Electrified

by Rachel Blaufeld

  Trying to keep from blushing, she said, “The salad with the creamy house dressing. It has all kinds of crunchies and goodies in it, the stuff that falls to the bottom. I usually get that and one of the pasta dishes.”

  He nodded. “Sounds good to me. I’m thinking of chicken marsala.”

  “Oh, that’s good, too,” Sienna said, and gave him a big, genuine smile. She was turning into a cheese ball, but she decided she liked that. She was starting to enjoy dating. A lot. Maybe a bit too much.

  Carson ordered a glass of wine for himself and Sienna opted for club soda. She was working later that night, and needed to be on her game.

  The conversation flowed, but stayed pretty neutral after their chat on her deal with Asher. She steered the conversation toward him, and relaxed as he told her more about himself.

  Carson couldn’t discuss much of what he used to do at the FBI, and now he was basically for hire, mostly on hard-to-crack missing persons cases. He liked to travel and blow off steam in between assignments due to the volatile nature of what he did, and apparently Vegas was his go-to place only when he was in the middle of a job. He saved the Caribbean for when he put a case to rest.

  Lucky for her, Carson revealed he didn’t have much family. Sienna followed suit and said her parents were gone, fibbing that she was an only child. This made Asher and the girls being her only family much more plausible.

  Sienna found herself relaxing and enjoying herself. The fact that she was out in public, surrounded by people, and without a hat to hide her very recognizable face faded into the background with everything else. Carson seemed genuinely interested in her owning part of the club, while resolved to the idea that she was a dancer.

  She wasn’t going to change. Dancing was her salvation, although he didn’t know it.

  Carson set her at ease. For the first time in forever, she felt like she wasn’t being watched. From being a small girl under constant scrutiny for modest behavior, to her chaperoned dates with Elon where an elder took in her every move, to feeling like she needed to have eyes behind her back, this was the “first” that hit home the most. A feeling of being completely at ease.

  Not that it mattered too much. She was only having fun, making a memory, and that was it. After today, Sienna was going back to erecting the walls that were solidly placed around her heart, body, and soul, protecting her from anyone who might destroy her safety net. But God help her, Carson became more and more irresistible as the awkwardness of their date wore off.

  A small touch brought Sienna out of her fog. Sadly, they were finished with their food and the bill sat looming on the table.

  Her hand tingled when Carson placed his big one over it. “Do you have time to get a coffee next door before you go back?” he asked, while his touch continued to burn through her palm. His eyes twinkled, inviting her to dive in, but she couldn’t right now. It was all too much.

  She couldn’t deny there was a sexual fuse between the two, but she was inexperienced with how to handle that other than the overt sexual flirting she used while performing. In a one-on-one situation, she was at a loss. Carson must be so frustrated with me.

  He probably thought he was going out with a sex goddess, a woman on the frontier of sexual experimentation, and most likely a slut. Unfortunately for him, she was none of the above.

  As much as she wanted the date to go on, she felt it was a good idea for her to go home now. Mostly because her hand twitched to grasp Carson’s and never, ever let go.

  Her traitorous heart was willing her to do just that, but her brain won.

  “I think I’m just going to grab a tea to go,” she told him. “I have a quick errand before I go back and prep for my night.”

  Carson looked disappointed, even though he had to know this was only lunch. She’d warned him she wasn’t fast. Oh, but she wanted to be, which was why taking a tea to go was the smart move. After all, he had said earlier she was smart.

  “Sure. I get it. It must be hard working opposite hours as everyone else,” he said as they stood from the table.

  “I guess for some, but not for me. I told you, I don’t have much of a life outside the club, and my friends are all there. I guess it’s easier that way.”

  “Well, I hope you make room for someone not from the club,” Carson whispered in her ear as he helped her up from her seat. Once standing, she found herself face-to-face with him, and before she could move, he leaned in and left a trail of feather-light kisses from her ear down her neck.

  He was marking her right in broad daylight in front of anyone to bear witness. His actions told her he wanted her, and he was going to make sure everyone knew it. Including her.

  Stunned, Sienna couldn’t move, and Carson took advantage of yet another opportunity to lean in and place a small kiss high on her cheekbone. It was sweet, chaste, but full of promise. A promise that Sienna knew she couldn’t make good on. Ever.

  Or could she?

  She wanted to skip work and lose herself in the man who just took her on her first lunch date. Instead she asked, “Are you coming to the club tonight? I think I might like that.”

  If her brain was winning before the tiny electromagnetic kisses still burning their way down her neck and her cheek, her heart was victorious at the moment. Shock waves ran through her body making her bold, asking and saying things she shouldn’t be saying. Now there was no way of retracting it.

  “You know what,” he said, “I think I will. I leave tomorrow, and there’s nothing more that I would like than to see you dance.”

  Uh-oh.

  He gently put his arm around her shoulders, almost as if he knew she needed to be treated with care, and led her to the exit. It was the most divine feeling.

  “Okay, see you there then. This was great, Carson. Really, so much fun. And thanks for making it easy. I’m going to see if Mike wants something. Actually, I’m going to see if he wants to go in with me. His legs could use a stretch, I’m sure.” She was rambling on and on, and she couldn’t stop. It was time to say good-bye. She slipped out of his embrace and gave him one last sweet smile.

  One, she had to leave so she could breathe.

  Two, she needed to get away so she didn’t ask him to move in with her or something ridiculous like that.

  Three, she needed to escape before he kissed her anywhere again. Ear, cheek, neck, lips. Anywhere. Period.

  Sienna knew Carson was watching her as she walked over to Mike’s car. Something about it felt so right and amazingly wonderful with his heated gaze on her back. She knew she shouldn’t wrap herself up in some false notion of security with him, but she couldn’t help it. She was so far gone already, unable to pull herself back to reality.

  Right now she was a girl. A girl in “like” with a man who was far from a young boy, and she needed to get her head right again.

  She tapped on Mike’s window and he rolled it down.

  “You want a coffee or tea?”

  “I thought you were coming over for relationship advice,” he teased, a big grin on his face.

  “Ha, real funny, Mike! No, I actually have to run to the Meow before going home, and I thought you could just follow me down. I was being nice, you big jerk! I was going to treat you to a drink before we left.”

  Sienna gave the sass right back to him while realizing Mike gave her the comedic break she needed. He must have noticed how deep in her head she was when she walked to his truck. Her new family knew her unlike the family she had been born into.

  “Yeah, sure, babe. I’ll take a large coffee with cream and sugar. You sure you want to drive yourself to the Strip? I could follow you home and we could dump your car?”

  She knew he was looking for an excuse to chat, but she wanted some time to herself to daydream about Carson. “I think I want to take my car, let the top down, and enjoy the day. Rain check?”

  “Yeah, yeah. I got you, babe.”

  He really does.

  WITH A coffee delivered to Mike, the top down on her convertible,
and iced green tea in the drink console, Sienna pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the Strip. She let the wind blow her hair and her thoughts drift to the man from lunch.

  For so many years, avoiding being discovered or revealed for who she really was commanded every one of her actions. She must have reached some breaking point, spurring her to fall for Carson. She was spiraling out of control and had no idea how to stop it, nor did she want to.

  But she had to.

  Sure, there were other men over the years who had watched her and gave signals they wanted to know more about the stripper onstage. She just avoided any real eye contact. Scanning the audience as she blew kisses to the crowd, her signature farewell each evening, she took in the smiles and pleased expressions, but gave nothing more.

  Sienna never really interpreted any of the looks to be anything greater than wanting a good time, and she certainly never pursued any of the men like she had Carson.

  Now she was deep in a situation that could prove to be disastrous. So, her mission to the Cat’s Meow was twofold.

  She actually did need a wax in order to wear what she wore every night at the club, and she knew she could turn to Penelope, the always sassy, up-for-anything owner, for man advice. As usual, Sienna parked in the back of the Cat’s Meow and called the front desk for someone to let her in. She knew a little talk with the bikini waxer to the stars of Las Vegas was just what the doctor ordered.

  Penelope certainly had her fair share of men, but she never committed to one for a long time. She was a lover of life and all flavors of men, and had been around the block. A Vegas native, her mother a longtime showgirl, and her dad a casino host back in the good old days, she was a bit of a mother hen to a select group despite her sultry vixen appearance. With natural red curls that hung down her back and her sea-foam-green eyes, creamy skin, and always sexy, incredibly hoarse voice, she didn’t make it easy for men to look the other way.

  Plus, she was smart. Penelope took full advantage of living in Vegas and looking the way she did. She would advise Sienna on how to take what she wanted from Carson and move on.

  But did she even want that?

  Inside the Cat’s Meow, she went straight to Penelope’s treatment room. Penelope no longer took appointments through the front desk, choosing instead to work exclusively with a small clientele who contacted her directly for both privacy and immediate service. When Sienna texted her earlier, Penelope gave her the green light to head in during the afternoon.

  Sienna took a deep breath as she undressed and lay down completely naked on Penelope’s table. She needed the works—a Brazilian bikini, her eyebrows, and the small trail of peach fuzz from her stomach to the area that Carson had recently lit on fire. It would give her plenty of time to discuss the issue with Penelope.

  “Hi, Sie. How are you doing, honey?”

  Sienna relaxed at the sound of Penelope’s soothing, inviting voice. “Good, it’s been packed at the club. Asher’s happy, so I’m happy. Syd and Petal are lighting up the stage, which is great for them. And I like a guy.” She had no clue why her usually guarded self just spit that right out. There she was talking about guys like it was a normal, everyday thing for her.

  She lay still, purposefully taking long breaths in and out. They were more about her sudden talkative mouth and less about the hair about to be ripped from her most sensitive areas.

  “Well, good for Syd and Petal, but even better for you,” Penelope said warmly. Then she got to work, providing Sienna with just the right amount of distance to continue. She might have been lying there naked, but to bare her thoughts, Sienna needed a distraction. She couldn’t have said what she wanted to say while looking Penelope in the face.

  “So, this guy, Carson, has been coming to the club and staying for just my act. He’s good-looking…well, gorgeous, and it seems that he likes me and I think I may like him. He’s tall and dark, and he has this funky tattoo that just adds to his mystery. Short black hair like mink, curling around his ears, and a scruffy five o’clock shadow speckled with a little gray. It makes him classy and distinguished.” She paused for a second, then said, “He’s tough and strong, but you can tell he’s got a gentle soul. I’ve fallen for this one.”

  Penelope only nodded her head and murmured a soft “Mmm-hmm” to show she was listening.

  As she stared at the ceiling, Sienna went on. “You know I’ve never really been involved, but I may want to test the waters with this one. It’s a good way to get my feet wet because he doesn’t live here, so no real fear of a big commitment.”

  Rip. Rip. Penelope’s gaze was totally focused on Sienna’s inner thighs, but she was all ears. “Go on.”

  She tried to remain cool and noncommittal. “I feel a connection. Like maybe we could get together a little bit…together-together, you know? But there’s something else. I’m a little inexperienced in intimate relations. I’m not sure how to act or what to do.”

  Penelope sighed. “Aw, sweetie, you don’t have to do anything but be your lovable self. If this man is all that you describe him to be, he’s an alpha and he’ll lead the way. That’s it. Nothing to worry about.”

  Sienna lifted her head and caught Penelope’s gaze. “Are you sure? Do I need to be sending out some kind of signal?”

  More ripping. Penelope moved Sienna’s legs up and in, making sure she could wear a thong and reveal nothing but a bare bum.

  “Oh, I’m sure, Sienna. Besides the fact that you’ve got a killer bod, you’re the hottest stripper in Vegas with the most spectacular smile and personality of anyone I know. Just be you. Let your inner and outer beauty shine.”

  “Hmm, okay.” Sienna was unsure about that being true, but she had no other reference point, so she’d run with it. “What if I don’t want to get too attached? I don’t think he’s that type, but just in case?”

  Done with the waxing, Penelope began applying an exfoliant to her stomach, making it smooth and glowing. She bit her lip, then looked at Sienna and said, “No protection from that, honey. Maybe for a woman like me who can keep her heart distanced, but not for someone as kind and lovable as you.”

  She gave Sienna a smile and said, “No man in his right mind would let you get away.”

  Sunday night

  THE CLUB was definitely buzzing on the evening following her lunch date with Carson. They called it the Electric Tunnel for a reason, and tonight, the place was electrified with sexual energy, pulsing curiosity, and the sheer force of several hundred people seeking out a sensually charged good time. It was like a live wire inside the four walls of the club.

  Tonight only more so for Sienna.

  Even though it was Sunday, Sienna stayed back in her dressing room until she went onstage. Tonight was busier than usual, more like a Saturday than a Sunday, so Asher had put his foot down and insisted there would be no walking the club, definitely no peeking out in the crowd. She needed to level her emotions over Carson being out there somewhere, not heighten them, so she gave in without an argument.

  Petal stopped by and mentioned the floor was packed. “Wall-to-wall people out there. Men, couples, and even a bachelorette party.”

  Asher came by and said the dude in the cowboy hat was back, but they didn’t let him past the rope outside the door. In fact, they told him he wasn’t welcome anymore. Ever.

  Sienna wasn’t sure if that was a relief or an omen. Why would he come back if he was asked to leave? Why did he want to find her so badly?

  She didn’t have time for it.

  Not going to ruin my night.

  Asher also casually mentioned the guy she had asked him about a few days ago was back. “The one who sat front and center, came and went before and after your show with the black hair? Come to think of it…I think he’s the same man who spoke to you when you broke your own damn protocol and walked the club on Friday? I got an eye on him, but don’t have any details yet, doll. You okay with him being out there?”

  She began to twirl a stray strand of hair and focused
her attention on the floor. “Uh, Ash, I should probably tell you this now. I went on a date with him. Before you get mad, that’s what I came to chat with you about when I found Nat in your kitchen.” She didn’t dare raise her eyes.

  “What? What the fuck? You went on a date and didn’t tell me? Jesus Christ, he could’ve been a scumbag, attacked you, or hurt you. You don’t know anything about this guy.” Asher paced the length of the room, anger pouring off of him, definitely making Sienna regret waiting to tell him about Carson.

  “No, no. He’s not like that, but I took Mike with me both times I saw him.” She risked lifting her face.

  “Both?” He stopped moving and stood over her, his hands at his waist, his expression ominous.

  “Y-y-yes. Once for coffee, and earlier today for lunch. Mike tailed me, had his eyes on me the whole time. It’s all fine now. Don’t freak out! I was curious. I don’t think it’s going to be anything.” She tried a smile on him and it worked like a charm; the tension melted from his body. She knew Asher couldn’t bear to be mad at her for long.

  Asher pulled Sienna in for a hug. “Oh, babe, I wish you would’ve told me. I could’ve stepped away from Natalie for a minute. But now I’m so glad you went. Making a life for yourself, that’s what you have to do.”

  She breathed into his chest. “Ash, I don’t think so. I’m not ready, but this little thing was fun. Now I’m going back to life as I know it. Don’t worry, I’m going to be fine.”

  “Whatever you say, missie, but we’re going to discuss this more this week when we go out of town,” Asher said with a wink. “This is a step in the right direction. Time to branch out, but that doesn’t mean I’m still not pissed and you don’t have to be cautious. I don’t like being kept in the dark.”

  We are so not discussing this when we’re away because I’m going to be forgetting Carson.

  Sienna’s time to head out to the stage was up. She went with a cat suit again tonight. Her hair was still down like earlier, soft waves rippling through the golden-hued lengths. Her suit, a white opalescent second skin on her curves, a zipper running the entire length of the bodice, only exposed a tiny bit of her neck and chest at the moment, and she’d chosen sparkly gold platforms for her feet. Her makeup much heavier than usual, with cat eyes formed from her dark midnight-blue eyeliner and smoky-gray lids. Once she’d finished off her makeup with gold lip gloss, then smoothed shimmery lotion over every inch of her skin, Sienna was ready to titillate.