“Fine.” I rolled my eyes.
“I do hope you all enjoy yourselves.” Cassidy ushered us to a VIP table and had complimentary cocktails brought out before any of us had a chance to open a menu.
The lights dimmed, bringing a hush to the conversations around the club. When the spotlight hit a large, feathered fan,the burlesque show began. Music kicked in, slow and alluring, and the dancer revealed her long legs first, delicately kicking them outside the cover of her feathered fan. Gloved fingers danced against the fans’ edge, and when she snatched the handle, the feathers were engulfed in flames.
Applause and cheers kicked in, and the music moved more quickly. As the dancer revealed herself, it became clear that the only clothing to her outfit were the heels on her feet and the gloves on her hands. Though one could barely tell based on the flow of her flames that kept her completely covered.
Milo’s eyes lit up, enthralled by the dance, by the other woman accompanying her with a wave of water to hide her own blurry body. Our whole table was locked onto the show. Hell, the entire audience became rapt. I supposed it was entertaining. When the fire and water clashed, the dancers had only the smoke to cover themselves, which they did so with delicate casting of telekinesis.
By the end of the show, the most anyone had seen was their stomachs, thighs, and a bit of cleavage. The choreography was quite spectacular, how they intertwined their magics in such an elegant performance.
Each show that followed became somehow more spectacular, with even more exotic magics from the bestial witch with a tiger familiar accompanying her to the dancer who transformed into a thousand rose petals, flying from table to table, and offering a discreet show before returning to the stage.
Okay. Maybe Cassidy Gardner knew how to entertain people. Whatever. She picked good talent. She was still awful.
“So,” Milo steered the table conversation as the set wrapped up. “What exactly got you working in burlesque?”
“Cassidy’s exhausting,” Vanessa said with a wince from the sharp bite of her cocktail. “But she pays her girls better than anyone else and actually looks out for us. It was honestly the only way I could afford the psychic cleanses for years.”
“Psychic cleanses?” I quirked a brow.
“I have a rough branch, so I get the excess energy cleared out every few months or so.”
“Wow.” I sipped my drink. “What’s your branch exactly?”
“Oh, it’s a nightmare,” Vanessa replied with a playful wave and a coy smile.
Based on the fleeting surface thoughts she quickly buried, she meant that quite literally. Some type of nightmarish psychic energy that latched onto the minds of those nearby and drowned them in horrors of her making. My guess was that she could never afford to attend an academy and thus never got adequate training in how to control her branch. Those who couldn’t control magical outbursts usually ended up having enchantment charms locked on them, preventing any and all magical use.
Not to mention, psychic branches like ours tended to be a bit harder to reel in, so the fees that came with the government stepping in and curbing our magic weren’t cheap.
But the fact that she paid for psychic cleanses on her own said a lot. I’d looked into them once about a decade ago. They were far more effective than dampener pills since they didn’t include all the added side effects, but the cleanses only lasted a few months. Last time I looked into it, a single session cost ten grand. I couldn’t fathom paying for two or three sessions in a year, and I was absolutely certain they’d only gotten more expensive over time.
Vanessa and Emiliano’s minds synced, locking onto one of the dancers now making her rounds to the tables, greeting theaudience. It seemed they all came out for a bit of Q&A, along with the tips that came from brief conversation.
“She’s lovely,” Vanessa said, leaning closer to her husband. “Want me to talk to her, or were you thinking more of a free pass?”
My face flushed as Vanessa’s mind whirled with tantalizing thoughts of what she’d do to that young dancer with or without her husband’s company.
Emiliano noticed my reaction and smirked. Leaning in close to his wife, he whispered something, and based on how his mind flashed with images of bedding Milo and me, I quickly gathered their silent chat.
“You know, if it’s something you two would be interested in,” Emiliano suggested, pausing for us to finish the thought.
Milo smirked. “Certainly, something to consider.”
“Never a rush,” Vanessa said, gently squeezing her husband’s bicep. “We just thought it’d be nice to float the idea your way. We’ll be in the city a few more months, it seems.”
“Could be fun to play.” Emiliano locked eyes with Milo, both drifting to a near-intimate encounter they almost had, an opportunity missed, but mutual pining still existed.
Admittedly, their arousal ignited my own.
“We’ll definitely consider it.” Milo eyed me, cautious but curious, and absolutely convinced he needed to offer up a polite no to Emiliano and Vanessa.
“Absolutely,” I replied, nonchalant and much to Milo’s surprise.
“Great.” Emiliano grinned from ear to ear. “Maybe we can plan for something in a few weeks.”
“Oh, after that big case of yours is all wrapped up.” Vanessa strummed her fingers against one another. “That’d be quite the celebration.”
