Aiden tried to ignore the nervous waitress for the third night in a row. She clutched her tray of drinks in front of her where they seemed to be only moderately safer than they had been over her head. He felt almost obligated to come to the club now for a short time each night, since he’d threatened to stop coming if she lost her job. If he stopped showing up, her boss might let her go. But, this was getting out of hand.
Each night, he sat and pretended not to track her every move for an hour or two, ordering drinks he didn’t want and watching out of the corner of his eye as men groped her when she set their drinks down in front of them. How she could handle the humiliation was beyond him. I mean, sure, he came here and paid to watch the strippers, but he never laid his hands on the waitresses or any of the dancers. That just wasn’t cool.
And watching these rat wads do that to her was pissing him off. She was so clearly out of her element. He had been wondering for days now what had brought her here. What was it that would drive a woman so utterly innocent looking in every way to serve drinks in a strip club in that skimpy outfit showcasing her breasts and highlighting every other asset she’d been blessed with? And blessed was the right word there. The woman had it all. Her breasts might be a little smaller than some of the other women here, but Aiden actually liked that they were neither too big nor too small. She had honey blonde hair and deep brown eyes, with perfect lips that begged to be nibbled and licked. And legs that wouldn’t quit. Legs that should be wrapped around his waist as he—Hell, he sounded like a cliché.
His friends had left half an hour ago, but he’d decided to stay until closing time tonight, determined to talk to her so he could put an end to this. Because he needed to put an end to this. If he continued to come watch her every night after his games, he’d be trying to take her home soon.
And with the Triple Play Curse in effect, that could not happen.
She sidled up to his table now, a small anxious look on her face. She always seemed more nervous around him. Distrustful, almost, which really ticked him off. Hell, he was the one damn customer who had never laid a finger on her.
“Can I get you another drink? It’s almost last call,” she said, looking at him with those guileless eyes.
“What’s your name?” he asked, ignoring her question and replacing it with one of his own.
“Jazzy,” she said, no smile this time.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Your real name. Not the freak name they gave you when you started working here.”
She bit her lip and glanced at her manager out of the corner of her eye, twisting her body so he wouldn’t be able to make out what she was saying.
“Lily. My name is Lily.”
Good. She was talking to him. Now he just needed to get her out of here. Maybe get her another job or give her some money to tide her over. Something.
Anything to get out of having to see her every damn night.
Lily watched Aiden cautiously, wondering why he was talking to her tonight. For the last few nights since she’d dropped that tray of drinks on him, he’d come in late, always after midnight, and she’d felt his eyes on her. But, he hadn’t talked to her yet. Katie thought it was cute, but Lily didn’t. Lily was beginning to think it was creepy. And, yet, here she was telling him her name. Her real name.
She mentally rolled her eyes at herself, but she owed the man. A little conversation wouldn’t hurt her—but that was all she was giving him. He might have saved her job, but if he wanted what she thought he wanted, she wasn’t willing to go there.
“Why are you working here?” was his next question, surprising the heck out of her. That wasn’t what she expected. Relaxing a bit, she gave him a sad smile.
“I need to earn some money quickly.”
“For what?”
Boy, what was it with this guy? He needed her life story?
“Hey, Jazzy,” called one of the drunk guys at the table next to them, “bring that sweet body of yours over here. I need another drink.” He held up his glass and leaned back in his chair, leering at Lily’s backside.
She blushed furiously. It was bad enough when guys like him talked to her like that, but having Aiden hear it made it all that much more difficult for some reason.
The bouncer in the corner shook his head slightly at Lily as he approached the men. She knew he’d put them in a cab and send them on their way. They weren’t in any shape to drink anymore tonight.
“For what, Lily? What do you need money for?” Aiden asked again, more insistently this time.
Since the place was clearing out for the night and her manager had gone in the back, she leaned a hip against the chair next to him and dropped her tray to her side.
“I got in a little over my head and have to get out of it.”
His brow raised. “Over your head? With what? Gambling? Not drugs,” he said, looking her up and down, and she laughed at that. She was so clean she didn’t even drink most of the time.
“No. I ... it’s stupid.” She looked away from him. Talking about her failures wasn’t easy.
He didn’t respond. Just looked at her and waited, like he expected her to answer. She sighed.
“I own a business designing custom meals based on the client’s individual nutritional needs. I’m good at what I do, but apparently, I don’t have a real head for business. When I created my business plan, I underestimated a few things and I ran out of seed money six months earlier than I’d hoped to. I have a loan on the van I use to deliver the meals. If I don’t work here, I’ll lose the van and lose my business, even though I know I’m close to making it work. I just need six more months and working here can get me that.”
She’d started out simply reciting the facts to him, but by the end of her little diatribe, she could hear the conviction in her own voice. She believed in herself, and she wanted other people to believe in her, too. It didn’t seem to matter that she didn’t know this man. She didn’t want him thinking badly of her. Thinking she couldn’t succeed at whatever she set her mind to.
He frowned at her, and she couldn’t even begin to imagine what this man wanted. Why on earth would he care why she was working here?
“You shouldn’t be working here. You’re not like these other girls,” he said, his tone clipped and impatient.
“Hey!” she said. “My best friend works here and has for years. She makes a damn good living and she’s good at what she does. Besides, I don’t know of anywhere else that I can earn three to four hundred dollars a shift, even though I suck at waiting tables. I wouldn’t make a quarter of that at a regular waitressing job.”
She opened her mouth to continue her tirade, but he cut her off, eyes boring into her.
“I’ll give you the money. What do you need to cover six months?”
“What?” she asked before his meaning dawned on her and she stepped away from the table. “You can’t buy me! Whatever it is you’re hoping I’ll do for you, I’m not for sale, Mr. Kyle.”
“Aiden,” he said calmly as one of the bouncers walked up behind her.
“Everything all right here, Jazz?” the bouncer asked.
She nodded over her shoulder at him, the red flush she was becoming used to creeping onto her face again. Her manager had walked out of the back and was eyeing her suspiciously as well.
“Everything’s fine. Thank you,” she said to the bouncer then lowered her head.
“I have to go,” she said, not meeting Aiden’s eyes. She’d never been more humiliated in her life. She thought she’d been prepared for the possibility of people offering her sex for money when she took this job, but it was more of a blow than she’d realized it would be.