Stripped Defenseless (6 page)

“What’s
up, Jarred?” She leaned against the outside of the stall so she wouldn’t be
trapped inside.

“I
wanted to ask you that same question.” He lazily walked to her and stopped only
inches away. His dark brown eyes took in her entire body in one swooping
glance. “You seemed to be into that guy yesterday, but I didn’t see him tip
you. You have something going on with him?”

“No.
I was just avoiding the jerks from the university.” She gave him her best
innocent smile, loathing that she had to be nice to him.

“Ah,
well, they’re the ones who buy drinks and keep us in business. We don’t want
them disappointed, do we?”

“Won’t
do it again.”
Just tell him what he wants to hear so he’ll leave.

He
inched closer. “I’d hate to see you get fired, Ava. You know bringing in your
boyfriend is a no-no.”

“He’s
not my boyfriend, and please call me Lily.” She despised that she’d had a
moment of weakness one night after work and told him her real name...after
succumbing to four shots of tequila. It had been a long day and all she’d
wanted to do was drain her sorrows. But as the evening had progressed, Jarred
had begun looking less like an asshole and more like her salvation. What a
joke.

She
vaguely remembered making out with him in the parking lot. Thank God Poppy had
caught them, putting a stop to it before anything else happened. But now Poppy
hated her guts, and, honestly, Ava didn’t blame her.

The
whole ordeal had been a new low for Ava, and she swore to herself she’d never
drink tequila again. Especially when accompanied by the likes of Jarred.

He
stared down at her for a moment. His predatory gaze shifted to her lips and
then to her breasts. “Just so we’re clear then,” he finally said and turned his
back to her. “See you out there,
Ava
.”

* * * * *

Kade
scanned the room for his target. And Lily. But neither was in sight so he took
a seat at his usual table in the back.

 The
place was mostly empty. Nearby, a man in a business suit sat at the bar talking
to the forty-something bikini-clad bartender who looked like she’d led a hard
life. A couple of scraggly looking men in painter’s uniforms were sitting at
the stage watching the raven-haired dancer blow bubbles while wearing a school
girl skirt and no top. And to the left of the stage were a few young-looking
guys, drinking and watching one of their buddies get a lap dance by a blonde
with fake lopsided breasts. Kade figured they were students from the local
university.

Then
he spotted Poppy. She pushed through a door and nearly rammed it into one of
the ogling boys, but he didn’t seem to notice and neither did she. Her face was
red, and she looked pissed as she stormed over to the bartender.

“Lily’s
doing it again,” she spewed out. “Can you believe that shit? She’s such a
slut.”

Kade’s
ears perked up.

“Relax,
Pop,” the brassy-haired bartender said while adjusting the strap to her bikini
top. “You know Jarred picks a favorite every so often. She’s just his flavor of
the month, that’s all. Next week, he’ll be back with you. You can count on it.”

“I
bet they’re back there having sex right now.”

So
this was the date, huh?

Kade
clenched his fists and started to stand. He’d be more than happy to break up
anything that was upsetting his target, especially if it had to do with some
fucker groping Lily in areas Kade had explored only hours ago.

But
before he could approach Poppy, Lily took the stage. He sat back down and drank
in the inviting sight. She wore a black lace thong under a tiny see-through
teddy and spiky black heels.

Kade
grew hard just looking at her as she danced slowly and erotically to the beat
of the music. Her hips swayed as her painted red fingernails swept over her
flat stomach to her neck and back again.

The
young men quickly grabbed chairs next to the stage and pulled out their
wallets. Lily gave them a cute grin and let the teddy fall to the floor, fully
revealing her plump breasts.

They
better not touch her.
Kade sat up straight in his chair and prepared to make a move.

“Would
you like a dance?” Poppy asked, breaking his concentration. She wore a strip of
pink spandex as a skirt around her hips, barely covering her goods. A red
feathered boa hung between her breasts.

He
wanted to say no, but he needed to say yes since he was so close to pinpointing
his target and collecting his money.

And
getting the hell away from this woman who was driving him insane.

He
gave a quick nod but kept his eyes focused on Lily. Without missing a beat,
Poppy straddled his leg. Her hands cradled his cheeks and forced him to look
her in the eyes.

“You
like Lily?” She nodded toward the stage. The fluff from the boa itched at his
nose.

“That
her up there?” He played dumb.

“You
had your finger inside her yesterday, and you don’t even know her name. What a
bad boy you are.” She giggled and ran her hand down his chest.

That
got his attention. His probable target had been watching him, and he hadn’t had
a clue. Maybe she was smarter than he gave her credit for, which wasn’t much.
Or maybe he had been too distracted to notice.

“Did
you like watching me do that?” he asked, trying to get more info.

“I’d
like it better if you did it to me.” She scooped the boa over his neck and
attempted to pull him into her bare breasts.

Kade
resisted. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Lily tug at her panty strap
so the punk kid with the green and white striped polo shirt could stick a
dollar under it. “Did what to you?” he asked, absently.

Poppy
leaned over him and blocked his view. She brushed her fingers down his stomach,
over his penis and back up again. Then she put her lips to his ear. “Anything
you want,” she whispered.

Kade
cleared his throat. He needed to move this interview along. “What’s your real
name, Poppy?”

“That
is my real name, silly.” She gave him a coy grin and tickled a feather along
his forehead.

Kade
swept it away. “Right. Every dancer here is named after some sort of flower. It’s
cute but a little annoying.”

“Fine,”
she said, looking irritated. “It’s whatever you want it to be.”

“Do
you ladies practice saying that?”

“What
do you want from me, buddy?” She pouted her lavender-painted lips at him. “I’m
just trying to make some money here.”

Kade
took the not so subtle hint and pulled out his wallet. He handed her a five
dollar bill.

She
rolled her almond-shaped green eyes at it and stuck it in her band of a skirt.
“What did you give Lily?”

“A
hell of a lot more.” He smiled at the memory.

Poppy
gave him a piercing glare and stepped away, but Kade grabbed her feathered
scarf and drew her forward until they were eye to eye.

“What
do you want?” she asked him.

“I
want Ava Lureau,” he said, finally losing all of his patience.

A
look of distaste spread across her face as she jerked the boa out of his grasp.
“You’re an asshole,” she said and walked away.

That
wasn’t exactly the response Kade had expected, giving him doubts. He let out a
breath and tried to remain calm. If Poppy wasn’t his target then who the hell
was?

* * * * *

Ava
tried not to notice Poppy fondling Kade in the back of the room. She was
not
jealous. The man obviously wanted another night of free sex, just not from her.

“Hey,”
the guy in the polo shirt said after sliding a twenty dollar bill under the
string she was holding out for him. “Can I get a dance, a private one?” A
boyish grin cut across his lips. He was cute. Only a couple years younger than
her. Could have been someone she would have dated back home. Well, before Zack
came into her life.

“Sure.
It’s fifty bucks. You pay the bouncer over there.” She pointed to Jarred who
watched her intently from the doorway. “Tips are extra.”

“I’ll
pay whatever you want.” His smile widened, showing his perfectly aligned white
teeth his parents probably paid a fortune for.

“Okay,
sweetie, I’ll meet you back there.” Ava brushed a finger over his nose and left
to collect money from a couple more men who were offering. Then she scooped up
her teddy and headed off the stage.

The
room designated for private dances was a little more posh than the rest of the
club, which wasn’t saying much. Red carpet covered the floor and ended in the
middle of the room where a small stage with a pole extended to the ceiling.
Black velvet curtains draped all of the walls from top to bottom, and two
leather loveseats sat on either side of the stage.

She
adjusted the light to dim and tried to relax. Private dances always made her
nervous. Sure, she had a bouncer outside the door if she needed him, but there
was always a chance she could get overpowered by some loony pervert.

In
this case, it seemed the culprit was just a horny college student, but she
still felt uneasy.

Thoughts
of Poppy putting her hands all over Kade’s body whirled through Ava’s mind. She
supposed this was what Poppy felt like when the whole Jarred incident happened.

There.
Now they were even. No more feeling guilty.
Yeah, right.

“Lily.”
Kade’s voice filled the room, and Ava spun around to see him walking through
the doorway, the top of his head almost touched the frame.

“What
are you doing in here?” An annoying sense of relief overcame her. What did this
man have that made her crave his mere presence?

“I
saw you come in here. I was curious.” His eyes focused on the stage she was now
standing on. “What are you doing?”

“Somebody’s
paying for a private dance. He’ll be here any second.”

His
eyes narrowed and his jaw twitched. “He’ll have to find someone else.” He shut
the door behind him and locked it.

Her
heart fluttered with desire and fear at the same time. “You can’t do that. I’ll
be fired and you’ll be arrested.” She covered her breasts with her hands, but
that didn’t stop the goose bumps from rising on her skin.

“You
were going to quit anyway, and I’m not scared of that pussy of a bouncer.” He
walked up to the stage and plucked her hands away from her trembling bosoms,
which were just below his eye level.

“Who
said I was quitting?”

“Me.”
His mouth parted and licked at her already aroused nipple.

A
sizzle of fire careened down her core. “Kade, this isn’t a good time.” Her
voice shook. “Really, I mean it. Why don’t you go find Poppy again?” Ava said
the words but found herself running her fingers through his hair, breathing in
his masculine scent.

The
idea of seeing him with another woman after the night they’d had together left
a bitter taste in her mouth. Even if he was a jerk, he was
her
jerk...for
as long as he was in town anyway.

“I’m
allergic to weeds,” he murmured against her breast and then lightly blew on it.
“When am I getting my private dance?” His hands slid up her thighs and wedged
underneath the sides of her g-string. “With this thing off.”

The
rattling of the door handle broke the sexual tension building up inside her.
“Hold on a minute,” she yelled.

“What’s
going on in there, Lily,” Jarred’s voice boomed from the other side of the
door.

“I’m
having a personal problem.” She smiled at Kade. “Just give me a few minutes.”

Kade
snickered and tugged her panties over her thighs and down her legs.

Jarred
banged on the door. “Christ, Lil, why didn’t you use the goddamn bathroom for
this shit?”

“Sorry.
It’ll only take a second.”

Ava
couldn’t control her quivering body. Or her mind, for that matter. She was
jeopardizing her job, her only means of survival, for a moment of pleasure.
Extreme pleasure if it was anything like the night before. But still, it was
only a temporary fix. Kade would leave soon, and she’d have to deal with the
aftermath of what yet another man had left behind.

“I’m
going to need a little more time than that.” He climbed back up her body. His
tongue extended to lick her navel and then a spot between her breasts before
reaching her lips.

“Sorry.
If we’re going to do this, we need to skip the foreplay.” Never in her life did
she think she’d say those words. But since meeting Kade, she’d done quite a few
surprising things.

He
smiled and grabbed her hand, leading her off the stage and to the loveseat.

There
was more banging on the door, making Ava feel naughty and more sexually aware
than she’d ever felt before. “Unzip your pants and sit down,” she whispered
into Kade’s ear.

“Yes,
ma’am,” he said with a fake drawl and then did as he was ordered, adding the
extra step of slipping a condom over his hard length.