Liz cast her friend a skeptical look. “If you haven’t figured it out already, Lynda, I haven’t exactly had a lot of wild affairs. A few relationships where sex was involved, sure, but…”
“Doesn’t matter. All you have to do is follow your urges, honey. It’s all good. And if you find out that creep is cheating on you or paying for simulated sex with strippers, you definitely need to let go, let loose, and live it up. Lose all your inhibitions.”
Liz wished she were as bold as Lynda. She knew from late night talks over bottles of wine that since Lynda’s divorce ten years ago, she’d taken the very advice she was now giving Liz—she’d sought out wild times, wild sex. She’d been with another woman on more than one occasion, she’d told Liz, and she’d even once taken part in an orgy. Each time she’d told Liz one of these stories, Liz had secretly shivered with excitement, wondering what it was like to be that daring.
And Lynda’s lack of inhibitions was the exact reason Liz had known Lynda could help her with sexy clothes when she’d wanted to look good to go hire a P.I., and why she knew now that Lynda was the perfect person to fill her in on Bourbon Street’s sin dens.
Together, they perused the clubs that lined the street. It was broad daylight and many of them weren’t yet open for business, but some had pictures in glass cases outside their doors. The cases displayed photos of naked girls—some had shots of girls kissing and touching each other, and one smallish building even exhibited numerous pictures of a man and woman actually having sex. “They really do that in there, on a stage?” Liz asked, a little taken aback.
Lynda smiled at her naïveté. “There’s not much they don’t do down here in N’awlins, honey.”
When they reached Club Venus, Lynda said, “You’ll be fine here. It’s one of the more sophisticated establishments, basically just a classy strip joint. Pretty girls taking their clothes off for tips, that’s basically all you get in here. Well, and lap dances, of course.”
“Of course,” Liz said, remembering Jack’s pictures.
Linda tilted her head. “So, what if you go and Todd isn’t there?”
“Simple. I’ll tell Jack to go back to the drawing board.”
“And what if Todd is there? Will you confront him, run out crying, throw a drink on him, what?”
Liz considered the options. “To be honest, I don’t really know. I guess I’ll find out when the time comes.” The truth was, she was still thinking more about watching erotic dancers with Jack Wade than about her anger at Todd, and before she knew it, the moment would be at hand.
* * * * *
The following evening at nine sharp, Jack strolled up Bourbon Street wearing a pair of khakis and a sports jacket. He spotted Liz Marsh from a distance. She stood outside the Blue Moon Cafe looking hotter than the Vieux Carre itself on a ninety-eight degree day. Her dress was the color of warm cream, silky, and it hugged every curve from her breasts to her knee. Like yesterday, her hair fell in tawny waves around her face. And damn, she wore high-heeled, fuck-me-now shoes like the ones he’d noticed on the sexy, dark-haired stripper the other night.
“You’re actually going to Club Venus with that hot babe from the other day?” Ty had asked when he’d happened into the office earlier and they’d discussed their plans for the evening.
“It’s business,” Jack had replied.
“I’d like to have that kind of business,” his friend had laughed, and had gone on to tell him that if he decided he didn’t want Liz that he could pass her right over. He chuckled now at the thought, thinking—no way, bon ami, she’s all mine.
Not that he had any idea where things with Liz would go. As sexy and inviting as she was, when the shit hit the fan with her boyfriend, she might be too shattered to even think about fooling around with another guy. And Jack was no mender of hearts. He was looking to have a good time with her, not dry her tears. Either way, though, he was beginning to think Liz wasn’t all that madly in love with old Todd and that maybe he had a very good shot at getting to know her better.
He approached her with half a grin. “Hello there.”
She returned the smile with the same sultry look she always seemed to cast his way. It made him forget about business a little more. “Hi,” she said, a sexy lilt in her voice.
Part of him wanted to ask if she even cared about her fiancé, since from where he stood, she looked very ready to have some fun with him, but instead he decided to just see where it all led. “Ready?”
“Yes.”
They walked together toward Club Venus, but he warned her to be on guard—if either of them were to see Todd on the street, they’d need to duck out of view quickly.
That didn’t happen, though, and they were soon stepping inside. “Enjoy,” the doorman said after taking Jack’s money, and Jack placed a hand at the small of Liz’s back to guide her into the plush room of sin.
The place was more crowded than the other night, because it was later in the evening, and while he watched Liz looking around, focusing on the various stages where the women danced, he slipped a college-aged kid fifty bucks to give up the table he shared with two other guys. It was the same small booth in the back where he’d sat the other night, more secluded
