‘How’s the crowd?’ the voice on the cellphone asked.
‘Pretty good.’ Bas walked around the floor of his club, looking over things and making sure they were the way he liked them. They’d only opened their doors half an hour ago, but they already had a good-sized gathering. Not bad for late afternoon. ‘Word must have got out about our new dancer.’
He smiled softly. Little Leesha’s first night had gone well. Very well. He just might be able to kill two birds with that stone.
‘Don’t get too cocky. You know how you are.’
Yes, he did, and he fought it every day. ‘I’m just trying to make sure we stay in business.’
He checked that the tables had been polished, the carpets had been vacuumed and the light near the back entrance had been changed. A vase of fresh flowers was waiting in the coat check area for Lucy, who was celebrating a birthday. All in all, things looked clean, sophisticated and sexy. Just like they were supposed to.
‘If you need me, let me know. I can come down there.’
He rolled his eyes. They weren’t to that point yet. ‘I’ve got this.’
‘OK, I’ll talk to you later then. Say hey to Remy.’
‘Will do.’ He disconnected and walked up to the bar. Instead of building a glass tower, today Remy was nursing a beer. ‘Sam says hi.’
Remy just grunted.
Bas stopped. He tried again. ‘I see you’ve got Luther on the door. Where’s Charlie?’
‘On the cage. You got a problem with that?’
Bas let one eyebrow lift. ‘Just asking a question.’
His operations man had been in a piss-poor mood ever since he’d shown up for work. Something must have got in his craw, but there was only so much leeway he’d give him.
‘The guy deserves some eye candy, too,’ his friend muttered.
Bas supposed he did, although the bouncers weren’t supposed to ogle the talent. They were there to protect the girls and the club’s other assets. But Remy knew that. He was the one who’d set the rules.
‘You get some salt in your sweet tooth, Rem?’
The man threw back his drink, draining it. ‘None of your goddamn business.’
All right. Bas signalled the bartender for a beer of his own, but frowned when the line sputtered.
‘I’m on it, boss.’ The barkeep set the chilled mug on the polished bar top and flipped his towel over his shoulder.
Bas’s eyes narrowed as the man kneeled to fiddle with lines and connections. The last thing he needed was for the equipment to malfunction when he was expecting big business. ‘Speaking of God damning anything, have you taken a look recently at our admirers across the street?’
Remy grunted again, only this time it sounded more like a growl.
He’d take that as a yes. Bas turned and leaned back against the bar. The main stage was empty, but Chanteuse and Ivy were keeping the customers entertained. Chanteuse was rubbing a whip back and forth between her legs while Ivy was wrapped around one of the side poles like her namesake. ‘Couldn’t be our angelic new attraction that’s gotten your dick in a twist, now could it?’
‘Drop it.’
So Alicia Wheeler did have something to do with Remy’s foul mood. Bas wasn’t surprised. His friend had been jonesing for the pretty brunette ever since he’d started surveilling the fanatics across the street. Yesterday, though, she’d surprised everyone. He’d nearly had an aneurysm when she’d pulled that sexy church-secretary stunt, and Remy hadn’t reacted much better. He’d been moving towards the stage like the girl had her hand on his dick.
Damn, but that sweet thing could move.
Bas frowned at the amount of foam on his beer. ‘I noticed her boyfriend wasn’t out there today.’
Remy held out his empty glass so the bartender could give the tap another try. ‘Think she got to him?’
Bas shrugged. She seemed to get to everyone with a working penis. ‘Maybe.’
‘Yeah, well, one little freak isn’t enough. She needs to work faster. I don’t like her standing across the street acting like she’s Miss Hoity-toity when we all know she’d prefer to be over here getting down and dirty with us.’
Bas sent his friend a look out of the corner of his eye. He wasn’t so sure about that. Ms Leesha was only starting to walk on the wild side. She hadn’t taken any trips down their darker, more warped roads yet. She simply loved the dance, the art and the emotion. Exotic dancing played right into that, although the emotions and art of sex probably weren’t quite what she’d had in mind.
He took a drink of his beer. Yes, their Angel liked being just a little bit rebellious, but how far did that daring streak go?
‘You might be right,’ he mused. ‘Getting her to stop the protests is a lot to ask.’
‘That daddy of hers still has his microphone.’
Yes, he did and Bas wasn’t happy that Doyle had let the loudmouth keep it. He’d remember that the next time the sergeant visited for a lap dance with Marguerite.
He drummed his fingers along the side of his chilled mug. Maybe it was time to give Remy a project, something that would help focus all that bad attitude. ‘She might have started to whittle them down, but we can’t let these displays go on much longer. Are you still interested in having a go at them?’
‘Just give the sign.’
Bas held up a finger. ‘Only one. Let’s start small.’
‘Divide and conquer?’
‘And on the down low. Nobody can know that we’re behind anything.’
‘Then I’m a ghost.’
Which didn’t seem possible, but Remy could move and strike like the wind. He folded his arms over his chest. Tension was still thrumming in the air, but it had some direction now. It wasn’t running around, bumping against everyone and making customers nervous. Anxious customers were tight with their cash. Bas wanted everyone here to feel loose and free. The looser, the better.
‘Which one?’ the operations man growled.
Bas tilted his head to the side until he felt a satisfying pop in his neck. Rolling his shoulders, he considered the question. ‘That microphone is fucking annoying.’
‘Then maybe I’ll just have to fuck over its owner with it.’
‘Fine by me.’
Whatever the guy’s perversions, Remy would ferret them out. He was good that way – finding people’s weaknesses, temptations and kinks. The people across the street might think they were holier than the people who crossed the threshold of the Satin Club’s doors, but Bas had come to learn one thing.
Good or bad, innocent or jaded, everyone had kinks.
***
Bas was waiting for Alicia when she showed up for her second night’s shift. Things at the club were rocking and he wanted to touch base with her before they both got too busy. They hadn’t had a chance to talk after her premiere last night. Every time he’d seen her, though, she’d been wide-eyed and breathless.
And hard-nippled.
She’d taken to her new assignment like a mink to sex, but there were lines of tightness around her mouth when she came through the back door. She took a step back when she saw him, but then relaxed. ‘Bas.’
Her shoulders dropped an inch or so and she sent a quick glance at the new light on the ceiling. It glowed 150 watts strong. Still, her gaze darted to the side wall and then down the hallway behind him. Dots of pink coloured her cheeks.
Interesting.
‘Welcome back,’ he said.
She hefted her bag higher on her shoulder. For some reason, she wasn’t meeting his gaze. Instead, she concentrated on the floor and nibbled on her lower lip. He stared at that wet, plush flesh. He could think of better things she could do with those lips – and that mouth.
‘Yesterday went very well, I thought,’ he said. She was in a T-shirt and jeans, not the prim clothing she’d worn on the picket line. She was sexy in just about anything, but he doubted he’d ever see her in her church clothes again without wanting to rip them right off of her. ‘We’ve got a good crowd tonight.’
At that, her gaze flicked up, hesitant and alarmed. ‘To see me?’
‘Word of mouth travels fast. You put on quite a show last night.’
She winced. ‘I probably shouldn’t have done that.’
‘The good-girl-gone-bad routine?’ He frowned. ‘The hell you shouldn’t have. With what you took home in tips, you should be able to pay your rent for the month. You had some of our regulars so wound up, they paid you instead of buying another round of drinks.’
She squeezed her eyes shut. ‘About that … I was wondering if instead of performing – like that – could I maybe serve drinks or…’
What the hell?
He closed the distance between them fast. He didn’t like the direction this conversation was going. He didn’t like it one bit. ‘That wasn’t the deal, Alicia.’
‘I know, but last night …’ She squirmed. ‘I don’t think this is right for me.’
He was dumbfounded. Not right? Last night had been a revelation. He’d given her the chance to dance again, and in return the Satin Club had seen its best business in weeks. This could be a huge win for both of them.
He began counting. First Remy and now this. People were starting to ruin his calm.
‘I don’t give a shit what you think is right in here.’ He tapped his finger against her forehead. ‘You can’t tell me it didn’t feel right here.’
He laid a hand between her breasts and felt her heart jump.
‘And here.’
He cupped her between the legs, and she sidestepped him fast. Oh yeah, she’d liked it there all right.
He pulled his shoulders back and stood like a wall in front of her. She was not going to back out on him. He held true to his promises, and he expected others to do the same. ‘We had an agreement. You strip. One month.’
‘But I just can’t …’ Her voice went tight. ‘I can’t stand it.’
‘Stand it? You loved it. Hell, we had to clean your “happiness” off the pole before Marguerite could start her act.’
Those pink cheeks turned red.
Bas was getting impatient. ‘I told you, the one thing you have to do while you’re here is enjoy yourself. Maybe I need to add another requirement. No lying to yourself.’
‘I’m not. The dancing was fine, but … afterwards …’
‘You mean after you started to think about it.’ He caught her chin and slowly brushed his thumb over that swollen lower lip. ‘Look at you. When you left here last night, you were on a high. Now, you’re all messed up again.’
He raked his gaze over her. He could see the outline of her nipples, just starting to harden. Why was she fighting herself so hard? She wanted this. ‘Damn it, Alicia, I don’t have the time to talk you through all these silly little crises of conscience. What you did last night was fucking amazing and, by now, all our customers have heard about it. They want to watch you, naked and writhing on that stage.’
‘But …’
‘But nothing. Get over it. They want to see you and, deep down, you want to show them.’ He cupped her breast and pinched her nipple hard. ‘Here’s the proof. Get out of your own way, sweetheart.’
He turned her towards the dressing room door and gave her butt a sharp swat. ‘Now get in there and get ready. You’re on in fifteen minutes.’
***
Alicia closed the door to the dressing room behind her and took unsteady steps towards her table. She’d been afraid to come back here and run into Remy, but she hadn’t even thought about Bas.
She wouldn’t make that mistake again.
She cringed with embarrassment as she put her bag inside her locker. Her butt was still smarting and she reached back to rub it. That hadn’t been a soft tap he’d given her. It had been a rebuke, and it stung.
He was right. They had a pact and she couldn’t go back on her word. Then, she’d be no better than –
Them?
Her chin dipped. That wasn’t fair. They’d been utterly truthful with her from the start. She was the one getting confused and worked up.
She lifted her hair off her hot neck. Her breast ached and her mound still throbbed where he’d touched her. The truth collected in her chest, right where he’d poked her. This was what she feared most about coming back here – her own feelings, her very private reactions. She could feel the telltale dampness start to wet her panties.
She rubbed her thighs together, but the denim just didn’t hit her where she needed it. She had to put a lid on all these emotions. She couldn’t allow what happened last night to happen again. She had to remember why she was here – the reason she’d forced herself to come back to the club tonight.
She needed to get through to the lost. Whoever that might be …
‘Angel, better hurry up. You’re on in ten.’ Chanteuse was changing into her street clothes. Her shift was just ending, while Alicia’s night had only begun.
‘Right,’ she said nervously. ‘Thanks.’
She reached for the tab of her jeans and slowly slid down the zipper. If she’d thought her first night as a stripper had been stressful, the second was a thousand times worse. The newness was still there, but she had a better idea now of what to expect.
And that was what scared her.
Even so, her body was warming, certain muscles tensing as she put on a skimpy costume from the rack. No more chaste work clothes. They apparently played into too many men’s fantasies.
Which was another thing that had shocked her.
Was she really that naïve? Had there always been so many sexual undertones in the world around her?
She tugged at the cups of the bikini top, trying to get her nipples to lie flat. She was concerned about the way they were showing, how eager they looked.
She was anything but eager to be here. Last night, she’d been excited to dance. Tonight, she was scared, anxious and so physically uncomfortable she didn’t know what to do. She’d got herself off. She’d played with herself. Why was her body still so achy and hungry?
A knock came at her door as she was slipping into her sky-high heels. They were pink tonight, with no straps winding up her legs. ‘Two minutes, Angel.’
‘I’m coming.’ Summoning her courage, she rose and headed to her fate. She’d arrived late and she’d prepared nothing. She just hadn’t been able to bring herself to do it.
Her knees were stiff as she walked to the back of the stage. She was still behind the curtain, but she could hear all the chatter behind that satin veil. There were more people here tonight, people who’d come to see her and what she was rumoured to do.
The beat of the music began, but she didn’t recognise the song. She’d relied on the DJ, only the tune he’d chosen didn’t sound slick and sexy. It was slow and leaden. When the curtains went up and the lights swung onto her, Alicia panicked. Slow took more control, but she felt heavy and clumsy.
‘Just feel the rhythm,’ she told herself. ‘Just disappear into it.’
Only that didn’t happen, not this time.
All she felt was self-conscious.
She danced around the stage. She had no choreography, so she fell back onto old tricks and familiar steps, but nothing felt right. The lights were too hot, and her lines were too tight. She was all too aware of the crowd hovering around her. They were all there – the stern boss man, the innocent young gun and the tough-looking black man.
Worst of all, Remy stood at the back.
She missed a step when she spotted him and had to bend over to catch her balance. The move threw her butt into the air, and the crowd finally let out a cheer.
‘That’s what we want to see, baby.’
She ripped her gaze away. The man terrified her. So big, so intimidating, so surly.
So downright cream-inducing …
She felt him staring at her, but she couldn’t look at him. She didn’t dare. The panther still looked ready to take her, but then tear her limb from limb.
It threw her concentration off-kilter, and she stripped off her top too early. Alicia bit the inside of her cheek with chagrin. She had to spend nearly the whole song with her breasts bouncing and juddering. It was good for the audience, but not for her. The confidence she’d had last night was gone and the attention on her body felt like a pointed knife. Last night, lust had slid across her skin like a scintillating blade.
Now, it was poking her, prodding her, frightening her.
The crowd started chanting. ‘Pole, pole, pole, pole.’
A shiver gripped her spine. That gleaming brass pole waited for her down at the end of that long runway. She didn’t know why it disturbed her so. It would stand strong as she wrapped herself around it, contorting her body into all kinds of positions. It would warm to her flesh and cool when she left it alone. It would support her, pinch her and throw her on a wild ride.
It could also hurt her if she didn’t learn how to handle it correctly.
‘Pole, pole, pole!’ They were starting to get impatient.
She began the long journey, breasts jouncing and tummy tightening. Even once she made it to the end of the runway, she didn’t dare get too close. She knew from experience what that hard brass could do to her. She settled for grabbing it and leaning away as she swung about it.
‘Aw, baby.’ Disappointment settled over the crowd like a wet blanket.
In the end, there was applause, but way fewer tips. When the grumbling began, she knew the club’s customers were disappointed.
And that hurt just about more than anything.
Alicia felt tears prick at her eyes. She loved to communicate with people through dance, and she had so much to express. But tonight, she’d given them less than her all.
Charlie was waiting for her when she got backstage and she covered herself with her hands. ‘Bas wants you in his office. Now.’
The tightness in her stomach cinched into another knot.
‘He’s not happy,’ the bouncer warned.
***
‘The guy has a record,’ Remy insisted. ‘Trespassing in a women’s bathroom. We could use that.’
Bas tapped his finger against his temple. ‘It’s good, but it’s not enough.’
‘Not enough?’
‘Repentance. Redemption. The church is big on those, you know. He’s probably told them he just got confused. Hell, we already know that Wheeler himself embezzled from his followers, but that’s not keeping new ones away.’ No, they needed something bigger on Mr Paul Simonsen, owner of the world’s loudest speaker system.
A knock sounded on the office door.
‘Come in,’ Bas said absently. He turned back to Remy. ‘Dig deeper. Get us more.’
The operations man tidied up his file, but glanced over his shoulder when he heard someone enter. When he felt it, was more likely. Even with those high heels she was wearing, Alicia was moving about like a timid mouse.
‘I can come back if that would be better,’ she said softly.
She stayed tight to the wall and Remy took a step back. His hand curled around the manila folder until it bent in half. Bas glanced from one to the other. Alicia was looking everywhere in the room but at the other man, while Remy’s gaze, conversely, was drilling a hole right through her.
Bas’s jaw tightened as understanding hit. Was that what the problem was?
Well, shit.
He raked his hand through his hair. He’d start with her first. ‘What the hell was that out there on that stage?’ he barked.
She stiffened so abruptly, the tails of the ties on her robe swayed. That didn’t make him any happier. She’d stopped in the dressing room first, instead of coming straight to see him. They were going to have to talk about how she should follow his orders.
She glanced at the monitor where Marguerite was on-stage and wove her fingers together. ‘A dance.’
‘That was crap.’
Timid as she was, she still took offence at that. Those interlaced fingers turned white and her shoulders stiffened. Everyone had their pride and he’d just struck a direct blow at hers.
Good, he wanted to get her attention.
‘Are you going to argue with that?’ he asked.
‘No.’
‘What happened? Where did my magic dancer go?’
The tension that was shimmering all around them rose in tone and in volume. It was as if a piano wire strung between the other two people in the room was stretching tighter and tighter.
‘Did something go down between you two?’ Bas asked bluntly.
‘Wrong question,’ Remy said, his voice low. ‘It’s who didn’t go down that’s the problem.’
Bas stood slowly, bracing both hands against his desk. Now he was getting somewhere. Remy’s skulking mood … Alicia’s cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof act. ‘What happened?’
‘Leesha and I were getting to know each other,’ Remy said, ‘when she suddenly decided she didn’t want my cock in her pussy.’
Her gasp was the loudest sound she’d made since she’d stepped inside the room.
‘Although she seemed to like my fingers in her ass well enough.’
‘Stop it!’ she demanded as she took a sharp step forward. All the colour had washed out of her face. ‘It’s not proper to … to … to kiss and tell.’
‘We did a hell of a lot more than kiss, baby doll.’
Her hands clenched into fists. ‘I know. I just – I should have stopped you before it went that far.’
This time, it was Remy who stepped forward, only his one step took him twice as far as hers. The file in his hand was not only bent now, it was crumpled in his fist. ‘Why stop at all? You were getting off.’
She folded her arms tightly over her waist and looked away. As closed in as her body language was, her body itself was singing an entirely different tune. Her nipples were rubbing hard against the satin, tenting it and creating waves in the fabric that went all the way down to her cinched-in waist. ‘It was wrong.’
‘Felt pretty damn right to me.’
‘Sinful,’ she hissed.
‘Son of a bitch.’ Bas let out an angry hiss of his own. Sexual tension was supposed to bring customers in the door, not drag down his club. ‘Rules again, Leesha? How many times do we have to go over this?’
She squared against both of them now, still within sprinting distance of the door. ‘You can’t make me do that. That wasn’t in the agreement.’
‘I’m not talking about the agreement.’ The outburst made Bas aware of how far he’d let his control slip. He rubbed a hand over his forehead, trying to find the reins. ‘You’re supposed to explore things here, explore yourself.’
‘I won’t become a whore for you.’
‘A whore?’ Remy’s tone was so low, it was practically sub-bass.
Bas looked at her in bewilderment. He’d never met anyone who was more determined to cut off her nose to spite her face. ‘So let me make sure I’ve got this right. You and Remy made each other feel good and that somehow makes you a whore for the Satin Club?’
She shifted her weight, but didn’t answer.
‘It makes her a tease. Nobody was making her do anything.’
Her face fell at that accusation, but she didn’t deny it.
‘Alicia,’ Bas snapped.
She jumped and the tails of the belt of her robe swung high.
‘Everyone in the place knows the two of you want to screw, so why deny it?’
She blushed so hard, even her ears flared red. ‘I didn’t mean to … I don’t know how to …’
She swung her hands into the air, but when the neckline of her robe gaped open she hurriedly tugged it closed. ‘This place makes me feel things I shouldn’t. The dancing, it affects me differently than other styles do.’
‘Meaning it makes you hot?’
Her colour turned even brighter.
‘Is that why it looked like you were dancing the robot out there on that stage?’ he asked, pointing to one of his display monitors. ‘Because you were afraid you’d get aroused?’
‘The robot?’ she winced.
‘Slutty robot,’ Remy muttered.
‘Stiff, uncomfortable and not sensual at all. Hell, you didn’t even go anywhere near the pole.’
‘I don’t know what to do with it!’ she blurted.
‘Then get Chanteuse or Ivy to show you some tricks.’ Bas pounded his fist against the table and then spread his fingers wide. He didn’t like losing it like this. His temper was something he kept on a very short leash. He took a deep breath and followed it up with another. ‘That’s what those men in the crowd paid to see. They want to see you lose yourself in the dance. They want to see your lose control. If you turn yourself on while you’re doing it, all the better.’
She looked physically pained, but her nipples were tightening and tenting the fabric higher.
‘Is that the real issue here? Are you afraid to be aroused, Alicia?’ he asked softly.
Her hands fisted at her sides, and she bit her lip.
Watching her standing there, fighting with her baser instincts, Bas felt his temper turning to something just as smouldering. If she looked at him like that one more time, he was going to be the one doing the biting.
‘It … hurts,’ she admitted.
He tilted his head. ‘So you didn’t let Remy help ease the tension. Didn’t you get yourself off at all after you left here last night?’
She looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock. ‘Yes, but –’
Remy tossed the file onto the nearby sofa. ‘But it wasn’t enough, was it?’
She took a hesitant step back towards the door.
‘It only hurts when you don’t feed that need, Leesha.’ Bas sighed. What a naïve, sexually starved creature. She needed them even more than they needed her. ‘Remy, go get her.’
Her hands came up, palms out, as she stutter-stepped towards the door. ‘Wait. What are you doing?’
‘Giving you what you need. Hell, what I need. I’ve got to have the sexy dancer back, Angel. I need you relaxed and refreshed.’
‘Bas,’ she pleaded.
‘Remy,’ she squeaked when his big hands spanned her satin-clad waist.
Bas felt his cock stir. Remy already had the robe off her and she was down to the tiny bra and G-string she’d worn on-stage. ‘Get on with it already, Remy. Fuck her.’