CHAPTER 9
Is there anything a good cocktail and good company can’t fix?
The moment I’ve been waiting for comes, and damn, does she bring the sunshine with her. The thought hits me the moment Lily walks into Wet Tips, sporting a wide smile like she’s ready to get this night started.
She strolls across the club, weaving through tables toward me, and I’ll be damned if I can blink.
She’s even more stunning than I remember.
Her hair falls in loose waves over her shoulders, a few strands out of place.
Her lips glisten with pink gloss, and her eyes are lined with kohl, giving her a kitten-like edge.
She’s wearing nothing special, just cutoffs and a loose gray cotton tank, with layered necklaces and a few rings on her fingers.
The black-and-white rattlesnake-print heels with small ankle straps draw my focus. My mind instantly rockets off into a daydream where I’m getting an up-close view of them while caressing her slender legs.
So not the visual I need in my head. I clench my fist, trying to control the direction of my thoughts.
“Hey there,” she calls out. There’s a bit of swagger and confidence in her steps. She reaches the bar and places her purse along with the garment bags on the next stool over before resting her arms on the bar top. Her cornflower-blue eyes catch in the low light when she stares up at me.
I lean my hip against the bar, giving her my full attention. “Hey. You getting settled in okay?”
“Yeah. Sorta. I’m holed up at a hotel for now, until I find a place, but it’s nice.”
Her words catch me off guard because I hadn’t realized she’d been that new to town. “You haven’t found a place yet?”
Her long hair sways as she shakes her head. “Nah, but I’m in no rush.” Pulling out the stool, she takes a seat. “I want to take my time and get to know the area a little before I agree to a lease.”
My thoughts immediately go to the apartment Deidre’s moving out of. Would Lily take it if I offered it to her, or is that weird? Something tells me to wait. So I push down the notion.
I raise an eyebrow and voice my next thoughts.
“You don’t look nervous. Most of the new girls are a wreck on their first night, nerves getting the best of them.
” Lily? She’s upbeat and looks raring to go.
If anything, she’s beaming. A sort of frenetic energy is radiating off her.
“I’ve seen some be a little green around the gills on day one. ”
She flips her hair. “I am a little. Just trying to hide it.” As she tilts her head, her smile softens to something almost shy. “How am I doing?”
“Hiding it like a pro.” I gesture to the liquor behind me. “Can I get you something?”
She grins widely. “Sure, why not?”
Leaning down on my elbow, I close some of the distance between us. “What’ll it be?”
She clasps her hands together, holding them to her mouth as she thinks it over. “Hmm, so many options.”
Fuck. The way she hums goes straight to my cock.
“How about you surprise me. Something original, but with a classic twist.”
I’m curious as hell about her. Every detail she reveals feels like a little gold nugget, worthy of collecting and hoarding. I was hoping she’d give me something, but it looks like I’m going to have to learn the hard way.
“Anything you don’t particularly like?”
“Anything but tequila. Very bad things happen on tequila nights, and I can’t be held responsible. So, for the sake of my ability to stay employed and pay bills, promise never to give me tequila.”
I stifle the grin building at the edge of my mouth and nod.
“You got it.” Secretly, I love that she gives me boundaries but opens the door for me to have fun with it and show her a little of myself in return.
It tells me two things—she’s willing to give me a small dose of her trust, and she doesn’t mind letting someone else take control.
She’s independent and fierce, but also soft and pliable—like there’s more than one side to her.
I have a feeling I’m going to fucking love discovering all the facets of her.
Turning, I run my hand over my goatee, pondering what to make for her.
Whiskey or bourbon is my gut instinct. If I had to guess, it would be something with a kick and a heady flavor.
When I glance back, her grin turns wicked.
“If it helps narrow down your choices, I’m not really a fufu drink kind of girl.
All the sweetness turns my stomach, so I don’t mind the strong stuff. ”
That makes me chuckle. Yeah, I knew it. Bourbon it is. But not bottom shelf. The good stuff.
She rests her chin in her hand, her gaze never leaving me. When I meet her stare, there are questions in her eyes, but ones she doesn’t voice, allowing for this quiet moment of silent connection between us.
After I set the drink in front of her, she stares at it for a moment. When her soft blue eyes flick back up to lock on mine, they’re bright and filled with curiosity. “What’s it called?”
“A Silver Fizz.”
A mischievous grin, then her teeth capture her bottom lip and hold it hostage. She gives me one sexy-as-fuck, knowing look as she brings the glass to her lips.
The fact that she closes her eyes and seems to hold her breath on that first sip pleases me.
She’s shutting off some of her senses to fully take it in.
I love that. I watch her neck muscles work as she swallows, followed by a small, breathy moan that sends a good deal of my blood rushing south.
Seeing her little tongue dart out to lick across her bottom lip, chasing the flavor, doesn’t help matters at all.
When those blue eyes open, surprise and delight flash across them.
I note all these tiny tells as I wait. “You like?”
“God, that’s… really damn good.” She gives a deep laugh, the sound rolling over me like a cool breeze.
Christ, she’s gorgeous. A low chuckle slips out, and I fight the urge to pound my chest. Clearing my throat, I ask, “So your file said you’re from Georgia… that’s where you grew up, or just born there?”
Her cheeky grin over the rim of the glass is almost too much. “You didn’t do a background check on me? I’m surprised.”
I did. Took the info from her application, her references, and her driver’s license. Hell, I even hired a hacker Dozer knows to dig deeper, a guy he calls Whiz Kid, who D’s considering sponsoring as a prospect.
She sees my guilty expression and laughs. “Don’t feel bad. I figured you would.”
There were enough details to finally put my doubts about her being Elle to bed.
Lily was halfway across the country when I met Elle.
I saw her grades and her high school attendance.
I saw the number of speeding and parking tickets she’d accumulated over the years, and I knew one thing for a fact.
Lily was not a law-abiding citizen. She had a rap sheet for theft when she was younger and a few drunk and disorderly charges.
No angel. At least not in the biblical sense.
“Ah… back to being the silent, thoughtful type, huh?” She teases.
Her words snap me back to the present and shake the thoughts circling in my head. “I zone out from time to time. Got a lot on my mind.”
“Mmmm. I see that.”
I put the bottles away. Over my shoulder, I tell her, “I’ve already let the staff know you’ll be doing a different kind of show.
Raven liked all your ideas, so I’ll give you some room to make some changes and mix things up.
Just let her know what you need, and she’ll take care of it.
When you go on, the other girls will take a break, except for the waitstaff. ”
She chuckles nervously. “You didn’t have to do that. I mean… I’m flattered, but I was kind of just bouncing around ideas with her when we had lunch. I’m like that. Full of a million ideas with no real plan or outline for implementing them.”
“Yeah, but that’s Raven’s specialty. She’s the kind of person who takes grand plans and turns them into reality.” I laugh darkly under my breath. “Believe me. If it’s a stupid idea, she’ll shut you down cold. No tact, that one. But if she sees potential, she’ll find a way to make it work.”
“What if my ideas fall flat? Maybe the people here aren’t ready for a Vegas style of stripping.”
Her audition pops into my head, and from the way her gaze holds mine and the quirk of her mouth, I’m guessing she’s thinking about it too.
“Oh, they may not be ready for it, but the clients will love it.”
“All right. You’re the boss.” She sassily salutes me.
Clearing my throat roughly, I say, “If Raven’s on board, then I’m sure it’ll be the shake-up this place needs. Plus, it’ll give the other girls a chance to get off their feet.”
“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Noted.”
We don’t talk about her audition. But it’s right there in the back of my mind.
My body hums like a damn tuning fork. What makes it worse is that while I work, her eyes track my every movement.
I also notice how she moves slightly to the music playing low in the background, and taps her nails on the counter to the beat.
Not sure if I’m successful, but I’m trying to play it off like she hasn’t got every bit of my attention. Like I’m not losing the battle to hide how much being near her affects me.
Thankfully, I can manage the bar on autopilot.
My staff slowly trickles in. I introduce them one by one to Lily and study their interactions.
When we’re alone again, I ask if she’s good.
“Yeah, I’ve been the new girl enough times that I get how it is. There’s always a bit of genuine welcome mixed with some judgment and suspicion.” She shrugs. “It’s just how it is.”
“Doesn’t make it right.”
“Doesn’t matter. That’s just life. Unfair as shit.”
I huff in agreement. Because fuck yeah, it is. “Just let me know if any of them give you a hard time. A few might see you as easy prey, thinking you don’t know how shit works around here. Don’t let anyone steer you wrong. In fact, check with Raven on anything they tell you.”
Lily gives me a no-nonsense look. “I can handle myself.”