“Bad news, Jack.” I take a seat at the table across from him. “You can get a lap dance, but that’s about it.”
“Well, that sucks ass.” He folds his arms across his chest like a toddler that’s about to start pouting. “Maybe we should go somewhere else…”
“That’s your call.” I sip my drink and shrug. “If you’re ready to go, so am I.”
“Hold up, this girl’s cute.” He motions to the girl that is walking toward the pole. “Let’s stay a little bit longer.”
I pull out my money, and Jack grabs some of it. He has a lot more to spare than I do, but I’m not going to complain. I motion for one of the waitresses to bring him another drink. If I can get him drunk, my night might end a lot earlier than he intends for it to. He’s barely more than a kid. He might have some tolerance from his college years, but I doubt he knows a damn thing about pacing.
“Thanks, babe.” Jack winks at the waitress and stares at her cleavage as he hands her a tip.
“Wait.” I put my hand on her arm. “He’s supposed to get a shot of vodka with every drink you serve him; the bartender should have explained that.”
“Good looking out, bro.” Jack grins. “Yeah, babe, hook me up.”
The waitress gives me the same confused stare that I got from the bartender when Jack essentially ordered the same drink twice, but she simply nods in agreement. My plan is one step closer to becoming reality. With any luck, he’ll be waking up in his bed tomorrow with a headache, and I can fill him in on all the adventures he never had. It’s not like he’ll remember either way.
“Here’s your shot, sir.” The waitress returns in record time, and her confused stare disappears when she gets another tip.
“Keep them coming.” I motion to Jack’s glass.
“Yes, sir.” She nods immediately. “Let me make my rounds, and I’ll be right back.”
“Nice.” Jack watches her ass as she walks to the next table. “I wonder if I can get a lap dance from her.”
“Probably,” I say with a slight shrug.
The DJ lets us know that it’s time for the next performer to take the stage as Jack downs his shot. I haven’t paid much attention to the action, but my eyes are drawn to the girl introduced as Lavender Rose. She doesn’t look like the rest of them—the ones who obviously lived hard lives before they found themselves in a place like this. She’s gorgeous, flawless, absolutely stunning.
Lavender Rose is dressed like a Catholic schoolgirl, and she’s timid enough to make it believable, but no fucking schoolgirl has curves like that. Her wig is the color of her first name—her stage name at least—and it hangs around her face in a way that makes it difficult to make out her features. Maybe that’s intentional.
The waitress returns with another shot, and Jack downs it without blinking.
“I’m starting to feel it, bro.” Jack breaks his stare away from Lavender Rose. “How about you?”
“Yeah,” I say with a nod without taking my eyes off the stage. “We can leave right after she’s done.”
There’s something familiar about Lavender Rose. I can’t put my finger on it, but the way she moves—the outline of her face beneath the shadow of the wig—it’s like a memory that I can’t pull to the surface. The music and the whiskey aren’t helping. One is too loud, and the other went down too fast because I was so frustrated with having to babysit Jack. If they weren’t enough, Lavender Rose starts the money part of her routine, and my cock throbs in in my pants.
I’m no better than the rest of them. Mesmerized by the sway of her hips, teased by the thought of her panties on the stage beside her bra, and overwhelmed by the sight of her curves when they’re finally on full display. I lean forward, and my hand stretches out. She walks closer, and our eyes meet.
“Oh shit.” The startling realization shoots through me like needles that prick every nerve. “Kiana!?”
She recognizes me. I recognize her. I feel instantly ashamed of myself for staring, for the tightness in my pants, for even being at the club in the first place.
“Come on, Jack. It’s time to go.” I push my chair back and stand up as Kiana stares like a deer caught in the headlights.
“She’s not done…” Jack protests, but a firm grip on his arm convinces him that I’m serious. “What’s wrong?”
“We’re leaving.” I look away from Kiana and walk to the door. I let go of Jack once he has enough momentum not to change his mind.
Jack is so drunk that he doesn’t seem to care that I insisted we should go. He gets distracted the instant we’re outside. I pull out my phone to tell my driver that it’s time for him to pick us up, and I notice my hand is shaking. I don’t know how to process what I just saw.
The girl on the stage? Lavender Rose? I know her by another name—the name she was given the day she was born. Kiana Brooks. She’s my best friend’s daughter. I still call him my best friend. I’m not sure if we actually are. It’s been a while since we’ve spoke, and our last conversation wasn’t exactly pleasant.
Still, that was his daughter on the stage, taking off her clothes and begging for money in the seediest place I’ve ever set foot in.
Does he know?
He can’t know…
Fuck.
“Hey, I know you!” Jack interrupts my train of thought with a joyful greeting the second my driver, Lewis, steps out of the car. “Bro, what’s up?”
“Yes, he’s our ride,” I growl and point to the door.
The vodka hit Jack the way I hoped it would. I’ve just got more on my mind now than babysitting the world’s oldest toddler. I need to put him to bed so I can try to wrap my head around this.
“The hotel.” I nod to Lewis and motion to Jack. “We’re dropping him off.”
“Yes, sir,” he says with an understanding tone in his voice.
Kiana’s father is Lawson Brooks. We used to be closer than brothers. That’s what happens when you spend a few years in the desert with your life on the line every single day. We ended our tour of duty with a new plan, one that didn’t involve an M16 or stepping over landmines in Afghanistan.
Lawson was the one with the business plan. I just provided the capital. I learned from him, but not enough to keep things going after he decided it was time to cash out. Maybe I should have shut the company down, but I was stubborn. By the time I had a good handle on things, I was out of money.
“Oh, hey…” Jack blinks like he’s struggling to keep his eyes open. “I’m supposed to write you a check.”
“Yes.” I nod. “Do you need a pen?”
The only thing I should be focusing on right now is Kiana and Lawson; fuck—that’s his daughter. But Jack’s money will save my company.
So, I’ll act like a businessman right now.
Lawson always said I didn’t understand priorities. I didn’t focus on business when it was time for things to get serious. I wonder how he would feel if he was here right now.
I bet he wouldn’t give a fuck about business.
Chapter Three