“Youwannaexplain this interestto me?”Smithie requested.
Marcus studied the headlining stripper at Smithie’s.
Platinum hair and a lot of it.Petite frame, her ribs andwaist trim to the point they were delicate, she also had slim hips and a narrowass.
Her breasts were huge, however.Obviously augmented,nevertheless, she’d clearly had them seen to by a genius.They somehow fit herframe, worked with the rest of her, drawing attention away from her height andher slight build, which could be seen as vulnerabilities, and giving herpresence, potency, power.
But her face.
Her face was stunning.Wide smile.White teeth and a gooddeal of them.Big eyes.Elegant nose.Soft cheekbones.All of this shehighlighted with the expert use of makeup from what was clearly a gift ofsuperior genes into something that shone like a Hollywood starlet.
A starlet of a stripper who looked a good deal like DollyParton, who also likely got home the night before, earliest, three in themorning, and was right then, only hours later, back on the stage helpinganother girl by teaching her some moves.
“Marcus, brother,” Smithie’s voice came at him.“You got aproblem with the way I do business, and I give you reason to have that problem,then we have a talk.I don’t give you that reason, we don’t have conversationslike this one.That’s our deal.”
Marcus listened to him while he watched Daisy talking to theother girl and then she ran across the stage, doing it gracefully in platformsandals, her stone-washed jeans tight on her ass and hips and all the way downher legs.Still, after she ran the four steps, she launched herself high,grabbing on to the pole at least three feet higher than she was, her bodyswinging around by just her hands.
When the swing ended, she climbed up the pole, hand overhand.Doing this quickly, taking herself up another four feet, she flipped herbottom half over, wrapping her skinny legs around the pole.She dropped back,her hair flowing down, and with her only hold on the pole being her legs, shearched her back and slid down slowly, somehow circling the pole as she did it.
She ended this doing a layout with her hands on the floor,her legs in slow and controlled movements coming over her head one after theother.Her hands pushing off, she was up.
Standing straight with perfect posture.
And smiling like she hadn’t moved an inch, much less justaccomplished a feat of gymnastics—in a pair of tight jeans—that had to take agood deal of strength and effort.
Fuck.
That face.
That smile.
Fuck.
“I’mthinkin’,watchin’that,” Smithie kept at him, “you got a clue that every asshole who runs a clubin Denver, Jefferson, Arapahoe, and Adams counties has beenbreathin’heavy down that girl’s neck in hopes ofrecruitin’her.You think to take her off private dances and give her less time on thestage, she likes me.She likes the class of Smithie’s most those other clubsdon’t have.She likes the other girls.She likes the velvet rope.She likes thePorsche she bought herself last month.What sheain’tgonnalike is that.”
Marcus said nothing, watching her spot the other girl as shetried to do the same maneuver Daisy had.
And watching as the girl failed.
“And the other girls don’t care, Marcus,” Smithie kept athim.“She packs the place.Every night,gottasendmen home from the line without them even getting in the door because the jointis jumping.That’s cash in the cash register for you and me, brother.Cover ishigher to get in with Daisy headlining.Bottles behind the bar getting emptyand quick.My weekly order of booze has doubled.But it’s also cash in thepocket not only of the dancers, but the bartenders and the waitresses.Everyoneis happy.”
Marcus turned his attention from Daisy to Smithie.
“Cut her back a set and a song each set and no privatedances, Smithie.”
Smithie became angry.“Been in this game seven years, Sloan.And those seven years, beenwaitin’ for a talent justlike Daisy to take Smithie’s, and all the souls I gotworkin’for me who depend on it, to the next level.”
“Increase her salary by half a million, give her four weeks’paid vacation, and cut her back a set and a song andno private dances,Smithie.”
Smithie’s eyes grew large.
“Half a mil?”he choked.
“I’ll cover that.”
Smithie’s face got hard but his mouth moved.
“The other part of the deal is that I work to buy you out assoon as I can.I’m about two months fromdoin’ that,now Daisy’s here.I don’t need you deeper, and no disrespect, I don’twantyou deeper.You knew that from the beginning too.I needed you and you steppedin for me and you got my gratitude for that.You got it from the heart,” hethumped his chest, “andin the bank.But this ismyclub,brother, and I want it back.”
