“That’s perfect. So you’re next. Just stand here and when you hear me say your name, come through that door strutting your stuff.”
I must look scared to death because he stands there and stares at me for a minute. There’s a softness about him, one that surprises me. When he interviewed me earlier today, he seemed gruff and sort of an ass. But now he seems more like a grandpa than anything. His forehead wrinkles worriedly. “You okay? You going to be able to do this?”
When I don’t answer him, he says, “I’m assuming you’re here for a reason and I’m assuming that reason is money. You’re clean and don’t do drugs…”
I start to ask him how he knows, but he shakes his head. “I can tell. Trust me, I’ve been doing this a long time. Just go out there and get lost in the music. Imagine you’re alone or you’re dancing for your boyfriend. Whatever. It will be over before you know it.”
Finally, because I know I’ve already given him more trouble than anything, I nod my head and give him a determined smile. I pull my shoulders back and mentally prepare myself for this. I can do this. I can do this, I tell myself. And then finally, I tell him the same. “I can do this.”
3
Carter
The DJ comes over the mike, but I don’t look at him. I can’t pull my eyes from the dance floor. “And now, welcome to the Bungalow’s stage Sweet Peach.”
My heart stops. I set the beer down on the bar top and stand up. I’m no longer staggering; it’s as if ice water has been dripped down my back and I’m more sober than I have been in a long time.
I walk toward the dance floor, and the bass of the music picks up. The stage door opens and out walks a full-figured woman that has more curves than I’ve ever seen on a woman in this place. The way she walks, the way she moves, has me hard in an instant. I want to pull my cock out and stroke it right now, but I don’t. Instead, I grip the crotch of my pants unable to hold back my shock. My body recognized her before I do. She looks so familiar, but also so different. I look away and blink my eyes three times and then look back again. This wouldn’t be the first time that I thought I’d seen Hanna. It actually happens a lot. But this is the first time that my body has reacted this way. I clench my hand around the back of the chair I’m standing in front of. It’s her. I have no doubt in my mind it’s her. Her body is different. She’s filled out in ways that is making my mouth water.
I can’t take my eyes off her. The way she shimmies back and forth has me cupping my crotch and adjusting myself. Anger flares in my veins and I see red. I also am filled with desire, but that only pisses me off even more. I’ve spent these last two years trying to forget her, and here she is, so close I can almost reach out and touch her.
She’s confident and sure of herself as she walks down the steps from the stage. She moves in between tables and gets close, but never close enough for someone to touch her. I move out of the dark corner to a closer table. It’s like I’m holding my breath, waiting for her to come my way, wanting her to know I’m here and that I see her.
When she gets close, I don’t take my eyes off hers, and I see it the instant that she notices me. She falters in her dance. Her eyes are wide, staring back at me, and several emotions seem to slide across her face. Embarrassment, regret, and then stubbornness. She lifts her chin and looks away from me.
I finish watching her dance, and even though she doesn’t look at me again, I know she’s thinking about me. Her once fluid movements are now stilted and forced. The song barely ends and she’s fleeing toward the back and running through the door she just came through. I could follow her, but I don’t.
Instead, I stand up and seek out Troy the manager. When he sees me motioning for him, he comes over, wiping his hands on a towel. “What can I do for you, Carter?”
“The woman that was just on. I want a private dance with her.”
He looks at the empty stage and back at me. “You mean…”
But I interrupt him, not wanting to hear the nickname I gave her from his lips. “Yeah, Sweet Peach.” I pull out my wallet and count out ten one hundred dollar bills. I know Troy takes care of the women here, but I also know that money talks.