“They are not!” Welsh shot back, horror in his expression. “There are a lot of differences!”
“Women taking off their clothes and men watching them, that’s what they are,” I said with a laugh. “You can’t argue that.”
“A gentleman’s club is far classier, hence the name. Everything is nicer, including the girls. So, you’re a lot more likely to find someone hot to take home than you would if you were at a strip club,” he said. There was a look on his face that told me he planned to do that very thing.
“I don’t have any intention of even going, let alone taking any of the girls’ home,” I replied. “Seriously man, I’ve got work to do.”
“Oh, you’re going. It’s his bachelor party! With any luck Cap’s only going to be married this one time, and you’re going to feel pretty stupid in the morning when you are the only one in the unit who didn’t show up at the party,” Welsh shook his head.
I hesitated. He did have a point with that one. I didn’t want to be the only one who didn’t show up, and with the buzz about the party being at the club circulating through the force, I had a feeling I was the only one who wouldn’t be.
“We’re leaving in an hour. You don’t have a lot of time to decide,” he pushed.
“I already made up my mind,” I said. “I’m not going.”
“That’s stupid. You are going, and you’re going to have a good time. Trust me. You can’t go to Smitty’s and not have a good time,” Welsh replied.
“Smitty’s? He chose Smitty’s?” I asked. “Now I’m definitely not going.”
“What’s wrong with Smitty’s?”
“What isn’t?”
“Jesus Jack. Quit being such a pussy. Just show up for an hour. You never know, you might want to stay longer when you see what they have on the menu and get a drink or two in you,” Welsh argued.
I hesitated once more. I really didn’t like those venues, but he kept making good points. If I went, I didn’t have to stay for very long. I could show up, make sure Cap saw that I was there, then head home.
“Are you just trying to get a rise out of me? Is that it?” I asked. “Seems to me like you want me there pretty bad, when we all know that you’re going to be throwing money at the strippers and ignoring the rest of us.”
“Do you have to call them that? It’s degrading. These women are dancers. Hence why they work where they do. Show them some respect,” Welsh shook his head once more in mock disgust.
“I’d show them plenty of respect if they kept their clothes on,” I replied. “Now finish with filing the reports from today so we can get out of here.”
“I’m only going to hurry if you’re going to the club. We can start showing up like an hour before Cap gets there to get the table set up and shit,” Welsh rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
“I’m working in the morning so I can’t get drunk,” I flipped through a couple folders on the desk before sliding them into a drawer.
“You sound older than you are, Jack. Thirty-three should be your prime of life, not when you’re at home in your slippers at seven on a Friday,” Welsh gave me a look and I shrugged. My job was exhausting, and I didn’t often go out for drinks with friends anymore.
It wasn’t just about being home at a certain time. I had outgrown a lot of that lifestyle. I still had a drink every now and then, but Welsh, being eight years younger than me, would far rather be out partying when he could get away with it than not.
It was embarrassing at times. As an officer of the law, I felt we should carry ourselves with more respect, even when we were off duty. But it wasn’t my place to tell him what to do with his free time.
He was an adult, and he could do whatever he wanted.
“Just come for one hour. Just one!” he persisted. “I’ll even pay for you to get an Uber back home. Really.”
I sighed, putting more files in another drawer. I hated doing paperwork, and I wanted to get it done as quickly as possible. Welsh happened to be good at it, so if I could get him off my back, we could get out of there in a matter of minutes.
At the end of a long stint, I was ready to be off. One more day, and I could be.
“Okay. If it’ll make you lay off and get the rest of the work done in here, I’ll go,” I said. “But I’m not going to stay very long, and I don’t want you begging me in front of everyone like a little lost puppy, either.”
“Deal,” he said triumphantly. “But I swear as soon as we get there you aren’t going to want to leave. You’ll be right there with the best of us next to the stage, trust me.”
“I highly doubt it.”
“Tits and ass, my friend, and lots of it. You know you’ll like it. Hell, I know you will,” he laughed as I walked out of the office, leaving him to do the rest of the paperwork himself.
It might be good for me to get out for a night. It had been a while.
“I told you! I told you you’d be glad you came!” Welsh nearly shouted in my ear as we walked into the club. We didn’t get out of the office as early as he’d wanted, but we were still there before the Captain and several of the others.
The music was blaring, making it difficult to hear what he said. There were times I didn’t think that would be a bad thing.
He pushed his way past the bouncer and into the room, leading the way to the table we’d reserved for the party. It was right up against the stage with little space in between, giving us full view of everything that was going on. The girl on the pole was hot, I’d give her that, but she didn’t get my juices flowing.
“Hey, you guys made it! How the hell did you convince Jack to come?” Drake asked as we took our seats.
“Bribery,” I announced.
He laughed. “Any sign of the Cap?”
“I’m sure he’s going to get here as soon as possible. He’s probably laying down his own set of ground rules for his fiancé’s bachelorette party!” Welsh laughed. “You know how he is.”
“No touching!” Deichman laughed from his end of the table. We all joined in. Each one of us could certainly picture Captain Markel being more worried about his soon-to-be-wife touching the stripper they hired than she was about him. They had a good relationship, but he still had a tendency to overthink things.
I settled in with a drink and turned my attention to the stage. The lights were flashing, and the girl was still dancing in time to the music. I didn’t watch for very long, however, as I wasn’t joking when I’d told Welsh strip clubs weren’t my scene. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate the female form, because I surely did. It was just that I’d rather be the only one appreciating it and not sharing with a room full of drunken horndogs.
Welsh was transfixed. He had his eyes glued to every movement she made. I had a feeling he was going to get several lap dances before the night was out. He liked women, a lot. Nearly desperate for a girlfriend, he’d frequent the clubs in the hopes that someone would go home with him at the end of the night.
His only problem was cash. By the time he got through the drinks, there wasn’t much left for the strippers. He refused to believe they were only on him for his money and would often try to convince them for free favors.
Often without any luck.
“Boys! We made it!” Captain Markel walked in and sat in the middle seat. He poured himself a pint of beer and sipped on it, also turning his attention to the stage. It wasn’t long, however, before we were approached by a man in a dark suit.
“And it looks like the party’s all here!” he said. His accent had a faint Italian flavor that was barely detectable over the sound of the music, but his darker skin and face shape betrayed his nationality.
“Rocco Andretti,” he extended his hand to the Captain and smiled at the rest of us. “Welcome to my club. Please don’t hesitate to let me know how I can make your evening most enjoyable.”
“Nice to meet you. Love how you cleaned up the place, but curious to know why you didn’t change the name,” Cap replied.
“My f
ather was Smitty. I keep it for him,” Rocco said.
The name never struck me as Italian, but I said nothing. I lost interest in the conversation as another dancer came out. Rocco continued to chat with several of the other guys, but I was suddenly transfixed.
The woman on stage was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen in my life. She had a dark complexion, made darker by the lights. Her pink, short dress left very little to the imagination, and her dark hair fell in waves over her shoulders and down to her ample breasts.
She lifted herself onto the pole, swinging around with all the grace of a swan. The sound of the music faded as I stared at her, completely numb to everything else around me.
“Jack! Earth to Jack!” Welsh was saying in my ear. Rocco’s laugh was filling the moment, and I suddenly realized they were talking to me.
“What?” I asked, my eyes still on the girl.
“You like Sky? You want her to dance for you?” Rocco asked. I halfway glanced at him but didn’t have the chance to reply. He motioned for her to come forward, and she obeyed.
“This gentleman would like a dance. Be a good girl and do that for him,” Rocco said. She gave me a small smile as she straddled me, moving over me like a goddess. I couldn’t believe what she did to my body; how electric she felt.
All the other men around the table faded into the background, and for a moment, it was just the two of us. Hell, I almost was able to forget we were in a club. I was surprisingly lost in the moment.
I wasn’t sure how long she spent dancing over me, but it seemed to be over in an instant. All too soon she got off me, giving me another smile before turning and heading back to the stage to finish her dance.
Another dancer was on the pole now, and they were soon dancing together, much to the delight of all the men in the room. It was hot, I’d give them that. But I was still transfixed on the one Rocco had called Sky.
By the time she headed to the back room behind the curtain, I knew no other girl would measure up to her. I stayed a while longer than I intended, hoping she’d come out again. I just wanted to see her one more time. Those eyes – the color of the sky.
No wonder they called her that.
But she didn’t reappear, and soon enough I was ready to head home. I did have another long shift ahead of me, after all, and I needed to get some sleep.
But I knew I’d be dreaming of her.
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A Note from the Author
Thank for you taking the time to read my latest release.
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- Natasha L. Black
Also By Natasha L. Black
Here are a list of my previous releases, some of which that went to the top 100 of all of Amazon.
One Lucky Girl : A Reverse Harem Boxset
Saving Sky
Protecting Her
Forbidden Daddy
Pretend I’m Yours
Redemption
Sweet Tooth
Training the Rookie
Pretend You’re Mine
Double Trouble
The Cabin
Cuffed to my Roomies
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Natasha L. Black is a romance author focused on making your wildest dreams come true.
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