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It’s very much a symbiotic energy exchange and a total rush.
“You know I’m not judging you, Allie. You’re a beautiful dancer, wherever you want to perform. I just have one question. Did you have fun teaching the class?”
I consider her question because it feels pivotal, maybe the most important part of our conversation.
“Absolutely. I got to witness that switch moment for those women, when they go from an everyday ‘good girl’ who does what’s expected to a ‘sexy siren’ who feels powerful in her body and mind and can do whatever she feels honors that.”
I blush at the intensity of my words but can’t help but keep going. “Maybe that sounds silly. But it’s empowering, usually in a way they don’t expect, and it’s inspiring to be a part of that.”
Maggie’s grin is evident in her voice as she replies, “I think you have your answer, girl. You didn’t need me to tell you that. You just needed me to listen to you decide for yourself.”
“You’re right, as always. Thanks, girl. I appreciate the backup.”
“Anytime and always. Well, except for the next two to three weeks. I’ve got a little . . . ah . . . work to do, and I’m incommunicado unless there’s an emergency.”
“And then we’ve got a coffee and mani-pedi date. Deal?”
She agrees, and we hang up. I lean back on the couch and stare up at the ceiling with a smile on my face. I can do this. I am doing this.
Chapter 4
Dominick
I’ve already been alerted by the man on duty tonight that Allie is coming to the club. He’s to give her the full respect and treatment she deserves. What I’m not sure of is . . . why is she here? It’s not her night to work, though I’m happy to see her anytime I can.
But her choosing to come to me is rare. Though we play this game of cat and mouse, always orbiting each other, acutely aware of how close we come, I know she harbors some fear of me to counteract her attraction.
It’s understandable. Allie’s no fool, but she was thrown into the deep end of my world unwittingly and hasn’t fully learned to swim. Before the shooting, my being a ‘Mob boss’ was just theoretical, a rumor she wondered about but didn’t really give credence to.
She didn’t break the rules I had in place, so she had no need to see or immerse herself in the reality of my life. But one shooting changed all that. Now, she’s retreated into a gray zone where she pretends nothing’s changed between us while we both know it has. I can see it in the way she looks at me the few times her eyes meet mine and when she looks up at my window as she dances. She might want to pretend that her life is normal . . . but her body and her eyes tell me something very different.
On my part, I know I’ve crossed a line. She’s interfering with my business, and every time I step into one of the ‘blinds’ I’ve set up to keep an eye on her, I know I’m taking a risk. If she discovers me, she would be fully within reason to freak out, calling me a stalker and worse. But I swear, as much as I want to claim her as mine publicly, my number-one concern is seeing that she remains safe.
The knock on the door makes my heart stutter for a beat, and though I know my slacks and dress shirt are impeccable, I can’t help but run my palms over my chest, smoothing my tie to make sure I look my best.
“Enter.”
The door cracks open and Allie peeks in, looking unadorned compared to her usual stage makeup but so beautiful that she brings light into the club. I glance behind me, trying to calm myself and look at the relative plain appearance of Petals before opening hours. With normal lights on, the mystique of the club is killed, and it helps calm me a little bit.
“Hey, Dominick? Logan said I could come up?”
I grin at the question in her tone because all the guys know that Allie has a free pass to me, whether she knows it or not. I am hers, any time she wants me. I turn away from the club, away from the dullness awaiting magic and special effect to seem magical, and toward a creature, a woman who truly is magical.
“Of course. Come in. Sit.”
I gesture to the leather chairs on the far side of my office and watch as she glides across the room. Allie never merely walks anywhere. She seems to float like an angel, but her hips naturally sway with the devil’s seduction.
Her curves are covered in casual faded denim and a silky black tank top that almost looks like a chemise. It’s simple and elegant, like she is. She perches on the edge of the chair, and I sink into the one across from her, relaxing back and letting my knees spread wide around her crossed legs even though there are two feet between us.
