by Lia Slater
Here it goes.
Ava sighed and pulled the stiff comforter over her bare body. Why had she let herself spin daydreams that Kade might be that guy? The one who would rescue her from Zack Moreno...and herself. What a joke. Hadn’t she figured it out by now? The only one who could save her was herself. She listened as the toilet flushed and then watched him as he walked back to the bed with a tight grin on his face. He pulled his jeans on and zipped them up, all the while avoiding eye contact.
“Want a beer?” he asked as if they’d just finished watching a football game together instead of making passionate love twice. He opened the mini refrigerator and pulled out a bottle.
“I get it,” she mumbled and began scanning the dimly lit room for any trace of her clothing. She spotted her panties and scooped them up.
“What do you get, exactly?” He twisted the cap off, not giving her his full attention and not seeming to give a crap what her answer would be.
“I’m supposed to leave before it gets awkward.”
She pulled her panties on and picked up her skirt and sweater.
“Come on, you said yourself this was a one night stand.” He took a swig of his beer and then set it down on top of the fridge. “I don’t even know your real name.”
And it’s a good thing, too.
She tugged her skirt up and tried to remain calm. She should be used to assholes treating her like a discount whore, like she was less than her worth. Unfortunately, she let this particular asshole lure her out of the safety of the club and straight to his bed.
She’d been lonely and she’d let herself read too much into his actions, and the connection they made in bed. It was a stupid mistake, and she wouldn’t let it happen again.
“Hey,” he said in a low voice and walked the distance between them. “I’m sorry if you thought this was leading somewhere. I didn’t mean to give you that impression. I’m only in town until I complete a job and then I’m gone. A relationship would never work.”
Ava gave him her best dirty look. “Don’t you think I know that? Why else wouldn’t I give you my name? It was just sex. No big deal.”
She shrugged but couldn’t seem to take her eyes off of his shirtless body. The ribbed muscles. The scars that didn’t seem to faze him. The eyes that bore into her.
Focus, Ava. He’s a jerk.
She took a deep breath and slid her arms into her sweater. His hand ran down the side of her breast before she could fully pull it on.
“No big deal? Do you mean that?” he asked with an unsmiling face.
“Don’t touch me,” she snapped, more furious with herself than with him.
He pulled his hand away and clenched it at his side. “Sorry. You tempt me like no woman I’ve ever known before.”
“You don’t know me, and you never will.” She clasped her sweater shut and grabbed her jacket off the floor.
“Listen. I don’t want it to end this way. I’d like to see you again before I leave. Maybe tonight after you get off work?”
Ava held back a laugh. How desperate did he think she was? “Sorry. I have a date,” she lied. Dates were a thing of the past. Something she couldn’t enjoy as long as she was on the run. But he didn’t need to know that. If he could play games, then so could she.
“With who?” he asked, his blue eyes narrowing. Why did he even care? She shook her head and opened the door to leave.
“With who?” he repeated and grabbed her wrist.
“One of the bouncers? One of those loser guys who sit in there all day dishing out money just so they can get a woman to touch him?”
She twisted from his grip. “Gee, aren’t you one of those loser guys?” she asked but knew he wasn’t. No, Kade was unlike any other man she’d ever met. The way he stared at her with thick dark lashes shading his menacing icy eyes told her that much, and it was answer enough.
She huffed out a breath and shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. What I do is none of your business anyway.”
He heaved the door shut and towered over her, cradling her face and forcing her to look up at him.
“Your date’s canceled. Come back here after work,
and I’ll make you forget any other man exists. I promise.” He dipped his mouth and threatened to kiss her.
“Promises are for fools,” she said, staring at his lips. “And I’m no fool.”
“That’s a shame, because we’d get along a lot better if you were.” He grinned and trapped her against the door. His mouth molded to hers and his tongue thrust past her parted lips as she gasped. One of his hands braced the back of her neck while the other slipped under her sweater and roughly caressed her breast.
Ava tried to shove him away, but he didn’t budge. She should have been frightened. She should have bit his tongue, kneed his groin, and shoved the palm of her hand straight at the bridge of his nose. Just like she’d learned in the self-defense class she’d graduated from less than a month ago. But she didn’t fear Kade—she yearned for him. In his bed, cradled in his strong arms, she could forget all her worries. She didn’t need to think about the looming possibility of Zack finding and hurting her. She was safe. Free from fear and free from her disguise.
If only the overgrown man would stop acting likesuch an ass.
With fire in his passionate eyes, he finally broke the kiss and opened the door. “I’ll see you soon,” he said in a gruff voice.
She didn’t argue. She’d have plenty of time to do that later. Pinching her sweater and jacket shut, she left.
Chapter Three
After getting a few hours of sleep, Kade showered and dressed. It was time to scope out his probable target, Poppy. And maybe check the stats on Lily’s loser date.
Damn it. Why did he care? It shouldn’t have mattered to him, but just the thought of another man touching her made him mad as hell. Especially so soon after she’d been in his bed, in his arms. God, she’d had his cock inside her one night and she was planning on going out with another man the next. He shook his head. That didn’t seem right. Sure, she was a stripper, but she seemed so sweet. Not the type to fuck around. And, hell, she’d been so tight, almost virginal. His balls tightened from the memory.
Her beautiful face came to mind. Lily. The fact that he didn’t know her real name ground at his nerves as well. How could he even begin to have feelings for a woman who was nothing but a stripper incognito?
Fuck it all. He had more important things to worry about.
He reached under his bed and pulled out his duffle bag to see if everything was still in order before he left the hotel room. His handgun was tucked safely in its lockbox between a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
Satisfied, he clasped it shut, locked it and then slid the bag back under the bed. It wasn’t safe to leave the gun in a hotel room for anyone to find, but he couldn’t get it past the bouncer’s pat-down at the front door. All he could do was tell the hotel manager he didn’t want his room cleaned and hope for the best.
Not that he wanted to carry the gun around. He’d seen enough violence and heard enough gunshots during his tours in Iraq and Afghanistan to last him a lifetime.
Most of the time, Kade used his size and sometimes his fists to get what he wanted. People listened when he talked, making his job that much easier.
Which is why he wondered how Lily wasn’t afraid of him. Not even after she’d seen the scars on his body.
She had to know he wasn’t just a regular businessman traveling through town. She had to know he was dangerous and selfish, not worth the time of day she’d given him so far.
Kade drew in a breath, and the vision of her naked underneath him ran wickedly through his mind. To hell with it. Until she figured it out, he planned on taking full of advantage of her naivety.
****
The so-called dressing room was filled with every emotion a woman could have. Poppy was talking and laughing about the guy with man-boobs who always liked to rub his own nipples when she danced for him. Jasmine was crying about her latest
breakup. Rose was screaming about the hairy spider in the toilet.
And Ava was angry and horny at the same time.
She walked past the other women and set her bag in one of the cement-colored, doorless stalls. The room was comprised of four of them, with the toilets removed from all but one and replaced with a bench, a full-length mirror and a single hook to hang stuff. Not exactly classy, but at least it gave Ava a little privacy when she changed costumes.
What a glamorous life. She sighed at just the thought of it. She missed her old life working with the animals at the shelter while studying to be a veterinarian during the week and volunteering at the battered women’s group home on the weekend. How ironic that she had turned into one of them. Zack had called her a saint once, and now he truly wanted her to join the angels.
“Coming in, girls,” Jarred warned, and Ava peeked around the stall to see him barging through the backroom door as if he owned the joint. Arrogant bastard. His brother was the owner, but Jarred might as well have been. Most of the hiring and firing was left up to him.
“Hey, Jarred,” Poppy said in an adoring tone. The woman had a serious crush on the tall, dark, muscular man and everyone in the club knew it. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem Jarred felt the same way. “Hey,” he answered her but gave Ava his attention. “Could everyone give me and Lily some privacy? I need to discuss something with her.”
Shit. Shit. Shit. What did he want now?
With reluctance and audible irritation, the women left the room, leaving Ava alone with him. Thankfully, she hadn’t started to undress for her shift yet and was fully clothed.
“What’s up, Jarred?” She leaned against the outside of the stall so she wouldn’t be trapped inside.
“I wanted to ask you that same question.” He lazily walked to her and stopped only inches away. His dark brown eyes took in her entire body in one swooping glance. “You seemed to be into that guy yesterday, but I didn’t see him tip you. You have something going on with him?”
“No. I was just avoiding the jerks from the university.” She gave him her best innocent smile, loathing that she had to be nice to him.
“Ah, well, they’re the ones who buy drinks and keep us in business. We don’t want them disappointed, do we?”
“Won’t do it again.” Just tell him what he wantsto hear so he’ll leave.
He inched closer. “I’d hate to see you get fired, Ava. You know bringing in your boyfriend is a nono.”
“He’s not my boyfriend, and please call me Lily.”
She despised that she’d had a moment of weakness one night after work and told him her real name...after succumbing to four shots of tequila. It had been a long day and all she’d wanted to do was drain her sorrows. But as the evening had progressed, Jarred had begun looking less like an asshole and more like her salvation. What a joke. She vaguely remembered making out with him in the parking lot. Thank God Poppy had caught them, putting a stop to it before anything else happened. But now Poppy hated her guts, and, honestly, Ava didn’t blame her.
The whole ordeal had been a new low for Ava, and she swore to herself she’d never drink tequila again. Especially when accompanied by the likes of Jarred.
He stared down at her for a moment. His predatory gaze shifted to her lips and then to her breasts. “Just so we’re clear then,” he finally said and turned his back to her. “See you out there, Ava. ”
****
Kade scanned the room for his target. And Lily. But neither was in sight so he took a seat at his usual table in the back.
The place was mostly empty. Nearby, a man in a business suit sat at the bar talking to the fortysomething bikini-clad bartender who looked like she’d led a hard life. A couple of scraggly looking men in painter’s uniforms were sitting at the stage watching the raven-haired dancer blow bubbles while wearing a school girl skirt and no top. And to the left of the stage were a few young-looking guys, drinking and watching one of their buddies get a lap dance by a blonde with fake lopsided breasts. Kade figured they were students from the local university. Then he spotted Poppy. She pushed through a door and nearly rammed it into one of the ogling boys, but he didn’t seem to notice and neither did she. Her face was red, and she looked pissed as she stormed over to the bartender.
“Lily’s doing it again,” she spewed out. “Can you believe that shit? She’s such a slut.”
Kade’s ears perked up.
“Relax, Pop,” the brassy-haired bartender said while adjusting the strap to her bikini top. “You know Jarred picks a favorite every so often. She’s just his flavor of the month, that’s all. Next week, he’ll be back with you. You can count on it.”
“I bet they’re back there having sex right now.”
So this was the date, huh?
Kade clenched his fists and started to stand. He’d be more than happy to break up anything that was upsetting his target, especially if it had to do with some fucker groping Lily in areas Kade had explored only hours ago.
But before he could approach Poppy, Lily took the stage. He sat back down and drank in the inviting sight. She wore a black lace thong under a tiny see-through teddy and spiky black heels. Kade grew hard just looking at her as she danced slowly and erotically to the beat of the music. Her hips swayed as her painted red fingernails swept over her flat stomach to her neck and back again.
The young men quickly grabbed chairs next to the stage and pulled out their wallets. Lily gave them a cute grin and let the teddy fall to the floor, fully revealing her plump breasts.
They better not touch her. Kade sat up straight in his chair and prepared to make a move.
“Would you like a dance?” Poppy asked, breaking his concentration. She wore a strip of pink spandex as a skirt around her hips, barely covering her goods. A red feathered boa hung between her breasts.
He wanted to say no, but he needed to say yes since he was so close to pinpointing his target and collecting his money.
And getting the hell away from this woman who was driving him insane.
He gave a quick nod but kept his eyes focused on Lily. Without missing a beat, Poppy straddled his leg. Her hands cradled his cheeks and forced him to look her in the eyes.
“You like Lily?” She nodded toward the stage. The fluff from the boa itched at his nose.
“That her up there?” He played dumb.
“You had your finger inside her yesterday, and you don’t even know her name. What a bad boy you are.” She giggled and ran her hand down his chest. That got his attention. His probable target had been watching him, and he hadn’t had a clue. Maybe she was smarter than he gave her credit for, which wasn’t much. Or maybe he had been too distracted to notice.
“Did you like watching me do that?” he asked, trying to get more info.
“I’d like it better if you did it to me.” She scooped the boa over his neck and attempted to pull him into her bare breasts.
Kade resisted. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Lily tug at her panty strap so the punk kid with the green and white striped polo shirt could stick a dollar under it. “Did what to you?” he asked, absently.
Poppy leaned over him and blocked his view. She brushed her fingers down his stomach, over his penis and back up again. Then she put her lips to his ear. “Anything you want,” she whispered. Kade cleared his throat. He needed to move this interview along. “What’s your real name, Poppy?”
“That is my real name, silly.” She gave him a coy grin and tickled a feather along his forehead. Kade swept it away. “Right. Every dancer here is named after some sort of flower. It’s cute but a little annoying.”
“Fine,” she said, looking irritated. “It’s whatever you want it to be.”
“Do you ladies practice saying that?”
“What do you want from me, buddy?” She pouted her lavender-painted lips at him. “I’m just trying to make some money here.”
Kade took the not so subtle hint and pulled out his wallet. He handed her a five dollar bill. She roll
ed her almond-shaped green eyes at it and stuck it in her band of a skirt. “What did you give Lily?”
“A hell of a lot more.” He smiled at the memory. Poppy gave him a piercing glare and stepped away, but Kade grabbed her feathered scarf and drew her forward until they were eye to eye.
“What do you want?” she asked him.
“I want Ava Lureau,” he said, finally losing all of his patience.
A look of distaste spread across her face as she jerked the boa out of his grasp. “You’re an asshole,”
she said and walked away.
That wasn’t exactly the response Kade had expected, giving him doubts. He let out a breath and tried to remain calm. If Poppy wasn’t his target then who the hell was?
****
Ava tried not to notice Poppy fondling Kade in the back of the room. She was not jealous. The man obviously wanted another night of free sex, just not from her.
“Hey,” the guy in the polo shirt said after sliding a twenty dollar bill under the string she was holding out for him. “Can I get a dance, a private one?” A boyish grin cut across his lips. He was cute. Only a couple years younger than her. Could have been someone she would have dated back home. Well, before Zack came into her life.
“Sure. It’s fifty bucks. You pay the bouncer over there.” She pointed to Jarred who watched her intently from the doorway. “Tips are extra.”
“I’ll pay whatever you want.” His smile widened, showing his perfectly aligned white teeth his parents probably paid a fortune for.
“Okay, sweetie, I’ll meet you back there.” Ava brushed a finger over his nose and left to collect money from a couple more men who were offering. Then she scooped up her teddy and headed off the stage.
The room designated for private dances was a little more posh than the rest of the club, which wasn’t saying much. Red carpet covered the floor and ended in the middle of the room where a small stage with a pole extended to the ceiling. Black velvet curtains draped all of the walls from top to bottom, and two leather loveseats sat on either side of the stage.
