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“Ifit’s not your family, then what’s stopping you from telling me your name?”
“BecauseIshouldn’t be speaking to you at all, let alone give you more information about myself,”Isaid firmly, remembering my promise toJordan. “Youwere staring at me like”Ididn’t know how to explainJordan’salarming description ofAxel’sattentiveness.
Helooked at you the way all women want to be looked at by a man.
“Icould tell you were interested in me,”Ifinished lamely.
“So?”Nota hint of shame or denial in his voice.Anyother man would’ve been embarrassed or felt awkward if the object of your attention knew about your blatant staring.WhereasAxeltook it in stride.Nothingdaunted this man.
“I-Ihave sworn off dating,”the wrong men,Iinternally added. “I… my picker is off.You’rethe wrong man for me.Ifthe peopleIlove catch me talking to you… they’ll be upset.”
“So, it is your family then,” he surmised.
Ilooked out of the window.Thelast thingIexpected was a pause from him as well.Hehad been the aggressor from the get-go.Ifelt his gaze moving over me during the lull in our conversation.
Ibroke the silence. “Doyou think you can drop me off here?”Ishowed him the addressIhad jotted down in my notebook earlier.
Theonly answering response was the engine roaring to life.
* * *
“Thisis a strip club.”
Igrunted evasively as we pulled into the parking lot of a seedy building inQueens.Abright neon sign flashed “BoobieLodge” over the entrance.Thetwo o’s were shaped like boobs with tassels coming out of where the nipples should be.
Clever.
“Thanksfor the ride.Havea nice life.Bye.”Iclimbed out of the car and heardAxeldo the same.Twostrong hands on my elbows pulled me back beforeIcould reach the building.Whenmy back collided against a hard wall,Iwhirled in place and stared up at lifeless eyes.
“Wheredo you think you’re going?” he asked in that brutish manner of his.
Imotioned at the neon sign above the bouncers. “Isn’tit obvious?Bucketlist.”Surely, he’d read the entire thing when he glanced at my notebook.Stripclub was next.
“Ifyou want to go to a strip club, find one suited for…” he gestured to all of me, “someone like you.”
Iknew what he meant;Vanilla.Someonelike me would never step inside a place called “BoobieLodge.”Outwardly,Iappeared a bougie, pampered princess.Thenickname he had given me was coined for a reason.
Buttonight wasn’t about doing the expected.Ididn’t want my last hoorah to be in a champagne room of an upscale lounge where the girls looked expensive.Isought the unsheltered experience, onesIwouldn’t be privy to after settling down with someone likeJayAmbani.
Ismiled, shaking my head. “Thisis the club for me.Don’tworry.I’llbe fine.Thestrippers are mostly trolling for gentlemen with single dollar bills.Notthe likes of me.”
Istepped toward the club.Oncemore, he stopped me. “Drunkperves are crawling all over the place.They’lleat you alive in there.”Theintensity of how he expressed the word had me stepping back.
Thedoor opened on cue.Afumbling idiot and his bald friend were shoved out of the establishment.Theylanded on the concrete pavement and shouted what sounded like profanities at the bouncers.Theirwords were slurred beyond comprehension.
Okay.PerhapsIwas more out of my element thanIinitially thought. “You’rewelcome to come with me if it puts your mind at ease,”IinformedAxel, apprehensively eyeing the two creepy men.
Axelsmirked knowingly, having figured outI’dnever been to such an establishment.
“Justso we’re clear,I’monly letting you tag along to ease your conscience,”Ispoke confidently, simultaneously grabbing his hand in an ironclad hold.Ihadn’t meant to do it and was surprisedAxeldidn’t pull away.Hedidn’t seem like the hand-holding kind.
Axel’sgaze landed on our intertwined fingers, andIwondered if the same thought crossed his mind.Forthis wasn’t a simple touch; it was an experience.Everypart of my body suddenly reacted in an unfamiliar way.Mypalms were sweating, my heart pounded irrationally, the hair on my neck was erect, and goosebumps lined my bare arms.Partof me wanted to pull my hand back from an experience that was too intimidating to share with a stranger.Idecided against it, however.Axel’slarger-than-life frame provided comfort and security that was currently unmatched.
Theproblem was, he knew it, too.Onecocky eyebrow raised to his forehead as he watched our interlocked hands. “Thankyou for the opportunity to lighten my conscience.”
“You’rewelcome,”Ireplied easily. “SometimesI’mtoo charitable for my own good.”
Thebald one sitting on the pavement caught a glimpse of us walking to the entrance and nudged his friend.Theysquinted their eyes, presumably trying to figure out ifIwas attractive or if they had beer goggles on.Theymust have decided on the first because they were suddenly staring at me likeIwas their last meal.
