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  “I wouldn’t take it personally.”

  “Why’s that?”

  Before she could answer my question, her song ended, and the DJ was announcing the next dancer. “Come back tomorrow night. She’ll be here.”

  There was no way I was going to be able to wait even if it was less than twenty-four hours. I nodded to the woman—I never got her name because it didn’t matter—and fished my phone from my pocket. I sent a text to Tessa as I stood to leave:

  Hey, it’s Vinny. Wanna go to dinner tonight?

  Before I could start my engine, my phone dinged with a text.

  Tessa: Hey! Sorry, I can’t tonight.

  I groaned because I would have to wait almost twenty-four hours.

  Me: Lunch tomorrow then?

  I watched the dots on the screen dance and then stop. Dance and then stop. Finally, I got a reply.

  Tessa: Are you buying?

  I chuckled and responded back: Yeah.

  Tessa: I can’t be more than an hour. I need to run errands before my shift.

  Me: An hour works for me.

  Tessa: I’ll meet you at noon in the parking lot of Red Diamond.

  Me: See you then.

  Paul: Getting a new roommate next week. I think we should haze him or something.

  Me: Haze him?

  Paul: I’m assuming he’s transferring from another S&R. We should give him the Vegas welcome.

  I laughed as I read his text.

  Me: What’s the Vegas welcome? You and Gabe didn’t get hazed.

  Paul: New ritual then.

  Me: Then you think of something to do.

  Paul: Already planning it.

  The next day, I went into work, made sure my class was set for the day, and then told Principal Fitzgerald that I was still feeling ill from my sick day prior. I’d never skipped work for a woman before, but Tessa agreed to a lunch date with me and I wasn’t going to cancel it. It was a date, right? When she gave me her number the other night, she said she only wanted to be friends, but yet, she agreed to go to lunch with me. Maybe we were only going as friends? Time would tell.

  I arrived at Red Diamond ten minutes before noon. I hadn’t been that nervous since the night of my first date as an escort.

  Ken had asked me to cover for him. Somehow he’d overbooked his time, and instead of canceling with one woman, he offered up a friend to be her escort. That was where I came in. He knew I needed the money. My entire life was dedicated to turning pro and going to the Olympics for men’s beach volleyball. I’d obtained a full ride to The University of Southern California, but it was short-lived because I’d gotten hurt two years ago during my sophomore year. They took my scholarship away, but I didn’t want to be a quitter, so I stayed enrolled, decided to become a teacher, and received a few grants. But I was broke, eating ramen noodles, five dollar pizzas, and PB & J’s to survive.

  “It’s two fifty an hour,” he said.

  I could eat a steak dinner with the extra money, so I agreed to do it. “What do I do?” I asked.

  He grinned. “Meet her at the bar, talk to her, go up to a room she books, and you know. It’s easy.”

  “Wait,” I stammered. “I have to have sex with her?”

  “What is it that you think I do?”

  “Go on dates,” I answered honestly.

  “I do, but I also get to do a little extra.”

  “Every time?”

  He shook his head. “No, but if you’re horny, do it. There are no strings.”

  “No strings.” I tested the words on my tongue. I wasn’t looking for a relationship, but sex without the added stress of wondering if a chick would want more would be nice. I wanted to be a bachelor my entire life. I craved the chance to travel the world whenever I desired. Granted, I knew I couldn’t do it on a teacher’s salary, but I was going to find a way to have the life I sought. Maybe this was it?

  He told me where and when to meet the client and how to prepare for my night. I shaved, trimmed, and lathered my entire body with lotion. For some reason, even though I was nervous, I wanted to impress whoever I was meeting because who knew what this opportunity would bring.

  I couldn’t believe I was going to do this.

  That night, I’d done just that. Shelby became a regular, and I escorted her on numerous occasions with an LA-based company before I moved to Vegas five years ago for a teaching job and joined S&R. And while I knew going to lunch with Tessa was nothing like escorting Shelby or any of my clients, I was still nervous. I hadn’t dated since high school, which was ten years ago. And that wasn’t dating—it was fucking.

  The moment I saw Tessa walk out of the side door, a smile spread across my lips. Dressed in jeans, boots, and a sweater, she was still gorgeous. I didn’t need to see her in a bikini, topless or even naked to appreciate her beauty. I got out of my SUV and started for her so she’d see me. Once she did, her smile matched mine.

  I wrapped my arms around her as soon as we were within inches of each other. “Hey,” I greeted.

  “Hi,” she replied.

  We broke apart. “Hungry?”

  “Starving.” She followed me to my SUV.

  “Do you like Bonefish Grill?”

  “Never been there.”

  I opened the passenger side door for her, and she slid inside. I went to my side and did the same. “Do you like fish?” I cranked the engine after buckling my seatbelt.

  “Yeah.”

  “Good. Bonefish Grill is one of my favorite places.”

  “Sounds good, and just a reminder that I only have an hour.”

  “Have another hot date?” I teased as I drove out of the parking lot and toward the restaurant.

  Tessa chuckled. “No. I have errands, remember?”

  “Oh, right.”

  “Are you working tonight?” she asked.

  “Yeah, a little later.” I did have a date. Because of Gabe’s bachelor party and trying to organize everyone’s schedules, I had taken Thursday off from school, and now half a day on Friday. We had the shindig on a Wednesday night because most guys had their dates on the weekends and didn’t want to pass up the opportunity of making money.

  “Is it true? Do you sleep with your clients?”

  I turned and smirked at her. “You’ll have to hire me to find out.”

  She laughed, and then a few minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of the shopping center where the restaurant was. After we were seated in a booth, Tessa said, “I heard you came looking for me yesterday.”

  I grinned. “I did. I wanted to make sure you made it home safely after you left us in the woods.”

  “You could have called.”

  “But I wanted to see you,” I admitted.

  She sighed. “Vin—”

  “Friends can want to see friends,” I stated, already knowing she was going to mention the whole not looking for a relationship thing.

  She stared at me for a beat. “Just so we’re clear, I’m not looking for a boyfriend.”

  I held up my hands. “And like I mentioned, I’m not looking for a girlfriend. But I want to be your friend, Tess.”

  “Why? You don’t even know me.”

  “Why does anyone want to be friends with someone? Because they think a person is nice, funny, whatever. And I think you’re nice and a cool chick.”

  She took a deep breath. “As long as we’re on the same page and you’re not expecting anything.”

  “Nope. Who knows, this may be our one and only lunch.”

  I wasn’t sure why I’d said that. Maybe it was because Tessa was so adamant about us only being friends and I hadn’t had a girlfriend—ever. I wasn’t used to being turned down because women usually wanted more from me, thinking just because I made them feel good for an hour, that I’d form some sort of attachment to them. It wasn’t the case at all, and either they accepted that fact, or I’d never book with them again.

  “Doesn’t need to be that way,” she replied. “Do you like baseball?”

 
; I balked at her change of subject just as the waitress walked up to take our order. After we ordered, I replied, “Yeah, I like baseball. Why?”

  Tessa grinned. “Who’s your team?”

  “Why? You like baseball?”

  She took a sip of water. “Just tell me. This will determine if we can be friends.”

  I chuckled and draped an arm on the back of the booth. “Dodgers.”

  “Oh, God!” she shrieked. “I need to call a cab and get out of here.”

  “What?” I laughed nervously and leaned forward, ready to grab her hand so she couldn’t leave.

  “I’m a Giants fan.”

  Being a huge Dodgers fan, I knew that the Giants and Dodgers were big rivals. So much so, fans had come to blows over games in the past.

  I grinned. “No need to leave. You just made this friendship more interesting.”

  Stripping had taught me a lot about relationships, sex, power, and intimacy—or the lack of, in my case. Men told Scarlett their private fantasies and desires hoping for more than just a dance or boobs in their face. While I was staring across the table at Vinny, I wanted to tell him my fantasies and desires and that I didn’t want to be only friends. That I wanted to see what would happen if I told him I’d lied and wanted to be more. But then, I wasn’t sure if I could be in a relationship with someone who had sex for a living. We used our bodies in two different ways to make money, and that thought made me not tell him the truth.

  It was better that we were only friends because I had Colton to think about. He was starting kindergarten in a few months, and I needed to focus on his progress to get him ready. Next week I was meeting with his teacher to discuss a plan for the new year even though this year wasn’t completed yet. If Vinny and I did become friends, and hang out for more than just the one lunch, then maybe I would tell him I wanted a male figure in Colton’s life, but I had to do it when the time was right.

  That wasn’t right now.

  The following Wednesday, I was at Red Diamond, ready to do my third set when Sebastian stopped and stood next to me, his hands in his pocket as we both looked toward the curtain. I slowly turned my gaze as I looked up at him and wondered to myself why he was backstage. I only saw him up in his office or on the floor greeting customers or whatever.

  “Tessa,” he greeted.

  “Mr. Delarosa.”

  He grinned down at me, and I noticed his slicked-back, dirty blond hair was perfectly in place like it always was. “How long have you been dancing for me? Ten months?”

  “A little over a year,” I corrected.

  “How are you liking it?”

  It wasn’t my dream job, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. “I love the money and the flexible hours.”

  “Good. I like seeing you out there.”

  I gave him a small smile, not sure if I should respond or not. All I could think about was what I saw in his office a few days before. Luckily, the DJ announced me before I felt any more awkward.

  “It’s time to bring out the lady in red. Ladies and gentleman, please give it up for Scarlett!”

  Before I took a step up, Sebastian said, “If you ever need anything, Tessa, let me know.”

  I nodded with another small smile and walked out to “Double Tap” by Jordin Sparks blaring from the speakers.

  After my shift, I picked Colton up at school. We went home, where he instantly turned on the TV and put on his cartoon. As I stared at the cartoon dogs, I kept replaying my interaction with my boss over and over in my head. The conversation was weird and awkward. I had been at Red Diamond for over a year and he’d barely spoken to me in that time. I needed Melony. I needed to pick her brain.

  Me: Can you come over before you head to RD?

  She texted me back right away: On my way over.

  A few minutes later, there was a knock on my door. Peeling my eyes away from the TV, I went to greet my best friend.

  “Hey.”

  “What’s up?” she asked, walking inside.

  “Let’s go to the kitchen table.”

  “This must be serious,” she stated and walked toward the kitchen.

  I closed the door and locked it. After sliding into one of the dining chairs, I said, “It’s not serious, but something’s up with Sebastian.”

  “What do you mean?” She arched her brows.

  “He talked to me today.”

  Melony chuckled. “And?”

  “Is that normal? He’s barely said two words to me the entire time I’ve worked there.”

  She thought for a moment. “I mean, I see him talking to the girls.”

  “You do?”

  She stood and went to my fridge, grabbing a bottle of water. “Well, yeah. He’s our boss.”

  “What does he say to you?”

  I watched her move back to her seat and thought for a moment before answering. “Actually, I can’t recall anything.”

  “See,” I stated. “This is weird.”

  If I hadn’t seen Sommer on her knees in his office, I wouldn’t think twice about it. Now, I was questioning everything. It wasn’t normal. The girls and I went in, danced, and left. We paid our dues to Honey and not him directly. It was as though he was Big Brother and only watched us from afar.

  “What did he say, exactly?” she asked.

  I took a deep breath. “Just asked how long I’d been at Red Diamond, if I was liking it, and told me that if I ever needed anything, I could come to him. Oh and, he likes seeing me dance or something.”

  We stared at each other for several moments.

  “Do you think that’s how he got Sommer on her knees?” I asked.

  Melony shook her head slightly and blinked a few times as though she was still thinking. “Maybe. I mean, it’s not like she’s straight like us.”

  “I can’t,” I breathed, knowing that straight meant we didn’t do extras. Melony and I never crossed over a line with anyone at the club. Of course, there were those who only saw dollar signs and wanted to do the extra stuff. I couldn’t. And with our boss? No way.

  “You shouldn’t have to.”

  “But what if? I can’t get fired. I need the money.”

  She took a sip of her water. “If he does, tell Honey or something.”

  I went to the fridge for my own water. “You think she’d do something?”

  “I don’t know, but he can’t expect that from us.”

  I moved back to my chair and sat down. “It’s a strip club. People think we’re whores already. What makes you think he’s any different?”

  “Because he knows we’re not.”

  I wasn’t sure if that was true. We had rules at the club, and if a customer tried to touch us or anything, we got Honey or a bouncer. Anything under clothes wasn’t permitted, and I knew Melony and I stuck to that. Not all of the other girls did because they’d get more money for other things. That wasn’t me.

  “You’ll let me know if he tries anything with you?” I asked.

  “Of course. He may be decent for a guy in his forties, but he’s not my type.”

  He wasn’t mine either.

  Vinny: Remember Paul?

  I smiled as I read the text from Vinny. I’d been thinking about him a lot, but I’d never tell him that. My heart did a little flutter, and I typed back: Yeah?

  He texted back right away: He’s in love.

  My mouth hung open.

  Me: Seriously?

  Vinny: Well, maybe not in love, but he has a girl roommate he can’t stop talking about.

  Me: Is that a new thing?

  Vinny: Yeah, she works for S&R too.

  I paused before replying. Did that mean that Paul and his roommate had sex all the time or not at all because they were too tired after working all day by having sex with clients?

  Me: Maybe you’ll need to hire me again for his bachelor party?

  Vinny: I wouldn’t mind seeing your tits again ;)

  Me: You know where to find me ;)

  Vinny found me the next night dur
ing my second set. I was dancing to “Me & U” by Cassie when our eyes locked. Each set, I danced to the same songs and did the same routine more or less depending on how many people were wanting to stick dollars in my G-string. We each did at least five sets. Each set was once an hour or so depending on how many girls were working. The rest of the time we worked the floor and did private dances—or in some cases, girls did extras.

  Usually, I tuned out the words of the song because it was on endless repeat for me, but as Vinny and I smiled at each other, the lyrics became clear as day. It was as though I had been waiting for him. The look in his eyes and the smile on his face told me he wanted me just like the song was saying.

  I worked the stage, taking off my top and teasing everyone sitting nearby. My gaze met Vinny’s again just as the words talked about me making a move, that it would be a secret we could keep between the two of us. We stared at each other, never breaking eye contact, and I wondered if he heard the same words—if he thought the same thing—if he wanted the same thing. If I didn’t have Colton, I was sure I wouldn’t hesitate to tell Vinny how I really felt because I did want him. It had been over a month now since we’d met, and every time I saw his name on my phone or his chocolate eyes, my belly dipped. He had that effect on me.

  Before the song ended, Vinny beckoned with a crook of his finger for me to come closer. I didn’t hesitate as I crawled toward him, topless. He held out a twenty between his fingers, and when I got to him, I leaned back on my heels, thrusting my hips forward so he could slip the bill into my bottoms. But he didn’t. I narrowed my eyes at him in a playful manner, silently asking him what he was doing. He motioned for me to come closer again and this time I placed my hands on the stage and got within inches of his face.

  “How much to get you to go to dinner with me?”

  I chuckled. “You don’t need to pay me to have dinner with you.”

  “Then come to dinner with me.”

  “I can’t. I have more sets to do.”

  “I’ll pay whatever you’d usually make—”