Chapter Four
Gio
If I thought watching her ass sway as she walked away from me was hot, seeing her up on that stage was scorching. I don't date the staff, I sure as hell don't fuck them, but if she asked me to, I'd bend her over one of the tables in a heartbeat. Or I'd pin her against the wall. Or maybe both. Yeah, both sounded like a really good idea. Shit. I needed to get myself under control.
Every time she got close enough to the edge of the stage for a customer to slip some bills into the thong she wore, I had to stop myself from reacting. The thought of any of these fuckers touching her pissed me off. It didn't make any damn sense. I needed to get my shit together because I had a job to do and that wasn't going to happen if I couldn't focus.
For just a moment, our eyes locked, and I swear I felt it to my fucking bones. It was visceral. Watching her up on that stage had me hard as a rock. When the moment ended, I tore my eyes away from the stage and took in my surroundings. I noticed the manager, Harry, talking with one of the dancers. The look on her face told me it wasn't a pleasant conversation and I discreetly made my way over to them to listen in.
“Harry, I don't want to do this.”
“They've paid a lot of money for their special request, Chablis. Get your sweet ass in that room and show them a good time. It's just four of them.”
That was all I needed to hear. It not only confirmed the rumor we'd heard about managementallowingthe women to be coerced into fucking customers, thebastardotook an active role in the coercion. I knew what Pop would want me to do in this situation. Stop it.
“Don't worry, sweetheart, they'll be getting their money back.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Harry snarled.
I couldn't help but smirk at Harry. “Gio. Marchetti.” At the flash of fear in his eyes, I smirked. “I see you recognize the name. Consider this your termination notice. Get whatever shit you have in the manager's office and get the fuck out of here. Now.”
“I'm confused. What's going on?” the dancer asked as Harry damn near bolted away from us.
“Chablis, is it? What's going on is the club is under new ownership. There are going to be some changes around here. One of those changes is management.” I was going to have to give some thought on who to bring in to help run the place. “You'll have a new manager, but for now, I'm it and I don't put up with the shit he did. There won't be any more 'special requests'.”
“You're serious. Damn, the girls are going to be thrilled. That asshole pocketed most of the extra cash from whoring us out to some of the customers.”
“That's what I figured. That's what scum like him do. Anyone else involved in his side business?” Easiest way to get to the truth was to ask the ones who were used to line their pockets.
“The bartender, Nick, and that shitty bouncer, Terry.”
“Thanks, sweetheart. Spread the word to the other girls. And don't worry about any backlash from tonight.” I winked at her and smirked at the smile she gave me. I saw that coming.
“If you're interested in a good time, I'm free the rest of the night.”
She gave me a 'come hither' smile that might have worked on any other night. “Thanks for the offer but I'm going to pass.”
“Suit yourself. If you change your mind, I'm here ‘til closing.” She put her hand on my arm and gave it a squeeze before she walked away.
I watched as she sauntered off and didn't miss the way she added an extra sway to her hips. Don't get me wrong, she was attractive- she had to be in order to be an exotic dancer- but she didn't get my blood heating the way Lola did. I wondered what Lola's real name was. I was determined to find out before the end of the night.
