Electrified(18)

Time was ticking by, and the couple was running up a huge tab at a thousand dollars an hour to enjoy Nat and Sadie in the VIP room. Well into the second hour, the husband stuck his finger inside Natalie’s mouth, despite the fact that no penetration was allowed of any kind—oral, vaginal, anal, it didn’t matter.

Even though Natalie was allowing the man’s hands to roam a bit, she wasn’t down for his finger entering her body. To make matters worse, the guy had palmed an ecstasy pill, which he tried to slip under Natalie’s tongue.

Drugs were a hard no-no at the Tunnel. They were reason for immediate expulsion and your name blacklisted forever. With two bouncers at opposite ends of the VIP room and video cameras all along the overhead lighting, it didn’t take long, maybe twenty seconds at most, to catch Natalie wincing and struggling.

Within a minute, the couple was swiftly removed from the premises, and Natalie and Sadie were ushered directly to Asher’s office suite in the club. Sadie was fine, no worse for the wear, only concerned for Natalie.

Sienna had popped up to check on Natalie and caught Asher in a rage, completely beside himself. He was bitching Natalie out, going on and on about how she didn’t care about herself, her son, and him. Not wanting to be a part of it, she excused herself.

Witnessing the strong emotions Asher had for Natalie confirmed what Sienna already knew. He cared for Natalie more than he let on to her, and to himself. She just didn’t understand why Asher didn’t allow himself to follow through on whatever it was he felt for Natalie.

I hope he’s not holding back because of me.

That was one big reason why guilt plagued Sienna. Did Asher not want to hurt her by dating other people, and possibly starting a relationship? Did he think she would feel deserted?

She wouldn’t. She loved Asher, but not like that. So now that Petal was settled, Asher would be her next project.

Sienna let Asher have his no-strings fun and took his town car home to be by herself each night, hoping he’d do more than have a casual fling in his office. She needed to be by herself, but Asher didn’t, and now she was going to help move him toward something she could never have herself.



SIENNA WAS still thinking about Asher and how he shouldn’t be lonely as she was when she got home and dipped into her bath. No matter what time she arrived back home, at night or early morning, Sienna took a hot bath. It helped her soak off the sweat and energy of the club.

Sinking into her tub full of bubbles, lathering herself with a clean, fresh scent, and washing away the sultry air of the Tunnel transported Sienna to a good place. Closing her eyes, she imagined not being the lonely woman she was, but rather a lover, partner, wife, caretaker. In any one of these roles there would be someone else to whisper to, joke with, or sleep next to after a long day.

A long day of what? Stripping?

There was no denying she’d pretty much seen and heard it all at the Tunnel. She didn’t wish to experience every single act she had knowledge of over the years, but somewhere deep, she longed for something sensual of her own. She’d never experienced making love, let alone dirty, kinky sex with anyone, and a small piece of her wanted that.

Making love. She knew she’d never have it, but still she wished on some level she could.

Her bathroom was her refuge, the only place she truly let down her hair. The room was her favorite part of her carriage house, and where Sienna allowed her thoughts to drift and wander to what she might desire.

For the most part, her entire home was the one thing that made her smile, leaving her not feeling totally bereft from what had become of her life. Actually, her home was the carriage house at the rear of Asher’s property; he had renovated it and was looking for a tenant when he met Sienna. When he’d learned she was staying in a dingy extended-stay motel, he moved her in to the carriage house, saying she would pay him “back rent” when she could.

At some point, it became clear he was never going to charge her back rent, so Sienna abruptly handed him a lump sum for the value of the place. Although not one bit necessary, she knew Asher would transfer the deed to her, which he did.

She turned on the water, adding a little more warmth to her bath, taking pride in the fact that she was now a homeowner. Sienna Flower owned her own home. Something else Lila had only dreamed about.

It felt liberating, even though without Asher in her corner, none of this could have happened. After all, she couldn’t exactly apply for a mortgage using her old social security number.

Originally Asher had run her paychecks through his own account and then cashed her out. It was an arrangement they struck when she was moving from cocktail server to dancer. As a server, she earned cash tips and a tiny off-the-books base. Moving on to dancer, she started with a small salary and lots of cash benefits, which only grew. The cash was all good because she couldn’t declare her own salary, forcing Asher to come up with a more unique solution.