“Well howdy, ladies. Where’s my birthday girl?” I swung my lasso and looped it around the woman wearing the sparkly, lit-up tiara. “Is that you, my darlin’?”
“Oh, my God. A real cowboy in the city. I love it.” She clapped her hands. “Can I get a dance?”
“You can get anything you’d like tonight.” I started my routine, but not before first shooting a glance over at the bar to see José by himself, his face dark and furious. Obviously Harlan failed to show here as well. Again.
He’s really gone. I had no idea why that thought brought me as much grief as the night Bobby walked away from me.Get your shit together, Cort. These people deserve your best.
Giving myself a mental slap, I turned my full attention to the group of women. They paid good money, and I was gonna give them my all.
“All right, my lovely ladies. Let’s all wish our favorite girl a happy birthday.” I shimmied and shook for them, and they clapped and gave me kisses, tucking bills into my chaps.
Thirty minutes later, my chaps were stuffed to the brim with tips.
“Come back with us to our hotel room later, and we can continue the party?” The birthday woman’s hopeful eyes touched me. She looked so sad and lonely.
“Aw, honey. I don’t think I’m who you’re lookin’ for. But I’m sure some man is out there who’s good enough for you. You just ain’t found him yet.”
She threw her arms around me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for making this the best birthday ever.”
I watched her wipe her eyes.
“My ex left me for a twenty-three-year-old. Said he wanted a whole woman, someone who could give him children. I had cancer and I can’t have children, but I told him we could adopt. That wasn’t good enough.”
Times like these I wished I wasn’t so nice, as I’d have liked to find that man and punch his lights out.
“I see a beautiful, strong, whole woman in front of me. You’re gonna find the right one. Your ex was just a test run.”
She smiled through her tears, and I hugged her again. “And when you do, come back here with him, and I’m gonna tell him what a lucky man he is.”
“Deal.”
I blew the rest of them kisses and headed over to the bar. José faced me with thunder in his eyes. “I don’t know who the hell your friend thinks he is, but not showing up and not calling? Fuck him.”
“I agree. I’m not making excuses for him. Um…he walked out on me too.” I stacked my bills and handed them over to José, who took them while still complaining about Harlan.
“The fuck? So you got no idea where he is?”
“Nope.” José handed me a cold beer. “Thanks, man.”
“Hello, cowboy.”
I swallowed and swiveled in my seat to see Mal, Rhoades’s friend, and more importantly, James’s enemy, standing in front of me. “Sorry. I’m working.”
“I know.” He pulled out his wallet from the back pocket of his dark slacks, which I couldn’t help but notice hugged a damn fine ass, and extracted a hundred-dollar bill. “Come dance for me.”
Did he think I’d forgotten how he behaved toward James? “Uh, I’m on a break.” I turned my seat around and took another swallow.
“You just said you were working. Which is it?”
“It’s whatever he decides.” James stormed over to my side. “This is your last warning to leave my employees alone. You’re making me angry now. Next time I won’t be so nice, and I’ll simply have you thrown out.”
“Don’t tempt me. I’d like to see you all worked up, Jamie-boy.” A lazy smile tipped the corners of Mal’s lips. “It’d be worth it to see you get that stick out of your ass.”
The anger rolled off James in waves, and he opened his mouth to no doubt spit out a retort when his phone rang. He pulled it out.
“James Rutledge.”
I watched Morgan and Juno perform their routine while Tristan worked the crowd. The cape and mask gave him an air of mystery, and he always had a crowd waiting for him to dance for them. Time for me to rejoin them and make some money. I finished my beer and stood, ready to walk away, when James grabbed my arm.
