CHAPTER 5 #2
She’s a little disheveled. Her hair is pinned up in a messy bun, a few loose strands blow in the breeze across her face.
There’s a light sheen of sweat on her skin and the sight has my hand twitching with the urge to reach out, touch her, and calm her nerves.
To feel that rapid beating pulse beneath my fingers.
Bodie bumps my shoulder. “Dude, she asked you a question.”
I blink and meet her stare. “What?”
Her eyebrows are drawn together. “Can I still audition?” There’s a touch of desperation in her question.
She adjusts the bag on her shoulder, eyes flicking between me and Bodie.
“Look, I promise I won’t ever be late again.
I’m a good dancer—a good employee. If you give me a shot, you won’t regret it.
” She’s still out of breath. Something about the way she’s looking at me makes me think this isn’t just nerves.
She needs this, which has me wondering and worrying about why.
Like, is she low on cash, desperate, and behind on bills?
Fuck. I care about the people I hire, but the degree at which I care about this chick, in like a day, is bordering on levels that sound crazy even to me.
I tuck my hair, which has fallen forward, behind my ear. Her gaze follows the movement, roaming over my tattoos. A spark of something flitters across her eyes, and for a second, I think it’s lust. But it’s there one second and gone the next, leaving me questioning if I saw it.
“Have you danced anywhere before?” Bodie asks, granting mercy on my dumb ass.
“Yeah, I uh—danced at the Pink Melon in Vegas for a little over a year and at a small joint in Fresno for a year and a half. But to be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve been on stage.
My brother got into some trouble… with drugs…
and well, he needed me. So I’ve spent the last few months making sure he stayed clean and out of prison. ”
I feel an instant kinship with her. I know what it’s like to put your life on hold to take care of a family member.
“And what brings you to Albuquerque?” I ask. It’s one of the million questions I have for her queued up in my head.
Bodie throws his hands up. “Finally! He speaks!”
I stifle the urge to knock him on his ass.
“The city that never sleeps isn’t the best place for my brother to stay clean, if you know what I mean.
I thought moving somewhere a little slower-paced and getting him away from his friends would be what he needed to start over.
There’s also a great outpatient rehab center here that his mentor referred him to. ” She shrugs. “So here I am.”
“And your brother?” I ask.
Lily smiles warmly, and her eyes light up. “Doing better. Thanks for asking. He’s staying with family for a while until I find my feet, but once I get set up here, he’ll follow me down. Maybe get a job and a place of his own. Or at least, that’s the plan.”
I nod as respect for her ignites in my chest. What she’s had to live through couldn’t have been easy, and yet she still stood by her brother.She’s got her shit together and is raising up those around her, something I believe in wholeheartedly.
“No, you didn’t miss your chance. The audition’s still on if you feel up to it.” I head toward the back door and hold it open for her.
Relief floods her face. She smiles full wattage, and oh fuck , the sight sends a ripple of chills down my spine.
I eye her layered silver jewelry and the many rings on her fingers.
Her shirt is white, thin, and dips low enough that it gives me a mouthwatering view of her cleavage, her ample tits barely contained in a white lace bra that’s visible underneath.
The shirt itself reads, “Wild Beauty,” which suits her to a T—a little wild, a whole lot beautiful, and I love that she’s confident enough to flaunt it.
For a moment, she meets my stare head-on. Her brow lifts as if calling me out on my ogling. Her expression pulls a smirk from me, something I haven’t done in ages.
I don’t understand it, but she seems as fascinated with me as I am with her.
Bodie clears his throat, ruining the moment.
I gesture toward the door. “Come on. I’ll show you around.”
She walks ahead, and I can’t help but watch the figure-eight sway of her hips.
She might not be Elle, but my curiosity to know more about her is definitely piqued.
The frightened teen I’ve seen in my dreams is miles apart from this strong, independent woman who is hell on wheels. Linking them in any way is just wishful thinking. People change, but do they change this much? No, not in my opinion.
My gaze falls to her ass in those faded jean cutoffs. They’re tight and hug her bubble butt. It’s all too easy to imagine the biteable ass I’d find underneath. But would it be covered in lace or cotton? What color?
Fuck. Where the fuck is my mind today?
On sex. Yes, that’s fucking obvious. My libido, like a separate entity, is suddenly awake and demanding I sate myself with every inch of her, like a starved fucker.
Bodie and I almost collide as we try to enter the door. We jockey for position behind her like two kids. He reaches out, faking a grab. I shove his hand away and slam him against the doorframe, my forearm across his chest.
This only delights him, if the wide dimple smile is anything to go by. After I deliver a warning, I let him go. He wastes no time in catching up with me.
“Did he give you a ticket?” Bodie asks.
She casts a glance back at us over her shoulder. “Yeah.”
Curious, I ask, “For what?”
She pauses and waits for me to fall just a step behind her. Her smirk is a little wicked. “For going twenty over.”
A grunt escapes me. My mouth twitches as I fight my amusement. “Speed demon.”
“Yeah. I love the wind in my hair. Feels like…” She trails off, something flickering behind her eyes.
A memory surfaces, a hand surfing in the breeze out of a car window. It’s there and gone in a heartbeat. “What were you gonna say?” I press, hoping against hope for a tie to this breadcrumb, even if it’s not at all possible she’s Elle.
She waves me off. “Nothing, just… like it, is all. Feels like being on the run. Like I’m getting away with something.”
Her words have a dull edge, and the emotion behind them lacks substance.
“Which way to the dressing room?”
“I’ll show her,” Bodie jumps in.
The fuck he will.
I turn with a scowl. My glare says it all. I will beat his ass if he says another word. I point towards the bar. Go. And like a good fucking boy, he does. His hands come up in defeat as he backs away, grinning like a fiend.
Once Lily and I get to the dressing room, I apologize for Raven not being here and explain she had plans, a music festival with her girlfriend. She tells me it’s fine and then watches intently as I peel the name Jules off the top of the mirror.
“Do you have music you want me to play?”
“Oh, yeah.” She reaches into her bag and pulls out an iPod. “Let me just prep the song.” After a moment of scrolling, she hands it to me. I note the song, an old rock song—one I love. Fate? Coincidence? Because fuck does this one bring back memories.
She gestures toward my hand and asks, “Why’d she leave?”
I stare at the crumpled tape. “Oh, uh-mmm. She didn’t. I had to let her go.”
When she continues to stare at me, I explain.
I’m not sure why I do so, but maybe I don’t want her to think poorly of me.
“A customer made a pass at her. I didn’t know she was seeing Jaxson, my bartender, and shit went down.
” She furrows her brow, so I keep going.
“Had I known they were dating, I could’ve kept Jaxson off the same shift or had security keeping a closer eye on them. ”
“What happened?”
“Jaxson lost it when the guy touched her. Shouldn’t have happened, but the bouncer didn’t catch the creep in time. Guy was too slick.”
“And?”
“Jaxson broke his nose and put him in the hospital.”
Her eyes go wide. “And you fired her for that?”
“Both of them,” I say, my tone resolute.
“But why? The customer was the one out of line.”
“Because they kept it from me. I let my employees get away with a lot, but something like this… a lie by omission that puts people at risk? No.”
She considers it momentarily. After dropping her bag in the chair, she crosses her arms over her chest. “Maybe it was new. Maybe they hadn’t gotten around to telling you yet.”
There’s something about her stance, her attitude, her backbone, that stirs my blood.
“I found out it had been going on for months. I’m not unreasonable.”
“They probably just wanted to work the same shifts.”
I shake my head. “Nah. They knew it would cause problems, and they still kept it quiet. Had coworkers lie for them. My life’s complicated enough without having to guess who I can and can’t trust.”
Her gaze is scrutinizing, like she’s evaluating the stubborn man living under my skin and taking his measure.
Finally, she says, “I won’t be but a few minutes.”
It hits me then—that I’m standing in the dressing room and she needs to change. I turn to leave but hesitate at the door and peer at her over my shoulder.
“I’m not… I don’t…”
She tilts her head, confused. “What?”
“I’m not that guy.” It comes out rougher than intended.
“The strip club manager who expects, you know, favors. Just… in case you were worried about that.” And yet, in my mind, I’m tempted to pick her up, sit her pretty ass on the vanity, and wedge my hips between those thighs, maybe even steal my first taste of her bee-stung lips.
She faces the vanity and begins to pull items from her bag, and surprises me by saying, “I know. I checked you out a little before I decided to try for the job.”
“Smart girl.” The words are coated with pride.
“I try to be. Although I make stupid decisions sometimes, or my heart does. But I stopped listening to that years ago.”
When her head lifts, she meets my gaze through the mirror. There’s a cold, detached expression now covering her features. Whatever memory she visited just now shut her down.
I’m dying to know what it was. Instead, I force myself to say what I should. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“I’m good,” she says. “I’ll be out there soon.”
I hope to God she is good , because I don’t think I have it in me to turn her away. Seeing her again, learning more about her, is the only thing on my mind.
The dilemma sticks with me as I reenter the main room and take a seat next to Bodie, who immediately hands me a cold beer.
I’ve lived by a certain moral code all my life. And now I’m what, going to suddenly throw it out the window? Not to mention, there’s my staff to consider. I’d look like the worst fucking hypocrite if I started anything with Lily after letting Jules and Jaxson go.
My undeniable attraction to her should stop me from bringing her on board. Will it, though? No. But it should. It fucking should.