“A part of it, yes,” he admits. At least he isn’t a liar. “You would do well at my club, and you do owe me some money to fix my car.”
“It doesn’t sound like you’re giving me much of a choice.”
A mischievous grin spreads across his face. “You have a choice, but I can guarantee you that working at the club will be the better option.” He doesn’t elaborate, and I fill in the blanks myself. “Have you ever been to a strip club, Hazel?”
“No.”
“Why don’t you let me take you over there and show you around? You can meet the crew before you make up your mind. I think you might have the wrong idea in your head right now.”
“And what impression would that be?”
“Sleazy, back alley strip club. Naked girls everywhere giving old sweaty guys blow jobs for an extra twenty under the table.”
“Yeah, kind of,” I reveal. He really wasn’t far off at all.
“It’s not like that.” He gives me a megawatt smile. “I promise. Let me show you the club after we eat and then you can see if you want the job. How does that sound?”
Too good to be true…
Forcing a smile, I nod. “Sounds great.”
4
Myles
By the time I pay for our food and lead Hazel back outside, the sun has set. With the sunshine gone, the temperature has dropped, leaving the air chilly. She stops in front of her car but doesn’t make a move to get out her keys.
“Ah… can I ride with you?”
“Sure, hop in.” I open the door for her and watch her get in before I walk around and get in myself. She is quiet as I pull out of the parking lot and head toward the club. Being close to her in this confined space has my head swimming. Her scent fills the car quickly, making me feel light-headed. I actually have to crack my window open to prevent my dick from getting any harder.
Every time I glance over at her, she is wringing her hands in her lap nervously. I’m not sure if she is worried about the job or simply on edge because she is in a car with a man she barely knows. A man who looks like a criminal… and lives up to that image very much so.
Ten minutes later, we pull up in front of Vivid, the strip club my oldest brother, Ace, handed over to me a year ago. On the outside, this is a clean and legitimate strip club. A high-end gentlemen’s club where the girls don’t even get naked all the way, keeping their tiny thongs on at all times.
We keep it that way on purpose because this business is how my family launders money from the not so legitimate businesses.
I usually park around the back, but no customers are here right now, and I wanted her to see the front.
“This is it. What do you think so far?” She looks up at it with wide eyes, taking in the large neon sign. The outside looks more like a nightclub than anything else.
“Nicer than I expected… no offense.”
“None taken.” I chuckle. “Let’s go inside.”
We get out of the car, and I have the crazy urge to take her hand. My palm tingles, beckoning me to reach out and touch her.
I open the heavy front door, and we both walk into the lobby. It’s sleek and stylish, like the rest of the club. Hazel looks around wide-eyed like this is some kind of magical place to her.
“Hey, boss,” Tommy greets from the top of the ladder he is currently standing on.
“Hey, Tommy, didn’t expect you to be here, but I’m glad you are.”
“Yeah? Missed me or something?” He steps off the ladder and throws the old bulb he just switched out in the trash.
“I might have found a new girl.”
Tommy gives Hazel a once-over, an approving grin forming on his lips.
“New girl, eh?” He walks over to us and holds out his hand to Hazel.
“Ah… maybe.” Hazel smiles nervously, putting her tiny hand into Tommy’s ginormous one. I’m a big guy, but Tommy has about three inches in height and sixty pounds of muscle on me, which is why I hired him as a bouncer.
“Tommy is the head of security,” I explain.
“Oh, that makes sense,” she whispers.
“Come on, let me show you around.” I motion for her to follow me as I lead her through the large double doors into the main room. All the lights are turned on right now, and the music is only playing low. There are three stages. A large one in the center and two smaller ones off to the side.
Holly is going over her new routine on the main stage. Gabrielle, Trish, and Samantha are watching and giving her notes. All the girls are fully dressed in workout clothes but are still wearing their high heels since that’s how they will be dancing tonight.