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“Yeah, she is,” I nodded mindlessly, intoxicated by her beauty, as I twisted my glass on the black CE VIP cocktail napkin.
“She’s killing it and just started,” he replied again.
She looked fucking radiant. I glanced back at Ian, whose gaze was tightened on the stage like a protective older brother. He shifted his eyes to me for a moment, only offering a nod of approval before I turned my attention back to the most picturesque woman in the universe.
The rain drizzled a little harder, but I was relieved when I noticed she was wearing the clear gripper gloves and leg stickers they’d invested in for when it was wet on stage. I felt protective, but she was a professional. It was the moment I’d been waiting for since I met her.
Pulling up on the pole, she hung upside down, performing a Flag, her legs in an aerial split before bringing them in and curving herself into a U shape. Sliding to the bottom of the pole, she rolled off, simulating sex on the floor as men threw money at her. Slipping her fingers under the back of her top, she unhooked it, tossing it to the side. Her enormous breasts bounced as she shook them for her horny audience.
I kept having to remind myself to watch the club, not Jade. There’d be plenty of time to watch her another night… so I hoped. For now, her life literally hung in the hands of our protection.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I took it out, assuming Maddie texted me again. I lifted my gaze at Tyler when I saw it was him who’d texted. He bowed his head to his lap, where he was holding his own phone.
Ian peeked over Jenna at it, then pursed his lips, bobbing his head casually as if he were concentrating on the music and stage. He leaned over to Jenna’s ear, then returned his stare to the stage. Jenna nodded, and I dropped my eyes on my phone again.
Dark shirt no SPD swag
Five from the front
Far wall
Scanning the club, I pretended to be none the wiser as I found the man Tyler pointed out. He wasn’t one of our guys and wore sunglasses in the dimly lit room in the late evening. Picking up my glass, I hovered it in front of my mouth, then pressed my finger to my earpiece. I opened my mouth to speak, but the stranger glanced over, did a double take at me, then he lowered his gaze. Whirling around, he disappeared into the crowd, making his way toward the back in a hurry.
I set the glass down. Dark shirt five from the front far wall. Blue Lounge. Now.
On it, Ice Man replied.
He’s moving! Get him!
Tyler and I leaped from the booth, followed by Ian and Chance, rushing toward the side exit, leaving Jenna at the table.
13
ONE LIE
JADE
Now I knew how Amber felt the night she saw the fuss in VIP, and the guys all exited the side door. That night, it’d been about someone taking photos of her while she was on stage. Tonight, a part of me hoped it was nothing while the other hoped whatever got them agitated meant it was about to be over. And I prayed Dante didn’t have the balls to show up here himself. Knowing he was watching me dance around naked on stage made me feel violated.
At one point in my life, I would’ve thought he’d never been able to find me. I wasn’t born Jade Sinclaire. I was born Melanie Connolly. I didn’t become Jade Sinclaire until after Dante was sentenced to prison, and I wanted to protect myself as long as I could.
But now it felt like it was all for nothing. I’d grown quite fond of Jade Sinclaire, and I’d never go back to being Melanie Connolly again. I’d never told anyone connected to Club Euphoria my birth name because by the time I met Ian and everyone connected to him, I was legally Jade for a while. The need to give my birth name never came up, but it wasn’t something I would’ve ever hidden from them on purpose. And if the Mussolini family had been stalking me, they would’ve known me by my current name by now, anyway.
After the guys disappeared, half of my set remained, and I was now wearing only my heels and rosary. Jenna stayed at the booth alone before I spotted Amber’s silhouette, amongst the bright stage lights, slip into the bench beside her. Chance’s bodyguard, Blitz, stood watch next to the table. Good, they’re safe at least.
Being in charge and knowing I couldn’t do anything to protect those girls while on stage terrified me. Giovanna appeared soon after from the same side door the men exited out of, weaving to VIP, sitting on the other side of Jenna.
Hooking my ankle and arm around the pole, holding my foot back above my head, I put myself in a back split variation. It allowed me to keep a close eye on the crowd and my friends as much as my vantage point with the lights would allow. I rolled my body down, clinging to the rod upside down with the metal snug in the crook of my knee and shoulder; we referred to the trick as a Sexy Flexy. I prayed hard that I wouldn’t slip as I wasn’t concentrating on my set at all.
To any customer in the club, I just would’ve appeared to be a routine dancer, leaving no one to suspect a thing. My song was nearing the end, and I wanted badly to perform a big finish. Especially, knowing Giovanna always left the crowd wanting more. I didn’t want to disappoint them, but I also knew Amber was next and would make up for it. I saw her glance down at her watch, then stand, hurrying out the side entrance, followed by Blitz.
The bouncer at the VIP rope wouldn’t let anyone near the table if they wanted, so I wasn’t too worried. I was the target tonight, and that was all that mattered. Taking a deep breath, I focused on the only job I had right now. And that was to fool the audience into thinking that I was a full-time dancer. Any regular would’ve known me to be nothing more than Ian’s assistant, so I had to sell it.
Sliding down to the bottom in a spin, I put my body in a handstand before hooking my knees around the pole again and pulling myself up. When I worked in Ithaca, I’d invented a move that mimicked aerial silks but on a pole. The ceiling had never been strong enough to support the weight at highways, but it was a move I implemented often in my old dance studio in New York.
At the top of the pole, I reached out to touch the ceiling and scanned the audience below for any potential threats. As I prepared to perform a dangerous move, one that had previously resulted in a broken arm, my determination overpowered any fear.
With a firm grasp, I began to spin and twist, flipping upside down and sideways as I slid down in one swift motion before gracefully landing in a split at the bottom. Though it felt like time was moving slowly for me, those watching saw nothing but a death-defying circus act on a soaked stripper pole and were left gasping in awe. As the music faded, I quickly gathered my clothes and earnings before our stagehand cleared the area for me. Once backstage, Amber yanked me aside against the wall.
