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Matt escorted Sady and Amanda to the Can-Can Club the next day so they could pick up what they had left in the dressing room, and their stage props. The assistant pulled them to the office to pick up their pay.
“It's such a shame,” she told them. “I thought you put on a good show. I liked you better than our last one.” She pushed the photo across her desk. Sady snatched the photo.
It was her- Dawn Fontana, and her current photo was in the office the whole time? She went through all that humiliation when just a few questions would have taken care of matters? Sady would make Matt pay for this.
“This woman looks familiar,” Sady told the assistant. “Isn't her name Dawn?”
“Her stage name is Starr LaFontaine, and she's our recently departed dominatrix. Maybe after all this settles down the boss will hire her again.” She handed Sady and Amanda their checks. “Well, good luck, girls,” she said dismissively, turning her attention to Matt. “Is there anything I can do for you, handsome?”
“See you girls later,” Matt said, sitting down in an office chair. Sady raised a brow and left with a half smile on her face.
“Good luck to the both of you,” she said, pulling Amanda out the door.
In the taxi on the way back to the hotel Amanda asked, “Do you think he'll get anywhere?”
“Probably not anywhere he'll want to be, but that's his headache now. I think we've earned serious spa time. Let's go see what the hotel has to offer.”
“Now you're making sense. I saw a fine-looking masseuse down in the lobby this morning. Think I'll make an appointment with him,” Amanda said.
When they got back to the hotel, they headed to the spa. Sady looked at her watch. “Do you have any openings available in about ninety minutes?”
The receptionist looked at the schedule and nodded, “We have several girls with openings available.”
“I hope you don't mind, but could I see their pictures?” The girl gave Sady an odd look until she explained. “I'm setting it up for a friend who'll need to unwind after a rough morning.”
The girl obliged. Sady picked one and made an appointment for Matt. “The full works,” she told the girl with a smile.
“What's up with that?” Amanda asked on their way to change into robes for their treatment to begin.
“You'll see in an hour and a half,” Sady promised.
Ninety minutes later Sady smiled at the commotion coming from the reception area. She said to the woman who was treating her. “Would you tell the receptionist it's okay to let that guy back? I hear him roaring to see me.”
“Sady, I swear I'm going to kill you one of these days,” Matt yelled when he saw her.
She calmly lifted a cucumber slice off one eye. “Is something wrong, Matt?”
“Is something wrong?” He let loose with a string of oaths that had Sady's masseuse threatening to call security.
“Calm down, Matt. I haven't finished my treatment, and I don't want to get bounced. What's got you all hot and bothered?” She settled the slice back onto her eye.
Matt stomped over and peeled off both slices. “You knew, didn't you?” He looked at the cucumber pieces with disgust. Sady held out her hand, and he slapped them onto her palm.
“Knew what?”
“Stop playing innocent. You know what I'm talking about!” he accused.
“Are you referring to your rendezvous with the lovely assistant at the Can-Can Club?” she asked, plopping the slices back onto her eyes.
“What else would have me so upset?”
“I tried to tell you, but do you ever listen to me, Matt? No, you don't. It's not my fault you had to learn your lesson the hard way.”
“Does this place offer bleach baths?” he asked. “Because I need one. And a hypnotist to make me forget the past hour or so.”
“Matt, don't tell me you didn't even get anything useful for CJ and Harry,” she chastised.
“Oh, I got them plenty. Current phone number and address of that woman.”
“See, you should be pleased with yourself,” Sady said. “Not everyone could have pulled off what you did.”
“You mean not everyone straight, don't you? You knew that assistant was a man in drag, didn't you?” he sputtered.
Sady lifted a brow. “You even doubted I would spot it? How did you find out?”
“The hard way!” he snarled. “I'd just weaseled my way into the files and she came on to me. Only imagine my surprise when she turned out to be a he, wearing a full silicone breast bra and sissy panties.”
“Oh, dear! You saw the panties, did you?”
“What? No, I didn't see them! After he removed his blouse, he told me he was wearing them. I think I'm going to be sick!”
“Matt, tell the truth now. Did you kiss the he-she?”
“Oh, my God, Sady... don't go there, please,” he begged.
“Don't make me laugh, Matt, or my mud mask will crack.”
“You're enjoying this, aren't you?”
“After my last couple of days? Absolutely! Now go out front and be nice to the receptionist. You have an appointment with the prettiest girl on staff.”
“Sure,” he said disagreeably. “You probably booked me with a guy named Brutus who moonlights as a butcher.”
Sady laughed and waved. “I'm hurt, Matt. You just made me crack my mud mask. I made you an appointment because I knew your ego would need feminine attention. But you came through for Harry and CJ.” She lifted her slice one more time. “Go ahead. Or I'll have to give Amanda the ugly details.”
In his haste to get to the front desk Matt almost knocked down the woman coming to check on Sady. Sady chuckled and settled back to enjoy the rest of her treatment.
Sady and Amanda left the spa feeling relaxed. When they got back to the room CJ and Harry were leaving. “You look like you're on a mission,” Sady said.
“I have more arm twisting to do,” CJ announced. “It's a good thing Matt came through with the address. I'm going to hunt that woman down and...” She looked sideways at Harry and bared her teeth.
“Well, good luck. Let us know if you need back-up,” Sady called after them. CJ dragged Harry out the door, ready for action.
Matt arrived from his spa treatment and Amanda said, “Well, I guess they'll let anyone into a respectable hotel these days.” She went to the fridge to look for something to eat.
“You look better,” Sady told him. “Do you feel better?”
“Not yet,” he stated.
“Well, why not? Didn't you get the full treatment?” Sady asked.
“Nope.”
Sady frowned. “Were you rude or something? Because I ordered the full treatment for you.”
“Well, I didn't get it,” he complained.
“What was missing?”
“How should I know? I've never had a full spa treatment before today.”
“Then how do you know you didn't get the full deal?” she asked. “And I'm not sure I want to know the answer.”
“I still have a bad taste in my mouth,” he shuddered. “I didn't think it would be appropriate to ask her for a kiss, do you?”
Sady snickered. “No, Matt. I'm sure that would have had grim repercussions.”
“Well, what are you going to do about it? You're responsible for my full treatment.” He waited expectantly.
“What do you expect me to do about it?” she asked.
“Finish my treatment,” he said with a smile in his blue eyes that Sady couldn't resist. He was working on the full treatment when Amanda interrupted.
“Get kissed by a man this morning, did you, Stubbles?”
Matt glared. “Did everyone know except me?”
Amanda grinned. “Don't feel bad, Blue Eyes. But let this be a lesson. Anytime a woman in that kind of business, with that kind of build only wears high neck blouses... well, you can question what's underneath. And that little bulge in his skirt might have given you a clue, but I guess you only checked the headlights and rear bumper.”
Matt looked sick. “Thanks for that, Amanda. I was just about over my nausea, and now it's back.”
She tipped her head in doubt. “Didn't look like you were having nausea a minute ago. I think you're just using it as an excuse to take advantage of Sady's sweet nature.”
“Sweet nature?” he snorted. “She left me there, knowing full well...” He glared at Amanda.
“You're too fun to wind up, you know that? But I'll be nice and let you unwind in peace. You did Harry a solid after all. Besides, I have to get ready for a night on the town.” She went to the bedroom, and Matt turned back to Sady.
“How do I know you're not just making this up as an excuse?” she asked.
“You don't,” he said with a shameless grin. “Where were we before we got rudely interrupted?”
“We were discussing your close encounter. Did you even get the name of the poor assistant before things got so personal? Or are you a love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy? Did you leave him with a broken heart, Matt?”
“You're skating on very thin ice,” he informed her, taking a few steps closer.
“I did a skating routine once. Only it was on roller skates because there was no ice.” She backed away from him with a taunting smile.
“Was it anything like your Shirley Temple routine?” He lunged, and she side-stepped. “I know that move, Sandy-Sue.” He turned and grabbed her by the waist, throwing her over his shoulder. She squealed, and he said, “Shut up, because if Amanda comes out you're going to owe me more than this.” He flopped her onto the sofa, and dropped down on top of her.
“Just for undoing half my spa session, you're going to make it up to me,” he breathed against her mouth, then moved to nibble along her jaw.
She traced her fingers up each of his arms, then massaged his neck and shoulder muscles. “Is this what you had in mind?”
“For starters.” He skimmed back to her mouth and kissed one corner.
“Your aim is off,” she whispered.
“My aim is dead on,” he countered, moving slightly to prove it.
Her brown eyes danced when he pulled back slightly. “Meh, I bet you said the same thing to Desiree. Her, I mean his, name is Desiree, isn't it? It was fate, Matt, pure destiny that your paths crossed. Remember, that's the name of your truck too?”
“Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much? And that's not the name of my truck.” He stopped her talking for a few minutes.
“You're not wearing ruffled undies are you, Matt?” She giggled a short time later, unable to resist.
“God, you know how to kill a moment, don't you?”
“Beauty pageant boot camp. Too bad Desiree never went. He would have learned the best way to keep a man on the hook is never let him see it all. Gypsy Rose Lee knew that.”
“Don't you ever shut up, Sady?”
“Not without a good reason.”
“How's this for a good reason?” He kissed her again and Sady thought it was very good.