Lost and Found (17 page)

“No, I’ve got it covered, but thanks for offering. I’m sure the opportunity to ogle the girls has nothing to do with your wanting to come along.”

“What can I say?” Kevin turned in his seat until his back was facing the bar and held up both arms, palm up, grinning innocently. “I’m selfless to a fault. Call me and let me know what happens with Theresa tonight, okay?”

“Yeah. I will.”
Duncan
said over his shoulder, waving at Tessa as he walked toward the door.

“And
Duncan
,” Kevin called loudly at his retreating back. “Remember, lots of foreplay. That’s the key.”
 

Duncan
ducked his head in embarrassment as he left the bar with
Hannibal
trotting at his feet.

Chapter
13

The Kitty-Kat Lounge wasn’t your typical strip club. It was more like a nightly stage show, featuring incredibly beautiful women that just happened to take their clothes off as the show progressed. At least, that’s what Jamie had told Jessie on the phone that afternoon. Looking around at the plush interior of the club, Jessie thought Jamie might be right.

Jessie wasn’t completely ignorant to the world of adult entertainment. She’d gone to see some male exotic dancers at a different club several years ago when a fellow librarian at the VPL was getting married, but that seedy, smoky, smelly, venue had been nothing like this.

The Kitty-Kat Club wasn’t officially open, yet candles were lit cabaret-style at every small table and crystal chandeliers hung low over the corner booths. Instead of heavy metal or hip-hop playing over the sound system, Frank Sinatra crooned his way though some of his classics. The furnishings themselves were more dinner theater than Vegas flash, with a stage at one end and a long mahogany bar with brass furnishings at the other.
 

It was close to 9:00 in the evening and the sisters were sitting in one of the red velvet booths. Phabio wasn’t working tonight but he was hanging around the club, as usual. He had joined them earlier and the girls were pretending to listen to him talk about his plans for opening his own Chippendales-type club while avoiding his tentacle-like hands under the table. Tonight, Phabio was in pirate mode. He was wearing skin-tight, black leather pants with a wide belt and a monstrous dragon belt buckle. His frilly cream shirt was opened to reveal a smooth, deeply tanned, hairless chest and a large gold medallion.
 

Jessie wondered momentarily if he’d bought the pants in the boy’s section. Or judging from the shirt, maybe the girl’s section, she thought, stifling a giggle. She gave Jamie an eye roll that her sister did not return. Jamie thought clothing was an important part of how people expressed themselves, and didn’t approve of criticizing their wardrobes, no matter how outlandish.

Both women nodded politely when Phabio seemed to expect it and took sips from their glasses of red wine, while taking turns watching the entrance for either Theresa or Duncan.

Jamie was dressed for her performance later in a slinky black tuxedo and a dark, chin-length wig. Jessie toyed with the idea of trying to pass herself off as her sister tonight. She was feeling a bit nervous about
Duncan
’s reaction to seeing her here. It had seemed such a good idea earlier today, but now she was worried about his response. Would he get angry with her, or would he be happy to see her? She had no idea.

For a moment, she wondered if she was purposely sabotaging this relationship before it had even begun. Why else would she have come here knowing how he felt? She wanted to make sure Theresa was okay, that much was true, but she didn’t have to be here to reassure herself of that. Duncan and Jamie had both pledged to tell her exactly what happened.
 

Or maybe she was here to let
Duncan
know he wasn’t the boss of her. He was so male, so commanding and obviously used to having people follow his directions. She had a feeling that if she followed his orders to the letter so early in their relationship, she’d be setting a bad precedence for their future. But they didn’t have a future, did they?

Whatever her reason for being here, she felt a fission of excitement go down her spine at the thought of seeing him again. She’d dressed carefully for tonight, taking her sister’s advice and raiding her closet as well. Jessie wore snug, sapphire-colored velvet jeans, and a matching, nearly see-through lace blouse with flowers embroidered on the sleeves and around the deep scoop neckline. Jamie had tried to convince her to wear the blouse without a bra, but Jessie couldn’t do it. She knew the club they were going to was dim, but just the thought of her nipples being so obvious to the casual observer made her want to slip back into one of her grandma cardigans. The sisters had compromised with a black, lace, push-up bra that made Jessie very conscious of how her large breasts stretched out the front of her sister’s blouse.

Both the blouse and the jeans were uncomfortably tight, adding to Jessie’s uneasy feeling about tonight. She was used to wearing loose, efficient clothing and being home by nine. What was she doing in these clothes and drinking her third glass of wine on a Tuesday night? Not to mention, waiting to meet the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen with the intention of seducing him later. Surely, she’d lost her mind.

Jessie leaned over and whispered in her sister’s ear. “Jamie, is there another exit? I should go.”

Jamie looked at her in surprise for a moment and then stared over her sister’s head. “It’s too late, honey. The show is about to begin.”

Jessie was confused. “I thought the show didn’t begin until 9:30? I have a half hour at least,” she said, glancing at her watch.

“Not my show. Your show.” Jamie looked meaningfully at the door and Jessie angled in her chair to see what her sister was staring at. Dodging around Phabio’s oversized golden head of carefully tousled waves she was able to get an excellent view of the entrance. Jessie held her breath.
Duncan
stood in the archway with his hands on his hips, scanning the interior of the club and letting his eyes adjust to the darkness.
 

He was more compelling than she remembered. Tired-looking and a bit worn around the edges, but so irresistible in his black jeans, light blue shirt, and leather jacket that she had to fight the urge to run to him and throw herself into his arms. She waited on pins and needles, wanting him to spot her, but also a bit nervous about how he would react.
 

The club wasn’t open yet. He’d had to flash his badge at the oversized bouncer in the Hawaiian shirt manning the door to gain entrance. It didn’t take long for
Duncan
to see Jessie sitting in the corner. He’d actually been looking for Theresa, but something had drawn his gaze to the only occupied table in the place. What had attracted his attention was the way the ridiculous-looking man at the table was crowding the woman beside him. He couldn’t see the face of the pirate king’s victim, just her crown of upswept reddish hair. It had never occurred to
Duncan
that Jessie would disregard his wishes, so he had no inkling it was her being manhandled in the corner. It wasn’t until the man shifted in his seat to place his arm possessively on the back of the booth that
Duncan
got a clear view of her face.

Duncan
stared. Maybe it was Jessie’s sister, he thought. No, Jessie’s sister wouldn’t be smiling sweetly at him like that. It was Jessie. Not only was she here, exactly where he told her not to be, she was also here with another guy.
 

Duncan
felt his control slip away in a hearbeat. He could see himself stalking over there, punching the jerk beside Jessie in the nose, throwing her over his shoulder, and pounding his chest as he carried her off to the nearest bed to stake his claim. He could see this happening so vividly he wondered for a moment if he’d actually done it. But no, he was still standing in the arched entranceway, watching Jessie as she stood up and walked toward him hesitantly.

By the time she reached him, she’d stopped smiling. He could see how nervous she was by the tentative way she approached him and how she was wringing her hands. He realized that she was a bit scared of his reaction so he attempted to school his features into an expression that was vaguely less threatening. It must have been an improvement because she actually bridged the distance between them and slid her arms around his waist.

“Don’t be mad,” she whispered against his neck. “I had to come.

With her body pressed tightly against him the anger faded quickly away to be replaced by a wave of desire that made him go weak in the knees. He pulled her tight against him, kissed her temple and said, “It’s okay,” against her hair. What was wrong with him exactly? This was the part where he usually started yelling and making threats. She completely drained him of that impulse.

Jessie was wearing high heels and her high, firm breasts were pushing against his rib cage. All thoughts of getting angry or reproaching her flew out of his head. All he could think about was getting her alone and exploring her body, branding her as his.

He came to his senses long enough to ask, “Is that girl here? The one that might be Theresa?”

Jessie pulled back enough to look into his eyes. He looked away at her companions so she couldn’t see the naked desire there. He didn’t want to scare her. “No,
Duncan
, I’m sorry,” Jessie said softly. “She’s not. At least not yet. Jamie said she’s a half hour late. She was supposed to be here by 8:30 to get ready. Put on makeup and get her costume and stuff.”

“Alright, so we might have a few minutes. Can I talk to you? Alone?” He pointed his chin at the table where she’d been sitting and ran both hands down her back until they rested firmly on her buttocks.

Jessie looked at him, puzzled. Did he mean what she thought he meant? Surely he didn’t want to continue what they’d started last night right here. Looking into his heated, red-rimmed eyes, Jessie could see that talking was the last thing on his mind. She felt a tingle of response go through her and shifted slightly until her pelvis was aligned with his. Nope, she wasn’t mistaken; the evidence was there, pressing firmly against her belly. “Do you want to go outside?” She asked, her voice surprisingly husky to her own ears.

“No, there’s a line-up out there. Is there anywhere else?”
Duncan
looked at her and squeezed the globes of her bottom in his hands, bringing her closer to his erection.

“Come on,” she said urgently, and turned back toward the main room. Her sister and Phabio were watching them avidly, so Jessie waved and pointed toward the alcove at the back where the restrooms were. It was all she could think of with
Duncan
walking closely behind her, his heat against her back.

Jessie expected
Duncan
to be content with a quick embrace in the privacy provided by the curtained alcove. Once they were out of sight, she stopped and turned in his arms; reaching up to lock her hands behind his neck and bring his mouth to hers. He resisted and kept walking, smiling and pushing her ahead of him so she walked backward. She thought he was going to press her against the wall like he’d done last night at her apartment and she felt a shiver of excitement race through her lower stomach.

Jessie’s back finally hit something solid, but it wasn’t the wall. It had some give and she looked over her shoulder at the door he was attempting to nudge her through. In the middle of the large wooden door was a cartoon of a white, curvaceous Persian cat wearing a huge pink bow around its neck.
 

“The Ladies Room?” Jessie asked, turning her gaze back to stare at
Duncan
. He nodded at her and gave her a wicked grin. “You want to go in the Ladies Room?” Jessie laughed in disbelief.
 
Duncan
was more daring than she’d imagined.

“Why not?” He said, wiggling his eyebrows and pushing against the door with his hand. “No one uses it, except on Ladies Night. We’ll be perfectly private. I just need a few minutes.”

“That doesn’t sound very promising,” Jessie said, hesitating.

“Come on,” he said and lifted her until she was on face level with him. She placed her arms around his neck and nodded her assent, kissing the spot on his eyebrow that was bisected by the scar. He shivered in response. “You won’t be sorry, I promise.” He kissed her surprised lips and carried her into the bathroom.

The Ladies Room at the Kitty-Kat Club was actually more of an old-fashioned retiring room. It was huge, for one thing, and featured a lounging area where ladies could rest their feet and sit for a while on dark red, satin lounges. There was also a large mirrored vanity inside the entrance that would rival any beauty parlor. This was where
Duncan
carried Jessie after clicking the lock on the door. He set her down on the marble vanity and just looked her in the eyes for a few seconds. She gazed back at him and smiled, raising her hand to trace his lips and cheekbones.
 

“Man, would you look at this place. Is this why women are always taking off to the bathroom in pairs? It’s nicer in here than outside,” he said to her playfully.
Duncan
placed his hands on her inner thighs and spread her legs gently, stepping between them and pressing himself against her softness. He groaned and did it again; it felt so good. Wanting to increase the friction a bit he reached behind him and lifted her thighs around his hips with both hands. She gasped at the way this new position rubbed her against his hardness and locked her ankles together, pressing him into her.