“I’d risk it. You’re totally worth it.”
She pulled away and his disappointment was a physical pain. Her hands slipped into his and she leaned back, a sassy look on her face. “That’s nice to hear. How about we go out like I planned, then we can discuss making more noise up here later.”
“Promise?”
Her wicked smile answered his question and his whole body relaxed. She’d said no strings, but here she was offering him another chance. That had to mean he was getting somewhere.
Baby steps, Chris. Take it slow with her.
“We aren’t leaving for a while, so what do you want to do until then?” He raised an eyebrow and she laughed. “Not that! We can watch TV—”
“Take a shower?”
“Play cards—”
“Strip poker?”
“There’ll be enough stripping later.”
“I can’t wait.”
“Not here.” She leaned forward, her wicked grin gracing her lips again. “I’m taking you to a strip club,” she whispered.
“What?”
“You heard me.” She flopped onto the couch. “It’s time to spice up your life Mr November. You could be quite popular in the club.”
He sat down next to her and flicked the television on, not looking at her. “I have no words. It’ll be my first time.”
“You’re kidding?” she turned to him wide-eyed. “You’ve never seen a stripper?”
“Nope. Not at a buck’s night or anything.”
“A lap dance virgin.” She snickered. “I didn’t think there was such a thing. How old are you again?”
“Thirty next year.”
“No wonder you’re always ogling me and my skirts. I bring excitement to your life, don’t I?” She raised her legs and laid them across his lap. “Let’s relax for a bit, then we can get a bite to eat and hit the club. I hope you’ve got lots of small notes tucked in your wallet.”
The slow turn of his head made her laugh as she settled back on the couch, his hands resting across her knees. As he flicked through the channels she said in a cheery voice, “Don’t worry. I have plenty.”
***
“Can’t we do something else? It’s Monday night—a movie, maybe?”
“Oh, come on, you big baby. You’ll like this. What man passes up the opportunity to be in a room full of half naked women?”
“One who only wants to be with one completely naked woman,” he muttered as she dragged him to the entrance. She paid the cover charge and pulled him inside.
The music was loud and the beat throbbed through Chris. Red, blue and yellow lighting pulsed back and forth and several times he couldn’t tell if Becca’s blue hair was glowing or if the lighting was making it seem bluer. He held onto her hand, making sure she didn’t slip away in the darkness. He didn’t want to have to admit to her that he was terrified of women approaching him.
He heard her squeal above the music and suddenly she dropped his hand and leapt upon a guy walking toward them. He swung her around as Chris watched on.
What the fuck?
“Dean! It’s so great to see you. I brought you some fresh meat!” She turned to Chris and grabbed his hand. “Chris, this is my friend—”
“Dean!” Chris held out his hand. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”
Dean leaned forward and grabbed Chris in a bear hug before setting him free. Becca looked from Chris to Dean and then shouted, “You know each other?”
“We went to school together,” Chris shouted back. “I was at Dean’s wedding.” He laughed as surprise filled her face.
“You said you’d never been to a club. How can you be buddies with a stripper?”
“I’m friends with a lot of people. Doesn’t mean I’ve experienced all their business types.”
“Come and have a seat. I have a VIP area you can use.” Dean led them across the club and pulled back a curtain, revealing two low couches. Becca pulled Chris inside and the two of them sat down. “I’ll get us some drinks and get this party started!” Dean disappeared behind the curtain and Chris discovered the music was muted back here. They could even have a conversation.
Before he could say a word the curtain shifted and an attractive brunette wearing nothing more than hot pants sashayed over to them. She sat down beside Chris placing her hand suggestively on his thigh as his eyes widened. “Can I interest you in a dance, sugar?”
“What, not even a hello, first?” He laughed as she smiled at him.
“Sorry. I know it can be awkward, but we all know why you’re here so why delay the inevitable?” she cooed.
“It’s so much more than awkward,” he replied as he moved his leg away. “I’m really not looking for a dance.” He pressed his lips together and shrugged his shoulder.
Get back here Dean. I need a rescue party!
“Maybe later.” Becca said to the woman who flicked her hair and exited their private area. “You’ve hurt her feelings now,” she said to Chris.
“I’m not sure I care. This is terrifying.”
“Relax and enjoy yourself.” Becca’s hand resting on his other thigh had his full attention. “It’s meant to be a bit of fun, not a night to give you a heart attack.”
Before he could reply, Dean returned with their drinks and they were soon joined by two more women sitting either side of them. Becca joked with them and chatted like this was a normal situation, while Chris concentrated on his drink and talked to Dean. Dean sat with one arm draped around the girl beside him and Chris kept his eyes firmly away from Dean’s hand, which brushed the woman’s naked breast every so often.
Endure this for a bit longer, then you can drag Becca home.
Chapter Nine
“We really are opposites, aren’t we?”
“You keep saying that, but I don’t really see it.”
“I don’t care about it, I’m just fascinated, that’s all. You were really uncomfortable in the club. Those poor girls didn’t know what to make of you.” They walked down the street, past the silent retail stores, and Chris captured her hand. She gave him a small squeeze and he squeezed back.
“That’s something I definitely don’t care about. Look at it from my side. The only person I’ve been remotely interested in seeing naked in months drags me to a club and encourages me to pay strange women to rub their breasts against me. It’s a no-win situation. If I enjoy it, you could be pissed with me for paying too much attention. If I’m not into it, I risk being labelled as boring.”
She laughed as he explained. “The first part shouldn’t even be an issue. You said no strings. Zero weirdness. No being gooey eyed, remember?”
“I did.” He stopped and pulled her toward him. “But you’re too tempting.” He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against him. “If I’m ever going to get a lap dance, I’d like it to be from you.” He kissed her nose and waited for her to pull away.
“When I said I worked in a strip club, you know I was a dancer, right?”
“I guessed as much. You seemed pretty comfortable in there. Is that how you know Dean?”
“Yeah.” She pulled away and slipped her hand into his again as they continued walking in the cool night air. “We worked together for the eight months I was there. I’d never worked in a club that had male and female strippers before. I didn’t last long, though. They want a certain look. Tanned from head to foot, a lot of makeup, false eyelashes, you saw them, you know what I mean.”
“That’s definitely not how I see you.”
“I had the boobs but the rest of me was lacking.” He laughed as she rolled her eyes. “I tried and it was pretty good money, but then I had—I chose to quit.”
“Look out Becca, you’re spilling personal stuff again. This could get out of control.” He squeezed her hand again and it was her turn to laugh.
“Shut up and let’s get home. I’m freezing and if you’re determined to see only me without my clothes on tonight we need to be inside, snuggled up with the heater.”<
br />
***
Chris stuck his head into the cafe before they went upstairs. Becca stood on the stairs giving him the look he’d come to recognise as her disapproving stare. “What are you doing? You’re off the clock until tomorrow.”
“I know. But I can’t resist. I like to know what awaits me the next day.” His eyes washed over the carefully set tables and the sparkling clean coffee machine. “It looks great down here.”
“See. Other people are capable, you know. They wouldn’t let you down.” She laughed as he moved to the bottom of the stairs. “Actually, they wouldn’t let me down. I threatened them with death if they messed up.” She turned to him as he stepped onto the bottom step. Her hands slipped around his neck and he pulled her close. His nose pressed into her hair and he let himself breath in her scent. One he’d been missing all day. She ran her hands across the back of his head as he leaned against her.
“Coming upstairs?” she said quietly.
“Will there be dancing?”
“I’ll consider it. Dancers aren’t allowed to go too far, though.”
“Well, we’ll be even then. Staff aren’t allowed to fool around with bosses here. We’ve already been through this.”
“I tell you what. If you can carry me up these stairs, I’ll give you anything you want.”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
He wrapped his hands around her ass and she wrapped her legs around him. The bulge in his pants ground into her and she sighed. When he caught her licking her lips, he raised his eyebrows and moved up one step. “Do you know what I want?”
“Your first lap dance?”
“Nope.” Another step.
“Caramel sauce licked off your body?”
“Ooh, tempting, but nope.”
“Ummm… sex in the shower.”
“Oh, I’ll definitely take that, thanks. But that’s not the thing.”
“You want the thing?”
“Yep. The thing.”
“I’ve never done the thing.” He felt her blush, rather than saw it in the dark. She sucked in her breath and her voice went squeaky. “That seems very kinky for you Mr November.”
He laughed loudly and hurried up the rest of the stairs, holding her tightly against him and enjoying the feel of her body against his. When he reached the top he let her slide down to the floor. He touched her nose with his finger and grinned at her in the darkness. “I don’t know what the hell you think I’m suggesting, but all I want is for you to stay the night.”
She let out a peal of laughter and slapped him on the chest. “Oh my God, is that all? I was already staying over, Chris. You could have asked for so much more!”
“Waking up with you is the only thing I daydream about.” He grinned and threw his hands up, turning toward the bedroom. “Sorry. I know that’s against the rules, but I already told you you’re tempting me. Every day.”
Becca followed him into the bedroom and pushed the door closed behind her. As she leaned against it, she watched him start to unbutton his shirt. “Leave it. I’ll do it. Sit on the bed.”
He turned mid-unbutton and narrowed his eyes at her. “Why. What are you planning?”
“You said you didn’t want your first lap dance tonight, but I think you should at least try it out.”
Chapter Ten
Becca slipped her phone into her pocket and glanced at Chris. He was surprised to see her talking a moment ago. In the months she’d worked with him, she’d never once taken a personal call. From the look on her face as she walked toward him, it was not good news.
“I hate to do this to you, but I need to leave. It’s an emergency.” Worry creased her forehead as she glanced around the tables filled with customers. “I’ll try to come back if I can.”
“It’s fine, we’ll handle it, you don’t need to come back. Is everything okay?”
“I’m sure it will be. I’ll call you if I’m coming back.” She grabbed her bag from under the counter and slipped out the back door without another word. Chris didn’t dwell on her emergency. With just him and Kenneth to work out the afternoon, work was about to get hectic.
When he finally locked the door just after four he ignored the usual rush to get ready for the evening shift. His mind had been on Becca all afternoon. She hadn’t called and he was dying to know what was wrong. He took the stairs at a gallop and flopped onto his couch as he dialled her number.
The call rang out and he dialled again. She finally answered just as he was about to disconnect. “Hey Chris.” She sounded tired, a lot more tired than she should be just after closing time. “I can’t really talk right now.”
“Okay, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Do you need anything?”
Silence filled the line and he looked at the screen to see if they’d been disconnected. Her voice came through just as he put the phone back to his ear. “No, I’m fine. I’ll be in tomorrow. Promise. And thanks.”
“What for?”
“Just for checking in. It was nice of you. See you tomorrow.”
He stared at the phone for several minutes after she hung up. She’d seemed sad, like her situation was a lot more serious than she had let on. With a sigh, he noticed the time and groaned. For only the second time in two years he considered not opening for the dinner shift.
What would happen if he just left the closed sign up and took the night off again? What if he tried to have more nights where Jeff and Kylie ran the café? Would it be the end of the world? His business was booming—was that because he was always open, or would it be just as busy if he cut back a little? Maybe he could call Becca back and take a pizza to her place for dinner? He could tell she wasn’t herself. Maybe a visit from a friendly face was just what she needed.
He considered this new train of thought for all of five seconds before dragging himself to his feet. There was no denying he could use a night off and spending that free time with Becca would be his first choice. The last thing he wanted was her thinking it was a booty call though. He could just imagine the choice words she’d have for him if she thought he was taking advantage of her unhappiness to get lucky.
Nope. Not gonna risk going there.
He pulled the apartment door closed behind him and plodded down the stairs to start on his list of jobs.
***
Dinner was just as busy as any other night and Chris grinned as Jasper and Mimi, newly in love, wandered through his door. “Well, look at you two.” He waved his hand at their intertwined fingers. “You’re not sick of him yet Mimi? I’m impressed.” He led them to their table and handed them both a menu. “It’s nice to see you here. I’m nearly out of calendars again.” He raised an eyebrow at Mimi and Jasper rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah. We know—you’ve sold the most. You can stop reminding us every time we see you.”
“Just keeping it real, dude. Do you want a minute to decide what you’re having?”
“Yes, please,” Mimi said.
“It’s our five-month anniversary,” Jasper said proudly as he took Mimi’s hand and she grinned at him over her menu. “So we’ll be taking our time tonight if you don’t mind.”
“Ooh, an anniversary. You’re smooth Jasper, taking her to all the best places, as always.”
“Hey, she wanted to come here. This is where we had our first date.”
Chris put his hand over his heart. “I’m honoured Mimi. I hope I see you here on your special day for years to come.” He slapped Jasper on the shoulder as he walked away. “If you can put up with him that long!”
The door chimed and Jasper’s workmate Shawn entered. “You still do takeaway, Chris?”
“We sure do. Discounts for fire fighters and cops, too, so you’re in luck.”
“Awesome. I just want a chicken schnitzel and chips please. No vegetables.”
“What’s with you firemen and the no veggie rule? I can never get Jasper to eat his veggies either.”
“Oh, hey Jasper. Hi Mimi,” Shaun gave the
m a little wave and collapsed into a chair near the counter. “Can I sit here and wait?”
“Of course. It’ll be about fifteen minutes. You should have called ahead and we could have had it ready.”
“No worries. I’m going straight home to bed so it’s fine.”
Jasper snickered and Mimi frowned at him. “What’s so funny?” she said quietly.
“I’ll tell you once he’s gone.”
She pursed her lips and glanced back at her menu. “I really like the lasagne. I don’t think I can resist.”
“Same. We’ll get two.” His fingers squeezed her hand. “Then can we rush off home and go straight to bed, too? I have a gift for you.”
“Oh. I didn’t get you anything.” She bit her lip and looked down.
“Hey. It’s fine. It’s only our five-month anniversary. Not like it’s a big one. Now, if it was six months,” he lifted his glass to take a sip of water, “then I’d expect a bit more effort.”
“I’ll keep that in mind next month. Maybe set a reminder in my phone.”
Chris moved around the cafe taking orders and making drinks. Kylie rushed each meal to the tables as quickly as Jeff prepared each dish and rang the bell. They were a well-oiled machine and on busy nights like this Chris was thankful for his small team. He still preferred days, though. Working with Becca made him happy. He missed her on her days off—enough to consider staying closed like he had earlier today.
Kylie presented Shawn with his meal and he waved to Mimi and Jasper as he left. Mimi was quick to press for the gossip as the door closed behind him.
“Okay, out with it.”
“Guess why Shawn looked so tired.”
“How should I know? He worked a double shift?”
“Nope. He had this afternoon off.”
“Umm… he has a second job cleaning toilets in the park?”
Jasper laughed. “Yuk. No.”
“Oh come on, just tell me.”
“Alright, alright,” he put his hands up and then leaned in close. “He just drove five hours each way to get lucky!”
Tempt Me! Page 6
