“Nope. I could just tell.”
“How? How can you tell?” Shannon asked, all eager for the information.
Stacy giggled at her enthusiasm and shrugged. “Been doing this a long time, I guess. I can just read them. He was looking for a naughty girl in need of a spanking. It’s always the quiet nerdy ones that are the freakiest. She’ll make some good money, tonight. She always does when she wears that outfit. Of course her ass is going to be damn sore tomorrow.”
“Ewe.” Shannon made a face.
Stacy laughed.
Crash returned to the bar and sat down at the table with his brothers, snapping, “I’m off blondes for good!”
Cole snorted out a short laugh, not believing that joke for a second. “Right. She taken care of?”
“She’s fine.”
“You got your hands full with that one, brother,” Red Dog added with a laugh.
“She’s a hoot,” Green put in.
Just then they heard a ruckus coming from the parlor. Loud drunken voices coming in the door of men shouting for whores. The guys made a move to get up and take care of it, but Cole put his hand up, signaling them to stay seated. “Let’s see how they handle this.”
The men relaxed back into their seats, looking over their shoulders to watch. Dolly approached the men. “Hey, boys. We’ve got a special door on the side of the building just for you. All our best women are in that wing.”
“Yeah, those are the ones we want, ain’t it, boys?”
Dolly held the door open and pointed around to the back. They walked out, and she slammed the door. “Dumbasses! The only thing you’re gonna find around back is a couple of chained up Dobermans.” She turned back to see Jason, the bartender standing at the end of the bar.
He winked at her, and then brought his right hand up, laying the pistol in his hand on the bar top. “Cool as a cucumber, Doll. That’s what I love about you.”
She shook her ass as she walked away. “You love everything about me, honey.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He laughed and turned away, stowing the gun back under the bar.
Cole’s eyes slid from Jason back to the guys. “Nice to know, he’s got her back.”
“Yeah,” Crash agreed, turning back. “So, who we gonna get for the job?”
“Give me a minute.” Cole got up and headed toward Dolly’s office. Pausing in the doorway, he leaned against the jamb. She looked up. “Tell me about Jason.”
She smiled and leaned back in her chair. “I told you, he’s a good guy, why?”
“What do the girls think of him?”
“They like him. And what’s more they trust him. They know he’s always going to be there when they need him. He always has the girls’ backs. Always.”
“This manager position, are you interested in it?”
“Hell, no. Shit, I don’t want that job. Then I’d have to deal with the slimy county sheriff and the DA. Uh-uh, no way. I’m happy doing what I’m doing. I don’t want those headaches. Thank you very much.”
“If what you suspect is true, we’re gonna need a replacement for Louie. What do you think of Jason taking it on?”
She nodded, considering. “Like I said, he’s good with the girls. They trust him and like him. He understands the operation, and he’s not afraid to take my back when trouble walks through that door. More than once, I’ve turned to find him leaning on that doorframe, the hand behind his back holding a forty-four, just as cool as you please.”
“You think he’d take the job?”
She shrugged. “It’s a substantial bump in pay. He’d be crazy not to. He’d do a good job. That would be a good move. For him and for business. But…”
“But?”