I shrug. “That’s her stage name, I guess. She’s a dancer.”
“A stripper?” Cash asks. “She from here?”
“Nobody from here goes to The Strip. You know that,” I tell him, because that’s common knowledge. Locals avoid The Strip as much as possible because of how busy it is. So, unless you work somewhere along The Strip or are going to see a show or meet friends who are tourists, you’re not in the general area. Thetraffic and crowds are horrendous, and the prices jump as soon as you get a block away from the big casinos.
The only reason we’re always on The Strip is that we practically own the entire thing.
Jordyn shrugs. “Maybe she’s one of those traveling strippers. Several of the clubs in our casinos hire girls to travel from other cities to put on shows.”
“Are you going to see her again?” Quinn asks.
I shake my head. “No.”
She looks at me like she can’t believe I said that. “Why not?”
Well, because it’s kind of hard to see someone again when they leave before you even wake up. But I don’t want to tell them that.
“She has purple hair.”
Quinn nods. “And it’s gorgeous. I saw it. Just like everything else about her.”
“She’s a stripper.”
Jordyn and Quinn look at each other through narrowed eyes, then turn their attention back to me.
“Are you job-shaming her because she’s a stripper? You know damn well being a stripper is just as much a career as doing whatever shit you do all day,” Jordyn scolds as she crosses her arms over her chest.
I hold up my hands defensively. Jesus, fuck. What the hell did I walk into tonight? I thought this was supposed to be my birthday dinner, but I feel like I’m getting roasted instead.
“I didn’t mean it like that. Fuck. There’s nothing wrong with it, but I’m too fucking possessive to be able to sit by, knowing other men are touching her, even if it is just part of her job.”
Both women stare at me before they let out audible sighs. Jordyn shakes her head.
“Men,” Quinn mutters and rolls her eyes. “Can’t live with them. Can’t shoot them.”
My mouth falls open as I stare at my newest sister-in-law. Maybe it’s her pregnancy hormones, but I don’t remember her being so vicious before she married Xander. Then again, Jordyn might be rubbing off on her.
“I thought you men started evolving once I joined the family, but I guess I was wrong.” Jordyn looks at her nails like they’ve personally disgusted her, but I think it’s meant for me.
“Jesus,” I groan, my head tipping back. My brothers aren’t even stepping in to help me out, which makes them just as fucking guilty right now. I’ll chew their asses out later. “She fucking left before I woke up. We didn’t exchange names or anything personal, so I know absolutely nothing about her, other than she’s a stripper and her stage name is Ace. That’s why I won’t see her again.”
Quinn’s shoulders drop, and she pulls away from Xander, taking a step toward me. When Xander doesn’t release her immediately, she hisses his name, so he relents. Then she wraps her arms around my torso to hug me. Meanwhile, Xander shoots me a death glare.
“Sorry, Kian. She was so beautiful, and the way you two were looking at each other was so?—”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Xander bites out as he pulls Quinn away from me.
Even though I feel like shit right now, I’m entertained by pissing him off, so I squeeze Quinn a bit tighter before I release her.
“It’s fine. Can we drop it and enjoy dinner?” I ask.
Jordyn and Quinn both nod and start moving around the kitchen again, while I flip my brothers my middle finger and glare at them before I go to the kitchen sink and turn on the water.
“And can you tell me how the fuck to get this shit off me?”
CHAPTER 10
Ace
