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"Let her arm go, or I will twist yours clean away from your shoulder," I said through a clenched jaw.
The man was a few teeth short as he sneered back at me. "I'd like to see you try." Reluctantly, he released Shay. She shot to her feet and rubbed her wrist as she backed away from the edge of the stage.
The toothless idiot stared back at me, but I wasn't ready to let go of him. I badly wanted to hurt the fucker for yanking Shay to her knees. I wanted to rip his arm clean off for touching her. I was about to make good on my threat when Rocky's angry voice shot through the spectators cheering me on.
"Nash, no fighting in this bar." Rocky pushed through the layers of onlookers and reached the center of their attention. "Let him go. I'll deal with him."
I gave the man's arm a bone bruising squeeze before releasing him. I couldn't stop myself. I had no idea where the eruption of anger had come from, but I wanted to strangle the asshole. I moved toe to toe with him. He was a few inches taller and a good fifty pounds bigger, but it was mostly useless fat.
I jammed my finger in his face. "Don't you ever grab her again."
Rocky put a bracing hand on my shoulder. "I said I'd take care of this."
Some of the blood cooled in my head. I stepped back out of the way. My eyes swept up to the stage. Shay stood there, her brown eyes shiny with tears, rubbing her wrist. Our gazes locked for a second before she spun around and ran off stage. The audience booed and stomped the floor, wanting their favorite dancer to come back out.
Rocky waved his hand in the air to silence them. "A beer on the house for all of you."
That appeased them quickly. He turned to the greasy haired jerk. "We have strict rules around here. You broke about ten just now, so get out and don't come back."
I flashed a victorious grin at the man as he scowled my direction. He grabbed his coat and dragged the chair it hung on for a few feet before kicking it away. He smacked the door hard on his way out.
Rocky turned back to me. "Thanks for helping out. Now I've got a hundred beers to fill."
"Wait"—I pulled out my wallet and handed him a hundred dollar bill—"To help with the cost."
Rocky nodded in gratitude and took the money.
Someone threw a few coins in the jukebox, and Elvis twanged off the walls as the bar patrons got back to their beers and their conversations. Rocky was too busy to notice me slip into the back hallway. Concerned feminine voices drifted up the narrow, dark passage from a back room where light glowed through a half open doorway.
The other women were circled around someone, handing in tissue and consoling words. Their faces shot toward the doorway when the floor creaked beneath my foot. Roxie smiled and began a round of applause. Their bodies parted, revealing the tear stained face of their shaken coworker. The dancer who dressed like Dorothy of Oz leaned down and whispered something in Shay's ear before ushering all the other women out of the room. They whispered words of thanks and gave me pats on the back as they walked out of the room.
"Rocky will be mad if he catches you back here." Shay took a quick swipe at her tears and tossed the tissue onto the dressing table.
"I just wanted to make sure you were all right."
"I'm fine." She shrugged casually, but her fingers were trembling. "Thank you for stepping in. I thought I was going to fall face first off the stage." She forced an airy tone, but I could hear the waver behind her words.
"As long as you're all right, I'll leave you alone." I headed out the door.
"Does the offer still stand?" she asked faintly.
I stepped back into the room. "Yes. Two weeks. A hundred grand. Then you won't have to set foot in this place again."
"And I just have to stand around looking like a tasty chocolate in a chocolate shop?"
It was hard not to smile at the way she phrased things. "Yes. A chocolate shop where there's no sampling of the goods."
"What if you do sample—I mean, what happens if you break your end of the contract and—touch me. I mean not just a casual brush in the hallway, but—you know—a touch."
"Fair enough. It won't happen. But if it does, I'll pay you a million dollars." Padding the contract with a big money loss would only help me keep control.
Shay laughed. "You're just messing with me now."
"Nope. I'm not messing with you. If I screw up—which I won't—I'll pay you a million dollars."
"You are completely crazy."
"You don't know the half of it, darlin'. What do you say? A hundred grand and a two week stay in a beach house or the front seat of your car and Fantasm Strip Club where greasy haired psychos can yank you off the stage?"
