Electrified(41)

She was so caught up in missing Carson, she was oblivious to the man who stood up and swiftly moved toward the stage.

It was only when Sienna turned to head back to a rope dangling from the ceiling—she was going to climb it and twist herself in it for the finale—when a ruckus broke out behind her. She willed herself to ignore it and grabbed the rope, but when she spun around, there was Petey and Mike escorting the man in the cowboy hat out of the club.

In the middle of her act, Sienna knew she couldn’t break her concentration. She finished her dance. Sweat beaded on her chest as she hooked her ankle in a loop on the rope and climbed up, the rope squeezing her cleavage and forcing her calf muscles to contract while she gripped it. She knew the audience was hypnotized by this athletic and raw, sexual side of her, and that the sight of her butt, round and completely revealed, heightened the whole experience. Her thong, which only covered the most sacred of private areas, kept the crowd’s gaze focused on one person. They had no clue what was happening with the cowboy because there wasn’t an eye in the house not focused on Sienna.

Finally, the song came to an end. Sienna dangled from the rope by one arm and one leg, throwing her standard kisses into the crowd, but she couldn’t wait to get the hell off the stage.

As soon as Sienna walked backstage, Asher was waiting for her. He paced back and forth like a lion waiting to pounce on its prey. He watched her walk toward him with rage in his eyes, although she knew it was not directed toward her.

“Shit, Sie. Shit, babe. I’m so sorry. I know Sydney pegged that guy as being strange, but I didn’t expect him to rush the stage. Scared the fucking crap out of me. Fuck!” He yelled the last few words and slammed his open palm into the wall.

“It’s okay, Ash. Shh. You guys were right on it.” Sienna placed a comforting hand on his arm, willing him to calm down even though her own nerves were equally shot. She knew if she let him know how rattled she was, he would clamp down on her with extra security. Despite all that just went down, Sienna couldn’t stop thinking about her date with Carson the next day. If Asher started amping up security, he’d know about the date, and she wanted to keep that part of her life to herself for the moment.

“Sienna, if something happened to you, I’d never forgive myself. You’re family. Nobody’s going to hurt you on my watch.”

“I know, sweetie, I know. I’m good. No worse for the wear.” Sienna stood up straight, threw her shoulders back, and flung her hair behind her back.

“Do you want to skip your second dance? I get it if you do, doll.” Asher moved away from the wall he’d just pounded, shifted close, and ran a soothing hand down her arm, stopping to grasp her hand tightly as if he never wanted to let it go.

“No, I need to dance. You know better than anyone, dancing is when I feel free, liberated.” She squeezed his hand, leaned closer on her high heels, and kissed his forehead. She lingered a few extra moments, her steady breath hovering over his face, telling him what he wanted to hear with her actions.

He trained his entire focus on her face, scrutinizing her sincerity, and bought it. “All right. I’m going to sit up front for your next act. Go unwind and take a rest before you go back out.”

Sienna gave Asher another peck, this time on the cheek, spun on her heel, and returned to her dressing room. She locked the door behind her and slid down the smooth wood to the floor. Convincing Asher she was okay had stripped her of whatever strength remained inside her body.

The club had been her refuge, her little nest of safety for the longest time, but the guy in the damn cowboy hat and his specific questioning had her on edge. Not to mention his storming the stage and Asher’s resulting rage.

She made herself a cup of tea to calm her nerves and changed her outfit. She wouldn’t let them see her rattled. Fear is going to get the best of me, she thought as she picked out a red cat suit and gold boots. It was a dominant choice. The red combined with the gutsy zipper down the skintight bodysuit made a statement. She wasn’t to be messed with. Not now, not ever.

I’m not broken. I’m strong.

The rest of the night went without incident. Sienna danced. She lowered the zipper, gave the crowd a hint of everything good inside, and then let them go home to make their fantasies come alive. The man was gone, but she noticed Asher had stationed himself out front, with Mike and Petey flanking the stage, and other security personnel visible around the room.

With only a little sliver of fear running through her, Sienna settled back to being herself, or the self she thought she should be as a stripper.

Happy with making others’ dreams come alive, Sienna went home later to her carriage house. She went through her relaxation routine, lit a candle, took a bath, and thought about how she really didn’t have any fantasies of her own, but wanted a few.