Patrick had said that Beck had walked to her house for a reason. It had occurred to her that if he he’d been holding out for this woman—this Chloe-person—he’d turned to Lucy as a backup. The thought that he’d been holding out for one woman while spending time with her, and then had turned to her after he’d finally been rejected, had pissed the ever-living shit out of her. She was no man’s “backup plan.” Those days were over.
Patrick had been checking in on Beck regularly so she knew he was alive. He just wasn’t talking to anyone—or at least not to her. Luckily, she’d had the prospect of opening her own massage therapy clinic, which she was calling A Divine Retreat, to keep her busy.
Patrick had suggested that Beck could do the necessary carpentry work, but she’d needed to get started as soon as Marvin had moved out and Beck had still been sick. So she’d contacted Abbott & Sons and they’d done the work, building a room enclosure and a small office for her. Mr. Abbott’s sons were easy to look at so it hadn’t exactly been a hardship.
The space had a larger windowed office at the rear which they were converting into an intimate, inviting massage room complete with a connecting bathroom. Mr. Abbott and his sons were currently working on upgrading the bathroom fixtures and doing the light cosmetic work that was overdue. Marvin hadn’t cared about such things. She glanced at her watch, looked at the entry to the Twisted Bull, and sighed.
You’re here. Might as well go inside.
She grabbed her yoga mat and bag containing a water bottle, pair of high heels, and a set of sexy lingerie and trudged to the front door of the nightclub. She didn’t know if she’d need all of that stuff that night but had wanted to be prepared.
The mouthwatering scent of cooking food from Chantilly’s Steakhouse next door filled the still air and she wondered if it would be very crowded inside. Chantilly’s shared the building with the Twisted Bull and there was a secondary entrance into the restaurant from the club. Lucy wondered self-consciously if restaurant patrons might see them if they used that entrance or the rear entrance.
She almost turned around but somehow kept her feet moving forward. She’d been putting off starting the striptease classes that Camilla Parks was giving in the early afternoons before the nightclub opened. But she’d decided earlier that day that this was something she could do just for herself. It didn’t have to be just about stripping for a man—or men. It could be a means of self-expression, too.
Yeah, and that’s why you’ll be fantasizing about Patrick and Beck watching you the whole time you’re doing it?
Her inner voice really needed an off switch sometimes.
She was reaching for the door handle when it was opened from the inside for her. At first, all she saw was the big hand sliding along the door handle and she looked up into the darkest eyes she’d ever seen. At five feet nine inches, she was tall for a woman, but this man towered over her. Then her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting inside the club and she recognized him.
A slow sensual smile crossed the big man’s face as he welcomed her into the club. His shoulder-length, wavy hair was black and his eyes were so brown they might as well be black, and she definitely recalled that sexy smile. “Cody, right?”
His smile widened and he nodded. “Not sure if you’d remember me.”
“You’d be hard to forget. I enjoyed dancing with you at the Pony. So this is where you work? I knew you were friends with Camilla but didn’t realize…”
Stop talking, ninny!
Gesturing to the other two giants standing at the entrance to the club, he said, “We provide security for Camilla, Ben, and Quinten. If you’re looking for the girls, they’re on the dance floor.” He pointed to the lit dance floor where a few of her friends were congregating and waving her over.
“You’re providing security even when the club is technically closed?”
“Word got out about the classes. We weed out the rubber-neckers and assholes,” the other blond-headed, green-eyed giant said as he leaned against the reception desk. He winked flirtatiously at her and tilted his head toward her friends. “We’re here to keep you girls safe while you have fun.”
“You’ll be watching?” Holy crap on a cracker! Cold dread settled in the pit of her stomach. She imagined falling flat on her ass in her hooker heels and them laughing at her. The thought made her go cold.
Green eyes—Heath, as she recalled—smiled and asked, “Do you want us to watch? I’d gladly watch you.”
Cody put an arm around her and said, “Stop scaring her, Heath. No, we’re not here to watch the class…”