Tough Guy: A Hero Club Novel

by Jamie K. Schmidt

Angelique shook her head. “I couldn’t tell you.”

  I wondered if that was couldn’t or wouldn’t. I kept my mouth shut for now. Angelique didn’t ask why we were so interested in Lisa. Either she didn’t care, or she knew Dee was going to spill the beans anyway so the information was not a secret.

  “Did she have a boyfriend?” I asked. “Or a guy who would visit her regularly?”

  “Parker,” Angelique said. “He dropped her off and picked her up. We tried to get him to stay awhile, but he wasn’t interested. Kind of like you.” She pouted at me.

  “Sorry,” I said.

  “Your loss.”

  “I’m sure it is.” I tried to be polite, but I got jabbed in the ribs again. I narrowed my eyes at Jackie. There was definitely going to be some payback.

  “Anyway,” Jackie said, clearing her throat. “Did you catch Parker’s last name?”

  “No.” Angelique flicked her eyes to the clock.

  “What did he look like?” Jackie spoke faster.

  “He was tall, handsome in a silver fox way. He dressed nice. You could tell he had money.”

  “Did she seem afraid of him?”

  “No, she was more afraid of losing him.”

  Cocking her head, Jackie said, “What do you mean?”

  “She was super possessive and jealous. On her breaks she would call to check up on him.”

  “How did he treat her?”

  “Protective, maybe even overprotective.”

  “How?” Jackie leaned forward.

  “He was careful around her, like she was made of glass. He’d put his arm around her when she left with him after her shift and he made it a point to walk her to the door at the start of the shift.”

  “Did she ever talk about him?”

  “Yeah, just that he was going to make her a star. As soon as he got his show going.”

  Jackie zeroed in on that like a target. “What kind of show?”

  “Some dance review. Between you and me, I think he was stringing her along. You know the type. ‘Stick with me kid, and I’ll take you away from all this.’” Her lips twisted in a sneer and she rolled her eyes. “I bet she was financing that show and that’s why she got her panties in a bunch about the tips. You’ve got time for one more question.”

  “Did Lisa ever . . . Did she . . .” Jackie couldn’t say it.

  “Did she join you guys in the lineup and hustle for blow jobs and quick fucks?” I filled in.

  Angelique burst out laughing and wouldn’t stop. Two girls poked their heads into the waiting room to see what was going on. She waved them off.

  “I think that’s a no,” I said. Jackie sagged against me in relief.

  “Thanks for that,” Angelique wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Damn it. I’m going to have to redo my eyeliner. No. Lisa slung drinks. She was stone-faced and never smiled. She was so unfriendly that if she hadn’t been fired over the bullshit about her tips, Cheri was going to put her in the back doing laundry and working in the kitchen where she didn’t scare the clients.” Angelique got up. “Dee should be wrapping it up by now. I’ll send her in to get you. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She blew us a kiss.

  “Thank you. You’ve been really helpful,” Jackie said.

  “I aim to please.” Angelique sashayed out.

  “That should put your mind at ease,” I said when we were alone.

  Jackie pressed her palms to her flushed face. “It all seems so stupid now that I thought Lisa would become a prostitute. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “You were trying to follow her thought patterns and since she’s still ditching your calls, you had to take some wild guesses.”

  “She’s had us all worried. I hope this Parker guy isn’t stringing her along. But I guess she’s living with him. Maybe Dee will have more information.”

  “Come here,” I said and hauled her back onto my lap. “We’re getting close to finding your sister.”

  Jackie wrapped her arms around my neck. “I can’t wait for this to be over so I can spend some more time with you.”

  I grinned. “I was hoping you felt the same way I did.” I actually wanted her longer than this vacation would last. “And who knows, if you get the showgirl job . . .”

  “Shh,” she said, pressing her fingers to my mouth. “You’ll jinx it.”

  I kissed her fingers. “So what do you think of your first brothel?”

  Glancing around the room, she shrugged. “It’s not very sexy or romantic.”

  “To be fair, you’re not their demographic.”

  She was quiet for a full minute, so I knew something was up. “What’s going on in that head of yours?” I asked.

  “Was the woman your uncle rented for you pretty?”

  We were heading into the danger zone, I could sense it. “I honestly don’t remember, but I’m sure she was.”

  “Why didn’t you ever come back?”

  “I like things to go more natural. And I love kissing. Most working girls don’t like that.”

  “I get it,” Jackie said snuggling into me. “Kissing is intimate. By holding back, they can separate work from fun.” She turned my head and kissed me openmouthed, slow and sweet. I rubbed my hand over her back. She tasted like mint and our tongues slid along each other. It was easy to get lost in her mouth on mine.

  “You guys are going to have to pay for it if you keep it up.”

  I bit back a groan. “Hi, Dee,” I said.

  “Well, come on. I don’t have all day.”

  Jackie flushed, but she adjusted her dress and held out her hand. “I’m Jackie. Lisa’s sister.”

  Dee looked at her hand and rolled her eyes. “A hundred for fifteen minutes and all we do is talk. Unless . . .” She tried to look around Jackie to see if I was aroused. “Unless you want more.”

  “No touching is fine. I just want to find out about my sister.” Jackie dug into her purse.

  “Come with me,” Dee said.

  She led us into her bedroom. There was one recliner chair and a king-size bed.

  “I’ll be right back,” Dee said, taking Jackie’s money.

  Jackie pressed back against me and rubbed her sweet ass against my erection. “Maybe we should get a room. Not here,” she amended. “Once we get the information, we could find a cheap hourly hotel and then go at it like bunnies.”

  I held her close because I liked the feel of her body. “You know you’re only wearing a skimpy dress,” I murmured in her ear. She shivered against me. “I could just flip it up and start fucking you now. I’ll give Dee another hundred to fuck off for another fifteen minutes.”

  “No,” she said. “Not here.”

  I sat on the recliner and pulled her onto my lap again. My hand slipped under her dress.

  “Miles,” Jackie said, breathlessly. “She’ll be back any minute.”

  “Then you better come quickly. Because I don’t want to fuck you in a cheap no-tell hotel. We’re going to out to dinner and a show, and then we’ll spend the rest of the night in my bed. After a rousing bout of morning sex, we’re going to go out for breakfast. And then, we’ll deal with Lisa’s shit.”

  “That sounds like a plan.” She smiled and it made my head spin.

  “Granny panties again?” I sighed, but I was delighted, especially when she spread her legs wider so I could get easier access. She was already wet. “You’re lucky I don’t have condoms with me. I’d already be inside you.”

  “Um,” she said, clutching my shoulders and closing her eyes when my fingers sank into her wet heat. “What if we get caught?”

  “Do you think you’re going to embarrass the hooker?” I hoped Dee would take her time because I owed Jackie a great orgasm. I tickled my fingers through her, deeper until I found her clit. I rubbed it with my knuckle back and forth.

  Jackie sucked in her breath and touched her forehead with mine. “That feels so good.” Her fingers tangled in my hair as she held my head to hers. She clamped her legs togethe
r, and I rubbed faster.

  “Miles,” she whispered, her eyes wild and frantic. “Hurry.”

  “Just this once.” I kissed her.

  Grinding down on my hand, Jackie started to shake apart. She screamed into my mouth and went limp. I reluctantly slid my fingers out of her and adjusted her panties. I slowly licked my fingers clean while she watched me with hooded eyes.

  The door opened and Jackie jumped off my lap. I needed a few moments to get myself under control.

  “Where’s my sister?” Jackie said before Dee could get a word out. Good idea, leading with an offense.

  “Carson City. She’s doing wine tasting tours at Paloma Vineyards.”

  Jackie looked back at me, but I was already on my phone checking the place out. “She got that job after leaving here two weeks ago?”

  Dee nodded.

  “And she’s still there?”

  “As far as I know.”

  “Why couldn’t you tell us this over the phone?” I asked.

  “Because you went to my mom. That’s a bullshit thing to do. So I figured I owed you.” Dee flounced on the bed. “Besides, it’s nice to get a paid break during my shift.”

  “Why did she come here to Pahrump?” Jackie asked, cutting me off from bitching Dee out further.

  “To piss Parker off and make him chase her.”

  “Who exactly is Parker?” Jackie asked.

  “He was her regular at Dalton’s.”

  The mysterious white haired dude. Finally, we were getting somewhere.

  “None of the other girls could get close to him but Lisa,” Dee continued. “Turns out, he’s a producer and she wanted to get into a musical that he’s going to do in Carson City. He was in Vegas raising funds for it and she offered to become a partner. But as a bartender, she wasn’t making enough money.”

  Jackie shot me another look and I nodded. Now we knew why she became a stripper. I Googled “Parker producer,” but I wasn’t getting anything helpful.

  “Zeke had set me up in Pahrump in an apartment a long time ago. I would entertain his friends when he needed me to and in return I could stay there and freelance when I wasn’t working in Dalton’s.”

  “Zeke is your pimp,” I said bluntly.

  “Was my pimp. Now I’m a free agent.” She looked around the room. “Sort of. It’s complicated. Anyway while Lisa was still at Dalton’s, she bitched to me that she needed more money in order to finance Parker’s show. I had the apartment in Pahrump. I figured she could try her hand at escorting. But she’s too uptight. So she decided to do exotic dancing at Dalton’s instead of bartending. Well, Parker nearly lost his mind. He bought up all of her dances and I think he really fell for her. But he told her that he’d never date a stripper.”

  While Jackie was digesting that, I had questions of my own.

  “Why did you, Zeke, and Paulie quit at the same time?” I asked.

  “I quit because I got the job here. You have to stay on the property for the length of your contract so I couldn’t drive to Vegas to make my shift at Dalton’s.” She looked down at her hands. “I didn’t give notice because Liu is a shitheel and I had to start here immediately. I don’t know about Zeke and Paulie. As far as I know, they’re still working at Dalton’s.”

  “They’re not,” I said.

  “Back to Lisa,” Jackie butted in. “How did she end up in Pahrump if she didn’t want to go from being a stripper to a hooker?”

  “Escort,” Dee corrected.

  Jackie made an impatient gesture with her hand. “Whatever. Sex for money. When she left her Vegas apartment. She said she had room and board.”

  “She did. I let Lisa stay with me. Zeke didn’t care as long as I kept escorting his friends. Lisa got the job here and would work while I was entertaining in the apartment.”

  “What about Parker? He’s her boyfriend now, isn’t he?”

  “He is now. When he went to Dalton’s one night and found out she vanished without a trace, he freaked out.”

  “I know the feeling,” Jackie said dryly.

  “She knew how to play him. She told Zeke to casually let it slip to Parker that Lisa was now working at a chicken ranch. Parker came riding in to rescue her, only to find out she was bartending instead of prostituting.” Dee snickered. “Anyway, Parker was fine with her being a bartender. So they started dating, but money was still a problem. She just wasn’t making bank like the rest of us. It pissed her off. I know Parker didn’t like her working at a house of ill repute even if she wasn’t selling her ass. I think she’s living with him now, but I’m not sure. She doesn’t return my calls.”

  “Join the club,” Jackie said. “I think we’re done here.”

  I got up. “I’ve got a few more questions.”

  “You’ve got the time,” Dee said. She knew me better than to offer me anything else and I appreciated her not trying to hustle me to pay for a sex act with her. “What about Cordon Bleu?”

  She brightened up. “I’m still going to go. This time to Paris. As soon as I make enough money.” Dee’s face dimmed a little. “It can’t come soon enough.”

  “Did Zeke stay with you in the apartment?”

  “Not usually. We have a business relationship. I don’t see him that way. Of course, the son of a bitch came here on my first shift. It was easy money, but that was the only way I’d sleep with him and he knew it.”

  “Did you ever see him or Paulie do drugs?”

  “Yeah, we all did some. It wasn’t a big deal.”

  “Were you selling out of the club?”

  “We weren’t. Ginny was the only one who was into that.” She dropped that like it was a big reveal.

  “Leonidas supplied her, right?” I asked casually, playing a hunch.

  “Probably.” Dee said. “The Rivs are getting more into the local businesses. I figured you were okay with it.”

  I held on to my temper. “What do you know about the Rivs?”

  “Zeke would know more. He brought them to me a few times.”

  “Leonidas?”

  “Once or twice, but mostly his lieutenants. They brag and talk.”

  “Was Paulie selling?”

  “No, but he talked a good game. He’s in love with Ginny. I think he pretended to sell to make himself look cool.” Dee rolled her eyes.

  Grier might be able to get something helpful out of Dee. I’d have to suggest that he come up here to “talk” with her. “I’m sorry Liu was such a prick to you. You could have come to me and I would have ended it.”

  “I was going to leave anyway as soon as one of the brothels picked me up. I was more sick of not being able to negotiate my own prices when Zeke set me up with dates.”

  “Is the security tight here?”

  She nodded. “They’re always on top of things. If you’re ever looking for a job, I’ll put in a good word for you.”

  Jackie grabbed my hand and tugged. “He won’t be. We’ll leave you to it. If Lisa calls you, can you tell her to call me?”

  “Sure,” Dee said. “And Miles, come back anytime.”

  Ugh. She had to go there.

  Jackie pulled me out of the room and didn’t say a word to me until we were in the car.

  “Did you think Angelique was pretty?”

  I shrugged. “I guess. The feathers were a bit distracting. You’re prettier.”

  She smiled, linking her fingers through mine. I started the car and headed back to Vegas.

  “I know we had plans tonight. Can we alter them?” Jackie asked.

  I hid a sigh. “Of course.”

  “How long is it to Carson City?”

  “By car, about six hours. If you charter a plane, it’s about an hour. If you go the regular airport route, it’s cheaper but by the time you’re past security it’s about double that time.”

  “You know I’ve got to go to Carson City, right?”

  “Yeah,” I said slowly. I knew where this was going.

  “How about you come with me? We’ll get dinne
r at the airport and skip the show. We’ll land too late for the winery to be open, but I figure we could have our evening in my hotel room in Carson City. The rest of the plan can stay the same.”

  She surprised me. I’d figured she’d want to storm the winery.

  “Sounds like a great plan. I especially like the part where the next day you confront Lisa and then get back to enjoying your vacation.”

  “Me too. Okay. You drive us back to the Wynn and I’ll make all the arrangements.”

  Jackie already had her phone out.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jackie Mitchell

  I was spending a lot more money than I had originally planned on. Yeah, I was sticking it to Lisa by staying at the Wynn, but the plane tickets and the bribes/tips I’d been paying out were starting to add up. I didn’t want to bankrupt Lisa, if she was even going to be able to pay me back from any residuals or royalties she was still getting from the odd commercial or television show. While my mother would probably cover anything Lisa couldn’t, she shouldn’t have to. This could have all been solved by a few simple phone calls.

  I understood now why Lisa had been so vague and hadn’t bothered to explain things to Mom. She had been ping-ponging all over Nevada doing one sketchy job after another. And this Parker dude could be stringing her along as well. If she was struggling so hard to finance Parker’s play, I was hoping it wasn’t a scam and that she hadn’t already given him her life savings. I hated when my mother was right. Lisa did need someone to watch out for her.

  Miles had gone back to Dalton’s while I packed an overnight bag. He had a bunch of things to take care of and was on the phone for most of the drive back from Pahrump. I felt a little guilty about taking him away from his job, but his support was the only thing keeping me centered. My emotions were flying all over the place. I was running out of spending cash, but the end was in sight.

  Placing a hand on my stomach to calm the jumpiness I felt, I took some deep breaths. All I had to do was make it until tomorrow. I’d talk to Lisa at the winery, report back to Mom, and I would still have a few days in Vegas with Miles. And if I were lucky, my family would leave me alone to enjoy it. I’d never been to the Hoover Dam or the Grand Canyon and I was hoping Miles could take some time off from work and do some touristy things with me.