Pax noted her body was covered in tattoos: various flowers, hearts, a pirate, a skull. Her porcelain skin was a paradox of seamless designs running from the wrist of her left arm, diagonally across her back and down her entire right leg. Her nose was pierced with a sexy little diamond that emphasized her button nose and her eyes were big and doe-like, lashes thick.
“C’mon over here and sit on Poseidon’s lap, angel. I’ll let you release the Kraken if you’re a good girl.”
She smirked at the challenge before her, turning her attention back to Quil. She moved into his lap, much to his dismay it would seem. She tilted her head quizzically and studied him as if he had a hidden road map in his eyes.
“If he’s Poseidon then who are you?” she asked Quillan.
“Oh, he’s Hades,” Pax answered for him, knowing Quil was a man of few words.
“Hades, huh?” That seemed to excite her even more. Well, damn, Pax thought.
Pax looked over at Quillan as the stripper began to rock her body against him and checked his watch. He’d give the girl another three minutes before Quil told her to am-scray in typical Hades fashion. The TE didn’t mind watching, but he didn’t want to participate—not usually, anyway.
As Pax waited, a shot girl came by and took his drink order. Quil ordered a tonic on ice. Just a tonic.
Damn, looks like I’m drinking by myself too, Pax scowled to himself. Pax didn’t drink often, but he was craving hard liquor tonight. He was anxious, dreading the shit-show to come—a shit-show his CEO had got him into. He was certain his date on Friday night wouldn’t be quite as sexy as the chick seated on his buddy’s lap.
“You don’t like me, do you, god of darkness?” The exotic—in more ways than one—dancer asked Quil.
She didn’t know that Quil wasn’t one for small talk. Until one got to know him, he didn’t have much to say. Quil was philosophical after all; he got that from both his Spanish and Native American roots.
“Perhaps a kiss will change your mind.” She arched a brow.
Before Quillan could protest, the stripper was grabbing his shirt collar and had her tongue down his throat. Pax harrumphed. Damn, what the hell kinda club was this and where was his stripper—or was only one assigned per table?
He looked around and motioned to the approaching shooter girl; he thanked her for the drinks and asked for a dance too. She gave him a nod and set their drinks down. Meanwhile, Quil suddenly seemed interested in the stripper now that she’d overpowered him; not that Pax could blame him, she was licking Quil’s lips like he was made of chocolate or something. Shit! The lucky S.O.B. And fuck, she had a tongue ring too.
Pax shook his head. No damn fair. He was the one who’d wanted to come out tonight and have a good time, but it looked like Quil was the one having the good time.
Quil appeared to come to then, the wicked enchantresses’ curse breaking, if only momentarily. He gripped her shoulders and pulled her back some, gaping at her strangely.
“Oh, you suddenly remember you two aren’t alone? Hi! Yeah, remember me?” Pax smarted, and Quil glanced over at him, looking dazed and confused.
Damn! Again, Pax was blown away. When was the last time he’d been kissed stupid like that? It’d been a long time.
“Yeah, you’re buying the drinks too, asshole. I can’t believe I’m stuck doing your dirty work Friday night because you aren’t man enough to take some stuck-up Atlanta socialite out to dinner. Meanwhile, I’ll just sit here and watch you make out with the hot stripper too. Yeah, suck all the fun out of my week, why don’t you? Rub it in my face a little more. You’re a real dick, you know that?” Pax whined and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Would you excuse us, señorita?” Quil gave purple-silver stripper a sweet grin. She leaned into him, sucking his earlobe for a moment before finally hopping off his lap and throwing a business card in her place.
“The name’s Obsidian. Give me a call when you’re not babysitting ‘Whiny’ over here, dark god, and I’ll give you a real show.” She blew a kiss to Quil and cocked her head sassily at Pax before turning on her heel and sashaying off.
“Welcome back, earthling,” Paxton scoffed as Quil glanced his way, mouth wide in a grin.
“Pax, you’re a total buzzkill.”
“Me? This was supposed to be my night, not yours, damn you!”
“God, you’re always only thinking of yourself, mocoso.” Quil shook his head incredulously.
“Brat? Seriously? You wanna go there?”
“Oh, shut up. I got rid of her. Now let’s find one for you since you can’t have fun without a woman around.”
Pax knew he was pouting, but dammit, it wasn’t fair. The thoughts of having to go out to dinner with some overstuffed, ugly, rich broad he didn’t know just for show was about as appealing as getting a root canal. He realized he’d volunteered and hadn’t made a big deal out of it at the time, but Quil had been giving him that puppy dog look and Madi had been so damn persistent; he’d been put into a catch-22.
“I still can’t believe I’m doing this for you.”
“Oh come off it! You’re doing this for the team, not just for me.”
“Last I remember, pal, it was your neck in the noose, not mine.”
“Stop acting like you’re doing us both a favor here, amigo. You don’t wanna do it, say the fucking word and I’ll—”
“No, I already agreed, and Madi—”
“Then shut the fuck up about it. Go on the damn date, go home, and get over it… pendejo.”
They sipped their drinks before Quil nudged him and they watched the next masked dancer on stage as she performed in a sexy and gifted way, moving over the pole and floor like she was part of both. These girls weren’t just typical strippers; there
