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Amber leaned over. “I stand corrected. She’s fucking perfect.”
Body curled tightly around the metal, she bent sideways, stretching her legs out together, then brought them back in, squeezing her thighs together, rotating.
Ian stubbed out his cigarette and leaned over to talk to Luke, but I couldn’t hear their conversation. Luke smirked and nodded in response. I looked over at Chance and Tyler, who were sitting nearby. Chance had his arm around Amber and was caressing her shoulder with his thumb while he kept his eyes on the dancer. Tyler’s expression was harder to decipher. He also focused on the stage but tapped a finger restlessly on the arm of his chair. He glanced at me and rolled his eyes before returning his attention to the stage, sitting rigidly still.
Twisting back to Giovanna, I lifted my eyes to where the pole met the ceiling. She was now spinning headfirst in the Archer pose. “If she falls, we’re fucked,” I hissed. “She’s not even clocked in, and we have no paperwork.”
Luke held out a hand. “Shh, watch.”
The moment those words left his mouth, she locked her knees, holding her arms out and slid rapidly to the bottom in a nose breaker drop, stopping just as the tip of her nose grazed the platform. Pausing, she took a deep breath, then rolled onto the platform gracefully, pulling her knees into her chest and stood as the song ended.
Folding her arms over her chest, she waited. All eyes were on Ian, anticipating the verdict. Taking another cigarette from the pack on the table, he placed one in his mouth, lighting it as he smoked in silence. “Jade,” he finally sighed, shifting his gaze to her. “How soon can you have her floor ready?”
“Once we get all her paperwork filed, she’ll be ready for the stage by next weekend. I’ll have her shadow Amber on the floor tonight,” I tilted my head at her, “is that good?”
She smiled, nodding.
“If she drops the fucking sass with management,” Amber continued, “I’ll have her trained and ready by our Saint Patrick’s Day celebration.”
Ian pushed back, standing. “The sass doesn’t bother me much, Amber. It’s her father coming tonight that I’m more concerned about.” The rest of us stood as he took a drag of his smoke while she picked up her clothes. “Your father’s coming tonight. Does he know you’re a stripper?”
She finished pulling her shirt over her head, adjusting it. “Strip, yeah. Fuck for money? Not a chance.”
“Are you married?”
She shook her head, sitting on the edge of the stage, dangling her legs off the side. “No, sir.”
“Kids?”
Pressing her lips into a thin line, she glanced at the floor, then back at him. “I can’t have them.”
“Shit,” Ian lowered his cigarette. “Sorry, I?—”
She laughed nervously. “It’s okay.” She glanced at Tyler and Chance, then back at Ian. “Probably best, really. For what I do, I mean.” She smiled at Luke, then looked back to Ian. “I mean, after what he told me, I’ll be helping manage Luxe, right?”
Ian nodded. “I’d hope so.”
“So yeah, I won’t have time to do anything other than rich men.” She grinned, squinting slightly at the yellow light in her eyes. “A night with me isn’t cheap, so I hope I can make you guys a bunch of money.”
“Well,” Amber interjected, “I’ll help any way I can.”
Chance shot her an annoyed glare. “The fuck you will!”
She giggled. “Not like that! I mean, I’ll help make sure you know protocol, our code words, and all that.”
“Okay,” Giovanna replied. “And what about your VIP room?”
Before anyone could reply, Tyler slid his phone from his pocket. “That’s my wife,” he announced, “so I have to go take it. Have fun.” Placing the phone to his ear, he marched out of the room.
LUKE
Glancing down at my black and gold Hublot watch, I noted we’d be opening soon. “Hey, we need to get tech and Aurora back in here to finish up.” I strode toward the main door, pushing it open until it clicked in place, then repeated with the other. “You guys can get back to work now.”
Aurora stopped before she entered the room, peering up at me. “How’d she do?”
“She’s staying.”
“Name?” She glimpsed the room, then brought her eyes back to mine.
