step inside. Rocky nods to me and lets me pass and Tubbs gives me a quick wave from his spot near the bar. The plan is to head straight upstairs to get whatever shit show Savage has planned over with as soon as possible, but the moment my eyes wander over to the stage, I’m frozen in place mid-stride and any plans fly out the window.
Fucking of course.
Nora twines her legs around the top of the pole and slides down it slowly, letting her hair and breasts fall back on her way to the stage.
My cock swells, thankfully still working after the other night, and my breath catches in my throat. This isn’t one of her usual dances. This is something…different. Strong. Sensual. Seductive. And yet…ethereal.
I can picture how beautiful she would be trussed up and suspended from the ceiling. I know exactly what binding I would use on her too.
Angel wings.
I’ve been working on it for years with my rope models, when I was still in San Diego, but I’ve yet to use my perfected version. I haven’t found the right person.
Until now.
When she reaches the stage, her legs fall open, releasing the pole from their tight grip, and she spins to the side, sprawling flat with her face down.
Jesus H. Christ.
I need to get the fuck upstairs before I come just watching this.
The elevator doesn’t arrive fast enough to save me from the sight of Nora running her palms over her breasts and tugging her own nipples. I’m tempted to turn around and climb in my car to relieve some pressure before the meeting when there’s a ding and the doors finally slide open.
Savage’s door is ajar and Gabe’s voice filters out into the hallway as I approach.
“How much are you going to tell him?”
“All of it. He needs to know the truth.”
Truth about what?
I push the door open and Gabe turns and nods at me. Savage just motions for me to close the door and points to the empty chair next to Gabe.
Instead, I stand behind it and rest my hands on the back. “What’s so important you had to see me tonight?”
A nervous glance passes between them.
“Jesus guys, out with it.”
Savage leans back in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest. “It’s about Dom.”
Motherfuckingsonofabitch.
I take a step back. “Oh hell no, I am not going to listen to another ‘Dom is a bad guy’ speech from you, Savage. You’ve made your feelings about him very clear. But I’m a big boy, and I’m more than capable of making my own life decisions.”
He slams his palm on his desk and practically growls at me. “Will you quit being a fucking litigator for two fucking seconds, Stone? You don’t need to plead your case, just fucking listen. There are things you don’t know, at least, I pray you don’t know them, because if you are still willing to work for that fucker after finding out what he did, then you and I are really going to have a problem.”
The look in his eyes, ones so goddamn similar to mine, gives me pause and has me biting back the retort on the tip of my tongue. What could possibly be so bad?
I know just about everything about Dom, and it hasn’t stopped me from trusting him, loving him, and bending over backward to help him in any way I can. I highly doubt there’s anything serious enough to get me to rethink my relationship with him—personal or working.
“Stone, just listen, please.” Gabe is generally a pretty easy-going guy. So when he sounds this serious, I know it’s time to pay attention.
“Fine, what’s so terrible that makes you think it will change my mind about working for Dom? You do know I’m not clueless about what he does.”
Gabe stands and moves to the end of Savage’s desk, leaning forward with his palms flat on the surface. He looks from Savage to me with a firm set to his jaw. “But you don’t know what he did to us…what he did to Dani.”
Dani?
“What do you mean what he did to Dani?”
Savage motions to the chair again. “You might want to sit for this.”
His eyes were on me.
There’s nothing else in the world that can cause my body to heat and respond like having Stone Hawke watching me dance.
I felt it the moment he walked in the club.
It made me wish I wasn’t going all out and flaunting myself just to stick it to those turds from earlier.
At the time, it seemed like a good idea—to show them what I can do after leaving them speechless with their jaws on the floor.
But with Stone there, it felt like every move I made was one step closer to me ending up in his bed.
I didn’t dare look over at him, but now that I’m sure he’s gone, I lift my head from the stage just as my song ends and glance over at the elevator bay. The numbers light up indicating it’s stopped on the second floor.
He must be meeting with Savage and Gabe about something. Maybe that’s why they’ve been antsy all night. For Stone to willingly sit down with his brother somewhere other than at their mom’s table, something pretty serious must be going on. But at least it means he’s not down here watching me, or worse trying to get me alone again.
Whew.
I’m glad he’s going to be tied up upstairs. I can go on my break and hide out in back until I’m sure he’s gone.
When I reach backstage, Dawn gives me a weird look in the mirror as I pass.
“What?”
She spins around on her chair and eyes me up and down. “Why are you all flustered?”
I examine myself in the mirror in front of me. “I’m not flustered.” Sure, my chest is a little pink, and so are my neck and cheeks, but I just got done dancing my butt off. At least, that’s what I tell myself it’s from and what I hope she’ll believe.
Candy laughs from next to me. “Dawn’s right, you are most definitely flustered.”
Crap on a cracker.
Apparently, I completely suck at hiding my reaction to Stone. Even his mere presence has thrown me enough for Candy and Dawn to notice. This from a man I’ve barely even touched. If I ever let him get his hands on me, I’ll probably spontaneously combust and engulf him in the inferno.
There’s no use trying to lie to the girls.
“Fine, maybe I’m a little flustered.”
Candy leans toward me. “Because of those guys at the bar you stuck it to?”
I look over at her to assess whether she’s being genuine or snooty. Her wide green eyes seem curious. “Who told you about that?”
She shrugs and spins her chair in a circle be
fore stopping to face me. “Byron. He was wicked impressed with you, you know. I swear, if he wasn’t gay, I would think he has a little crush on you and that big brain of yours.”
I bite back a laugh and turn and rest my butt on the vanity. “No, it wasn’t those guys. The one was a jerk, for sure, but I try not to let stuff like that get to me.” Besides, I just stuck it to them both on and off the stage.
Dawn crosses the room and leans next to me. “Then what’s up?”
Darn it.
I would really love to tell them about Stone. It’s not like I can discuss it with Dani or Caroline, at least not any more than what I already told them. And I don’t really talk to any of the girls I was friends with in college anymore. But I can’t really tell them. The whole “no getting involved with patrons” rule is pretty steadfast, and I doubt the fact that he’s Savage’s brother would make a difference on that. In fact, it would probably make things worse if the bosses found out.
Keep it vague.
“It’s this guy…”
Candy’s eyes light up, and she leans forward in her chair. “Ooh, do tell.”
I shrug and kick off my heels, stretching my ankles and calves. “There’s not much to tell. Nothing’s happened with him, we haven’t even kissed. But every single time I see him, it’s like…I don’t even know how to describe it…the world stands still and I’m stripped bare.”
Dawn bursts out laughing. “Stripped bare? Honey, you do know what you do for a living, right?”
Duh.
I roll my eyes at her. “Yes, that’s not what I mean. Haven’t either of you ever met someone and just had an instant connection with them? Like they can see through you? And even though they have tons of faults, you can’t seem to stay away?”
Candy stands and pats me on the shoulder. “The only instant connection I’ve ever had with a man was a quickie in the bathroom. There’s a reason I’m still single.”
Dawn nods and chimes in. “Ditto.”
I snort-laugh and nod as Candy makes her way over to the stage. Once Cherry is done, she’s taking the main stage. Dawn taps me on the shoulder. “I do get the whole overlooking faults thing, though. My ex could be a real fucking jerk, but when he wasn’t drunk and an idiot, he was sweet, caring, a powerhouse in bed, and treated me like a queen. I forgave him his faults to a point, but I eventually had to draw the line at banging other girls. Cheating is an absolute deal breaker for me. Just make sure you don’t let the guy walk all over you and have some limits.”