Cole shook his head. “Sorry, Doll. You wish.”
“Hell, I knew my luck couldn’t be that good. Too bad, too. She’d make us a mint.”
Shannon felt Cole’s eyes land on her and worried that he might be considering that very question, but then he winked at her, and she relaxed. “Naw. Just a ride-a-long.”
“We can’t have women in here, Cole. It’s bad for business,” Dolly explained.
“Well, then we’d better get this shit sorted, hadn’t we?”
“The office is back there. Your boys can wait in the bar.”
Cole nodded and gave the boys a head jerk toward the bar before he headed off with Dolly.
While they’d been speaking, Shannon had let her eyes travel around the room. It was set up like a large living room or parlor. There were black leather couches and chairs, red velvet curtains and plush red carpeting. There were erotic paintings of nudes hanging on the walls. A sign near the entry to the back hallway proclaimed a two hundred dollar minimum. The lighting was dim, and the mood was sensual.
And then Crash was pulling her through a large archway on the left into what looked like an ordinary bar room, with a long fully stocked bar running the length of the room on her right and tables and chairs to her left. Yes, it looked like an ordinary bar until her eyes hit the big screen on the wall beyond the tables. It was playing non-stop porno movies. Shannon quickly averted her eyes back to the bar, only to find that the mirror behind it reflected the movie back at her.
There were several men at the bar, sipping drinks. Another group at a table that Shannon thought looked like either a group of frat boys or a bachelor party.
Crash pulled Shannon to the bar, his hand going around the back of her barstool. She noticed his eyes move from one man to another, to the group at the table. And then his hand moved to the back of her neck, rubbing and massaging, and she swore, claiming her, marking her his.
A good looking bartender came over. He was a big man, muscular with broad shoulders. Probably about Crash’s age. He had dark brown eyes and a close cut beard. “What can I get you?”
Crash looked at her questioningly. “You want a cola or something stronger, babe?”
She glanced around her surroundings again and murmured, “Something stronger.”
The bartender leaned his palms on the bar. Smiling at her, he teased and offered, “How ‘bout a Screaming Orgasm, darlin’?”
She turned flaming red. Crash grinned and nodded. While the bartender moved off to make her drink, Shannon’s eyes drifted around the room, taking it in. She noticed a display of merchandize with The Pony logo on them. There were tee shirts, hats, coffee mugs, shot glasses and bumper stickers. She tugged on Crash’s sleeve pointing. “I want a tee shirt.”
Crash looked over at her like she’d lost her frigging mind. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, it’s cute.”
“Babe, I’m not getting you a tee shirt.”
A moment later the front doorbell rang, and the madam, Dolly, went to answer it. Shannon watched through the archway as three men and what, judging from his attire, looked like their limo driver walked into the parlor. The driver headed into the bar and took the stool next to Shannon, ordering a drink.
Shannon watched, fascinated as Dolly greeted the men and seated them. A moment later she rang a bell, and then suddenly the parlor filled with about a dozen girls. They formed a line, all standing with their hands behind their backs. Shannon’s eyes moved over them, they were all different shapes and sizes. Thin, curvy, tall, petite, blonde, redhead, brunette, fair-skinned, mocha-skinned, Spanish, oriental. There was a type for any man’s taste or fantasy. And their costumes were as varied as they were. Some were in skimpy cocktail dresses suitable for the trendiest nightclub. Some were in sexy lingerie designed to tease a man into wanting to see more. Some were even in sexy school-girl outfits.
Her gaze slid to the three men. They sat rapt, their eyes running over every girl and all the charms each had to offer, their seductive eyes, the exposed length of their legs, the curves. The whole presentation calculated to entice any man to want to open his wallet and indulge his every desire, no matter what the cost.
Shannon watched as the three men made their selections and moved off down the hall out of sight. The line-up of girls dispersed.
Cole stood waiting in the doorway of Dolly’s office as she returned to her office and took a seat behind her desk. His eyes followed the girls as they led their customers down the hall, each taking them to their individual rooms. Behind him, he heard Dolly flip on the intercoms and listen in on the in-room conversations as each girl began to negotiate services and price.
“You listen in?” Cole asked, frowning.
Dolly smiled up at him. “I’m not a pervert. Just good business, sweetie.” At Cole’s frown, she elaborated. “Oh, that’s right. You didn’t get the whole rundown when you were here last with Mack that first visit when your club took over ownership. I seem to remember you stayed outside most of that visit.”
“Yeah, so maybe you’ll enlighten me on all the ins and outs,” Cole paused to smile, “no pun intended. And tell me what the fuck the problem is that we had to make this trip up here.”
“First off, the girls are alone in their rooms with those men. It’s for their safety.”
“You listen the whole time?”
“No, just the negotiations.”