She bit her tongue from saying this directly to Asher, though. Sienna stayed out of Asher’s dating life.
Stay out of his; he’ll stay out of mine. Which was probably wishful thinking.
Sienna’s silence didn’t stop Asher from meddling in her dating life, or lack thereof. He asked her more than once a week, “Sienna, you ever going to date, baby doll? Find a nice guy for yourself and settle down?”
“Ash, you know I’m not,” she always answered. “I have all the men I can take staring at me at the club.”
Sienna knew Asher saw right through her response, but she also hoped he was smart enough to let it be. He knew more than anyone about her marriage. He just didn’t understand that she could never really see herself having another one.
Asher, always trying to make sure I get everything I want out of life and more.
She knew Asher’s heart was in the right place, but her inner Lila really didn’t want anything other than to be safe. Exposing herself to a level of intimacy again wasn’t in her future.
But could it be? Her thoughts floated for a minute to the guy who had sat front and center the last few weeks and never smiled.
What would he be like in person?
No, she couldn’t open herself to a man again. Besides, she wasn’t divorced. There was no chance of moving forward, even if she wanted to, with the man who had suddenly taken over her mind.
Just because she was destined to be alone didn’t mean Asher shouldn’t date, have fun, and make a good life, though. Why he didn’t make a life with someone, Sienna had no clue. He was successful, beyond wealthy all on his own, and had a huge heart. Maybe she should break her own rule about getting involved with Asher’s love life, and help him figure it out. Pay it forward some more, like she did with Petal.
She knew he liked Natalie a lot.
Earlier, as Mike had leaned in to kiss her on the cheek before settling her in the car, she had whispered to him, “Watch out for Asher. He’s like a live wire after what happened a few weeks ago. You know what I mean? In the VIP room?”
Mike had nodded his head. “Yeah, kid, I know. Petey feels responsible, and we’ve all been treading lightly with the boss. We know there’s something more there with Nat and him, but I got you. I’m keeping an eye out.”
Snuggling in for a tiny bit more affection, she had said, “He deserves to be happy. If it’s with Natalie, he has to resolve his issues with her at the club, and trust you guys. You and I both know Petey was there in a heartbeat.”
He had pulled her in for a brotherly hug. “Don’t you worry yourself over it. I’ll watch him, and Petey knows, love.” He rumpled the hair on top of her head and gave her a push toward the car.
“It’s not that easy, Mike! I’m going to talk to him, too.” She laughed and put a playful frown on her face as she settled herself in the backseat.
“Good night, Sie.” He had gently closed the car door and turned on the heel of his high-top basketball shoes to head back inside the club.
Just a few weeks before, things got a bit wild in one of the private rooms. It happened occasionally at the Tunnel, despite all the bouncers and security equipment. Some customers tried to get away with crazy shit. That was what went down with Natalie and one of the other dancers named Sadie, who were entertaining of all patrons, a married couple.
The husband and wife showed up on the VIP list from one of the upscale hotels, flashing a ton of cash and wanting to have a good time, which was a common occurrence at the club, especially on the weekends. Natalie, who was always looking to earn a little extra money so she could do more for her son, had no problem with dancing for the couple in the back room. The husband and wife also wanted a second dancer, so they could simultaneously get lap dances. Not an outlandish request for the Tunnel, where people played out all kinds of fantasies.
Natalie pulled Sadie in with her, and both of them were perfectly fine with tantalizing the man and the woman with their solo moves along the sensuous deep purple banquettes in the farthest back room in the VIP area. It was the dancer’s call in the back rooms to loosen the no-touching rule as they felt comfortable. Usually, girl-on-girl touching was no big deal. There was never any type of penetration allowed, but a good feel was pretty much standard back there.
Sadie was performing for the wife, and from what Sienna heard, the two of them were having an extremely good time. The woman was amped up on hormones and loving every second of Sadie grinding up against her, blowing in her ear while whispering sexual suggestions for her to share later with her husband. This was all pretty standard for a backroom all-female experience. The woman was softly caressing Sadie’s side cleavage, teetering on the verge of orgasm just from the provocative lap dance while her husband enjoyed Natalie.