AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’ve never had anyone want to protect me before and actively take steps to do just that. Growing up in the foster care system, many of the families who fostered me were more interested in the government check I came with than in raising me.
But his determination to safeguard me twisted me up inside. I was softening toward him when I shouldn’t be. Granted, it could be because of that kiss. I never should have allowed it. But I couldn’t take it back. My lips tingled at the memory of his firm lips dominating me, urging me to surrender to the incendiary heat.
Ben was hot on my heels as we entered the club.
“You need to stay out here.” I didn’t give him the opportunity to challenge me. I punched the security code into the keypad beside the door to the back offices. It was a security feature I enacted after a few gentlemen decided it would be a rollicking good time to follow me to my office and make a pass.
I entered before Ben could stop me, leaving him in the club proper. I needed the breather away from him.
I passed the girls’ dressing room. It was complete with showers, closets full of clothing, makeup, hair products, wigs, and anything else the girls might need for their performances. My office was at the end of the hall, past the employee restrooms and locker rooms.
My office reflected the taste I wanted to exude. That of a professional businesswoman with its heavy modern mahogany furniture and leather chairs. The artwork on the walls reflected the places on my bucket list I wanted to visit: the Cliffs of Mohr, Buckingham Palace, Amsterdam, Hawaii, and many more.
As I entered the office, my heart stopped. On my desk were a dozen bright red long-stem roses in a crystal vase. Why wouldn’t that asshole leave me the fuck alone? How did these get back here? Had they been delivered and one of my employees signed for them?
On unsteady legs, I marched to the desk and plucked the card from the bouquet. My fingers trembled as I pulled the card out of the envelope and flipped it open.
It read:
You will be punished.
A lead weight dropped into the pit of my stomach. Fingers of dread slid along my spine. Who the fuck was this guy? Perhaps Ben and the guys were right. This had gotten out of hand. Furious with myself for letting fear overshadow my good sense, I grabbed the flowers and tossed them in the trash with the card.
“Hey, boss.”
My head shot up at the deep voice. Bruno, one of the club bouncers, stood in the doorway. His massive six-foot-seven frame filled the doorframe. Suspicion filled me in a knee-jerk reaction. I’d known Bruno for years. The blond giant was a big teddy bear and wouldn’t harm a fly. His sheer size usually was enough to deter would-be troublemakers in the club from engaging in mischief. He couldn’t be my stalker. Could he?
I pasted a smile and asked, “Hey Bruno, what can I do for you?”
“Just wanted to let you know that Cleo called in sick. Her little boy is down with the flu. And she said she would be out this weekend.”
I sighed. There was never a dull moment when running a business. “Okay, thanks for letting me know. I’ll check the time she was slated to go on.”
I sat at my desk and brought up the schedule on the computer. I was anal about ensuring each girl had time in the spotlight, with small five-to-ten-minute breaks between each act. I didn’t just have my girls strip; we put on a damn fine show. In between acts, the girls joined the audience, looking for men who wanted a lap dance.
“Want me to call one of the other girls to fill her slots this weekend?”
I glanced over the schedule. I could easily take her spots in the lineup. I was already here, and I had my acts down to a science. A different outfit and wig with one of my choreographed numbers, and voilà, I put on a marvelous show. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t rather opt out tonight with the guys present. But I wasn’t a prude, nor would I opt out just because of who was in the audience. “If they could come in for the later time slot at twelve-thirty tonight and then tomorrow, then yes. I’ll take the ten o’clock spot tonight, though. If you’d relay that information to Bill so he could put it on his schedule and can sub my intro for Cleo’s.”
“I’m on it, boss. I’ll get it taken care of for you.”
He really was one of my best workers. I had to believe he wasn’t the stalker, that he would never do something like that to me. “Thanks. Appreciate it, Bruno.”
When he left the office, I double-checked the night’s presentation schedule and the bartenders who were on this evening. The girls would be in the back already, eating dinner provided for them before getting ready to dance. Cherry was the first to go on at eight-thirty. Zelda and Roxy were tending bar tonight. Delilah, Becca, and Jessica were waiting tables. On nights that they weren’t scheduled to dance, my girls rotated waitressing duties. There were twenty-one tables and then seats that butted up against the stage. Each waitress was assigned seven tables and a seating section to oversee.
Once I made sure everything was properly scheduled, I headed into the dressing room. It was suffused with perfume and feminine chatter.
“Moira!” Cherry squealed, her bright red curls bouncing around her shoulders. “Did you see all the new guys in the audience?”
“They’re so hot I almost want to give them a lap dance for free,” Jasmine exclaimed, fanning her caramel skin.
“I want to know where they came from and what they do. Because we don’t get men like these guys very often.” Venus said from a clothing rack she was looking through, her blond hair up in hot rollers.
“They’re Navy SEALs,” I explained before I thought better of it. Normally, I wouldn’t have commented on it, but those damnable flowers had me off my game.
Squeals erupted around the room.
“Seriously?” Cherry clapped her hands.
