“She loves doing it. And Suzanne expects you to teach her that dance routine you told her about last week.”
“I will. She’s a real cutie-pie.” Frankie’s seven-year-old niece never left my lap after I told his family I auditioned for the part of a prince. At least someone looked up to me.
For the next hour we hung out at the pizza place, finishing our waters and watching the ball game. With Man Up not opening until ten o’clock, we had plenty of time and left to do our usual thing of sitting in the nearest Barnes and Noble café, drinking enough coffee to keep us buzzing the rest of the night.
With each passing minute, my trepidation grew. Sure, it was fun to dance and flirt with the guys—as long as they remained anonymous. Even the ones who paid for special time with me in the private rooms never told me their names. I gave them a sexy lap dance, but that was as far as it went, even though they teased me, telling me the other dancers gave them more.
I’d pushed away more than one hand delving inside my skintight booty shorts, with a smile and shake of my head. Yet tonight…I might not be able to say no to my handsome stranger. I might not want to.
“Time to go.”
Frankie tossed his cup away and picked up his duffel bag. I followed behind him, mulling over what I might do if the sexy stranger made his moves. My mind was a jumbled mess when we arrived at the club. Eager to get in out of the cold, I pushed open the door, greeting James, the owner, who sat at a little round table in an almost-hidden alcove.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
James gave us a nod and a brief smile. “I’ll let you know tonight after I see the numbers.”
Always impeccably dressed in a suit and tie, James possessed that patrician look I recognized from the people at my father’s law firm. I wondered what a man as elegant as him did running a place like this.
With his cocky, trademark smile, Frankie answered, “Well, we’ll give it everything we’ve got. And I meaneverything.” He wiggled his butt down the hallway to the dressing room, and I followed.
“Frankie, Austin, wait.”
We stopped for James to catch up with us.
His somber gaze traveled between Frankie and me. “I don’t ever want you to think you have to do things that make you feel uncomfortable. As a matter of fact, I’m discouraging you from getting too intimate with customers.”
“Damn, James. There you go ruining all my fun.” Frankie wiggled his butt down the hallway, leaving me behind.
“You understand what I mean, right? It’s for your own good. You shouldn’t ever feel pressured to do something you don’t want. That’s not what you’re here for. You’re paid to dance.”
“Yeah, thanks. I don’t, and I’ll make sure Frankie listens. Sometimes he can be a bit impetuous, and it gets him into trouble.”
Impetuous might be an understatement. Frankie was as wild as the sea and open as the sky.
A flicker of a smile softened James’s stern mouth. “Good. He’s lucky to have a friend like you.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll see you later. Gotta go get ready.” I hurried after Frankie and entered the dressing room to a cacophony of chatter. There were six of us dancers. Some dressed in costume, like Cort in his cowboy chaps and lasso, and Tristan in his black Zorro cape and mask, while Frankie, Morgan, Sonny, and I put on jocks and skimpy shorts and did our thing. James didn’t tell us what to do or how to do it, as long as the place was crowded and people bought drinks and paid for private rooms. We got a forty-percent cut of the payment, including any alcohol the guys ordered, so we always said yes whenever the men offered us drinks, whether we wanted them or not.
“Hey, what’s got you in a funk?” Cort, the big blond cowboy, elbowed me. His bulging muscles and smooth, oiled chest shone under the dressing room lights. The guy was a huge hit, especially when he’d rope a favored patron and pull him up onstage for some one-on-one action. The bills went flying every time.
“Nothing. I’m good.”
Frankie piped up as he oiled his chest. “Girlfriend’s lying. He’s thinking about his Tall, Dark, and Handsome showing up and if that means he’s gonna haveta put out.”
“What? Someone’s forcing you to have sex?” Cort turned worried eyes on me. For all that he was a stripper, Cort was pretty quiet and sheltered, and I knew from our talks he’d never had a boyfriend before. I felt kind of protective of him in the big bad city.
“No.” I glared at Frankie, who made a moue and went back to smearing his torso with glittery oil. “No one’s forcing me to do anything. It’s just—”
“It’s just that he’s got this rich, handsome dude sending him gifts, and he knows that shit don’t come free.”
“I don’t mind giving the guy extra attention, but I don’t want him to think that gives him access to my body.”
“Of course not.” Cort folded his strong arms and set his jaw. “If I see anyone giving you trouble, I’ll be there for you.”
Who needs a real family when I have these men at my side?
“Thanks.” I kissed his scruffy cheek. “I’m glad we’re friends.”
