“You sleep well too, Punc,” I murmured and hung up.
I set my phone aside and turned out the light. In the dark, I felt it - that excitement about Punc’s signals. All the indicators were there that he was interested in me, but in the past, I had a bad habit of reading more into things with men. I couldn’t let myself do that now. Not with Ted.
Still, I could get used to a man like him taking care of me. It might have only been pizza, but he knew it was on me to get dinner together…though Cat could do that (I made a mental note to talk to her about cooking). Even though I’d told him not to do something so nice for us, he did it anyway. Something told me that he’d take care of his woman like that, and I could only imagine how beautiful that would be.
And that foot rub. Lord above, that man’s fingers were pure magic on my feet. Other parts of me desperately wanted to know how skilled those fingers could be.
Yeah, this was no time to think about that.
His mention of not closing tomorrow made me wonder what he did at Platinum’s. There was always work to be done, but he’d been working as a mechanic after he got out of the Navy. Whywould he give that up to work in a gentleman’s club? Besides the obvious answer, I couldn’t fathom why he’d do that.
For that matter, what did he do with the Riot MC? I’d always wondered but had never had the chance to ask.
No way would Punc be into illegal activities like Dad. And yet, all those Riot MC men had an edge to them. The same edge Dad had, but theirs was far and away sharper. While Dad could be tough, he was always the underling. None of the Riot MC men struck me as being anyone’s underling. They called the shots and when someone didn’t like the shots they called, they’d make them like it.
If Punc were doing illegal things, that would break my heart. It would also force me to keep him at a distance because I wasn’t about to follow in Mom’s footsteps - falling in love with a man who would never give up a life of crime, even when that put his family in danger. That was a hard line in the concrete for me.
But I had no evidence that Punc was a criminal, and I shook off the thought.
He was a nice guy. No, a supremely nice guy. Always had been. It was reassuring to know that hadn’t changed.
I might want more from him, but that wasn’t meant to be. I’d be thrilled with whatever I could get from him - because all of it was good.
Any signals I’d picked up were the product of my wicked imagination.
Had to be.
My last cleaning appointment the following day was in the Five Points neighborhood. An area known for trendy restaurants, and quirky, off-the-beaten-path shops. I ducked into a shoe store and found a wide variety of high heels.
I rounded the corner of a row and hit a small jackpot. There were four pairs of six-inch heels with platform soles. Three of them were on clearance and two of those were my size. I nabbed both pairs, took them to the register, paid, and then I motored to Platinum’s.
I still hadn’t shared with Alanis or Cat about my new gig. I would share with my sister soon. My bestie, on the other hand… I wanted to put that off as long as possible. It wasn’t that she’d judge me. It was that I’d worry her - and I hated making her worry. Being a mom, she had a cup that overfloweth with worry. Plus, she’d told me not to do it.
She didn’t get it though, and I didn’t want her to. I couldn’t ask her for help with this. Nobody had the means to help me with this. Not unless I stooped to the same level as Dad and did something illegal.
Such was life.
I’d dealt with tough times before - not as tough as this, but I’d make it through. One way or another, I always did.
Ten minutes later, I parked behind Platinum’s, not just because that was the designated area for dancers but also because there weren’t many open spots in the front. It was a toss-up as to how thrilled I was about that situation. More patrons should mean more money, but it also meant more attention.
A burly, bearded man with a head full of dark brown hair leaned out the back door the moment I walked up. “You’re ‘Cult of Personality,’ right?”
It took me a moment to recall that was my audition song. I gave him a shy smile. “Guess so, if you’re talking about Monday morning.”
He smirked. “I am. Great song, fuckin’ kick-ass dance. Get inside. I’m Tundra.”
“Thanks, I’m Ava and it’s nice to meet you Tundra,” I said, slipping past him into the building.
“May sound fucked up, but don’t do that song today. That’s weekend material.”
I nodded. “You’re absolutely right. It’s a finale, not a warm-up.”
He winked, made a clicking sound with his tongue, and pointed a finger-gun at me. “Smart and sexy. Give ‘em hell, Ava.”
His phrase repeated in my head. The only person I really wanted to give hell to was Frank Darren.
This was no time to think about him.
