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“To be honest, it was for the money. I lost my job the same day, and I would have been a fool not to take it.” I pray she doesn’t ask why I lost my job. That’s a conversation I would rather not have at this moment, and I don’t know if I could lie to her. Before she can ask, I keep talking. “I’m surprised you all didn’t catch me.”
“We were at least ten bottles of champagne deep, so we would have been excited for anyone to take their clothes off.” Her sweet laugh fills the room.
“My turn to ask a question. How did you find out I wasn’t a stripper?”
“Apparently, after we left the club, the real stripper arrived. He got stuck in traffic, so that’s why he was late and his phone was dead so he couldn’t call. The next morning, I went back to the room, but you were gone.”
“You came back to the room? Hoping for another round?” I wiggle my eyebrows.
“No.” Pink covers her cheeks. She turns away from me and then twists back to face me. “Well, technically yes, but that was before I found out you weren’t a real stripper. Since you’re not a stripper, how did you know how to move like one?”
“Raw talent.” I shrug a shoulder.
She throws a towel at me, hitting me in the chest. “Now I know you’re lying.”
I pick up the towel and lean in toward her. “You’ve experienced my moves between the sheets. Who says it can’t come naturally?”
“Fine, I’ll admit, you have moves. But how did you know how to use them?”
“I’m that good.” I flash an enormous grin.
“No. I don’t believe you. No one wakes up and knows how to dance like a stripper.”
“Fine.” I cover my mouth with my hand and fake a cough. “Magic Mike.”
Her eyebrows reach her hairline. “Wait. The movie? You watched a movie with a bunch of guys who take their clothes off and dance?”
“Well, it wasn’t by choice.”
She laughs. “Someone held you at gunpoint and duct taped your eyelids open? Please explain.”
“I was watching The Transporter, a very masculine movie by the way, and when it was over, Magic Mike came on next. The remote was on the other side of the room and I was very comfortable on the couch.” I shrug my shoulders as if this is what people do every day.
“So, you willingly watched a bunch of half-naked guys dance around?”
“I believe it paid off because I didn’t hear any complaints that night. But also, not the worst movie I’ve seen. It was like Channing Tatum was speaking to my soul.” I rest my palm on my chest. “He wanted to do more with his life than just be a stripper.”
“And you want to do more with your life than…what?”
“Be a stripper.”
She snorts out a laugh. “You’re such an ass.”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. I started doing masonry because it was decent money and they hired me. But now, I’m the proud owner of a bakery. And I know nothing about pastries except how to eat them.” I give her a tight smile.
“Good thing I’m going to teach you. The key is in the measurements. Too much or too little of an ingredient can throw off the entire batter. It must be like mixing concrete. You need to have the perfect consistency in order to have the best finished product.”
“Mortar. But when you put it that way, I suppose.”
“See, you’re already halfway there. Let me show you.” She grabs my hand and leads me to a back room.
Her hand is warm and silky as her fingers wrap around mine. “A dark room. Hollyn, are you bringing me back here to make out? I normally don’t kiss on a first date, but I could make an exception for you.”
She glances back at me. “Good thing this isn’t a date.”
“Either way, I’m definitely going to kiss you.”
She whirls around until she’s facing me. I bend down, close my eyes, and pucker my lips. Suddenly, a piece of fabric is tossed onto my head. I yank it off. A pink apron with yellow flowers hangs in my hands, and Hollyn is nowhere in sight. Turning around, she’s tying her own apron around her back.
