Tough Guy: A Hero Club Novel

by Jamie K. Schmidt

  “We’re here for the rest of the week too,” Chance said, sipping his drink. “Why don’t I help you look for your sister?”

  “You’d do that?” I gaped at him.

  “We’re planning on hitting every bar and strip club in Nevada. Some places will be a bit unsavory. I might as well keep an eye out for her. Lisa is her name?”

  “Lisa Mitchell. Her stripper name is Broadway. If you give me your phone, I’ll bring up her portfolio so you can see what she looks like.”

  “What’s your name, my little bohemian?”

  “Jackie,” I said. “Jackie Mitchell.” I brought up the Zimmerman website and clicked over to Lisa’s headshot and biography.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Jackie.”

  “Nice to meet you too.” I ducked my head, suddenly shy. I handed him back his phone. “That’s her.”

  Chance studied the picture. “I haven’t seen her so far.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “I never forget a pretty face.”

  He really was a charmer. If I hadn’t imprinted on Miles and the burly bouncer type I could see myself falling for Chance’s smile and roguish good looks.

  I took his phone back and typed my cell number into his address book. “Here’s my number. Call me day or night if you see her.”

  “No worries. If she’s in Vegas and out in public, we’ll find her.”

  “Why are you doing this?” He didn’t seem like he was working an angle.

  “I’ve got a sister who runs a little wild too. Her name’s Adele. If she went missing in a town like this, I’d be going crazy.”

  I bit my lip and looked away. “I’m going to hit all the hotels on the Strip and all the ones that give room and board to their employees.”

  “That last is going to be a short list,” Chance said gently.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.” I needed to start another dance otherwise the thought of my sister prostituting herself would choke me. I would have helped her financially, but she wouldn’t have accepted it. I never thought she’d choose to sell her body though. Maybe she hadn’t. But I couldn’t think of another job that would provide room and board in Vegas.

  “I could check out some of the chicken ranches,” Chance offered.

  “Oh, she doesn’t like farms.”

  Chance coughed to hide a laugh. “Chicken ranch is another name for brothel.”

  My face was probably neon red. I hadn’t heard that term before. “Very altruistic of you to check those out for me,” I said, getting up to pace the room. I went through songs I liked in my head, so I could find one to dance to so I could lose myself in the dance again.

  He put a hand over his heart. “I’m willing to sacrifice to aid a damsel in distress.”

  “You are a prince among men.”

  “Most people think I’m a cocky bastard. Besides,” he said sobering. “We responsible siblings have to stick together. If I could save you the heartache I would. Sometimes I wish I could wrap Adele in bubble wrap, so she doesn’t get hurt.”

  “You’re a good brother.”

  “Not really,” he said. “But I’m trying.”

  “Do you have any requests?” I asked, twirling around the pole.

  “Music on,” he said. “Play ‘You Can Leave Your Hat On.’” He tossed me my white leather cap.

  I spent the rest of the hour trading dances with him and sipping tequila. He was a good dancer and really rocked Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love.” I pretended not to notice his slight limp and, at the end of the hour, he poured himself a large glass of tequila and rubbed his knee.

  “Be a luv and send in Maya for me, will you?”

  I nodded. “Thanks for everything, Chance. You were my first and I’ll never forget you.”

  He pretended to leer at me. “You can stay if you want and I’ll show you some more firsts.”

  “I can’t keep all of this,” I waved my hand up and down his body, “to myself. That would be selfish.”

  “There’s enough of me to go around.” He winked. “We’ll find your sister.”

  I had to get out of here before I started to cry again. I nodded and opened the door. And nearly walked smack into a man’s chest.

  “Miles,” I said in surprise when he cupped my elbow. “I need to get Maya.”

  Miles pressed a button on his earpiece. “Maya to room three,” he barked.

  “Everything okay, mate?” Chance asked from inside the room, looking at the two of us curiously.

  Miles pulled me closer to him. “Maya will be right with you.”

  Chance raised his glass to us. I gave him a quick wave before Miles whisked me down a corridor and into a large office. He closed the door behind us.

  “Is something wrong?”

  Miles whirled to face me. He was really close. I took a step back and hit the solid wood of the door. He placed his hands on the door next to my head. The heat coming off him singed my skin. And for the first time in an hour I remembered I was naked except for two stickers on my nipples and a frothy piece of string and beads that barely covered my lady bits.

  “How was it?” he rasped.

  I swallowed hard. An hour with Chance and I wasn’t even a little bit aroused. Two seconds alone with Miles and I was dying for him to rest his hard body against me. Heat and menace radiated off him in waves. He was blocking me from leaving and I was afraid if he didn’t move I was going to embarrass myself by kissing him silly.

  “My calves are killing me,” I said and looked down at my leg, hoping he’d inch back and look too. No dice.

  “You were incredible. Top-notch.”

  I flushed. My heart pounded. He liked it. He liked my dancing.

  “You’re fired.”

  “What?” I shrieked. “Why?”

  “I’m not spending another hour like the last one.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  He kissed me. He tasted like mint and whiskey and I must have tasted like lemon and tequila, but it worked. It was like he threw a lit match into a puddle of gasoline. I went up in flames. I started tearing at his shirt, but I didn’t want to stop kissing him long enough to take it off. So I slid my hands underneath it, reveling in the strong plane of his stomach and the powerful muscles of his back.

  Plucking the pasties off my nipples, Miles groaned in satisfaction. He cupped my breasts in his hands while his mouth continued to savage mine. Our tongues dueled, sliding around and exploring. I leaned into his rough caresses that were driving the fever pitch of lust washing over me. Unbuttoning his jeans, I yanked them down his narrow hips. His erection pressed into my belly as we hit the door hard.

  I rubbed up and down his body as he kicked off his jeans. The fragile G-string snapped apart with one strong yank and the beaded confection shredded. Before I could hook my leg around his waist, Miles thrust two fingers inside me. I screamed into his mouth at the sudden flare of pleasure. Grabbing onto his shoulders for balance, I felt all strength drain from my legs as he continued to torture my clit with fast strokes. I was so wet, I could hear the slippery sound of his fingers moving though me. Whimpering, I danced on them. I wanted to come again, just as lighting fast as the first time, but the bastard was teasing me.

  Tangling my fingers in his hair, I moaned into his mouth. We hadn’t stopped kissing and I would gladly give up breathing to keep this feeling going. But he pulled away and looked at me with burning eyes.

  “I’m going to fuck you.”

  “Yes,” I breathed.

  “I’d like to take my time, but I can’t.”

  “Okay.” His fingers played me like a guitar.

  He dipped his head to my breasts and sucked hard on my nipple. It pushed me over the edge, and I crested into another limb-shaking orgasm. Miles put his fingers into his mouth and sucked on them. It was so erotic I started to go to my knees. I wanted to drive him as crazy as he was driving me. But he pulled me up and tossed me toward his desk. I splayed facedown across it.

  “
Condom,” I managed to gasp out.

  “Of course,” he said, spreading my legs wide. And then he was sucking on my pussy. I shrieked in surprise at the erotic pleasure of it. His fingers held me open while his tongue explored my slick folds like it had my mouth.

  “Miles!” His tongue penetrated me only to go back to licking me to another orgasm. I was going to die of pleasure. It was all I could do to keep breathing as Miles made sure I was a sopping wet mess. Every erotic feeling that had pulsed through me while I was dancing tonight came to the forefront and I gave in to them now. It was decadent and addicting and I wanted more and more. When he’d wrung every last shiver and tremor out of me, he left me there wide open and waiting. I was dimly aware of the crinkle of foil and his satisfied hiss before his strong hands clamped on my hips and held me still while he drove deep inside.

  I screamed, grabbed the desk, and violently bucked to meet each thrust of his powerful body. Lights flashed before my eyes and for a moment I was back on the stage dancing. My nipples scraped against the top of his desk and I stood up on my toes so I wouldn’t miss a delicious stroke.

  “Jackie,” he groaned “I’ve been thinking about doing this ever since our lap dance.

  “Me too,” I panted.

  I wanted him to fuck me hard and fast to another explosion. Dancing had turned me on tonight. I’d had fun with Chance, but being here with Miles fulfilled every fantasy. I loved Las Vegas. I loved this feeling of freedom and losing every inhibition that had held me back while I was in Lisa’s shadow in New York.

  “Miles,” I begged, straining toward the glorious release that was just a few pumps away. “Fuck me.”

  He gripped my hair and pulled my head back. He stopped deep inside me and I tightened around him, flexing and milking his cock. “What do you think I’m doing?” Miles nipped at my ear and throat. “You feel like paradise.”

  I writhed underneath him, squirming to feel the pounding drive of his body against mine again.

  “Is this what you want?” he asked, and the bastard fucked me slowly. Too slowly.

  A sob built up in my throat as I wiggled against him desperately. “Please.” I wasn’t above begging, too greedy for the rush. “Make me come.”

  “With pleasure,” he purred and picked up the pace.

  I groaned in anticipation. I wanted him to pull my hair again. I wanted to be on top so I could grind and writhe on him again. I could hear the throbbing bass line of someone’s music and my heart matched the beat. Miles’s breathing was tortured, and the hard slap of our bodies drove me to that special place. I cried out, loud and long, and shook hard against him. My orgasm started in my toes and tingled all the way to the top of my head. He stiffened, shouted, and pulled my hips tight against him and I felt him empty himself into the condom.

  We stayed like that, melted into each other, as our breathing got under control. Miles kissed my shoulder and eased out. I was a pile of goo on his desk. After a moment, he helped me upright and wrapped me in a soft blanket that smelled like his aftershave. Carrying me over to a wide leather couch opposite his desk, Miles sat down and settled me into his lap. Cuddling close, he kissed my forehead.

  “I have a lead on Lisa,” he said.

  Chapter Nine

  Miles Carvello

  Jackie popped straight up in my arms. Her face was so close, I was distracted by her full lips. I wanted to kiss her again.

  “Is she all right?”

  “I don’t know. It could be a dead end. It could lead to another clue.” I didn’t want her to get her hopes up.

  “What’s the lead?”

  I told her about Paulie, Dee, and Zeke, leaving out the part about the drugs and pistol.

  I liked that she was comfortable enough to stay in my arms and I was happy to keep hold of her. My job didn’t afford a lot of downtime and I hadn’t had sex in a few months. Now I was glad I’d waited. Jackie was special and one of a kind, even though her sister was pissing me off about how she was treating her family. Although, it had brought Jackie to my club. I was determined to make these few days I had with her into great memories that might lead her back to me the next time she could get away for a Vegas vacation.

  “Do you think their disappearance has something to do with Lisa’s?”

  She shifted to sit down next to me. I was shitty with aftercare, apparently. I wanted to make her feel that she mattered to me, that she wasn’t just a horny fuck in my office. I wanted her to know I didn’t do this with every new girl that worked in my club. But Jackie wasn’t like the other girls. She focused on one thing with all her attention. A few minutes ago, it had been my cock. Now it was her sister. I was glad she wasn’t clingy, but I had expected to cuddle for more than five seconds. I resisted the urge to kiss her so I could see the haze of lust take over her expression again. But we had all night. I could be romantic and take her out for dinner and drinks, before spending the rest of the evening seeing how many times I could make her come again. Once we tracked down Zeke and Lisa, Jackie was going to concentrate on having the time of her life. I would make sure of it.

  “It seems too coincidental that the three of them disappeared right around the same time, but it’s entirely possible that they’re all unrelated instances.”

  “Let me get dressed and we can go.” She hopped off the couch still wrapped in the blanket and headed to the door. But then she turned back. “Were you serious about firing me?”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “So I don’t have to finish my set?”

  “No.”

  “Do I still get to keep my tips?”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, and Chance tipped you a hundred dollars.” It had come over the headset as we walked back to my office.

  “I didn’t have sex in the VIP room,” she said.

  “Good.” I didn’t want to beat the shit out of Chance for something he had no clue about.

  “I killed it tonight.” She grinned at me.

  Both on and off the stage. “I know,” I said.

  “Better than Lisa.”

  “I don’t even remember Broadway’s first dance.”

  Her face pinked up and I was entranced. Now, she blushed?

  “So why did you fire me, then?” Jackie pouted and folded her arms over her chest.

  I stood up and smiled when her eyes dropped to my half-mast cock. Yeah, I was ready for another go. But I had a feeling she would be distracted if we went for round two now. “I’m being selfish.”

  “How?” She frowned.

  “I want you all to myself.”

  Blinking, she took a shaky breath. “I’d like that too.”

  “Are you okay with a vacation fling?”

  “Obviously.” She gestured to the couch. “But what if this lead of yours turns out to be nothing? Then I’m back to square one. Will you rehire me?”

  “Do you really want to hustle men with your body?”

  “I want to dance,” she said.

  “Not what I asked.”

  “No,” she said reluctantly. “But if every night was like this one . . .”

  “It wouldn’t be.”

  “I know, but if that’s the only way to see if that guy who was interested in Lisa comes back and to get the other dancers to trust me with what they know, I want to do it.” She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Is that going to be a problem?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “You’re a distraction for me. A fantastic one, don’t get me wrong. But I can’t run my club with you on the stage. I’m not wired that way. If you’re with me, then you’re mine.”

  Jackie shivered and I started to reconsider round two. She could sit on my lap and grind on me to her heart’s content. I took a step forward to lead her back to the couch.

  “My sister has to be the priority,” she said. But she was looking at my cock and licking her lips.

  “Then, let’s go see what we can find at Zeke’s and Dee’s homes. They could be dead ends or we could find out something worth pursuing. And then
I want to take you out to a nice dinner, maybe a show.”

  She smiled and my heart stuttered. What the fuck was that all about? This was sex. Raw, hot, horny sex. When she smiled I should be thinking about her lips around my cock, not having my hormones flutter like I was a kid with his first crush.

  “And then we’re going back to your hotel room,” I said, yanking her to me. Tossing the blanket aside, I slid my hand down the silky smooth skin of her belly. She parted her legs for me and I dipped just one finger inside her sticky wetness.

  Gasping, Jackie clutched at my shoulders. I fingered her softly, aware that she might be a little sore after I took her so roughly. “And then, I’m going to explore every inch of you with my tongue.” I murmured in her ear, nipping at her earlobe.

  Reaching out, she trailed her fingernails up the shaft of my cock. “I’ve got plans of my own for you and it involves you flat on your back.” She rubbed me just as slowly.

  “Babe, why don’t we go upstairs to my apartment? We can start the search tomorrow. Right now, I don’t have the strength to let you go.”

  She eased away so my fingers fell out. She stroked me a few more times before letting me go. “No, I need a few hours to recover. I want some serious wall-banging sex later. After I give you the best damn blow job of your life.”

  Holy shit. I swallowed hard and couldn’t move as she wrapped the blanket around her like a toga. Jackie walked out of my office, tossing me a saucy wink over her shoulder.

  She’d make me a fortune if I let her work prime hours. But she was leaving as soon as she found her sister, and for the first time in a long time I was feeling selfish enough to want something for myself.

  I turned my Bluetooth back on and listened to the security chatter, hoping that would settle down my raging hard-on. Nothing unusual was going on. I hadn’t even been missed. Maybe I didn’t have to work twenty-four seven in the bar. Jackie was a good way to ease into some kind of life-work balance. And then I remembered that my uncle’s employees bailed on him before some assholes burned his place down with him in it. It had been three years since I got that terrible phone call from the Las Vegas police department and I thought about it every damn day since.