Chapter 5
LEO
It’s been five days since we’ve encountered her in the elevator, and ever since, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her.
Lola .
Fuck.
Even her name was sexy.
Every time I closed my eyes at night, I saw her looking at me with those green eyes. Everything about her was fascinating, but those eyes…man, I just couldn’t get them out of my mind.
Her sweet scent had lingered for a while that night, and every time I stepped into that elevator, I hoped to see her again.
We all did. In fact, I wasn’t the only one hoping to encounter her again.
The guys and I lived in a two-story apartment together. We turned two lofts into one, and while we shared a big kitchen and living area upstairs, we all had our own little wing with a bedroom and bathroom downstairs.
When I first joined the crew, we all lived alone, but after a while of dancing together, we decided to move in together. We weren’t romantically involved or anything, but since we worked together and created a kind of brotherhood, we thought being close to each other was the best option.
None of us had girlfriends or wives, but we occasionally had women over. We didn’t really date. We were all bachelors, and we enjoyed this lifestyle.
Before taking any women home, we made sure to let them know just what our deal was. We talked to them openly, letting them know that we weren’t into dating, and that if they planned on seeing us again, they’d better not come home with us.
Being clear about that helped, although few women were reoccurring guests at our shows, hoping to be taken home again and again.
I promised myself that once I found the right woman, I wouldn’t sleep with others anymore. For now, no woman had me fall head-over-heels yet.
Until Lola.
I wouldn’t call myself a big romantic, but I was very in touch with my feelings and emotions, and I listened to my heart.
She was stuck in my head. Her flirtatious smile and those intense eyes hit me hard in the chest. She fascinated me, and the fact that she was brave enough to talk to us while being so confident was a fucking turn-on.
I had to see her again.
We all had to.
“He’s not snapping out of it.”
“Slap him.”
I lifted my hand to cover the back of my head before Kline had the chance to hit me.
“Relax,” I said, turning away from the kitchen counter. I was marinating the steaks I was about to put on the grill, and I had gotten lost in my thoughts because of Lola. “What do you need?” I asked, raising a brow at Kline.
When I first met Kline, he scared the shit out of me. He was a grumpy old man. Well, he wasn’t that old at fifty-one, but he had this dark gleam in his eyes whenever he was annoyed.
“You left a paper plate on the grill and it caught on fire. I might be a good firefighter, but I’m even better in beating the shit out of you if you burn this place down.”
“Shit, sorry.”
He gave me a warning glare before turning away and opening the fridge. “We’ll need more beer.”
“There’s more down in the basement,” Bennett announced.
I looked over at him sitting on one of the three couches in our large living area. “I’ll go down to get it,” I said, but that earned me another glare from Kline.
“You better stay up here and make sure nothing burns down. I’ll go.”
I lifted my hands in defense, then I smirked at him. “You’re so fucking hot when you’re grumpy,” I joked, wanting to drive him mad.
That was definitely one of my favorite pastimes.
Kline’s body tensed, and he took a moment to decide if it was worth reacting. He balled his fists, and without another look or word, he headed out of the apartment.
“One day, he’ll ram his fist right into your pretty boy face,” Bennett warned, looking amused.
I shrugged. “I look hot with a bloody nose and black eye.”
Bennett chuckled and shook his head, then he turned his attention back to the large TV screen hanging on the brick wall.
I went back to my steaks. I had always been a good cook, and all three of them knew that without me, they wouldn’t eat this well every day.
Thanks to my cooking, I didn’t have to help cleaning this place. I already added a lot to this household by cooking, and the other guys agreed that it was enough. Still, I helped whenever help was needed.
We were a team, and we worked best this way. We didn’t need anything else around here, and nothing could ever improve our living situation and lives.
Although…having a woman like Lola hanging out around here every now and then definitely wouldn’t bother us.
Kline
Normally, I would’ve taken the elevator to get to the basement but I was on a mission, and I needed to stop on the third floor to talk to our new neighbor who had a party last Friday.
I normally wouldn’t admit when a woman caught my attention, but the one who had joined us in the elevator that night, had messed with my head.
She was way too young for me to be interested in her, but I wasn’t alone. All four of us couldn’t stop talking about her on our way to The Hot Spot, and even during our show, dancing for women on stage, she had been on my mind.
I had turned fifty-one just a few months ago, and in my life, I’ve had many beautiful girls. None had ever struck me quite like Lola had.
And the other three agreed.
I went to the apartment in which the party had taken place last weekend, and I knocked at the door and waited for it to open.
We had yet to get to know this new neighbor, and I figured this was a good time to introduce myself.
The door swung open, and the guy looked stunned to find me standing there.
“Hey,” I said with a nod.
“Hey, man.” He sounded and looked tired. He also looked like he just came back from work. His clothes were dirty, and there was what looked like dried cement on his face.
“Thought I’d come say hello to our new neighbor. I’m Kline. I live upstairs,” I told him, holding out my hand. I wasn’t usually this nice, but I wanted to get some information out of him, and I definitely couldn’t get any by being rude.
He shook my hand, smiling in a friendly manner. “Good to meet you, Kline. I’m Benson.”
“Pleasure. Listen, you had a party last weekend. Were those all your friends or did you let everyone just invite random people?”
He looked horrified all of a sudden. He thought I was here to tell him that they were too loud. They weren’t, really. We weren’t even here, and when we came back from The Hot Spot, they were all gone already.
“Yeah, uh…no, they were mostly my friends. I’m sorry if the music was too loud. I’ll keep it down next time.”
“That’s not why I’m here, kid.”
He wasn’t a kid. He must’ve been almost thirty.
“Okay, uh…”
“There was a girl in the elevator. Lola. Is she a good friend of yours?”
“Lola? Shit, yes…she’s a really good friend of mine. Have known her most my life. Why?”
Perfect. So she’d come around often.
“I had a quick chat with her. Forgot to properly introduce myself to her. Will she be around this weekend? Are you throwing another party?”
Benson looked confused, but he wasn’t sending me away, which was good. “I will, yes. On Saturday.”
“Mind if the guys and I join? We can bring beer.”
“Uh, for sure! Sounds great, man. Thanks.”
I gave him a nod. “Perfect. See you around. Have a good night.”
“You too.”
He closed the door, and I made my way further downstairs to get to the basement where we stored cases of beer and also snacks and canned food.
We had another show in two days, and while I hoped to see her again before that to ask if she wanted to come see us, I didn’t want to be a creep and ask Benson for her number.
I’d see her on Saturday.
That I was sure of.