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When I reply, “She sounded equally proud of you and the club,” he slaps his hand over his red-flannel-covered heart.
“Ah, my Jess.”
His cheeks redden even more, and for some reason, Jonesy pops into my mind.When the waitstaff were discussing their weekend plans during the downtime between breakfast and lunch today, Jonesy was tight-lipped about his, saying only that he had “a thing” tonight.Everybody else shrugged it off like that was par for the course, but it left me curious.Was his “thing” a date?He’d made a point of telling me that he doesn’t do girlfriends, but now I’m wondering what kind of woman would make him smile the way Nick does when he talks about Jessica.Who would he choose to be the recipient of all that effortless charm?For all I know, he actuallyison a date tonight.Whoever she is, I think I hate her a little, this imaginary woman I’ve built up in my head.
I blink back to the present to see Nick waiting patiently for me to head up the stairs after CJ.
“Oh, um, thank you,” I gather myself enough to say.“And I swear I know it’s all fantasy and Luke is a professional, and I’m not going to make it weird or anything.”
He bends close and taps the side of his nose.“We’re all about making fantasies real here.Don’t apologize for enjoying it.”Then he straightens and gestures up the stairs.With a murmured thanks, I start to ascend, almost giddy with anticipation for my next run-in with Luke.
Jonesy
The jingle of dog collars is the only warning I get before Donnie and Vix burst into the dressing room.I immediately drop to my knees, grateful I’m still in jeans as dogs the size of small ponies dig their claws into my thighs and jockey for position on my lap.
“Hey, boy!Hey, girl!”I squeeze my eyes shut as they lick sloppy kisses all over my face.“Where’s your dad?”
Nick and his wife own a half dozen enormous brown mutts, and he generally brings at least one with him to the club on Saturdays.
“Here!”my boss calls, wheezing a little as he fills the doorway.The club owner’s always slow on the stairs up to the third-floor room where the male dancers get ready for their performances.
“Gotta lay off the sweet stuff, old man,” I joke.All of us like to tease him about his fondness for any type of baked good, and like always, Nick just slaps his ample belly with a laugh.
“Never.Not even for your snake hips.”
“What?”I snap my head up from where I’ve been nuzzling Vix’s broad brown head.“What did you say?”
“Snake hips.It’s how one of our guests tonight described you when she asked for you by name.”
Frustrated at being ignored, Donnie headbutts me, and I’m so distracted by what Nick’s just said that it knocks me flat on my ass.
“Did she… was she…” I’m sprawled on the floor, looking up at the big man helplessly, not sure what to ask first.“What name did she use?”
“Luke,” he quickly reassures me.“She’s a particular fan of Luke’s, it seems.”
“Does she have”—my lungs compress at the thought—“long reddish-brown hair?”
Not to mention the sweetest smile and the prettiest eyes and the quickest brain.But Nick doesn’t need the full list of Liv’s best qualities.
“She does,” he confirms.At his words, my muscles give out entirely, and I end up flat on my back, staring at the water-stained tile ceiling while two horse-dogs climb all over me.
“That’s Liv,” I say.“I think I love her.”
Nick chuckles, and I shove Donnie’s big ol’ paw off my chest so I can sit up.
“No, seriously, she’s classy and smart and funny, and she works with me at the restaurant, but she doesn’t know what I do here, and I…” I shake my head.“I haven’t figured out how to tell her yet.And she’sheretonight?”
Nick nods, and I curse, glancing wildly around the dressing room.
“She can’t find out like this.”I plunge my fingers into my hair, which is stiff with the darkening gel I borrowed from Ben to try out.But that and my sunglasses aren’t enough to hide who I am from her.
“Do the whole night as Santa,” Nick says immediately.“Wear the hat and beard.”
“You don’t mind?”The holiday part’s only supposed to take up the first half of the show, and then it’d be me and my sunglasses onstage for the rest of the night.The thought has me curling in on myself in horror at Liv finding out this way.
“’Tis the season,” Nick says.“I’ll give Eugenio a heads-up for music cues, and then I’ll see if Miss Liv might prefer a VIP table that’s a little farther from the stage just to be safe.”
“Thank you.”I clamber to my feet.“And I swear, I’m going to tell her.I didn’t think she’d come back, but now that she has…”
