“Sit. Have a drink with me.”
“I’m working.”
“I’m the boss. I say you can take a break.”
She slides onto the stool Amber vacated, and my body responds instantly. Where Amber left me cold all night, Nina makes my pulse kick up just by sitting down.
Katrina appears with a Sprite for her. Nina takes a sip, and I find myself curious.
“What would you drink if you weren’t working?”
“Gin and tonic,” she says.
I think about Amber’s fruity drink and give Nina a genuine smile. “Good choice.”
She takes another sip and glances at the empty stool beside me. “Where’s your date?”
“I don’t date. I fuck and move on.”
“I remember.” She swirls her straw thoughtfully. “I’m just surprised you’re done already. No fancy hotel room this time?”
She’s testing me, trying to get under my skin. It’s working, but not in the way she thinks. Instead of making me angry, her sass just makes me want her more.
“Let’s focus on something else,” I say. “Like the fact that we work together and should probably figure out how to do that without one of us committing homicide.”
“Speak for yourself. I’m perfectly professional.”
I reach out and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and she freezes. I shouldn’t touch her. I tell myself that even as my hand lifts. Her skin is softer than silk, and she starts to lean into my touch before catching herself.
“What are you doing?” she asks, but her voice has gone breathy.
“Just making conversation.” I let my fingers trail down to her shoulder, brushing along the strap of her lingerie. “I liked your routine tonight.”
The air between us crackles with electricity. She leans forward just a fraction, and I can smell her vanilla perfume. It’s warm and sweet, nothing like Amber’s heavy scent.
But this isn’t about that. I’m supposed to be getting to know Nina.
We make small talk for a few minutes, and she seems in no hurry to work the floor. She relaxes as we chat about her old job waiting tables, and it doesn’t take long for me to realize she’s a hell of a hard worker.
“So I have to ask. Why are you here? Why strip?”
Her guard goes back up instantly. “Maybe I like it. Maybe I feel empowered.”
“Bullshit.” I lean closer, close enough to see the flecks of gold in her gray eyes. “I’ve been running this place long enough to spota nervous dancer. You were scared shitless that first night. This isn’t about empowerment.”
She swallows hard, and I can see her weighing how much to tell me.
“Money motivates me,” she says finally. “I couldn’t make decent money waiting tables without killing myself. I want something better than that.”
She’s still holding back. I can feel it in the way she won’t quite meet my gaze, in the tension that’s suddenly radiating from her body.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I snap, harsher than I mean to. “More of your ex’s debts catching up with you? Using your body worked once, so now it’s your fallback?”
The words are out before I can stop them, and I know immediately I’ve fucked up. Her expression turns glacial, and she looks like she wants to introduce me to another broken bottle.
“No, asshole,” she snaps. “I’m doing this so I can afford to take care of mychild.”
15
