Chapter Fourteen

Alexa, still partially in Dreamland, pulled the covers higher and scooted toward Rafe’s side of the bed, only she encountered empty space instead of warmth. She woke completely up. It was the middle of the night. The club was closed. Where was he?

Overhead lights shone in the kitchen. Rafe sat at the island, shuffling through papers.

He’d remained on edge since the incident with Charlotte last week. Not that he had a lot of downtime to unwind. He constantly received calls or knocks on his door about an issue. She held back on lecturing him about delegation. It was obvious that he and Shannon were dealing with New Business Owner syndrome. Escapade was their baby. It was hard for them to step back and let go.

When she’d first become a director at NorthStar, she’d micromanaged her staff’s decisions, wanting perfection, afraid of letting them make mistakes, but then her father had pulled her aside. He’d explained that people would accept her ideas and suggestions as their boss, but they would become more excited and motivated about their own. She had to allow them time and encourage them to figure out things for themselves. If she wanted a strong team, they had to make mistakes as well as enjoy accomplishments. They’d learn from both.

Alexa slipped out from under the covers. She tugged down the long sleeves of her oversized pink sleep shirt and traipsed over to him.

Rafe remained focused on the papers, not hearing her until she was almost at his side. “Hey.” He wrapped an arm around her waist. “Sorry. Am I making too much noise?”

“No. I missed you not being in bed.” Alexa stroked his bare back. He only had on a pair of black workout shorts, and he was like a furnace. She moved closer to him. “What are you doing?”

“Going through some paperwork for Escapade West.”

“Is there a problem?”

“We should be making a profit by renting it out, but we’re losing money instead.” He pointed at lines on a financial sheet. “We recommended the Hunks for the Breakup Bash, and because they were late, we ended up comping food and champagne. And here.” He pointed to an entry in the ledger. “We rented the room for a going away party someone threw for their boss.”

Ugh. Farewell parties. Hers was tomorrow. Leaving was hard enough without everyone in the company stopping to say their goodbyes. “What happened?”

“A couple of the staff members we scheduled got the flu, and we had to pay overtime to their replacements. It seems like our plan was a mistake. All I see are problems.”

“What’s the overall strategy for Escapade West?”

He sat back in the chair. “Honestly, acquiring it was a curveball we didn’t expect right now. The original agreement with the building owner was that we’d purchase the main club from him first, then he’d give us an option to acquire the rental spaces where the businesses are two years after the leases expired. Escapade West used to be a small playhouse. They went bankrupt, and the prospective tenants weren’t the type we wanted as neighbors, so we took out a loan.”

Her father had said businesses were like puzzles. The pieces fit together in a unique way. You just had to have a keen eye or sometimes a fresh perspective to see how. “Can we go over there?”

“To Escapade West?” He frowned. “Now?”

“We’re already up, and the place is empty.”

He sighed and threw up his hands. “Why not.”

She went to put on some clothes.

Rafe shrugged on a shirt. “Let me turn off the alarm.” He tapped the screen of his phone. “Done. Let’s go.”

The silence in the corridor leading to the door near the stage made her want to tiptoe in her bare feet.

He swung the door open and switched on lights. It was such a large space. Surely there was some way they could make a profit from it.

Across the room, chairs and tables were stacked on either side of a double door.

She walked toward it. “I saw workers coming in and out of these doors the night of the Bash. What’s behind here?”

“A staging area for service. Caterers set up back here, too.” Rafe unlocked the door and turned on the lights.

Paper and plastic supplies for the bar, and what appeared to be props for the Hot Body Hunks, sat at the end of the long, wide space.

Frustration filled his expression. “Apparently someone decided to use it for storage. This shouldn’t be here. Just one more issue that has to be addressed.”

He’d miss possible solutions if all he could see were problems. “Let’s brainstorm a minute. What are your customers looking for when they come to Escapade?”

He chuckled. “To find someone to have sex with.”

Typical guy. “Okay, yes, but besides that, dancing, and alcohol, what else?”

“Food.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “We actually sell a lot of bar food, but that works for us because it’s simple. Wings, nachos, French fries, that sort of stuff.”

“Simple is good. You know, one of my favorite late-night bistros is in the back of a bookstore, and their specialty is burgers. The other is a place that specializes in dessert in the basement of a clothing boutique.”

A thoughtful expression crossed his face. “You know, there used to be a café on the corner that did a booming cake and pie business on the weekends after we closed.” Some of the defeat and frustration faded from his eyes.

“You’ve been to other clubs. Any of their concepts ever snag your attention?”

“A few. There was this one in Los Angeles that offered a space to pop-up restaurants. A few nights a week, different chefs in the area would use it to experiment with new menu items.”

She held up her hands and twirled slowly. “Different chefs featuring their menus from time to time. I’d show up for that.”

He glanced around. “This spot could actually hold a small kitchen.” Rafe rubbed his cheek. “If we had something like that, we could consider one or two of these ideas. We could even still accommodate the Hunks, but we need to change our arrangement with them. They store their gear here and practice for free in exchange for doing shows. But they’re always booked elsewhere, and they’re not giving us priority.”

“Makes sense to me. See? You have plenty of possibilities.” She hugged him. “Now you just have to research them and consider what will work best.”

“Yeah, I guess we could.” As he held her around the waist, he studied her face, as if searching for something.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“So, you don’t view me as an ex-male stripper who’s in over his head?”

“Where did that come from?” She leaned farther away. “Why in the world would I think that?”

“Some people do.”

“Then they’re being shortsighted. You’re not just an ex-dancer. You’re multi-talented. You not only manage the club, but the other day, you did electrical work on the sound system in the DJ booth. You even repaired the pipes in the bathroom.” She looked up at him. “I find all the things you can do fascinating. I’m curious. How did you land here?”

…

Rafe didn’t have an answer to her question. At least not the inspiring, feel-good story she expected.

“That complicated?” She laughed, but something akin to disappointment was in her eyes. “Nev—”

He grasped her hips and stopped her from walking away. “Hold on.” She’d been generous enough to help him with Escapade. He could fill in a few details for her. “No, not complicated. I’ve never thought about it because no one’s ever asked.” Or cared. Most women never wanted to take a deeper look at him. They couldn’t get past the superficial.

He brought her closer. “I guess it started with my father. He ran the local scrapyard. I’d watch him fix electronic equipment and other things people had thrown away.” Those moments had been when his father remained reasonably sober, and life felt close to normal. “I moved to Miami when I was nineteen and got a job at a small hardware store. That led to my side hustle with local contractors. I’d help out with painting, flooring, repairs—that kind of stuff.”

“Side hustle? What about having fun? You were young and living in an exciting city. Didn’t you date?”

“Some.” He’d arrived in town with less than a hundred dollars in his pocket and struggled to take care of himself. He didn’t have the funds to impress a woman. When he had started dating, his work schedule usually caused friction. “Later on, I was in a long-term relationship for a year, but it didn’t work out.”

Her hand stroking his chest mellowed the bad memory of Eden. “What about the Hunks? How did you end up joining with them?”

“One of my side jobs was replacing the flooring at a gym where the Miami Hot Body Hunks practiced. I got to know them. One day, we were talking junk, and the topic of breakdancing came up. I was called out.”

“You breakdance?”

“No. I didn’t say that.” He kissed away her open-mouthed expression. “But what I did do was good enough for them to offer me a try-out. I made the team.” In Miami, he’d experienced a brotherhood that he hadn’t found with the D.C. group. They’d kept him from self-destructing when Eden had dumped him. “I joined the Hot Body Hunks crew here a little over five years ago. Shannon and I were friends in Florida. She came for a visit, approached me about Escapade, and that was that. What about you?”

“Let’s not go there.” She chuckled. “Let’s just say, I was a weird kid. I would cry for my father to take me to work with him. I was actually thrilled when my mom presented me with my own little business suit and a pair of fake glasses.”

A pint-sized version of her dressed as described with pigtails came to mind. He couldn’t contain a chuckle.

“Seriously. I would form my toys in an assembly line and pretend I was running a pencil factory. Stop laughing. I was certifiable, and my parents encouraged it.” She poked him.

He flinched.

“You’re ticklish.” A devious gleam filled her eyes.

“Don’t.” He manacled her wrists. If she hit the right spots, she’d have him on the floor writhing and begging for mercy.

“Relax.” She laughed. “I didn’t know. That’s all.”

He shot her a warning look and released her. “You need sleep. Otherwi—”

Alexa grabbed his waist and struck every tender spot.

He almost fell to his knees.

She rushed out the door.

“Woman. You’re in trouble now.”

“You have to catch me first.” As she ran across the room, she looked back. Joy lit up her face.

It drew him like a magnet. He wanted to capture her and all the happiness bubbling out of her. Rafe caught up with her in the corridor leading to the apartment.

“Let me go.” She squealed as he swung her up on his shoulder.

He gave her a couple of light swats on the butt. Once he got her in bed, he was biting that sexy ass. “Now what are you going to do?”

“I’m too cute for you to be mad at. Put me down. Please?”

Rafe set her down when they reached the studio but trapped her between him and the door. He secured her hands. “The cute card won’t work. You should have planned your strategy better.”

Alexa rose on her toes and planted her lips on his.

Her soft breasts pushed to his chest, and her tongue darted into his mouth. Rafe held her in his arms. Damn. He couldn’t resist her. Once again, she’d gotten the better of him. It was starting to be a pattern…