“It’s three in the afternoon.”
“What!” I turn back to look at the clock in panic. “My alarm didn’t go off. I was supposed to be at work at ten.” I am so fired.
“People want strippers at ten in the morning?” I flinch, but I guess I am a stripper after last night.
“The movie theater.”
“Why the hell would you keep that job?”
I stare up at him, wondering what the hell he means. I have to work.
“It’s my job.” I shake my head at him before I turn around and grab my purse off the ground. I know why he’s here. “Here, it’s three thousand.”
Angus paid for his dance, but my cut was only half of that. I didn’t tell the bouncer or Vivian about the giant tip. I was scared they would want a cut of that too.
“Damn. From one night?” He starts counting the money. “For one fucking dance?”
“Yeah, he tipped me.” I don’t mention that he didn’t want to let me go.
Jero looks up from the money at me. “You dancing again tonight?”
I nod. That’s the plan since we still need more money, and I’m guessing he hasn’t come up with any of it on his own.
“We’re still short two thousand,” I point out. I’m sure he already knows that.
“What about after tonight?” He lifts his eyebrows at me.
“I’m going to beg them not to fire me for missing my shift at the movie theater today.”
“Are you fucking nuts? Three grand off one night. Was it that bad? Really, Bam?”
No, it hadn’t been that bad, and that’s what’s bothering me. I enjoyed the way he looked at me way too much. No one has ever looked at me with such heat and possession in their eyes. It made me feel sexy and wanted.
When he pulled out extra money and wanted more, I should have been disgusted. But the truth was, I’ve never been more turned on in my life. He wanted to pay to have his way with me, and suddenly the idea of taking the money and giving it to him felt good. I’d been so close to getting off right there on his lap, and he hadn’t even touched me.
“Earth to Bambi.” My brother snaps his fingers in front of my face. “He must have liked the outfit I picked out for you.” He smirks.
This is getting creepy. Angus didn’t like the outfit because I couldn’t bring myself to wear it. There was no way I could wear underwear that goes up my butt crack.
“Yeah,” I say noncommittally, not wanting to talk about it with Jero.
“But it was all safe, right? There was a bodyguard. No big deal?” He’s pushing me to see how easy it was to make this kind of money.
“Yes, it was safe.”
I thought there was only one bodyguard there until the others showed up. I found out afterwards they’d been dropping off dancers in other rooms and my security must have called for them as backup. I think Angus could have taken on several of them, but too many jumped on him at once. Not that he didn’t give them a run for their money. Why had that been so hot too? There’s something wrong with my body. I thought I was asexual because nothing ever turned me on. Until him.
Romance books and hot pictures have never worked. I even looked up porn one night and nothing sparked. Then there he was, with a handful of money, paying me to dance and then fighting over me. Yeah, something is wrong with me because I’ve never been more turned on in my life. And the worst part is, I can’t stop thinking about him.
“Then I don’t understand why you’d quit.”
I shift on my feet. Shouldn’t he want me to not do this? Where is the older brother who always watched out for me? I think Jero lost part of who he was with his gambling addiction. I’m not so sure he’s in there anymore.
“Let’s focus on getting the last of the money you need. Then we can think about what’s next.”
“About that.” He runs his hand through his short brown hair, something he does when he’s got terrible news. My stomach starts to turn as he looks me in the eyes. “The interest went up because they aren’t getting it all at once.”
I close my eyes, trying to calm my nerves. “How much more?”
“Well, it will be another thousand for today and a thousand for tomorrow.”
“So if I get four tonight we’ll be done?” He nods. “Then I guess I have to get it all tonight.” I have no idea what Vivian has booked for me. A couple of dances aren’t going to cut it with the company taking half.
“You can do it. Like you said, last night went fine.”
It went fine because I was with Angus. The idea of dancing for someone else feels weird, which is stupid. I think it’s the comfort I felt with him, so who knows what I might get next?