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Emerald smiled at me, that coy sort of smile that I was used to from the women, the look that let me know they were more than interested, that they would be more than happy if I were to tell them to take the night off and come home with me. Not a chance of that happening. I never mixed business with pleasure, not to mention that the girls who worked here weren’t my type.
The smile stayed on her face as she prepared a cup of coffee. I turned back toward the woman and watched as she said something to the man before slipping out of her seat and heading off. She kept her eyes straight ahead as she marched past me, nothing but grim determination on her heavenly features. If there had been any remaining doubt that this woman was not who she was pretending to be, that look would’ve dispatched it. Her face was hard with purpose and intelligence. She wasn’t there to see naked women—she was on a mission.
The woman blew past me, not so much as glancing in my direction as she hurried down the hall toward the restrooms. I had no doubt that her trip had less to do with relieving herself and much more to do with getting the lay of the land. I turned back to my paperwork, thanking Emerald as she placed the steaming cup of coffee in front of me. A few minutes later, the woman returned, making her way back to her seat.
One of the dancers approached the couple. The woman put on a big, eager grin, tugging at the man’s shirt sleeve, goading him into doing something. The man seemed hesitant, but eventually went along with the offer of a lap dance. Shauna, the dancer, began moving her hips to the beat of the music, a come-hither expression on her face as she placed her hands on the man’s shoulders and did what she did best.
The woman didn’t move, watching the scene with an expression of mild amusement. Satisfied that she was going to stay put for the time being, I turned my attention back to the coffee and paperwork.
The song ended, Shauna covering her breasts with her hands and leaning in to say something else to the couple. I knew how things worked well enough to understand what the conversation was about without hearing the words. Shauna was offering a private dance in one of the back rooms.
This caught my attention. No doubt that the gears in the woman’s head were turning, that she was spotting a golden opportunity to get a better look around the place. Sure enough, the couple agreed to the private dance, the trio getting up and making their way down the hallway parallel to the one that led to the bathrooms and the door to the back. They disappeared around the corner and were gone.
A private dance bought twenty minutes of alone time with the girl in question. That meant the woman’s husband, or whoever he was, would be occupied for that much time. I finished up my paperwork, watching the hallway out of the corner of my eye.
It didn’t take long for her to appear. The woman emerged from the hall to the private rooms, taking a quick look around to see if any guards were watching. Once she was convinced the coast was clear, she ducked down the first hallway.
“Emerald?” I asked.
“What’s up, Mr. O’Leary?”
“You recall the woman that was seated at that table just over there?”
“That hot redhead with her husband?” A smile formed on her face, and I remembered that Emerald’s tastes included both men and women.
“That’s the one. If she comes back, text me. Understand?”
She nodded with enthusiasm, as if happy for the chance to please me.
“Will do, boss.”
I slipped a hundred out of my wallet and placed it on the bar, Emerald’s eyes lighting up as she spotted it.
With that, I packed away my paperwork into my suitcase and started down the hallway.
The woman had caught my attention in more ways than one. Now, it was time to find out what the hell she had planned in my club.
Chapter 7
Claire
The back of my neck tingled as I opened the door to the backroom.
Why the hell isn’t this area guarded? I thought, stepping over the threshold and into the space.
The room was pitch black. I fumbled for a light switch, the door shutting behind me. The moment I found a switch and flicked it, the answer to my question was revealed. The door didn’t lead to some secret back area, but instead to a big maintenance room. Metal shelves lined the walls, some packed with cleaning supplies, some with bottles of booze, others with napkins and coasters and such things.
Disappointment washed over me as I took in the sight of the space.
Should’ve known getting into the back wouldn’t be that easy.
Right as I gave up hope, however, I spotted a large ventilation grate between two of the shelves. I hurried over to it, bending down and looking through. I could see light on the other side, along with the outlines of legs moving past.
I grinned, realizing what I was looking at. People walking around meant that the shaft led to the other side, deeper into the back halls of the club. The vent wasn’t huge, but more than big enough for me to scoot through. I searched through the room, finding a small toolkit and taking out a screwdriver, using it to quickly open the vent.
As I took out the last screw, I heard something over the steady pulse of the music.
The door behind me had opened. My eyes went wide, and I dropped the screwdriver, turning around to see who’d busted me.
