I roll my eyes, though a small smile ghosts across my lips despite myself. I’ve always liked him when I’ve seen him on television, unapologetic, never giving a fuck what anyone else thinks.
It’s a pity he’ll be one of the reasons I end up in jail tonight.
As I move against him, his hands slide to my waist, fingers pressing just enough to make their presence known. It’s almost automatic when I say loudly, “Look, don’t touch.”
The velvet curtain is ripped open, and when I turn to look, I see Carl’s eyes immediately locking on Levi’s hands at my hips.
“Hands off!” he barks, cutting through the music.
Levi immediately lifts his hands into the air in mock surrender. “Sorry!”
Carl’s expression doesn’t soften. “I don’t care if you’re a celebrity. Touch one of the girls again, and I’ll kick your ass so hard out of here, you won’t just be a star anymore… you’ll be seeing them.”
Levi’s grin is back with full force. “Yes,sir.”
His bulge grows unmistakably hard beneath me, and I smile to myself. “Chill, Carl. He’s not interested in what I’m offering, and honestly, I don’t mind him touching me.”
Right. I can’t lie.
“There’s no straight bone in this body, honey,” Levi agrees. Carl narrows his eyes for a moment, then huffs, stepping back and pulling the curtain closed again. The moment he’s gone, Levi bursts out laughing. “Holy shit, that was hot. I’m so into broody and bossy. Is he single?”
“I have no fucking clue,” I say, resuming the dance.
Levi’s hands come to rest casually on my thighs now, his fingers tracing small circles as I sway to the beat, letting my body move even as my mind races.
“So, why’d you alert him if you don’t mind me touching you?” Levi’s voice is light, almost teasing.
“Reflex,” I mutter, focusing on the rhythm beneath my skin, trying to lose myself in it.
If this is my last lap dance before I go to jail, I should make it good, right?
Levi’s fingers glide up to the curve of my waist, a gentle pressure, never pushing too far, not sexual but almost soothing.
“A reflex like the stealing?” Koen asks from where he hovers in my peripheral vision.
I close my eyes, desperate to block them both out, to let the music take over. “Yes.”
Levi chuckles lowly beneath me, his fingers now idly tracing the glitter dusted across my skin. He follows a line from my collarbone to my right shoulder, but then his fingers pause over the burn scar hidden beneath the glitter, and I freeze. He doesn’t say anything, just keeps tracing as if he’s feeling out the story instead of asking for it.
“Why are you stripping?” Koen’s voice pushes into the silence, dragging me back and making me open my eyes.
“It’s the only thing I’m good at.” The words come out flat, but they’re the truth.
“You really believe that?”
“Yes.”
Koen scoffs, and I can sense him stepping closer, his presence a shadow creeping over me. “You could steal your way through life easily if you just sold what you take.”
“I’m not selling anything.” I look up at him and frown. “Listen, I can give you your watch back, or you can call the police, but this game is getting boring.”
“You could do anything else.” Levi’s touch moves again, this time brushing lightly over the curve of my shoulder, fingers toying with the pink wig I wear while working. He gives a playful tug on a strand to make me look at him again. “You’re worth more than this.”
What is that supposed to mean? That strippers aren’t worth anything?
I knowI’mnot worth shit, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the girls here aren’t. I shake my head, that truth coming out in anangry breath. “I’mnot worth more than this. I’m only good to be looked at or used.”
Levi shifts beneath me. “Used? Like in?—”
