The Naked Truth(8)

She saw Josh clench his fists together and wasn’t sure why. Then he reached out to her, pulling her close to him. She tensed from the contact. Josh was the last man she’d been with or touched. He rubbed her back and soon she found herself relaxing into him and enjoying being held. She inhaled his musky scent and nuzzled her face into his collarbone. He didn’t have to be nice to her, yet he was. And she still had every reason to be angry at him, and yet as he held her, she couldn’t find an ounce of any emotion but peace.

The contact ended much too quickly, but she stayed close. “It’s been a long time since an adult has hugged me.”

Josh took her hand in his and cupped it with his other hand. “I would like to come back, tomorrow if possible. I’m only in town a short time and I want to see her as much as I can.” He cleared his throat before adding, “I’ve arranged for a test tomorrow as well when she gets out of school.”

“A test?”

“A DNA test.”

Abigail pulled away from him, feeling slightly offended. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe because with everything in her she knew he was the father, but then she had to remember that Josh knew nothing about her and whether or not she was lying. “Okay, let me know where to meet you.”

Josh stood and held his hand out to her. She hesitated a moment but then took it. He pulled her up. “I’m going to head out. If she’s mine, I promise I will take care of her and you.”

“She is yours.”

Josh smiled. “I know. She reminds me of my mother. But this test needs to be done regardless, if I want to legitimize her.”

“I understand,” Abigail snapped.

Josh reached out for her, but she stepped back. “What’s wrong? Things have been going really good tonight.”

“It’s this whole situation. It’s getting to me. It’s like you’ve waltzed right in and become a part of our lives. But at the end of the week, you’re leaving. And when you do, I have no job to return to and yet still have bills to pay.”

“I’ll take care of you.”

“I’m not some child that needs to be taken care of though. I’ve been independent all these years.” She paused before adding, “but I guess you just don’t understand. You’ve probably always had money.”

“Let’s just get through tomorrow and before I leave, I promise we’ll figure this all out, okay?”

Abigail nodded, not having much fight left in her tonight. The last two days had been emotionally draining and at this point she wasn’t sure what she wanted.

Josh took her hand and kissed the back of her palm. He then removed a card from his wallet, handing it to her. “This is where we’re going tomorrow. Would you like me to pick you both up?”

“No, we’ll meet you there.”

“Okay.” He moved toward the door. “See you tomorrow.”

After he was gone, Abigail was able to let out a huge sigh of relief. Life was about to change and she prayed it was for the best. In the meantime, she had to go against Josh and find a job. She already had an interview set up in the morning. She couldn’t take a chance on Josh yet and the offers he had. For all she knew, when he left at the end of the week, she would never see him again





Chapter Four



“And tell me, why would I want to hire you when Freddy Regan let you go?” the scrawny man in front of Abigail asked.

“He didn’t want to let me go. I was his number one act,” Abigail argued.

“So you say. Go on up onstage, show me what a number one act is.” The repulsive man pointed at the stage.

“I don’t have an outfit.”

“You got panties on underneath what you’re wearing?”

She nodded, feeling nauseous with the way his eyes groped her.

“Then you have what I need. Now strip.”

Abigail sighed and then did as he said. This strip joint wasn’t nearly as nice as the one she’d come from. She wondered what the cliental was like here and if it was even worth trying to get the job. On stage, she waited for the music but it didn’t come.

“What are you waiting on?” the man demanded.

“Music?”

He laughed. “If you have the talent you claim, then you don’t need music to aid you. Strip and dance or get off my stage.”

Taking a deep breath, she slowly and seductively removed her clothes, leaving them in a pile on the small stage. She then set forth with the number the men all loved at the other club. Holding onto the pole, she grinded her hips into it as she moved up and down. Next she wrapped her legs around it and spun around with one hand, all while undoing her bra with the other. She cupped her breasts and flicked her nipples. She stole a glance at the owner and he looked very pleased. Leaning back against the pole, she hooked her thumb into the tops of her panties and slowly lowered them.