Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“He’s watching you because of your behavior last week, Cherry. You’ve embarrassed the club, and that’s a problem. Maurice has informed me that he presented you with your first warning. Two more and you’re out.”
“Please, Mr. King, you’ve got to understand, I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. My oldest is about to go to college, and I need to save up as much cash as I can to put him through it. I don’t want him to have the same type of life I had.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. The college thing, the money, that was all fine, but the kind of life she’d had? Cherry had come to the club herself, she’d chosen this after being ousted from her last position as an erotic dancer at her last place of work.
Christ, the owner had called me to warn me about her as a professional courtesy, and I’d still taken her on. I couldn’t speak for the life she’d had before she’d come to Club Queen, but whilst here, she’d been treated as royalty. Until she’d shown she was willing to drink on the job and squander the money she’d been given.
“Mr. King?” Cherry pressed her arms inward and squished her breasts together, amplifying all that fake cleavage.
“Cherry, what’s your bottom line? What do you want?”
“Money,” she said simply, and bit her bottom lip. “I—I’m a single mom again. Gavin, he left, and he took the money with him, I—I’m scared, Mr. King.” She sniffled, but her eyes remained dry.
Shit, I wasn’t a heartless bastard. If she was willing to work for her money, then I’d give it to her. “Speak to Maurice about more shifts. Two extra a week. You can fill in for the dancer we’re missing until we find a new one,” I said. “But Cherry, you will undergo locker checks for the foreseeable future. Understand? If I catch a hint that your shit’s not on the level, I’m done playing nice. I want you sober and motivated.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
I walked around the desk and past her, toward the exit. I held the door open for her and she walked out. I followed her and shut it behind me.
The day was almost over, and I had a gorgeous woman to claim.
Cherry caught my arm.
I looked down at her claws, then up at her. “What?” I formed the word cold and hard.
“I—I was hoping to spend some time with you, Mr. King. Just some, um, private time, if you know what I mean?” I studied her carefully, the smudged makeup under one eye, the youthful skin, the ridiculous hair color. She licked her pouty lips again. She ran one hand down the front of my shirt, then touched it to my hip, slid it a little lower. “What do you say?”
I shook her off. “Have Maurice review the code of conduct with you,” I replied. “You know better than this.”
I walked off, my mind already bent on my woman. My woman.
Tonight would be the night.
Chapter 10
Riley
“And that’s it for today, everyone. Hope you enjoyed it.” I ended off with that every session, since most of the dancers in the group were covered with sweat, red in the face, and probably a little pissed at me for pushing them hard and far.
I did it safely, of course, but I tried to advance them a little more each day, whether they were beginners or in the advanced class.
“Thank god,” Trevor yelped and whipped off his headband—violet, today. “Girl, you sure know how to work a man’s body.”
I laughed, but my thoughts flicked back to that night underneath Jax, and the laughter petered out. God, I had to get rid of these thoughts. I’d already decided once was enough, and avoiding him was for the best, but Jax was like the flu. I’d caught him. Would it only take a couple weeks to get him out of my system?
“See ya, folks. Drive safe, all right? Tomorrow, we’re going to start class at four p.m. instead of six p.m., OK? You should’ve gotten the text I sent around—Room B again.” We’d had to use Room B today, since our usual venue was one pole short and Jax’s guy was due tomorrow to fix it.
“We got it,” Trevor said as he stomped over to the chairs in the corner where he’d dropped off the gym bag that matched his headband. “Ugh, I’ll be much happier with you in the morning when my buns aren’t burning.”
Again, I chuckled, and again, Jax floated through my thoughts. I walked from the pole to the stereo and unplugged it from the wall. God, I had to get over this and fast. He was no good.
He was the opposite of what I needed.
Everything about my plan—having a baby by myself, getting the business back on point, and avoiding heartache—could be derailed by him.