On top of Sam Charles, Carson was officially back. He’d texted her the night before to say he was wrapping up his work week in Los Angeles after a fast turnaround back east, and he would be at the club to see her show tonight.
As she put on her makeup, Sienna wondered if Carson was out there already. Should she invite him backstage? No, absolutely not. She had too much on her mind and needed time to get herself straight.
She was royally screwed up between Sam Charles, who had tracked down where she lived, and the impending sexual tension with Carson. One man was going to mess with her heart, and the other was going to mess up her whole life.
Her whole life, which she had carefully crafted to stay alive, could be blown to bits by an imposter in a cowboy getup. It could all come crumbling down, and yet the only thing on her mind was kissing Carson. She wanted to do it so badly, she was willing to risk everything.
She wasn’t as smart and strong as she thought she was, because she was ready to throw it all away for one man. A beautiful man.
Sienna mentally shook herself and made a firm plan. She would dance, invite Carson back for a drink, feign exhaustion, and go home. Period.
Lost in deep thought, she sat in her dressing room already wearing her college-girl look for tonight’s performance—a cherry-red thong, royal-blue knee socks, a too-small Superwoman T-shirt tied tightly in a knot at her navel, with her hair down and lightly curled. Mike knocked, interrupting her thoughts, to escort Sienna out to the stage.
She might be dressed like a coed, but she needed to channel all the strength she could from the T-shirt. She’d played the role of Superwoman for so long, being strong for herself because she had no one, yet now she could barely dredge up any strength.
Unbreakable, fearless, tough. Sienna had been all of those. And one dumb idiot from New Jersey, of all places, wasn’t going to take that away from her. Neither was she going to be afraid of Carson and what he might expect from her this week.
She had superpowers.
Sienna opened tonight’s act flat on her back onstage. When the lights went up, she rolled over, propped up on her elbows like a schoolgirl, and swung her feet back and forth. The crowd was already clapping and screaming, and she’d done nothing. She pushed up to her feet and swung up on the pole, turning upside down and giving the audience a spectacular view of her behind.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Carson. He was holding a lowball glass with amber liquid, probably scotch, and he wasn’t taking his eyes off her. His were heated, very heated, pooling with desire as she turned right side up and slid to the floor.
She lifted the Superwoman tee over her head to reveal a skimpier-than-skimpy red lace bra. She was teasing him, she knew it, but couldn’t help it. His slight smile and dimple had come out to play, and she wanted to make them stay.
This she could do. Twirling and taunting from her stage, her pole, that she could do. Being intimate one-on-one was a whole different story.
The song was an pulsing alternative number. Sienna swayed from side to side to the drumbeat, her perfectly rounded butt on display with her thong creeping up between the cheeks, making the music an afterthought.
To end the number, Sienna went back up the pole and flipped out her hair while she held herself up with her legs twisted around the cylinder. Then she dismounted and blew kisses as she strutted offstage, walking straight into Asher.
“He wants to come back,” Asher said without any further explanation. She knew who he meant. She’d been thinking about him all night, a piece of her hoping he came earlier in the evening before she went out, and the other half wishing he didn’t come back at all.
“Okay.”
“Sienna, honey, I love seeing you get a life, but are you sure? I never thought you’d like someone from the club, a customer. Don’t get me wrong, doll, I’m thrilled and he seems decent, but—”
“I’m good, Ash. It’s just an innocent crush. All I want is a little fun, nothing more. I do love you for caring. What would I do without you?” She placed a hand on his cheek and rubbed her thumb back and forth, showing what she couldn’t express.
Asher’s eyes hardened, then he said, “I’m going to be in my office if you need me. I’ll have Petey walk the guy back.” Then he walked away.
What’s bugging him?
Sipping a bottle of water in her dressing room, Sienna answered the door as soon as there was a light knock. No need to ask who was there; she already knew. She could feel the sexual current when he was coming down the hall.
Sienna was wearing yoga pants and a tiny lilac camisole when Carson arrived. He didn’t say one word, he simply hooked one finger into the flimsy strap of the cami and pulled her in for a kiss. It was a soft kiss, gentle and closed mouth, but spectacular nonetheless. It spoke volumes. With each brush of his lips, she realized how much he missed her, felt somewhere deep that he couldn’t wait to get back to her, and that he was so happy to be exactly where he was.