by Nicole James
The music changed, and the flashing light show dimmed as another dancer took the stage. This one had a different style, and Dog could tell at a glance her show wouldn’t be about any acrobatic pole work. She was a petite Asian beauty with long silky dark hair that hung to her waist. She was holding two large fans made of peacock feathers that hid her body. She danced and twirled, giving a teasing glimpse of different body parts, but never showing everything at once. It was erotic as hell, and Dog felt himself falling completely under her spell. As her dance continued, bills flew on to the stage from all directions, but she ignored them, totally caught up in her dance. She had a graceful way of moving that enticed and seduced. Unlike a lot of strippers, this dancer had skills that hinted at years of training. Ballet would be Red Dog’s guess.
She made no eye contact with any of the men, which was another thing that separated her from the rest. Until toward the end of the dance as she did her floor work, laying on her back, writhing and moving her body in a sensual way that called out to every man there.
And then she rolled her head, and her eyes opened. They connected with Red Dog’s, and he was blown away by the vivid green shade that stared back at him. Holding his gaze, she slowly twisted toward him, and then her shapely leg extended, her delicate bare foot landing on his chest. No tacky stripper shoes, another thing that set her apart. Dog had to admit he found her bare foot a thousand times sexier. His eyes fell to the pretty painted toes sliding up his leather cut as she arched her foot, then they climbed slowly up her leg, over the pearlescent skin of her slender body, to those vivid green almond shaped eyes. And she had him, hook, line and sinker.
As he watched, feeling like they were the only two people in the club, the pink tip of her tongue came out to glide over her lip.
Fucking hell.
She twisted and moved to her hands and knees, and crawled seductively toward him. Picking up one of her folded fans, she teased it over his chest, neck and the side of his face. Then, tossing it aside, she sat back, kneeling before him, her heels tucked under her ass and her back straight. She bowed her head, her palms flat on top of her thighs, and in that moment, Dog could think of nothing he wanted more than to have her kneel like that at his feet.
Jesus H. Christ what was this woman doing to him? He’d never had a reaction to a stripper like this before.
As he watched, her palms slid slowly up her body over her hips, her waist, to close over her small but perfectly shaped breasts. And then her head lifted, and her eyes connected with his as she squeezed and played with her tits.
Dog held two fingers out, a folded hundred-dollar bill between them. She moved toward him, her eyes getting big when they landed on the denomination. Her gaze snapped to his eyes as she reached for it. He held on to it a moment as he leaned forward to whisper, “Worth every penny, China Doll.”
She moved on and soon finished her act.
Dog felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Sonny. The man jerked his head, indicating Dog should follow him. He stood and moved off as the next dancer’s pounding beat filled the room. They moved through a door and down a hallway, the music fading several decibels.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Sonny said over his shoulder.
Dog glanced in an open doorway to the right and saw a bunch of dancer’s changing. “No problem, Sonny.”
“Things get crazy at the end of the night. Had to deal with some shit.”
Sonny moved through another doorway into a small office. He bent and opened a safe and pulled out an envelope, handing it to Red Dog. It was stuffed thick with bills.
“We had a good week. Mack should be real happy,” Sonny remarked, referring to the club’s President.
Dog tested the weight of the envelope before tucking it into his vest. “Good to know. Always like to keep the Prez happy.”
“Things going well with the club?” Sonny lifted his chin toward Red Dog’s Evil Dead cut.
“Always.”
“Good to know.” Sonny grinned, giving Red Dog’s words back to him. “You parked out back?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Tell Tony the girls will be out in a minute.”
“Will do. Take it easy.” Dog moved down the hall to the door at the end that led to the back parking lot. Sure enough, Tony, who worked security for Sonny, was standing out there. “How’s it going, man?”
Tony nodded to the puddles dancing with raindrops. “Storm’s blowing in.”
“Fucking El Niño.”
Tony grinned. “Guess it sucks to ride in the rain.”
“Yup.” Dog folded his arms and leaned against the wall under the eave. “Maybe if I wait a few minutes, it’ll ease up.”
Tony eyed the sky. “Maybe.”
“Sonny said the girls will be out in a minute.”
“Yeah, it was kind of dead tonight. They’ll be eager to go home.”
About ten minutes later, two dancers came out the door and headed to their cars. One was the blonde; the other was the pretty little Asian girl he’d given the hundred bucks to, his little china doll.
“Goodnight, Tony,” they both said as they dashed through the rain to their cars.
“Goodnight, ladies. Drive safe.”
Dog ignored the blonde, his eyes only for the other dancer. The blonde got in her vehicle and pulled out. The other girl got in her car, but didn’t start it.
“I hate when she does that,” Tony muttered.
“What’s that?” Dog frowned toward the white Mustang that just sat there.
Tony lifted his chin at the car. “Hangs around, texting or making calls. I’ve told her repeatedly that’s not safe to do at night. She goes to her car, whether it’s here or anywhere, she needs to get inside, lock the door, start it up and go, not sit around. But does she listen? Hell, no.”
“You had problems here?”
“You never know when a patron is going to hang around, thinking he can hit on the dancers when they finish their shifts, or follow them home.”
“You get many of those?”
“More than I’d like. The worst are the ones that get obsessed with one girl. They practically stalk them.”
It was Dog’s turn to lift his chin toward the Mustang. “She got any of those?”
“One guy lately. That’s him over there in the blue sedan.”
Dog’s brows shot up. “You’re shitting me, right? You let him just hang here?”
“It’s a fine line I’ve got to walk. Can’t be running them off. Those types can be some of these girls’ best customers. The girls themselves would string me up if I came between them and their income.”
“You’re here to protect them. That is your fucking job.”
Tony nodded. “I make sure he doesn’t approach or follow her out of the parking lot.”
“Well, since he’s not getting out of his vehicle, I’m guessing the latter.”
“Yup. Guess I better go have a talk with him.” Tony moved to step out from under the eave and into the rain, when the back door opened and a brunette stuck her head out.
“Tony, Sonny needs you. He thinks Tiffany is OD’ing.
“Jesus Christ. Again?”
The brunette shrugged her shoulders and ducked back inside. Tony grabbed the door to follow, but paused nodding toward the white Mustang. “Can you make sure she gets out of here okay?”
Red Dog nodded. “Yeah, sure, man. Go.”
Tony ducked inside as a flash of lightning cracked across the sky, and the rain became a downpour. Dog watched as the Mustang’s headlights came on, and a plume of exhaust shot out the tailpipe. His gaze swung to the blue sedan. It was backed into a spot, and with the rain pouring down on the windshield Dog couldn’t make out the driver’s face, just a dark shadow. His eyes cut back to the Mustang to see it backing out, then moving toward the street and turning right out of the parking lot. As the sedan pulled from its spot, Dog darted out, moving to step in front of the vehicle. Their eyes connected through the windshield, and this
time Dog could see the man’s features. He was a squirrely looking dude, but it was what Dog saw in his eyes that had his blood running cold. Evil, pure fucking evil, with no emotion in them.
Red Dog banged his palm on the hood and barked, “Get the fuck out of the car.”
A twisted smile formed on the man’s face a split second before he gunned the engine, plowing into Dog. The impact knocked him off his feet and up onto the hood, where he rolled and fell to the ground as the car sped away.
Dog groaned at the pain that shot through his left leg, which had taken the brunt of the impact. But that didn’t stop him from rolling to his knees, drawing his gun and firing as the car turned right, tires squealing as it barreled off the lot.
Boom. Boom. Boom. The sound of his gun echoed off the building. A moment later, the door flew open and banged against the cement block wall as Tony charged out. He skidded to a stop, his eyes taking in Dog’s kneeling position, the 9mm clenched in his hand aimed at the street.
“What the fuck happened?”
“He got away. He’s going after her. Where the hell does she live?” Dog barked as he staggered to his feet, favoring his left leg, then holstered his gun as he moved toward his bike.
Tony pulled his phone out. “Let me call her. Tell her she’s got a tail and to come back to the club.”
Dog stood there a moment, his eyes on Tony, praying she’d pick up the man’s call. Tony shook his head as he barked an order into what must have been her voicemail. “Don’t get out of the car, Sweetie. You got a tail.”
“Where?” Dog demanded, already firing his bike up.
“Royal Hill Apartments on Ocean Blvd. #814.”
Red Dog roared off the lot, heading right.
By the time Dog found the address and followed the maze of turns through the complex to building eight, the guy already had her by the throat pressed up against her car door, but turned his head when he heard the Harley roar up.
Dog skidded to a stop on the wet pavement. He dropped the kickstand and dismounted, charging the man who pulled the girl in front of him and put a knife to her throat.
“Stay the fuck away or I’ll slice her,” he threatened.
Dog pulled his gun and aimed it at the man’s head. “You do, it’ll be the last fucking thing you ever do.”
Dog watched as the man’s face paled, then he shoved the girl at him and took off running. Dog caught her to him as he watched the man disappear into the darkness. The motherfucker had left his car behind; therefore he wouldn’t be hard to hunt down. Looking at the trembling woman in his arms, he asked, “You okay, China Doll?”
She nodded, looking up at him.
“Let’s get you inside.”
Once he had her in out of the rain, he pulled out his phone and made a call to his club. That little knife-wielding fucker wouldn’t survive the night. Dog peered through the curtains to the parking lot. He’d paused long enough to slash the tires on the sedan, making sure the man didn’t return for it.
Dog let the curtain drop and turned back to see his little dancer was shaking. “You look like you could use a drink, honey. You got anything?”
She nodded towards the kitchen area where a low bar overlooked the living room and whispered, “There’s a bottle of wine in the fridge.”
The corner of his mouth pulled up. “Think we may need something a little stronger, sweetheart. Got any liquor?”
“A bottle of tequila in the cabinet over the sink.”
Dog nodded and moved off to get it. He returned to her a minute later and held out a rocks glass with a two finger shot in the bottom. “Drink up.”
She took it and downed it. “I suppose I should thank you, but I don’t even know your name.”
He took the glass from her and refilled it from the bottle he held. Handing it back to her, he replied, “My friends call me Red Dog.”
Her pretty little brow frowned. “Red Dog?”
He nodded, a grin pulling at the corner of his mouth. “Yeah. And you’re welcome.”
She drank the second shot. “How did you find me?”
He took the glass from her, sat on one of the barstools, and poured himself a shot. Then he told her what had happened after she’d pulled out of the club.
“Oh, my God. Are you hurt?” She took a step toward him.
“I’ll be limping for a couple days, but I’ll survive.”
“I’m so sorry.” Her eyes fell to his cut, and she nodded toward it. “You’re not the guy that usually comes around for Sonny.”
“Nope. Just my lucky night.” He tried to joke with her.
She frowned. “Where’s the other guy? Wolf.”
“He had business to take care of tonight.” Dog’s eyes narrowed. “How well do you know him?”
She shook her head. “I don’t. Not like that.”
Dog nodded. “You want me to call anyone for you? Tony?”
She shook her head again. “No, I’ll be fine.”
“Bullshit.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“I can assure you I’ve had stalkers before. It comes with the job.”
“And a knife at your throat? You have that before, too?”
At that she swallowed and looked away, lifting her chin. “I have a gun. I’ll be fine.”
“Yeah? And where was that gun when he had you pinned against your car?”
She looked back at him and admitted, “In my purse.”
“Where it did you absolutely zero good.”
They stared at each other a long moment, and then her eyes dropped, taking in his clothes. “You’re soaking wet.”
“So are you.” He lifted his chin at her, his eyes sweeping over her. “You should go change out of those clothes before you catch your death.”
She had on a sleeveless red satin dress, the kind with a high collar that looked oriental and suited her perfectly. As he watched, she hiked up the hem exposing a garter around her thigh. He watched her slender fingers—with their red-painted nails—slip a wad of cash free. She pulled out the hundred-dollar bill he’d given her and held it out to him. “I think you earned this back tonight.”
His eyes had a hard time pulling away from that garter to meet her eyes. When he did, he saw a hint of vulnerability flash for a moment, before the tough girl act returned, and she lifted her chin. He relaxed back. “Keep it. Told you, worth every penny.”
She dropped the hand she’d held out. “Okay, fine.”
He watched her move to a carved wooden box sitting on a shelf in a bookcase. She opened it and shoved the wad of cash that she’d taken from her garter inside. Red Dog noticed the bills joined a tall stack already stored in the box.
“You don’t seriously keep your money in that, do you?” Red Dog asked in amazement.
She glanced over at him as she closed it. “Until I get to the bank and put it in my savings account, yes.”
Red Dog noted she’d said savings, not checking. “Saving up for something special?”
She nodded.
“And what would that be?”
“Do you really care?”
“Yeah, I really care,” he replied, amazed by his own answer.
She clasped her hands behind her back and took a step toward him. “You won’t laugh?”
Red Dog frowned. “Why would I laugh?”
She lifted her chin. “I’m saving up to open a dance studio.”
“A dance studio?”
She nodded, and something in her expression conveyed to him that she wanted his approval.
“What exactly is a dance studio?”
“I would teach children how to dance. Beginning ballet, tap and jazz dance.”
Red Dog nodded. “I thought you looked like you had real dance training.”
At the reminder of the dance he’d seen her do she looked away. But then she lifted her chin and met his gaze directly. “I’ve never seen you come around before.”
“Not my usual gig.” His eyes studied
hers, his head tilting. “When did you start working for Sonny?”
“Two months ago.”
“You must do well. That was quite an act.”
Her chin came up again. “I do okay.”
Dog nodded slowly. “Hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
He could see in her eyes, she didn’t know how to take him. But she wasn’t afraid of him, which most women would be. He lifted his chin.
“C’mere, China Doll.”
“I have a name.” She took a step toward him. He reached out and took her hand, pulling her to stand between his spread legs. Then his hands landed on her satin covered hips. When her eyes met his, he saw interest not fear, so he dipped his head and covered her mouth with his. She didn’t pull away; in fact she melted against him, her hands sliding up to his neck. He kissed her softly, gently, brushing her lips with kiss after kiss. But she wanted more, and she pulled his head back down each time he pulled back from a kiss, until she was following him, going up on her tiptoes to maintain the contact.
Red Dog stood, his big hands moving to her ass as he lifted her up. Her dress hiked up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He walked her down the hallway, past a bathroom to the only bedroom. He didn’t bother with the light switch; there was enough light coming from the hall.
He broke the kiss long enough to glance around the room. A brass bed with a girly flowered comforter. It was full size, plenty big enough for her, but not near enough for him. That didn’t matter; he’d make do. He laid her across it and came down on top of her. Then one hand slid under her back reaching for the zipper of her dress. He pulled it down slowly, watching her eyes closely for any reaction, any indication that she wanted him to stop or to slow down. He saw none.
Still, he didn’t want her to feel pressured, so he rolled until she was on top, letting her have the opportunity to climb off if she’d changed her mind.
Apparently she hadn’t, because as he watched, she sat up, straddling his hips and pulled the dress over her head. His big palms slid to her waist as he took her in. Demure pink lace bra and panties hit his eyes, more feminine than sexy, but perfect with her pearly skin and long dark hair that fell in a sheet over one shoulder. He reached up and let the silky strands slide through his fingers.
