Maggie shot her husband a considering glance. A crafty expression darted over her face before a toothy grin bloomed. “Will you let me dance? I enjoy it, and I promise to keep my clothes on.”
“On the condition you do some of the raunchy stuff for me,” Connor said.
Maggie let out a screech of excitement. “Deal.”
“I feel as if I should put my fingers in my ears like Susan does,” Julia said drily. “You can say no if you want.”
“Watching Maggie dance makes me proud,” Connor said. “It’s the other men who make me see red. I don’t like the idea of others fantasizing about touching my wife.” He studied Maggie, and the faint tension in the air dispersed. “But, the truth is she’s good and enjoys the challenge. All of you are great. What do you want me to do?”
Julia chuckled. “Don’t you mean you’re seeing green?”
“I’ve seen you scowl when women look at your husband,” he shot back.
“Yes, well, moving on. I need Christina to deck you out in a sexy costume.” She stood back to consider him, her head cocked to the side. “Vampire, I think. I’ll dress the glamorous lady vamp, and we’ll go out the front and talk up the place to passersby. Flirt and tease a little and tell them about our sexy dancers.”
“Let me do it,” Ryan said from behind her. “Please.”
Julia swiveled to face him and nodded slowly, melting under his intent gaze. “All right.”
“Do you want Caleb to come and provide music?”
“Yes please,” Julia said. “That would be a nice touch.”
“Let’s go,” Ryan said, holding out his hand. Her heart skipped a beat when his fingers wrapped around hers, and together, she and Ryan followed Christina out the back to the dressing room. He still had the knack of turning her breathless whenever he switched on his charm, and she wondered if she should worry, because the charisma translated to females of all ages. Scowling, she forced away the faint apprehension to focus on the present. He hadn’t put a foot wrong, and he deserved her trust.
Christina went straight to the racks of costumes. “Slinky red for you.” She handed the silky dress to Julia. “And a red shirt to go with Ryan’s black trousers.”
Julia stripped off her clothes and wriggled into the form-fitting dress while Ryan traded his shirt with the one Christina gave him. When they were both dressed, Christina stood back and nodded.
“Perfect.” Christina made shooing motions with her hands. “Go. Bring us some customers.”
By the time they exited the dressing room, half a dozen customers had walked into the club. Music blared through the speakers and one of her original dancers appeared on stage. Julia was pleased to see the effort she’d put into training had improved the dancer’s routine and her attitude. When the dancer caught her eye, Julia gave her a thumbs up gesture.
“Julia.” Ryan’s soft voice drew her attention.
“Yes?” The instant she met his gaze her knees threatened to buckle. Although they continued to sleep together, she held part of herself back. Ryan would leave soon to go on tour, and she wasn’t sure she’d hold herself together, if she could allow herself to trust him. Yeah. It was stupid, letting her fears ride her, but she couldn’t seem to put her misgivings behind her. She swallowed, promising herself she’d try harder.
“Don’t be nervous. You’ve put so much work into the club.” He squeezed her shoulder, a gesture of additional support. “You won’t fail.”
“Am I that obvious?”
“No, you come across confident in your decisions. You forget I know you well.”
“We have spent so little time together.”
“Is that what’s bothering you?”
Julia glanced at him, indecision tossing her around in a maelstrom of worries and apprehension. “No matter how you talk around the situation, we still have the same problems.”
“This time you’ll have the support of your friends, and I’ll have Caleb. Not that you have to worry,” he added. “What I mean is we’ll both have a better safety network.”
She drew in a quick breath. “Keep reassuring me so the past doesn’t come back to whack me over the head, okay?”
“Deal.”
“Okay, you have my permission to unleash your charm and flirt with the girls. I’ll do the same with the men. We’ll get Caleb to play and start with a dance or two.”
Caleb was waiting for them when they reached the front door. Outside, the night was starting to creep in, and the neon lights along K’ Road sparkled like an elderly lady in fancy dress. It was too early for the streetwalkers, but in a few more hours, they’d pop out of the woodwork.
