Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 122896 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 614(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122896 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 614(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
“You don’t regret it?”
“I do and I don’t. But I was aware I’d seal my fate with them once I got my sleeve.” She lifted her tattooed arm. “And then my piercings.”
She had a small gold ring in her right nostril and her ears were triple pierced. Two in each lobe and one at the top of both ears in the cartilage. Now he was wondering if she was pierced elsewhere.
And if she was, he was curious as to where.
Concentrate, idiot!
“And I really super-glued the lid on that coffin when I told them in no uncertain terms, for me, stripping wasn’t a phase and I had nothing to be ashamed about. They, of course, strongly disagreed. I haven’t talked to either them or my brother since. I expected to be frozen out by my parents but was surprised about my brother. It turns out he thinks I’d be a bad influence on his ‘impressionable’ daughters. Even though being body positive should be a good thing and not something bad.” She grimaced and set her fork on her plate.
Oh yeah, her family’s reaction and lack of acceptance still caused her pain. “Sorry they’re like that.”
“How about you? You never said what you do for your ‘day job.’”
Fuck. “I work in security.”
“Like a security guard?”
He’d go with that. “Yes. For a security company that assigns us wherever we’re needed, whether it’s an event or at a business. The shitty pay is why I was thankful when Nick decided to give me a shot at dancing. Especially without any prior experience.”
“Well, you’re really good at it. Amazing, in fact.” She pushed her almost empty salad plate to the edge of the table. “You should go out to Vegas and join one of those permanent all-male revue shows. I’d bet you’d rake it in. Especially being a redhead. You don’t see too many of those in this business. True redheads, anyway. You’d be a unicorn. Plus, just think, no more cheap polyester uniforms and aluminum foil badges. I bet you don’t even get to carry handcuffs or a gun.”
If she only knew…
“My two-way radio makes me feel powerful.”
That finally pulled a chuckle from her. “What about your parents? Siblings?”
“I’m an only child. My father had a massive stroke and died when he was only forty, so it’s been only me and my mother for a long time. We’re still close.” None of what he just revealed was a lie.
“I’m sorry about your loss.” She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. Unfortunately, she didn’t linger. “Is your mother retired?”
“She…” Shit. “Yes.”
He could tell her the truth later if it got to that point. Right now, he had to keep the details of the real Daniel Finnegan to himself.
It was time to refocus their conversation back on the club and the Demons before their time together ran out. He couldn’t waste any moments since Monday night was the last valid excuse to go back into that club unless he decided Mel could work well with him and the task force. And if, more importantly, she’d agree to it.
“Enough about me. My life is boring. Do you think the Demons will replace you like they did your assistant manager?” And will that force you back on stage?
He’d love to see her dance, but he would hate to be in a crowd of men while she did it. Simply picturing her surrounded by horny men, especially if they acted like the women did with him on Monday night, already annoyed the fuck out of him.
And if they attempted to touch her, kiss her, lick her… bite her.
Jesus, he’d end up behind bars himself.
He forced himself to unlock his jaw.
Concentrate, asshole. You have a job to do even though you’d rather just do her.
“Honestly, I don’t put anything past them. Right now they’re firing my best employees.” She held up a hand and shook her head, her expression becoming sharp. “Right now they are making me fire great employees and substituting them with young bikers with zero work ethic or experience. And because these guys aren’t getting paid, from what I understand, they don’t give a shit about the small, but important, details. They’re simply bodies filling spots.”
The MC was digging their claws deeply into that business. The more of their own people they could get in there, the easier it would be to sell meth and launder that drug money without getting caught.
Chapter Ten
Danny’s brow dipped low. “Who all have they fired and replaced?”
Did he truly care about what was happening with the club? Or was he only acting interested to get down her pants?
The man was gorgeous, sexy as hell and proved he could swivel his hips in a way that left no doubt he wouldn’t be wooden in bed. Plus, so far, he’d been nothing but a gentleman. He didn’t need to fake any interest in her job to convince her to drop her panties.