Chapter One
The music pulsed as she moved her near-naked body, gyrating back and forth in a wicked game of tease as she sat upon his lap. Her hands rested on her thighs as she sat facing away from him, grinding her thong-clad ass into his crotch. She looked back over her shoulder seductively as she moved, making eye contact with him.
Shit!
She could see it in his eyes. He was going to try and touch her. Quickly, she moved, whipping her hair in his face as she changed direction, successfully deflecting the hands that were rising to meet her flesh. She turned around to face him and gave him an eyeful as she snaked her way toward him again and again. How long was this fucking song anyway?
Of all the crap she was supposed to endure on this job, lap dances were the absolute worst. She hated them. Especially when the guy was not merely unattractive, but downright gross. And this one made her skin crawl. He looked a bit like he had stepped out of the hills somewhere: overweight, unkempt and sort of mangy. He even smelled bad, and his teeth were discolored from the chewing tobacco. He was something special alright.
Her head turned to the side, she didn’t notice his hand rising once again. But she certainly felt it when it suddenly closed around her boob in a painful squeeze.
“Ouch!” She yelped in pain, slapping his hand away as she stood up.
“Where do you think you’re going, girlie?” he said, grabbing her wrist. “We’re not done here! I paid for a lap dance.”
“And you got one,” she replied, trying to pull her arm from his strong grip. “But the sign says ‘No Touching.’ You touch, I’m done. Now let go of me!”
She yanked her arm from his grasp and he lunged forward, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her into his lap. This time she didn’t just yelp, she screamed in fear as she tried desperately to pull away from him.
“That’s enough, Romeo! You know our policy,” the owner said as he intervened, freeing her from the man’s clutches. “We run a nice club here, sir. We treat our ladies with respect and we expect you to do the same. If you can’t do that I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“Bitch,” the man snarled at her.
“Okay, let’s go,” he said, escorting the man to his feet and toward the two imposing bouncers waiting behind him. Then he turned to her. “You alright, Coco?”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yeah. Thanks, Teddy. What a way to end a shift.”
“Uh … yeah, about that,” Ted began as he avoided eye contact with her.
“What?” she questioned as the sinking feeling began to take hold in her chest. “Teddy, no! Not again.”
“Come on, Coco. I’ve got no choice.”
“Yes, you do! I stayed late last night and almost missed my first class this morning,” she protested as she turned and headed for the dressing room.
“Yeah, well, if you’d give up the second job and just dance for me, you wouldn’t have those issues, now would you?” he said as he followed after her.
“This is the second job, Teddy,” she shot back, turning to look him in the eye. “This is what I do on the side, and you know it! I fit this job in when I can, not the other way around. I am a dance teacher. I am not a stripper!”
He smirked at her. “You know, you been saying that for two years now, but you’re still here, doll face.” His icy blue eyes drifted south, away from her eyes, and she was suddenly painfully aware that she was standing half-naked in front of him as they argued.
“I’m here because I have things like rent and student loans that I’d really like to be able to pay,” she said as she turned and stormed into the dressing room, pushing her way past a fellow stripper exiting the room.
“God, Coco! Watch it,” the girl said, rolling her eyes as she left.
She didn’t respond. She just hurried to pull on a robe and cover herself up. Teddy had been telling the truth to the jerk out there. She didn’t have experience with other strip clubs, but she’d heard enough from the other girls to know that this was one of the few around that did treat their dancers respectfully. For the most part, anyway. Teddy could be a sleazebag at times, but he was a decent sleazebag, if that made any sense. He was fond of telling all the girls that he liked to think of Sparkles as a gentlemen’s club. It even said so on the sign. And as such, all of his girls were to be treated as ladies, at all times. Touching was frowned upon, fondling totally prohibited. And any sexual transactions that took place, didn’t take place officially. And certainly not out in public. That’s what the VIP den in the basement was for, and Teddy saw to it that only very special customers with very deep pockets got an invitation. Only certain girls worked the VIP den, and thankfully, “Coco” wasn’t one of them.
“Okay, look … just work ’til closing for me tonight and I promise, I’ll make it worth your while.”
She stared at him suspiciously. Teddy had never propositioned her before, although she knew that he was actively sleeping with a couple of her fellow dancers. “What do you mean by that?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “You been asking for a weekend off. So fine. I’ll give you an entire weekend to yourself soon. But I need someone to cover the holes in the schedule tonight. Just until Bambi gets her ass back in gear.”
Bambi was another dancer, and she had recently discovered that she was pregnant. And after learning that the father wasn’t her boyfriend, she had opted to have an abortion.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “If you try to go back on your word, Teddy, so help me …”
“I promise,” he repeated, rolling his eyes at her. “This coming weekend, you are off the schedule. Do we have a deal?”
She sighed heavily. “Yes.”
“Good. Because a gentleman out there just requested to see you in the VIP den.”
“What?” she exclaimed, looking at him with murder in her eyes.
“Calm down,” he said, raising his hands in surrender. “I explained to him that you did not provide that service. Although, you know you could make a hell of a lot more money if you did. You could have those student loans paid off in no time.”
“I swear, I could kill you with my bare hands right now,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Coco … relax. I told him that you don’t do that, okay?” he said, looking her in the eye. “I am not a pimp. This is not a brothel. You know I would never try to make you do that if you don’t want to. But when I told the guy you didn’t do the VIP den, he asked for a private lap dance with you. I made it clear that the same no touching rules apply even though it’s private.”
“Who is this guy?” she sighed, resigned to her fate. She hated lap dances.
“Rocker. Plays guitar for Motor Dogs. Name’s Crank. You’ve probably heard their music,” he said.
She rolled her eyes at him. “I don’t listen to rock music,” she said.
“Well, get yourself together. I’ll tell him you’ll be right with him,” he said as he turned and left the dressing room.
She took a deep breath as she ran her hands through her hair. Then she took a seat at the long dressing table in front of the mirror. Had she really been here for two years? God. When had this become her real life?
She sighed as she thought about the creep who had tried to put his hands on her out there, and she shuddered in disgust. She was about to stand up and get herself together for her special lap dance when Pepper sat down beside her. Almost none of the girls used their real names here.
“You know, Coco … you should really give what Teddy was saying some thought,” she smiled. “The VIP den is not nearly as bad as you’re thinking. Yeah, there’s the whole ‘sex for money’ thing. But once you get past all that in your head, there are some really awesome perks.”
Coco just stared at her for a moment. Was she really extolling the virtues of prostitution? “Awesome perks?”
“Yeah. Do you know who hangs out in the Sparkles VIP den, Coco?” the pretty blonde said. “Last night alone, I blew two … not one, but tw
o A-list actors, and a senator! Or a congressman,” she frowned, trying to remember the man’s title. Then she shrugged it off. “Or whatever, he was some big-name politician! But my point is … those satisfied deep pockets tip extra-specially well, Coco. Teddy’s right. A couple of weeks in the VIP den and you could have your student loans paid off in no time.”
She shook her head slightly as she listened to Pepper go on and on. Like having sex with a bunch of random guys was no big deal. Famous or not, it was still prostitution to her. She didn’t like dancing for them for money. So why the hell would she let them use her body? Being ogled and grabbed by complete strangers was not her idea of a fun time, so she was pretty sure that sex with them would be one thousand times worse.
“Besides,” Pepper was saying with a sly look in her eye. “The VIP den is where you’re likely to find yourself a real sweet sugar daddy!”
“A what?”
“A sugar daddy,” she repeated, matter-of-factly. “Bam,” she smiled as she held out her wrist, revealing a gorgeous diamond bracelet. And Coco couldn’t help studying it with wide, disbelieving eyes.
“Is that real?” she asked softly.
“All seven carats of it,” Pepper smiled.
Coco looked her in the eyes, still trying to understand. “You’re telling me this came from someone you met in the VIP den?”
“Not just ‘someone.’ My very own sugar daddy,” she said. “He buys me trinkets and gifts, and takes me nice places.”
“And what do you in return?” Coco asked, genuinely intrigued.
Pepper gave her a coy smile. “I let him buy me trinkets and gifts and take me nice places!” She giggled at her own joke, and Coco couldn’t help giggle with her.
“Seriously … I want to know,” she said.
“I am being serious,” Pepper shrugged. “He gets to take me places and show me off as arm candy, and I play the part. As if he’s the only man alive. I hang on his every word, I laugh at his jokes, and I make him feel like he’s the most important, desirable man in the world.”
“But are you sleeping with him?”
“Well, of course I’m sleeping with him! That’s part of the package, Coco,” she answered. “But that’s not bad either … he’s cute. And did I mention famous! And the sex is good. Everybody’s happy!”
“Do you love him?” she asked.
“Oh, hell no,” Pepper said, rolling her eyes. “But I like him. He’s not bad company. And I love his wallet!”
She looked at her and shook her head. “And you have no problem with using him?”
“Coco, we’re using each other,” she said with another roll of her eyes. “That’s kind of the science behind these types of relationships.” She looked up to see Kitten walking into the room and said, “But don’t take my word for it, ask Kitten! She’s got a sugar daddy of her own, right, girl?”
“Oh, my God,” Kitten answered. “He just bought me a home entertainment system. With like, the biggest flat screen TV I’ve ever seen. It takes up almost an entire wall of my apartment!”
“An apartment that he paid for, isn’t that right?” Pepper asked.
“Damn right. He found out the lease was up on my old place, which was a dump. Next thing I know, I’m moving into a fancy condo not ten minutes away from his place. I’m seriously thinking about asking him for implants.”
“Coco!” The voice was gruff and male, and she turned around to see Teddy standing in the doorway looking at her expectantly. “I’ve got a customer out here waiting for his lap dance. Let’s move your ass!”
She jumped up to get ready, still trying to process what the girls had just said. And as she was dashing toward the door, Pepper called after her, “Think about it! Every single girl in Los Angeles needs a sugar daddy!”
*****
The groove in the studio was almost electric as the guys worked. They had been at it for hours. The last leg of the Thank Heaven tour had wrapped only a couple of days before, and they were back in L.A. But that didn’t mean they were ready to stop working just yet. A self-professed bunch of workaholics, the guys didn’t like to let too much time go between projects. A very strong work ethic was something the five of them had always shared. Besides, they would get a week or so of real down time after the wedding. But for now, they had all agreed to get a jump on things by meeting in the studio to flesh out a couple of the new songs they were considering for the new album.
The songs they were working on today were ones that Noah had introduced them to during soundchecks on the road. One was a ballad called “Soulmate,” and he insisted on singing lead on that one himself. Otis didn’t mind though, because he suspected that his brother had written the song about his girl. The lyrics were passionate and raw, and Otis could tell that they had real meaning for him.
The other song had been something of a surprise. It was one that Noah had brought to him one night in a hotel in Georgia, early in the last leg of the tour. It had no lyrics at the time, just a nasty riff and a melody that he had been playing with for a while. It was good. Actually, Otis knew the minute he heard it that it was destined to be a hit record. There was something intrinsically funky about it, which is something not usually seen or felt on a rock track, and Otis was immediately intrigued by it. The surprising part was that Noah had brought it to him. Usually, his little brother preferred to write with Cory. And that was fine because he and Cory made a damn good team. Their collaborations had served Jagged Ivory well over the years. Every bit as well as the songs Otis had written for the band. But in all this time, Otis and Noah had never actually written a song together. So when his brother showed up offering this funky little tune, he was skeptical at first.
~~~~~
“Why you bringing this to me, hot shot? Where’s your partner in crime?” Otis had asked after Noah played it for him.
Noah shrugged his shoulders at him. “Cory hasn’t actually heard this one yet,” he answered.
Otis stared at him with raised eyebrows and a small smile. “So again … why are you bringing it to me? We’ve never collaborated before.”
“Yeah, I know,” Noah smiled. “You remember I kind of promised Dad that we would find just the right song for him to join us on?”
Otis nodded his head. “Yeah, I remember.”
“Well, I thought … maybe you and me could come up with something for him together,” he shrugged. “If you’re not interested, I’ll … take it back to Cory.”
“Hold on, now. I didn’t say I wasn’t interested,” Otis smiled. “Okay … play it again. Let’s see what we got.”
~~~~~
It hadn’t taken long for the song to take shape. The two of them would get together at random times throughout the last leg of the tour to work on it, fleshing out the melody and lyrics. It had become a funky sort of rock anthem and the lyrics were all about music being a universal language, no matter where you come from or what genre you’re into. They were calling the song “Funk Rock,” and it had a wicked bass line that really came to life once Benji got his hands on it, and they made sure to leave a lot of open space for Monroe Ivory to come in and put his particular brand of “old school” funk on it. It was going to be awesome.
But the real upside to the song was that, through it, Otis and Noah had discovered that they actually made a pretty good writing team. They were both surprised by how much they’d enjoyed the process, and they had immediately begun working on two other songs together.
For Otis, it was a little bit like discovering a new talent, or maybe rediscovering something great that you thought you had lost years ago. He and Noah had had their ups and downs over the years, but Jagged Ivory had managed to get them united for a common cause. But sometimes those old animosities had a way of resurfacing and keeping them from bonding like they really should. But there was something about actually working together to create music that made him feel closer to his brother than anything else ever had. They would feed off each other’s energy and enthusiasm as they collaborated
, and Otis was always pleasantly surprised when Noah would latch on to an idea or a direction that he suggested. Not just lyrically, but musically as well. Noah would rave about some melody or lick that Otis would throw out, and he would take it and run with it. All the while praising Otis for the idea.
It was cool. Especially since Otis always seemed to be working with the notion that his little brother was the better musician. And he knew now that he had purposely avoided trying to write with Noah because of that belief. Because he was afraid that Noah would try to upstage him. But incredibly, Noah didn’t make him feel inferior at all. Instead he made Otis feel like his equal, and he kept wondering if Noah truly felt that way or if it was all for show.
He sighed now as he sang his last note and listened to the others play as the song came to a close. It was coming together, but he wasn’t certain about the new transition they had just tried. He wasn’t sure it fit. Or maybe it was him that was out of sorts. He wasn’t exactly having a good day, that was for sure. He smirked to himself at that thought. He wasn’t exactly having a good week.
“This song is the shit,” Buzzy exclaimed as he sat behind his drum kit. They had just finished a run through of “Funk Rock,” where they had tried out a new bridge section.
Noah laughed at his expression. “Otis just emailed that last take to Dad. Not the one we just tried out, but the one before, so … I can’t wait to see what he does with it.”
“So, we’ll reconvene after the honeymoon, right?” Cory asked.
“Yep. We’re done until we get lover boy here married off,” Noah responded, gesturing toward Buz and answering Cory’s question. “By then, Dad should have something to show us, I would imagine. You know, I’m actually kind of excited about this one,” Noah smiled, looking around at his bandmates. “I didn’t think I would be. But I’m loving this song, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.”
The Essential Jagged Ivory (Jagged Ivory Boxed Set) Page 76
