AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Why didn’t he tell me from the start?
Probably because he knew I’d react likethis. What woman wants to think of her boyfriend watching young, pretty, naked women all night long?
Even worse, all the tawdry stories I’ve heard about how strip clubs operate stand front and center in my mind. VIP rooms used as a cover for prostitution. Club owners who extract sexual favors from the dancers. Dancers not being paid a fair wage or managers taking most of their earnings. Ugly fragments of things I’ve heard over the years scroll in an endless loop—like a twenty-four-hour news network offering bits and pieces of sensationalized headlines—inside my head and I can’t shut it off.
Oh my God.Is that why he wanted to watch me masturbate last night? He’s used to women putting on a show for him? Hot shame turns my cheeks red. I probably lookedsostupid. He’s used to professional dancers who know how to look sexy and enticing from every angle.
“I don’t want a performance, Emily.”His words echo in my head. Doubt slows my freakout spiral. Was he sincere?
This is why I had adon’t sleep with a guy until you’ve dated him for at least six monthsrule.
I don’t know a lot about Dixon Watts. The things I’ve learned are superficial—what toppings he likes on his pizza, motorcycles are more than a hobby, he’s a widower—okay, that one isn’t superficial.
But I thought Iknewhim. He’s a good man. Thoughtful, kind, amazing in bed. My intuition—not my lady bits—thinks he’s a good man, right? But doesn’t this change everything I thought I knew?
Let your intuition guide you, not your past trauma.
Desperately, I type in another search. And another. Maybe thereisan actual nightclub with the same name?
Crystal Ball + Slater County.
Dance club + Crystal Ball.
Crystal Ball nightclub + Ironworks
Crystal Ball + New York.
Crystal Ball + Dance club.
No other clubs by that name.
Minutes from a zoning board meeting dated a few years ago pop up. Crystal Ball expanded and renovated the interior. Dex’s name isn’t listed anywhere. Just a law firm. The Lost Kings Motorcycle Club is briefly mentioned in the transcript as an “unsavory element” associated with Crystal Ball. But the board member who brought it up is shut down. By the end of the meeting, he votes to approve the renovations.
I’d looked up the MC when Serena was staying with me and don’t remember finding anything about a strip club. Then again, my only concern was that Grayson might send someone to hurt Serena. A concern that turned out to be silly. The man treats her as gently and reverently as finely spun glass.
At Serena’s baby shower, I’d gotten to know some of the other wives and girlfriends. Charlotte had even invited me to her wedding. None of them ever mentioned Crystal Ball, strippers, or anything else unsavory. They only had sweet and affectionate stories to share about their husbands.
This isn’t accomplishing a damn thing. I shut my laptop down and set it on the end table. I need to take a breath, then go talk to Dex like an adult, instead of making assumptions. That’s the rational thing to do. At least my brain says so.
My heart’s ragged and torn in two.
* * *
Crystal Ball waseasy enough to find. It’s actually not far from my office. It’s in a part of Empire I rarely venture into. After work, I usually race to beat rush-hour traffic out of the city. Wandering around and checking out strip clubs is low on my priority list. I don’t have any friends or men in my life that visit such establishments, either.
Or at least I thought I didn’t.
Parking right in front of the building seems too obvious. Besides, what if someone recognizes my car and thinks this is my part-time job?
I circle around to the back parking lot. Several cars are parked in the last row and that’s where I tuck my car. It gives me a prime view of the back door. I scan the row of motorcycles lined up along the cinder block wall of the building. My search stops on Dex’s Harley. I let out a sigh. Part of me hoped I’d made a mistake.
Nothing about the plain building suggests tawdry things are happening inside.
It’s a strip club, Emily.Hundreds and hundreds of Yelp reviews confirmed it.
Keeping a watch on the door, I recline my seat. What’s my plan? Jump out and start firing off questions as soon as I see him?IfI see him at all.
What if he’s with another woman?
