Her ruby-red lips curved into a smile. “I swear, Jere, you’re the antidote to male toxicity.”
“It doesn’t take much to be a good human being,” I countered.
She reluctantly accepted the money. Most of the girls were secretive and for good reason, but she’d told me she was putting herself through nursing school. She needed it more than I did and certainly deserved it. She collected herself quickly and put on her confident stripper-face then left the room.
When I was back outside, I scanned the floor for the asshole and his friends. I spotted them at the bar, surrounding Phil. It was hard to hear over the music, but Loudmouth seemed to be demanding to speak to the manager. Phil smirked and pointed at me. The guy followed his attention and when his gaze settled on me, his bluster faltered. They briefly talked some more before Phil made a call on the phone, no doubt to Jack, the real manager.
The whole thing ended up sputtering out like a faulty whoopie cushion as Loudmouth paid his tab and left. Good for him. Most bullies were all hot air and wilted the moment they were stood up to. I strolled into the dressing room where Lexa had changed into a different outfit and was in the process of adjusting her make-up. I stood outside the door, my back against the wall.
“The asshole just left. You’re good.”
“Baby, why aren’t you some famous person’s bodyguard?” Desiree asked, as she was applying fake lashes. “You’d be good at it and the pay is certainly better.”
“Maybe. But then, you all would miss me.”
“Miss you?” Lexa cut in. “This place would not be the same without you.”
“Ain’t that the truth?” Desiree said and flounced over to hug my arm. She rested her head against my shoulder. “Baby, tell me you have a brother? Someone like you that knows how to treat a woman. Someone that actually is interested in the fairer sex.”
“Sorry, Des, I guess I’m one of a kind.” I wrapped my meaty arm around her shoulders. She was a small girl, skinny and short and I comically dwarfed her. “And I like women very much, but you’re all family, like my sisters. And no, I don’t have a brother. The closest thing I have to family is my best friend, and he bats for the other team.”
She rested her chin on my biceps and fluttered her lashes at me. “Whoever snags you is one lucky thing.”
“Don’t worry, honey,” Lexa said and wrestled Desiree away from me. “Your man is out there somewhere waiting for you.”
She offered her a sweet, but longing smile and left the room. Lexa took me by the crook of my elbow, and we walked down the hall.
“If you want to vent later after closing over some beers, I’m game,” I said. I rarely drank socially and never by myself. We’d shared drinks and chit-chat before. She did most of the talking, telling me about nursing school and being the first of her “white trash” family to finish high school. I’d bragged about Danny attending MIT, one of the top colleges in the U.S. I talked about him a lot.
“Stop doing that. You’re going to make me fall for you. All the other girls are already in love with you,” she said.
“I can’t help I’m likable.”
She smiled but it wasn’t any kind of fake or placating smile, it was one of those genuine ones, the same kind of smile Danny used to give me.
“Jere,” Jack called from the office loft. “Take five, you’ve got a phone call.”
Lexa kissed my cheek. “Go. I’m good, promise.”
I nodded and climbed the stairs to the office. She went back to dancing, the men drooling over her oblivious she was upset about what had happened.
Jack clapped me on my shoulder. “You’re going to have to write out a report on the incident. I don’t want some politician’s spoiled kid making accusations against the club. Jesus fucking Christ, who thought it was a good idea to operate a strip club in the middle of Springfield?”
“You think they don’t have strip clubs in D.C?” I asked honestly.
He frowned. “Do they?”
“No clue but I would imagine so. Those self-deprived tight-asses are probably more horny than the average lot.”
He chuckled. “You have a good point. I recently read somewhere that D.C has the highest consumption of pornography, despite all that holier-than-thou bullshit they peddle.”
“And that surprises you?”
I liked Jack. He had a tendency to look at my girls like most men did, but he’d treated them with respect, and paid them fairly. He also took their safety seriously. I didn’t think Loudmouth would be a problem, but if he became one, Jack would deal with it. I shut the door behind me and sat down at the desk. The phone was sitting on the polished surface, face down.
“Hello?” I said into the receiver.
“Jere? I’m so sorry. You didn’t answer your messages, so I called you here.”
