I glance over at the stage and see she’s wearing nothing more than a thong now. When she catches me watching, she winks. I’ve already heard whispers from the other girls; Tiffany plans on breaking my resolve on my hands-off policy. Except it’s not going to work.
Tiffany is hot, but that’s the extent of my interest. And even her pretty face and naked body aren’t enough to get my dick interested these days. Not with Willa sleeping in my bed. Stupid pillow wall between us or not, she’s all I can think about. Tiffany could walk over here right now and drop to her knees, and my cock wouldn’t so much as twitch. Not because of my weird line I draw with the girls at the club, but because the idea of touching anyone who isn’t Willa makes me want to peel off my skin.
That girl has a way of getting under it and staying there. I shouldn’t want her, but I do.
She chose my brother for fuck’s sake. So why the hell has she still always felt like mine?
Soul chuckles, and I shake off thoughts of Willa. He’s my best friend, so I know he sees straight through me, but I’m not talking about it.
Turning to face the room, I stretch an arm across the bar behind me and watch the scene tonight. Since shutting down the Iron Sinners strip club, business has doubled. Between weekend deals, new promo tactics, and our prime location on the Strip, we never have a slow night.
We’re near max capacity tonight. Every seat is full, and there’s a line out the door. Our best talent is on every stage, draining the pockets of everyone in here. I’m not good at much, but running this club is what I do best.
Unfortunately, pissing off Zane means he’s made it his mission to fuck with our club. They didn’t find anything during the raid, but he has eyes in here. Some I can pick out and some I can’t. Unless we’re on the compound, I have to assume someone is always watching.
A guy near the center stage starts to get a little too rowdy with the girls, and security steps in to kick him out. It’s a general rule that security should spot what’s happening in the club before I do. Because if I get to it first, then that means they weren’t paying attention, and I’ll sure as hell make the men pay if anyone hurts or so much as touches one of the girls without their permission.
I might be an asshole with no interest in a relationship, but consent is a nonnegotiable.
Soul spins on his stool, beer in hand. “Did Ghost manage to dig up anything on that list?”
He’s careful with his words in case anyone is listening. For all we know, the raid could have been an excuse for Zane to plant bugs all over this place. Ghost hasn’t had the chance to do a sweep because we’re keeping up appearances. Monday, when we close for the morning, he will.
“Ghost doesn’t have anything new yet, but he’s working his magic until he turns up something useful.”
Soul nods, taking a sip of his beer. “How are things going with Willa?”
I glance over at him, and he grins, still watching the stage.
“You started it by digging into my shit from New Year’s. Glass houses, Chaos. Your girl’s fiery.”
“Not my girl.”
“Whatever you tell yourself when you jerk off at night.” He chuckles. “How long was she with your brother?”
“A decade.”
He pauses with his beer bottle halfway to his mouth. “Fuck, that’s a long time.”
“Yep.”
“No wonder you thought he sent her here. A decade with someone is commitment.”
“I don’t know if it was like that.”
Maybe it’s hope. Maybe I’m delusional. But something about Willa’s offhand comments about her relationship with my brother leads me to think it wasn’t as perfect as he made it seem.
“What makes you say that?” Soul asks.
“For one thing, he was fucking around on her.”
“Asshole.”
“Mm-hmm,” I agree.
Soul shares my stance on unfaithful pricks, although for different reasons. He watched his father cheat on his mother and treat her like shit until she killed herself. Soul never forgave him for it.
He rests his elbows on the bar behind him. “It’s all right to be fucked up about it. You’re allowed to feel whatever you want. That’s a lot to unpack.”
