Lexie recognized the overt come on. Bella was testing her. To see how street smart she was. She decided to play dumb. She had to be careful. Bella could be a goldmine of information. Lexie saw how skillfully she’d managed the outrageous overtures from drunken men. She was a pro, cleverly conveying the promise of more to come without acting on it. Lexie was impressed. From the things Bella said and the many patrons that she called by name, it was clear that she was a regular, and a knowledgeable one at that.
Lexie responded to Bella’s assertion with a wistful sigh. “Sure wish I could tap into some of that. It seems no matter what I do, I’m always scraping for my next dollar.”
Bella looked surprised. “Really? You seem like you’ve got it coming and going, girl.”
Lexie grinned, but let a little uncertainty color her voice.
“Yeah, I do. And I know how to put on a good act. I’ve been doing it most of my life. I’m not complaining, but let’s face it. Waitress wages and generous tips can go in a hurry.”
Bella’s gaze sharpened.
“Damn, girl, I hear you’re living with that hot guy, the colonel stud moving through. He must keep you in pretty good style.”
Lexie shook her head with a derisive snort.
“Hell, no! And I’m not exactly living with him. Besides, I’m done with him. He’s too possessive, too demanding. If I even look at another guy, he goes nuts. He’s getting to be a real pain in the ass.”
Lexie laughed to herself. At least some of what she said was true.
Bella regarded her cautiously.
“Hmm. Well if its money you need to get away from him, there’s lots of it floating around this joint.”
“Do you have to put out for it?”
Bella shrugged.
“You don’t have to unless you want to. But I can tell you, honey, some of the guys that hang around here are an eleven on a one to ten heat scale. Not as hot as that blue-eyed hottie you’re hanging out with, but some studly men pass through this club.”
Lexie frowned as if considering her suggestion.
“Do you get a lot more money if you do it?”
“No, not necessarily. The big money is in the …” Bella stopped short, clearly not intending to reveal any more information.
Lexie knew this was her moment. She could only play dumb so long.
“Huh? Oh, I get it. If it’s not sex, it must be drugs.” She added with a smile, “I could use a little of that myself right about now. That possessive bastard chasing me doesn’t do them, says he has to keep his perfect body pure.”
Bella cocked an interested brow.
“You use?”
Lexie tossed her head. “Yeah. Who doesn’t? Sometimes I can use a little lift. Just if I’m feeling down, that is. I’ve found half a ruffie doesn’t hurt. I’ve learned how to moderate it. Get the dose right so that it doesn’t take me down too far or get me too wild.”
A knowing smile crossed Bella’s face.
“Damn, girl. You may be just what we are looking for. Why don’t you come in early tomorrow, around seven? I’ll fill you in. Hell, girl, with your looks and experience, you could make a killing here.” She added with a satisfied smile. “If you play your cards right, you might be able to do what I’ve done.”
The harsh lines around Bella’s eyes tightened more. She looked fierce.
“I’m determined I’ll never be poor again, never knowing where my next dollar is coming from. I even have a savings account now. Someday I’m going to buy myself a house of my own. And when I do, I’m going to move my momma out of that rat-infested hovel we grew up in and show her how the rest of the world lives.”
Lexie agreed to come in early. As she walked away, her heart clenched with a familiar pain. Like so many women in her circumstances, Bella thought turning tricks and dealing drugs was the only way she could change her life. Unfortunately, Lexie acknowledged, for most of the women she’d tried to help that was true. It was the precious few that succeeded in climbing out of the hole that kept her going. Maybe with a hell of a lot of luck, her new friend Bella could be one of the lucky ones.
~~~
Later that night, Jake got up to leave. He’d spent the better part of an hour debriefing Lexie, adding in Brady and Clint’s insights along the way. After Brady and Clint left, Jake scooped up the armload of empty beer bottles from the coffee table and dumped them in the recycle bin by the back door.
Lexie was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, uncertainty clouding her beautiful eyes. He wasn’t surprised. As though he hadn’t spent the last fifteen years of his life expertly wooing women, he acknowledged to himself, he didn’t know what to do either. He was reminded of Grandpa Carl’s cryptic advice: “If you can’t race it or take it to bed, you don’t need it.” Problem was, even though he couldn’t take her to bed, he needed her like he’d never needed a woman. Guess that left his bike for comfort tonight.
Calling on his better self, he walked over to Lexie and chucked her under the chin. He saw her swallow and knew her mouth was as dry as his. Her little tremor echoed the one that hit him when he touched her.
He smiled down at her. “You were great tonight, Lexie. You had every man in the place eating out of your hand. And I’m glad to say that most of them looked as addled as I feel when I’m within ten feet of you. You are quite a woman, Alexis Beloi. Hell, woman, you are as sexy pounding a bag in sweats as you are in that harlot’s costume and those ‘fuck me’ shoes. “
She blushed and looked down.
Then she smiled that shy smile that made his balls tighten.
“Thanks, Jake. You did pretty well yourself. You managed to glower in the corner and not pay attention to the fact that every waitress and stripper in the house was after your butt.”
Jake roared. Emboldened, he leaned down and whispered in her ear.
“The glower was real, darlin’. God help the man who touches you. He’ll be picking up body parts off the floor.”
Feeling her hard tremor, he pulled her up close to him, breathing in the tantalizing scent of mint and lemongrass. He held her for a moment, then stepped back. Reaching down, he tilted her face up to his and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
“Sleep well tonight, darlin’. Pleasant dreams.”
Chapter 19
Lexie was startled to see that the clock beside her bed read eleven o’clock. Shocked, she jumped out of bed. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept past six o’clock in the morning. And that was on the days she didn’t have to teach her five a.m. advanced class. She thought with a guilty smile, it must have been Jake’s parting words last night. She had slept well and her dreams had been pleasant; confusing, but very pleasant.
She dwelt for a moment on the big man who was turning her life upside down. She had to admit that there was something comforting about knowing that Brady and Clint and the others were watching over her, and, of course, Jake. But he wasn’t watching, she thought with a grin, he was damn well hovering. She tossed her head at the sleepy eyed woman in the mirror. Right, girl, I thought you didn’t want to get close to a man, especially one as big and controlling as that one. What had Bella called him? The blue-eyed hottie? She frowned, admonishing herself. If you know what’s good for you, girl, you will send that guy packing before you end up falling for him. She stripped off her thigh high nightie and headed to the shower. Oh, well, she reminded herself, winking at the flushed woman in the mirror, she never had known what was good for her. Maybe that was about to change.
~~~
Jake stood at a distance watching her practice. When she wasn’t at the house, he knew he could find her
