Hunt

“Aww, man. He won’t get the whale?”

“I’m not telling you, but did you like my amazing performance of Moby Dick.”

“It was dope.”

“I wish I knew we would be in a cave. I would have brought candles.” I took out the flashlights.

She took one and turned it on. “This makes a pretty effect.”

It was as if a disco light had been hung up in the distance, sending glittering dots of light whirling along the damp cave’s walls. She kept the flashlight on and put it in the center. “What else is in that bag of yours?”

“West grabbed tons of stuff from the supermarket yesterday. Plus, there were a lot of goodies in the house’s huge pantry.” I pulled out containers of food. “So while you were beating the shit out of Pandora, I put together a nice gourmet picnic.”

Smirking, she took the containers from me. “I never asked something.”

“What?”

“Why did she have your shirt on?”

I frowned. “She was naked in the kitchen, just like in the pool. Griff and West were asleep. She was flirting so I gave her the shirt to cover up.”

“Hmmm.” She neatly set the counters on the blanket.

“Should I have not given her the shirt?”

Phoenix chuckled. “I just figured out what her deal is.”

“What’s that?”

“She’s still focused on that storage money and trying to get her team together.”

“How do you figure that?”

“She’s trying to infiltrate your crew and take over. You’re the boss, so it’s important to get in your head, however. . .” Phoenix touched her chest. “I’m in the way.”

“You are.”

“So the best method is to peg me down. Make me look stupid. And weaken any bond we have going on. She can do that by getting in your head as well as mine.”

“But, she fucked Griff—”

“Score one for her. She’s all in his head. He’s become her little minion just from one night of ass.”

Considering her words, I stopped what I was doing and rubbed my chin. “Tell me more.”

“Listen. You have to remember that I’m from the stripper world so. . .I could be wrong.”

“Tell me your thoughts anyway.”

“People think strippers make all their money from shaking their ass. And that the dancers have to be super sexy—big tits, skinny waists, long hair, and big asses.” Phoenix lined the containers on one side. “Then, you go in there and the fat older chick with the small tits and a bald head is ending the night with more money than the young curvy dancers.”

“How is she doing it?”

Phoenix tapped her head. “Stripping isn’t about sex. It’s emotional labor. It’s about the mind hustle not the twerking of hips.”

“Okay.” I handed her paper plates and sparkling bottles of water.

She freed them from my hands. “Although men don’t understand this, they’re not really coming to see tits and pussy. They come to feel like super stars—to experience the power of being a real Alpha male.”

I blinked. “All this time I’ve been robbing strip clubs I never studied the dynamics.”

“Well let me school you.”

I grinned. “Let’s go.”

Phoenix pointed to the right of the cave. “Over here, the young chicks are breaking their backs doing tricks on the stage. Splits. Climbing the pole. Twisting and spinning. Which is cool, but it gets exhausting after a while. Feet hurt at the end of the night. Legs sore. Heads fucked up.”

Phoenix pointed to the other side of the cave. “Over here, the older chick is getting in their heads, touching and comforting, luring them into lust and teasing their money out of their pockets while acting like she don’t need it.”

“It’s more a mind game then a physical one.”

Phoenix clapped her hands together. “Next thing you know they’re becoming regulars, searching for her old ass and unloading their problems on her.”

“She becomes their counselor in a way?”

“And their ego stroker as well as emotional drug dealer. She’s just bouncing on their laps and whispering the right shit in their ear. Instead of handing over cocaine. Think of it as a magic trick.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Magicians distract.”

“And she’s using her titties to keep his attention, meanwhile, she’s reaching into their heads.”

“And then their pockets?”

“She doesn’t need to reach into their pockets. She’s already puppeting the guy through his head. She can pull the string and he’ll dig into his own pocket and give it to her.”

“Okay.” I swallowed. “But. . .what is the older woman saying?”

“Whatever they need to hear and she’ll only know that from understanding who they are which means talking to them and if they’re a big spender, maybe she’ll ask around about him. Try to figure them out.”

“So back to Pandora.”

She took out a container of cherries. “She’s naked in the kitchen. That’s the distraction.”

“But I don’t fall for it, so she starts talking to me about my. . .hobby with the soul coffin.”

Phoenix quirked her brows. “How did she know about that?”