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28
Pen
After spending the rest of the afternoon teaching thegirls—as Grim refers to them—the choreography, Beast gives me a lift back to the Academy. He puts on some jazz music and spends most of the journey humming along to some tune I’ve never heard before. If ever a dude was a motherfucking contradiction, it’s this man. A small smile pulls up my lips.
“What?” he asks, flicking his gaze to me.
“Nothing.” I shake my head and look out of the window, biting down on my grin. I’m not sure if I’m feeling a little hysterical after today’s meeting with Grim and the epic fucking rehearsal that followed, or if I’m genuinely this comfortable in Beast’s presence.
“Seriously, what?”
“You’re kinda odd, you know that?”
“Odd?” he barks out a laugh, chuckling at my observation of him. “I’ve been called far worse things in my time. I didn’t get this name for nothing.”
“Yeah, I bet.” I fall silent, not sure what to say to that. It’s certainly anoddfeeling being driven around by the man everyone calls the Beast. His name fits his appearance, that’s for sure. I mean, he’s good looking and all, but there’s this wild quality about him. From what I observed at Grim’s club, he’s as well respected andfearedas much as Grim is. Yet, there’s this whole other side to him that somehow I’m getting to see. I’m not sure whether I should be flattered or scared. Knowing too much about someone isn’t always a good thing. David being a case in point.
“So, now that you feel comfortable enough to insult me, sweetheart, wanna tell me how you managed to get a bunch of strippers to dance the way they did this afternoon? Of course, none of them held a fucking candle to you. Don’t tell Grim I said this, but damn have you got some moves.” He grins widely, winking, then laughs when I blush at his compliment.
“That’s easy. Stripping is a form of dance—”
Beast barks out a laugh at that, but when he catches my scowl, shuts up. “Fierce little thing, aren’t you?” he mutters, shaking his head. “Fuck, I’m a sucker for a feisty girl.”
“Don’t let Grim hear you say that,” I respond, realising how flirty that sounds. I cringe inside.
“I’m not coming onto you, Pen, if that’s what you’re thinking. There’s only one woman for me. Grim got hold of my balls a long time ago and hasn’t let go.”
“Sounds painful,” I deadpan, holding in the giggle I feel inside. This really is a surreal conversation.
“Fuck, no. Best thing I ever did was let her in. She could drag me into Hell by the balls, and I wouldn’t fucking complain. In fact, the woman regularly holds me by the bollocks. She does this thing where she—”
“Okaaaay,” I cut in, doing a timeout with my hands. “That’s way too much information, big guy.”
He chuckles. “Fine. Back to the strippers.”
“Dancers,” I correct him. “They may strip for a living, but those girls are dancers. No doubt about that. I think they proved that today.”
“Sure as fuck did. Grim was impressed.”
“She should be. It’s easy to pass someone over based on what you think you know. Strippers equals hookers, right? Isn’t that what everyone assumes?”
“But you saw something different?”
“Yeah, I did. To be able to strip and appear sensual yet not sleazy, isn’t easy. They might reveal their bodies for a living, but they dance whilst doing it. Most people just see tits and arse. They think sex because they’re incapable of seeing anything else. But I see rhythm, control,expression. All key skills for dancing. It wasn’t hard to teach them because I already had so much to work with.”
“The girls certainly took a shine to you. Never seen them so enamoured. They’ve been in the business for a long time. Jaded, is the word I’d use. But you brought out the best in them. That’s pretty fucking impressive, I’d say. The punters ain’t gonna know what hit ‘em.”
“I appreciate you saying that.”
Beast glances over at me and nods. “I gotta admit, when Grim told me she was bringing you in as a performer at the club, that she was gonna give you access to the girls and full artistic control, I was sceptical. Then again, Grim is never wrong when it comes to business matters. Not only did she see an opportunity, she saw something in you. Grim relies on her gut in everything she does. She was right about this, about you. You’re certainly something.”
“Thanks,” I mutter, not used to receiving compliments, especially not from a big, tatted criminal who has a reputation for fucking people up both in and outside the cage.
“Honestly, Tales has been needing a facelift for some time. Looks like you’re gonna be the person to give it one. I’ve no doubt you’ll be the star of the club.”
“Tales?” I question.
“Yeah, it ain’t called Grim’s Club, though most people refer to it that way these days.Talesis the official club name. Always has been.”
