Her eyes had turned as wide as saucers as I yelled at her, and when I was done, they started leaking. Fucking hell, I'd made my sister cry.
But instead of bursting into dramatic sobs like she did when things didn't go her way, she just gave a small nod.
"I understand," she whispered, her voice choked up with emotions. Then she carefully walked past me and up the stairs to her loft bedroom. A minute later, I heard her door slam.
Sick anxiety filled my whole body like poison, making my limbs tremble as I headed through to the kitchen. Lights were on in the courtyard, and when I stepped out, I found all three of my guys sprawled out on the lounge, sharing a joint.
When they saw me standing there, Lucas held out a hand, and Zed held out the joint. Their silent message was clear and totally accurate. What was done was done, and it was done for the better. She needed to know, no matter how shitty it felt now.
46
A shiver ran through me as I twisted in the mirror to inspect my ass. It was barely even covered by the tiny, fringed skirt I wore. And that was the over-costume. Underneath it, all I had on was a micro-thong made of dental floss and diamantes. As for the top half...
"This is..." I trailed off, failing to find expressive words that wouldn't offend Maxine. After all, it was a red and black replica of the costume she herself wore every Friday night for her feature show at Club 22.
She flashed me a knowing grin. "Spare me the false modesty, H. You know you've got a banging body. You can more than pull this off." She flicked some of the fringe hanging from my bra-top and winked. "Those boys are going to be dead in their seats before you even take the top layer off."
I gave a small groan. "It's not them that I'm worried about. It's the mess I'll need to clean up if any of the patrons make comments within earshot."
Maxine laughed, the kind of easy laugh I envied. "I wouldn't worry about that, Boss. Besides, the way the lights are set up here, you can't see anyone past that front row. It'll be like you're all alone, just putting on a show for your men."
I went to run a hand through my hair, but Maxine slapped it away. Fair call, seeing as she'd just barely finished styling my hair and makeup.
"You'll be sensational," she assured me, then grabbed a shot glass from the tray that a waitress had delivered some time ago. "But here, drink this just in case."
I tossed the shot back and then snatched hers out of her hand before she could drink it.
"Hey!" she protested.
"Too slow," I teased, knocking hers back, too, and letting the liquor warm me from the inside.
Maxine rolled her eyes, then jerked her head toward the stage. "Alright, you're up. Go rip the Band-Aid off, and next time, make sure you don't lose the bet."
Grinning, I took a couple of steps toward the curtain that led to the stage. Then I paused and turned back to Maxine, feeling all kinds of awkward. "Hey, uh, this is weird, but... are you doing anything on Tuesday?"
Her brows rose. "During the time slot that I usually whip your skinny butt around a stripper pole? Nope, not anymore. Why, you wanna get coffee or something?"
I shrugged. "Yeah."
A bright smile lit up her face, and she nodded. "I'd love to. Now go, or you'll miss the start of the song." She smacked me on the ass, and I grinned as I slipped through the curtain and out onto the darkened stage.
Lights were dancing around the room and music boomed through the club, but the main stage—my stage—was in total darkness to allow me a moment to get into position.
My heels clicked on the hard stage floor and my breathing seemed way too fucking loud, but I didn't waste time on nerves. I just repeated exactly what Maxine had taught me over and over in rehearsal. When the lights flared bright on my stage, I was in my starting pose, ready.
Maxine had been telling the truth about being blinded to the rest of the club, but right there in the front row, within touching distance of the stage, were my guys. Or... two of them, at least. Cass, sadly, was still a dead man and couldn't really attend a busy Friday night at Club 22.
So as I began to move with the music, following Maxine's routine as perfectly as I could, I locked eyes with Lucas and let his wide, playful grin fill me with joy as I possibly made him cringe with my subpar pole work. Then it was Zed's steady, awestruck gaze that moved me through the next section, making the rest of the world melt away. The intensity of his stare made me feel like we were totally alone, like I was dancing just for him.
Then, as I twisted up into an inverted spin on the pole, all of a sudden there was Cass, right there in the front row, looking like a goddamn spicy snack in his leather jacket and distressed jeans. He shot me a smirk as I dismounted upside down, then rolled back to my feet.
What the fuck was he doing here? Anyone could see him. That was too damn dangerous. The whole routine was only three minutes long, but my worry for Cass's safety saw me rush the ending, then when the song faded away and the stage lights dimmed, I climbed straight off the front of the stage to where they sat.
"Cass, what the fuck are you doing?" I hissed, trying to be stern and threatening while only wearing a string thong and sequined nipple pasties. It really ruined the whole vibe.
Cass must have thought so, too, because he didn't seem even slightly panicked that his secret would get out. In fact, he just smirked and leaned forward to run his hands up my near-naked body.
"Look around, Red," he told me with mischief in his eyes.
I frowned down at him, then squinted around the room. Now that I didn't have the stage lights blinding me, it was easier to make out the other tables. All the empty tables. Confused, I swiveled my head to look all around the totally vacant club. Not a single other person was in sight, staff included.
"What..." I blinked down at Zed. "Where is everyone?"
He arched a brow and shook his head. "You didn't seriously think we'd be cool with a packed house of leering guys seeing you do all of that did you? Hell no. It's bad enough I have to share you with these bastards, but no way am I putting you up on display for anyone else."
I gave a surprised laugh, looking between the three of them. "Aw, you guys are so cute when you're all possessive. What about the staff?"
"Gave them the night off." Zed shrugged. "They left just before your song came on. The lights and sound are all set to computer timers."
Cass's hands were still caressing my skin, and when I made no move to pull away, he lifted me into his lap. "Besides," he rumbled, "no way in hell was I missing this show." He tilted his head back, claiming my lips in a rough kiss that made my whole body heat. His hips rocked against me, and I got a clear picture of just how much he'd enjoyed my strip show.
"I'm glad you were here," I told him in a husky whisper when our kiss ended. From the corner of my eye, I caught Zed and Lucas watching with anticipation, and a wicked idea crossed my mind. After all, we had the club all to ourselves, and I was almost naked already...
Peeling myself out of Cass's lap, I climbed onto Zed's. But instead of kissing him, I leaned over to kiss Lucas, who was sitting beside him.
Zed gave a low chuckle, his palms skating up the sides of my ribcage to rest on my breasts. While I locked lips with Lucas, letting his tongue explore my mouth and his fingers tangle in my hair, Zed thumbed the sequin pasties covering my nipples, secured with nothing more than a bit of adhesive tape.