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ChapterTwelve
LACY
“Tonight? But it’s my night off?” I heard Mandy say and rolled my eyes.
Of course, she’d have to go in to work tonight. She was one of their top earners, even if I needed my friend desperately tonight. I understood if she did go, she needed to make that money while she could.
“Excuse me?” Mandy said with a stunned sound. I looked up to see her eyes on me.
What? I mouthed the word with a shrug. She waved at me then in the direction of the bathroom.
“Yeah, I understand. Yeah, a half hour or so. Cool. Bye.” Mandy put the phone down and looked at me. “Ginger wants us both at the club. Apparently, you were a popular girl and two of our staff were in a car accident together today. Care to live it up one more time?”
“It beats sitting around here feeling sorry for myself. I’m not accepting any roses tonight, though. I’m done with that. Mason was the one and only.” I wouldn’t turn down another pile of cash and I could really use the distraction. “I’m in.”
“Cool. I’ll get my bag and we’ll go.”
“Great,” I replied, picking up my phone and walking over to the door to wait for her.
The drive to the club took longer than expected, there was some kind of march going on, but we finally got there. I headed for the back door, but Mandy grabbed my arm and pulled me around to the front. “We’re going in the front tonight.”
“But I’m in jeans, Mandy.” I protested only to roll my eyes when she waved me off.
“Not a big deal, come on.” Mandy grinned and I couldn’t help but grin back. Her smile was infectious, and I needed to smile. It was better than moping over yet another man that had ghosted me.
We walked into the club and were immediately presented with two roses. I looked over at her. “Why did she give us roses?”
“We aren’t stripping tonight, we’re just, um, entertaining the guests in the club section.” Mandy nodded, as if pleased with that explanation.
What the hell was going on?
I looked around but there wasn’t a lot to see. People milled around by the stage, in corners together, or over by the bar, but there weren’tthatmany people in the place tonight. Why were we there, then?
Maybe it was still early, and the place would get busy later. “Shouldn’t we change into something sexier, Mandy?”
She just shook her head, grabbed my hand. “Follow me.”
I rolled my eyes, again, and did as she asked.
We were walking to a section of the club I hadn’t been in, where a row of booths gave people darkness to maintain their privacy. I knew there were other sections, even other floors to the place, but I’d only been in a few places in my short time there. Were we supposed to entertain some foreign businessmen that wanted the All-American girl experience, right down to the jeans and t-shirts? I didn’t even have makeup on since I’d expected we’d do all of that here.
“Here we are, Ginger, as promised. One very confused Lacy, who will no doubt thank me later, and me.” Mandy preened a little and twirled her rose in her right hand.
I came around to see Ginger in the booth but ignored her when I saw who was there with her. “Mason?”
“Hi, Lacy. It’s good to see you.”
“I, um,” I started to smile but then scowled. “What do you want?”
“Please,” he said quickly, standing up with a rose of his own in his hand. “To explain. To talk. Please?”
I stared at him, noting how tired he looked, which only made me wonder what he’d been up to. “Where have you been?”
“Out of town. I need to talk to you in private.” His eyes demanded I do just that, but I wasn’t ready to be ordered around. Not outside of the bedroom, that is.
“Look, I have my own damn rose, I don’t need yours, okay?” I held the flower up to him as he came out of the booth to stand in front of me. “If you want to talk to me, ask nicely.”
“Please?” he said so softly I knew I was the only one that heard.
