“We came in to talk to you, but that,” Daine said, pointing at my morning hard-on, jutting up below the sheet, “is much more interesting.”
I pulled a pillow over my crotch and opened the other eye.
“Can’t this wait?” I asked. “I’m obviously sleeping.”
“No, because Fox and I are going for a hike in a few minutes and we wanted to talk to you before we left,” Blaze said.
I sat up with a sigh, shaking my head.
“Fine, what is it?” I asked, running a hand through my hair.
“Daine told us everything,” Fox said.
I looked over at Daine and shook my head, “What the fuck, dude?”
“You know I can’t keep a fucking secret to save my life, Richie,” he said, frustrated that I’d even expected anything different from him.
“It doesn’t matter,” Fox said. “You should have come to us.”
“For what?”
“For help. Daine said you were trying to get a loan, that you’re serious about buying the club. You won’t get a loan without a considerable down payment.”
“I have a down payment.”
“It’s not enough,” Daine said, shaking his head. I glared at him. I couldn’t believe they’d woken me up to talk about the one thing I was trying to escape from in my sleep.
“You don’t know that,” I growled.
“Yes, we do,” Blaze said. “My uncle is a banker. I called him. He told me for a loan that big, you gotta have perfect credit, a solid business plan, assets and a significant amount to put up front.”
“What are you saying?”
“You don’t have enough,” Daine said. “But together, if we all pitch in, we can scrape it together.”
“What?” I asked. “I’m not taking your money.”
“Why not?” Fox said. “We can be partners.”
“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s a lot to ask. If I fail — which is most likely to happen — fine, it’s my ass on the line. I’m not comfortable with bringing you all down with me. It’s not right.”
“Fuck that,” Blaze said, shrugging. “We’re offering. You can’t say no. And besides, if you don’t get the loan, we all get our money back and we still have our jobs. We can’t lose.”
I shook my head, my thoughts spinning. They still had no idea Barry was going to close the club down in just a few months. I felt a huge pang of guilt for not telling them.
No matter what, I had to find a way to save the club.
“Let’s just wait and see what the banker says, okay fellas? If I need your help, we’ll talk about it then.”
“Fair enough,” Fox said. “We’re heading out to Mt. Charleston. You wanna come?”
“No, thanks,” I said, as they started walking out. “Hey. Thanks, that’s real cool of y’all to offer up your life’s savings.”
“What are friends for?” Daine said, smiling.
“Apparently not for keeping secrets,” I quipped.
“Oh, shut up,” he said. “Are you still hard?”
“Get out!” I said, throwing the pillow at him.
“Oh, you are! What a python you’ve got in the morning, Richie!”
“Yeah, yeah, they don’t call me the king of dick for nothing, now get out!”
He laughed and closed the door, leaving me alone with my guilt.
And my raging morning wood.
CHAPTER 13
TILLIE
The day flew by in a flash and before I knew it, the sun was setting on the horizon, streaks of vibrant pink and purple and orange throwing a colorful aura over the strip below my hotel balcony. I’d returned to my hotel for a quiet dinner and to drop off the massive amount of shopping bags I’d acquired.
Basically, I bought an entirely new wardrobe, inspired by my new leather jacket. I’d dressed modestly most of my life, thinking I was appearing sophisticated and classy with my simple dresses and cardigans and pleated slacks. But something was slowly changing inside of me and I loved the way I felt wearing the jacket, the way it contrasted with my blonde hair, the way it fit tightly against my torso, like it was embracing me like a lover’s arms. It’d been so long since I’d felt anything like that, the feeling was bittersweet, but that didn’t take away the fact that I felt edgy and modern, and yet still sophisticated and classy, at the same time.
I wanted more of that.
So, I’d gone with the feeling and chosen items completely out of my wheelhouse. I bought tight fitting designer jeans and some outrageously expensive knee-high leather boots that fit like a second skin and perfectly matched my new jacket. I’d spent an ungodly amount of money on an assortment of slinky, low-cut tailored blouses, and even splurged on some new, lacy French lingerie.
By the time I finished my dinner and left the hotel in my new clothes, I felt like a new woman completely. Tonight, I decided to venture away from the strip and headed downtown to enjoy the Freemont Experience, a light show that I’d seen advertised on almost every billboard and taxi in town.
I wandered around the area for hours, stopping in to play roulette for a while and spend a few minutes on a slot machine at the Golden Nugget, before exploring Binions and doing the same thing all over again. Several hours and several drinks later, not to mention several ecstatic wins later, I was high on life as I stumbled around with a smile on my face.
I didn’t care that I was alone.
I didn’t care that I was now a single fifty year-old divorcée.
I didn’t care about much at all, to tell you the truth.
So, without a care in the world, I found my feet leading me into a dingy, darkened bar called Cowboys, all alone, way after midnight, and without any clue in the world that walking through that door would change my life forever.
CHAPTER 14
RICHIE
Barry was at the club when I got there, locked in his office as usual. I resisted the urge to go talk to him and beg him to reconsider my original offer. I’m not naive. I know there’s no way in hell that loan is going to go through, even if I take my friend’s money.
I have no assets.
I don’t even know what my credit score is, but I can guarantee you it’s not lets-give-him-a-million-dollars good. We’re screwed, basically, and now I’m the asshole because I haven’t been upfront and honest with my buddies, no matter what Barry asked me to do.
Why should my loyalty lie with him, instead of my brothers?
I decided to come clean tomorrow morning. Sit them all down at breakfast and explain everything. That way, we could all come up with a solution together. There are other clubs in town we can work at. And there’s gotta be other jobs we can do, also — like Daine’s pirate at Treasure Island. Vegas is filled with people pretending to be fucking Disney characters and shit.
We’d figure it out.
Tonight, all I wanted to concentrate on was doing my job and making as much cash as possible. The vibrations of the music were already pumping through the club and I was dressed — or rather, undressed — and ready, waiting to be announced.
This moment was always one of my favorite. That first second I went out on stage, the initial layers of frustration from my day falling away from my shoulders, the smile I plastered on my face quickly becoming genuine as I saw the looks on the ladies faces that were out there waiting for me. No matter what, the crowd never let me down. They always managed to pull me out of whatever funk I was in and helped me forget about everything and have fun. Because of that, I made sure I never let them down, either.
I never short-changed them.
I never performed half-assed.
I gave them everything I had, left it all on the stage, because they deserved it. Hell, they were here for an escape just as much as I was.
For my first act tonight, I was a cop. Dressed in black leather pants that were held together by velcro seams at the side and a black leather jacket and leather hat pulled low over my eyes, I strutted out to flashing red lights and the sound of sir
ens pouring through the speakers. The hot lights poured down on me, the sweat already pouring from my skin before I’d even taken anything off at all.
The first notes of my favorite song to dance to rang out, the one that always got the ladies worked up without fail, and just like always, the women cheered as I started dancing.
The pants came off right away, because who are we kidding? The ass is what it’s all about, I know that. I like to give the customer what they want right out of the gate, so they don’t feel short changed.
Before long, I was standing there in nothing but my g-string, my leather boots and my leather jacket.
I spun around, and that’s when I saw a familiar face.
I couldn’t believe it was really her at first, so I did a double take, but there she was, sitting at the edge of the stage with a margarita in her hand and a look of surprise that probably matched my own.
Hot damn, I thought, maybe I’ve been blessed with a small streak of luck, after all…
Unable to resist myself, I danced over to her, smiling wide as I took a knee and bent down, whispering hotly in her ear.
“Hello, Tillie.”
CHAPTER 15
TILLIE
I never expected he would be there.
My god, I didn’t even know I was walking into a strip club at all, but once I figured out what it was, I was happy to stay for the show. Especially after last night. I’d gone into that male revue thinking it was cheesy at first, cliché even. But once Richie hit the stage, I’d been mesmerized and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a blast.
So, if I’d stumbled into a repeat of more of the same, I was ready for it, to say the least.
Never in a million years could I have predicted my luck would be so fortunate that Richie would be on this stage, too.
My mouth dropped open once I realized the hot ‘cop’ was the same hot ‘cowboy’ from last night. The same guy with the piercing eyes that had saved me from that asshole, Daniel. I could tell he was surprised to see me, too, because he froze in his tracks for a beat, before sauntering right over to me and proceeding to make me blush in ways I didn’t know were possible.
He sank to his knees in front of me, leaned down and whispered a husky hello in my ear before grabbing my hands and with a devilish smile, began rubbing them all over his rippling, oiled up abs. I stared up at him in awe, my checks hot, as he slid my fingers around his sculpted body, moving them down to his hips as he opened his thighs and gyrated towards my face.
With wide eyes and an open mouth, I watched as let go of my hands, then turned around and brought his ass cheeks so close to my nose that I pulled my head back. The crowd was going wild as he fell to his hands and knees, humping the stage seductively as he looked over at me and winked.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I tore my gaze away for a second, taking a deep breath before daring to look back at him. My close up view provided intimate details about his body, from the size of his massive hands to the unreal bulge that pulsed beneath his black g-string. I swallowed hard as he moved on after winking at me one last time. Watching as he drove the girls on the other side of the stage just as crazy as he’d driven me, a thick, lusty surge of anticipation rushed through me.
Last night, I’d believed I’d seen the last of him.
I’d never been so happy to be wrong.
I was almost relieved when his act was over, because I was pretty sure I’d been holding my breath the whole time and I wasn’t sure if the light headedness that I was feeling was from the booze I’d been consuming all night or the intoxicating display of man meat I’d just witnessed, or perhaps because this incredible man literally had the ability to take my breath away.
Either way, I needed air. Lots of it.
I stood up and walked outside, my heart racing, my body buzzing, my hands covered in baby oil. Hesitantly, I wiped them on my new jeans, and took a long, deep breath of fresh air.
My head was spinning.
What was I supposed to do now?
Go back in? Leave from the embarrassment of blushing so damned hard? I’m hardly a virgin. Nor am I some kind of prude.
It was all in good fun, I told myself, then laughed out loud.
In fact, it was a damned good time, the best time I’d had in years, honestly.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d touched a man — well, I didn’t want to, actually, because it was Reggie of course and it was awful. Reggie was never the best in bed, and he certainly didn’t have a body like the Adonis I’d just been forced to accost, so maybe he didn’t even count.
Richie was like a masterpiece of masculinity, his body as perfect as a movie stars. And yet, his energy was as down-to-earth as could be.
I walked back in, clueless as to where the night would end up, but knowing with certainty that I wasn’t finished with Richie just yet. I needed more of him.
In fact, I needed a whole lot more of him and if spending just a few more minutes with him was an option, then I wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity like that.
I sat at the end of the bar, away from the stage and ordered another drink. I needed to be out of the action, but I watched with glee as the next performer walked out, dressed as a doctor. The MC said his name was Daine, and he was just as beautiful as Richie, but in a totally different way. He was all bright red hair and blue eyes, his lean, fit frame and long hair made him look like a surfer that had just walked out of the ocean. The women ate him up and he played the part perfectly, a sexy smile on his face the entire time.
“Whose ass do I have to kick tonight to sit next to you?” A low, grumbling voice asked, Richie’s breath hot on my ear again. Goosebumps shot up on the back of my neck as I turned in surprise and offered him a smile, shaking my head as I stared into those eyes.
“Nobody’s. I’m all good tonight, thank you.” He wore the same outfit he’d worn onstage, sans the pants. His thick, muscular thighs flexed as he sat down next to me.
“Are you stalking me?” he asked, with a wink.
“If I’d known you worked here, I might have.”
“Good to know,” he nodded, his gaze raking over me, sizing me up. “It’s good to see you again, Tillie.”
“You too, Richie,” I said, feeling suddenly shy. I pushed it away as best as I could and faced him fully. “So you take your clothes off all over town, huh?”
He laughed, his smile causing those tiny wrinkles to appear at the corners of his eyes again.
“Mostly just here. I work the revue one night a week.”
“So this is home?”
“Pretty much,” he shrugged. “It’s seen better days.”
“I see,” I nodded. “How long have you worked here?”
He was about to answer when a woman walked up, a tall, leggy brunette with bright red lips and huge breasts that threatened to fall out of her skimpy dress.
“Excuse me,” she said, flashing me a quick smile before grabbing Richie’s arm and pushing her breasts into him. “But can I get a private dance, Richie?”
“Of course, darlin,” he said, looking over at me apologetically. I smiled and shrugged.
“Sorry,” he said, lowering his voice. “Will you wait for me? Just one song.”
“I should probably go,” I said, feeling awkward. “It was nice to —."
“—No! C’mon. Finish your drink. Watch Daine, he’s a hoot. I’ll be back in a flash, I promise.”
“I don’t know…”
“Please, Tillie?” he pleaded, his eyes staring deep into mine. Something about the way he said my name made me stop. I nodded.
“Sure, go ahead, I’ll be right here,” I said.
He leaned over and whispered in my ear again.
“Don’t let anyone take my seat,” he growled, his lips brushing up against my ear, sending shocks straight to my core. “I’m not afraid of punching someone.”
I laughed and watched him walk away into a back area, his butt muscles flexing with every step. I licked my lips, transfixed,
leaving me to debate if I liked him better walking towards me, or walking away…
CHAPTER 16
RICHIE
The song ended and I took the girl’s money, hugging her warmly before saying goodbye. She was sweet and appreciative, just like most of the women were. But tonight, there was only one woman on my mind.
I couldn’t believe my fucking luck, to tell you the truth.
When I’d walked away from Tillie last night, I’d figured that was the last I’d seen of her. I fucked up and blew my chance and that was that. It certainly wasn’t the first time
I almost fell on my ass when I saw her. And then, I was so grateful for the fact that grabbing her hands and rubbing them all over my body was the natural thing to do in this environment. In fact, it took all my strength not to press her hands up against my cock, because it was as excited as I was to see her.
When I walked out of the private dance room, my heart sank when I saw she wasn’t at the end of the bar where I’d left her.
“Fuck!” I said under my breath. I knew I shouldn’t have left. But we had a rule that we never said no to a girl when she asked for a private dance, and considering that was where we made most of our money, it made sense. I started to walk back to the dressing room in defeat when I saw Tillie come out of the ladies room and my heart jumped in my chest.
Fuck me if she wasn’t the hottest woman in the room.
Classy, yet stylish. Mature, yet modern.
I caught her eye from across the room and motioned her over. She walked over, providing me a chance to drink her in slowly.
“Thought you left,” I said, smiling down at her.
“I promised I’d stay, didn’t I?” she asked.
“That you did,” I growled, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the private room. I pulled the curtain closed behind us. The private rooms were not really rooms, per se, but more like half a booth with a mirrored backdrop and a privacy curtain. It was definitely a close fit, but since I’d already taken the liberty to molest myself with her hands, I figured being close wouldn’t be too much of an issue anymore.
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