by Nikki Sloane
The show began. It was one female impersonator’s set right after another. Gorgeous dresses, fake tits, and tuck jobs that were fucking magic. They danced, lip-synced to Lady Gaga and Whitney Houston, and took tips from the female audience, who treated them to catcalls and cheers. The show was a riot.
Our men sat, transfixed. Curious, but trying not to display it.
“Holy shit.” It came from Evie when a blonde stepped on stage in five-inch heels and a mini-skirt. “He has nicer legs than I do.”
By the time the final number was over, we were all buzzing from our drinks, and uptight, control freak Logan sort of looked relaxed. Perhaps it was Evie’s hand resting high on his thigh, lingering close to the danger zone.
After we filed out of the Baton Lounge, we mobbed with the rest of the crowd in the warm September night, and strolled slowly down the block to where our limo waited. We ducked inside one by one.
“That was awful,” Dominic said, a smile twisting on his sexy lips. “The ones that were obviously dudes were fine, but the other ones . . .”
I giggled. “Your dick get confused?”
His arm hooked around my shoulders and pulled me close. “Be quiet, devil woman.”
“Or?”
“Spankings.” His lip curled in a half-smile.
I played up my eagerness by batted my eyelashes. “Now?”
“Well, we’ll get their blindfolds back on first.”
“Oh, of course.”
Our friends stared at us like they were unsure if we were serious. I knew Dominic wasn’t, but if he wanted to . . . he certainly knew I was game. Instead, I retrieved the blindfolds and passed them out.
Logan looked even less excited about it this time around. “Calm down.” I motioned for him to put it on. “The only queen for the rest of the night is the one wearing the cock crown.”
His head swung toward Evie. “It does look great on you.”
“Thanks, boss. Should I wear it to work on Monday?”
“Sure. That wouldn’t be an HR nightmare.”
They put their masks on at the same time, and like me, Evie curled up under her fiancé’s arm, snuggling close, one hand on Logan’s chest. His fingers stroked up and down her bare arm. She tucked in further, putting her lips against his neck.
The gentle, sweet kiss she’d started grew when he turned his head into hers, bringing their mouths together. It was like she’d struck a match and set Logan on fire, and although it was probably weird as hell for me to watch our friends making out, I did it anyway. I’d spent more than a year at the club and had seen every sexual act done in a wide range of ways. But the way Evie’s needy hands clutched at his shirt while he devoured her kiss was so fucking sexy.
His hands reached out, finding her hips, and then he pulled her into his lap so she was straddling him. The skirt of her dress rode up on her thighs, and Dominic’s gaze automatically turned out the window.
“Such a gentleman,” I whispered to him, knowing he was probably blushing. Just another thing I loved about him.
A soft sigh came from Evie, drawing my attention back to the couple. She was rocking in his lap, her hands cupping the sides of his jaw. His arms were tight around her back, holding her as their kiss grew more intense.
“This is dangerous, naughty girl.”
“Why?” Her voice was low and sultry. “We’ve still got our clothes on and you can’t see anything.”
“I’m not worried about me.”
Her grip fell away from his face and her back straightened. “You think I can’t resist you after just some kissing?”
Below Logan’s black blindfold, his lips peeled back in a smile. “You did mention it was your gateway drug.”
“Give me some credit. I bet I can handle it better than you can.”
His laugh said exactly how foolish he thought she was being. “Doubtful.”
Oh, this was about to get interesting. Evie was focused and driven. She hated to lose, and she’d told me Logan was the same. I could sense the challenge coming.
She sat perfectly still as his lips skimmed over her neck, trailing kisses. “You seem awfully sure of yourself, Logan.”
“If I wanted you to break your rule, we know I could get you to do it.”
She pulled even further back from him. “Oh, do we? By all means, boss, go ahead and try.”
Logan took a deep breath. “You sure?”
“I’m sure you’re overly confident, yeah.”
“All right, Evie.” Logan smiled. “Challenge accepted.”
chapter
FOUR
Saul parked the limo in front of a liquor store, and we left our blindfolded friends in the back while Dominic and I hurried in to pick up drinks.
“Champagne, whiskey, and rum,” Dominic said to the clerk when we entered the tiny shop. He whipped out his wallet a second later and retrieved his credit card.
“What’s the rush?” I asked.
“Gotta hurry before Evie caves and they’re fucking in the back of the limo.”
I latched a hand on Dominic’s forearm, stilling him. “Evelyn. And what the hell makes you think that’ll happen?”
The card was swiped, a receipt signed, and he hauled the paper bag of bottles into his arms. “Because I know Logan. He plays to win.”
“Yeah, well, so does Evie.”
The sapphire eyes sharpened on me. “Sorry, she doesn’t stand a chance, but you want to make it interesting?”
My gaze narrowed to match his. “I’m listening.”
“If Evie reverses her rule before, I dunno, say sunrise tomorrow . . .” Dominic’s jaw ticked as he seemed to assemble the thought in his head. “You call your parents and try again to get a dinner or something between us worked out.”
I groaned. Of course. “I don’t know why you’re making a big deal out of that. Seriously, you’re not missing much with my folks. I have to force them to make time, you really want to spend two hours with people who don’t want to be there?”
His expression was fixed. “Do I want to meet my in-laws before the wedding? Yeah, Payton, I do.”
“Fine. And if Logan breaks the rule and asks to have sex?”
He yanked open the shop door and held it for me. “Name your terms, devil woman.”
What did I want that Dominic wouldn’t give me freely? There was nothing. Sure, I’d like to skip the whole big wedding, but no way in hell was I going to deny him that. Then the thought formed in my mind. He’d been resistant to one request I’d made . . . “You and I have lunch with Joseph this week.”
We strode toward the limo, and tension tightened Dominic’s broad shoulders. Normally, I liked his possessiveness over me, but not where Joseph was concerned, because Joseph was my friend. A good friend. Yes, we’d fucked a bunch of times, but it had been empty sex for both of us, and stopped the moment Dominic walked into my life.
“Okay, you got it.” Dominic tugged open the limo door. “But just know, you’re gonna lose.”
Really? I glared at him, but didn’t bother to respond, and slid into the backseat. “What the fuck are you doing? Hands to yourselves!”
Evie and Logan scattered like teenagers caught in the act by parents, and Evie let out a nervous laugh. She probably thought I was kidding and giving her a hard time, but I was serious. The way Evie talked about kissing Logan made it sound like he could get her to do almost anything. Pre-Dominic, I thought she was crazy. Now I sort of understood.
Fuck, I did not want have to call my mom again.
Bass thumped repeatedly from beyond the black door that led into the club. We stood in the anteroom while Dominic paid our group’s cover charge, and I pretended not to notice the bouncer’s lewd stare.
Dominic’s hand was abruptly on my ass, sliding over to rest on my opposite hip, and his scowl was directed at the bouncer. His possessiveness was showing in all its brilliant colors. I adjusted the paper bag in my arms, and the bottles clinked. “I can fuck you right here, if that will help.”
“No, sorry.” I laughed and helped her toward the entrance. She had one hand on my shoulder and the other laced with Logan’s, but he was surprisingly quiet. Shit. “You know where we are, Logan?”
“The bottles gave it away.”
Chicago had an ordinance banning alcohol from being served at the same establishment offering nude entertainment. All of the strip clubs in Cook County were BYOB.
“Keep your fucking mouth shut,” I said. “Don’t ruin the surprise for Evie.”
The black door swung open and both the music and the roar of people got louder. I shuffled through, the future Mr. and Mrs. Stone trailing right behind. Dominic and I scanned the large, open room, and he pointed across the way.
“There.”
An open table waited near the stage. He hurried to claim it while I led the blind slowly through the crowded area, trying to keep Logan from tripping over chair legs. I ignored the looks of the other patrons who probably wondered what the hell we were doing.
“Can I take it off?” Logan said loudly over the music.
“I don’t think this is the right crowd for that.”
Did he just growl at me? “The blindfold, Payton.”
“Not yet.” I put my hands on his shoulders and shoved him down into a chair, then helped Evie to hers.
Dominic twisted the cap off the whiskey. “Evie, you want champagne? Or rum and Coke?”
I reached for the unopened bottle. “It’s Evelyn, and she’ll take a rum and Diet Coke.”
Dominic smirked. “You’re so bossy.”
“You love it.” We happened to arrive at the perfect moment, right as the last performer was exiting, so we had a second of quiet. “Okay, blindfolds off. Time to look at some real women.”
The deejay’s voice blared over the music, announcing a new dancer coming to the stage as Evie pulled off her mask. I’d been nice enough to let her leave her crown in the back of the limo. Her eyes went totally white, they were that wide open. She gazed at the dim room, draped in garish red velvet curtains and mirrors, and the large stage with gold poles. Around us, the other club goers were curious.
Evie and I were the only dressed women in the packed audience.
The room felt smoky, although smoking wasn’t allowed and I didn’t see a fog machine running. It was a haze of sex and seediness. I hadn’t felt this kind of dirty on me since my blindfold club days, and I’d missed it, just a little.
“Holy shit, I’m in a strip club,” Evie said.
Dominic flagged over one of the servers. “You haven’t been before?”
She shook her head slowly, her gaze locked on the woman who sashayed over, a round tray tucked under one arm. The waitress’s other hand rested on her hip, barely covered by black hot pants. The piercing in her navel winked under a strobe light. Her hot pink halter top was more like a bra than a shirt, and the padding beneath pushed her boobs together, giving her a great deal of cleavage.
Her tips were probably killer; she was hot. I wondered if I should snap a picture and send it to Joseph. He’d trolled strip clubs in the past when he was first getting started, but he’d never found a girl who was seriously interested in the job, was drug-free, and reliable. Most of his newer girls came from referrals now.
“Hi!” the waitress said with a wide smile, her hand touching Dominic’s arm. “What can I get for you, hon?”
My annoyance flared, but I stayed quiet while he ordered the Diet Coke, plus some glasses and an ice bucket for the table. On stage, a lanky blonde in a black bra and fuchsia G-string was strutting in her stripper shoes. I admired the tattoos running along her rib cage. On the right girl and in the right setting, ink was hot.
“How does she dance in those?” Evie whispered to me.
The sole of the shoe was black, but the seven-inch heel and tall platform base were both a matching fuchsia, which glowed under the black light. The straps over the top of her foot were clear acrylic.
I shrugged at Evie’s question. “Practice.”
They didn’t seem to give the blonde any trouble. She swayed with the sexy song pouring from the speakers, her lower body undulating to the rhythm. Her hands caressed her curves, teasing the removal. Fingers dipped below the G-string band at her hips, pulling it away for a second, only to return it into position, saving it for the big finish later.
I adjusted in my chair, setting a hand on Dominic’s thigh, and his fingers curled over mine, holding my hand in place. Did he do this simply because he wanted to hold my hand? Or was he worried I would migrate further north to his cock? God, he knew me so well.
The stripper reached to set a hand high on the pole, wrapped her legs around it, and up she went. When she’d climbed to the top, her legs went straight out, parallel to the floor, and one knee bent, crossing over on top of the other leg. Her hands let go and she tipped back until she was upside-down, the pole clamped tight between her thighs. As she swung, her blonde hair fluttered behind.
There were murmurs of approval from the audience watching, and it built into a roar when her hands disappeared behind her back, and the bra was flung to the back of the stage.
“Holy shit!” Evie gasped and Logan chuckled.
The acrobatic work was impressive, and obviously I wasn’t the only one who thought so. Guys lined up to throw crumbled dollar bills on the stage while she worked the pole. Her graceful moves, toned body, and tight breasts were sexy as hell.
“You’re going to tip the stripper?” Evie asked when Logan dug out his wallet.
“No, naughty girl. You are.”
I heard her hard swallow over the thump of the music. On stage, the stripper descended the spinning pole and planted her shoes back on the ground. She turned, bent over, and shoved her ass at the crowd, shimmying. More roars and cheers when she teased removing the tiny scrap of underwear once again.
This time she did it, exposing her bare pussy for everyone to see. Dominic’s grip on my hand tightened subtly, then relaxed. “Fuck, she’s hot.”
I grinned. Did he know how much I loved hearing him say that? He was confident enough to know this wouldn’t bother me. He was a man, hardwired to be attracted to tits and ass, and it seemed fucking stupid for him to hide it. Let him look and enjoy. I was. And my tits and ass were nicer, not to mention Dominic owned every inch of me, which made my ass a million times better.
Evie snatched the five-dollar bill from Logan and stood swiftly. She charged toward the end of the line of men waiting to tip, her face determined.
“That was . . . unexpected.” Logan’s expression had an edge of concern. Maybe he’d expected her to be too shy.
Like blood in the water, the men noticed her presence as a herd, and a few jaws dropped open. They parted, all gesturing for her to go to the front of the line. “Hey, ladies first,” one of them said.
Evie was probably bright red. I couldn’t see with her back facing us, but one of the guys at the front leaned over and said something close to her ear. She turned to look up at him wide-eyed, and Logan bolted out of his chair.
“Wait,” Dominic called. “It’s cool.”
Apparently all the man had said to Evie was to put the money on her lips, which she did. Yeah, Evie. I laughed as the fully nude blonde took one look at my friend with a five-dollar bill on her face, and sauntered her direction. I had to believe every pair of eyes in the building were watching as the stripper palmed her breasts, and leaned into Evie so she was nuzzled between them.
“Fuck,” Logan swore in appreciation. “I think I have another five.”
The blonde’s breasts were pushed together, so when the stripper stepped back, the five-dollar bill was stuck in her cleavage. People hollered for her to do it again, and someone yelled for Evie to take her top off. That sobered Logan quickly.
“Save your money,” Dominic said. “We’ve got a private room we can head to whenever yo
u want.”
Logan’s attention turned to Dominic, stunned and yet grateful, and it was clear he understood. A private room meant lap dances away from an unwanted audience. Right now there were dances going on in the open booths lining the left wall. Anyone could watch the girls as they slid their bodies over the customers, which was sexy, and also safer for the dancers. But the strippers always had bras and panties on. We’d get to see more in the private room.
Sure enough, Evie’s face was flamingly red when she turned on her heel and marched back toward our table, but she held her chin up. As she made her way through the tables of men, they stared up at her, lust in their eyes, and it was clear that wasn’t lost on her. Oh, there was power in being a desired woman. I knew about that. At times, the power could be downright addictive.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” Logan asked, his lips teasing a smile.
“Did you, boss?” Her voice was casual. “She smelled like strawberries.”
The server came by with our glasses, and Dominic doled them out to the table. We drank and watched a few more performers, but no one held a candle to that first blonde who’d mastered the pole.
The shower show was nice. The ebony stripper had fantastic tits, and they looked even better when they were glossed with soap and water. As we finished our drinks, a redhead wandered past, dragging her hand along my shoulders.
“Do you or any of your friends want a dance?”
“Maybe in a little bit,” Dominic answered for me. She smiled and flitted away, and he turned quickly to me. “Unless you were into her? Did I just make a horrible mistake?”
“Please. You know I’ve got my eye on someone else.”
We hadn’t talked about me getting a lap dance, he just knew. His eyes lit with amusement. “The blonde?”
I nodded as my hand tried to travel a line up to his dick, but he squeezed my wrist. “Control yourself.” His expression went strict and hard. “Or I’ll do it for you.”
Evil, evil man. Saying that in his dark voice turned the volume up on my lust until it was deafening. Yet, he had a good reason to stop me. I’d feel awful if I got us kicked out and Evie and Logan’s night came to an abrupt end.
