Tyler: You awake?
Me: Am now.
Tyler: Feel like having some company?
Me: Not tonight, it’s been a long day, and I have another full one tomorrow.
Tyler: No problem, see you for lunch ;)
Did he really just send me a winky face? Men and their mixed signals. Ugh! I grumble burying my face into my pillow. I snuggle down in my purple comforter and drift to sleep with a huge smile on my face.
**
I end up having to cancel lunch with Tyler. Jace’s daycare calls as I am heading to meet with him, he fell on the playground and scraped his knee on the sidewalk. They are afraid he is going to need stitches. I call Chrissy and let her know that I may not be back to finish my shift and explain to her what’s going on. Thank goodness she understands about my being a single mother. I text Caroline to let her know that I won’t be needing her to pick Jace up today after all.
After an hour in the ER, Jace ends up with three stitches in his knee. My boy is tough as dirt; he only let one small tear trickle down his cheek while the doctor stitched his knee. There isn’t any point in me trying to finish my shift at the tanning salon, so I treat my tough little man with ice cream for being so brave.
Tyler texts me wanting to make sure Jace is okay, and I decide to invite him to join us for ice cream, being that I had to cancel lunch. Plus, I really want to talk to him before work tonight. I want to make sure I don’t do anything that would get either of us in trouble for breaking the rules, by being friends.
I don’t know exactly know how involved the MC is with the strip club, but I know they are pretty harsh when it comes to abiding by the rules. I overheard Bender talking one night when he was spending the night with mom and let’s just say they aren’t men you want to piss off.
We meet in a nearby park so Jace can play with his bitty ball set while we talk. I feel a bit awkward having to negotiate our friendship like a secret business deal, but I don’t want to cause him any difficulty.
“As long as you don’t tease me too much with them hot legs of yours, work won’t be a problem. It’s not something you need to worry about. Besides, I am the boss.” He winks at me.
A wave of relief washes over me.
“So, what did you think of the club?”
“It’s a lot to take in.” I blush. “That place is intense. It just screams sex. How is it you work in a place like that and have managed to stay single? I mean, you are surrounded by beautiful women all the time.”
“Working at Indigo is exactly why I am single. Most women are too jealous of my working there, and if they can’t trust me, then they aren’t the girl for me. Besides, I’ll let you in on a secret.” He dips his head down, bringing his mouth so close to my ear, it’s almost unbearable. With each word, he is almost touching my skin with his lips. His breath seductively whispers against my skin. It’s calling to me. Daring me to turn my neck into him just enough so that his lips brush upon me. “A lot of the girls who work in the clubs are lesbians.”
I look at him with my mouth agape and he immediately starts chuckling.
“Just wait, they will be trying to hit on you. Why do you think there are so many rules? Women are pretty catty, and if the girls date each other the jealousy can cause some pretty nasty fights.”
I smack his chest. “You’re full of shit!”
“I’m pretty full, but not of shit. I am pure muscle, sugar!” He flexes his biceps at me, and I roll my eyes.
“So, you don’t have an old lady stashed somewhere like Bender has with my mom?” I get serious.
“Nah, not found the right one yet. If and when the time comes, I doubt my woman will have much of anything to do with the MC. I’m stingy as fuck. I don’t share, and I like keeping shit separate.”
His honesty makes me smile. He’s going make some woman very happy someday.
We sit shoulder to shoulder watching Jace play. He keeps grinning at us as he takes a swing.
Chapter Four
I catch on to my job at Indigo fairly easy. I am making friends with a few of the girls as well. Erin keeps teasing me, saying that she catches Tyler staring at me all the time. I tease her, if she weren’t so busy getting her eyes full of Tyler she might get more tips.
“Girl, that man is fine, and if you’re not going to hit that, there is a long line forming in wait,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows at me.
I know she is only teasing, but her comment digs deep under my skin. Now, I’m self-conscious that he really is staring at me. I also don’t like the idea of anyone being interested in him, even if I don’t have the right to care.
I am standing at my hostess podium waiting for the next patrons to be ID’d. Tonight, I am seating the guests. I have to train for each position; I am not a spotlight dancer, so I have to rotate between serving and seating. Depending on the position, my masks and outfit changes.