Tom handed her folded bills and waved his hand discreetly. “You keep that, shortcake.”
She smiled her thanks and dropped the money in the tip jar by the cash register located at the center of the long curving bar.
Quinten growled from where he stood in front of the register.
Camilla leaned against his upper arm with her shoulder. “What is the matter?” She spoke so only he could hear her. She didn’t want a confrontation. She just wanted to know if she was responsible for the burr up his butt that evening.
Ben suddenly appeared on his other side, evidently waiting for the cash Quinten was removing to add to his deposit. Quinten’s lips were in a flat line as he glanced at her and growled softly again. “Pisses me off knowing that men have their eyes all over your ass all night. That outfit is indecent.”
Camilla wanted to grind her teeth together. “You’re right.”
Quinten turned his head to look her straight in the eye. He seemed surprised. “What?”
She put her hands on her hips. “Yes, caveman. You’re right about one thing. It’s my ass. Mine. Not yours. And if I want to wear outfits—ohh! Why do I bother? It’s time for my break. I’ll show you indecent.”
She growled back at him again and heard Ben say, “Nice going,” as she trudged to the end of the bar. Relief flooded her when she saw Rachel Wolf and Summer Webster also heading toward the dance floor as “Take a Little Ride” by Jason Aldean began to play over the sound system.
Perfect. Serves him right.
Dancing by herself would look too much like a tantrum. Rachel and Summer both grinned when she and Lydia Carlisle joined them to dance together.
She was so pissed at Quinten’s proprietary air that she didn’t care if it lacked nobility when she pulled out her best grinding moves, not worried about how much attention she drew on the dance floor. On her way up out of a shimmy, she felt a stinging pop land on her ass cheek and couldn’t help the giggle that erupted from her. On the heels of her glee came the realization that she welcomed the sting but wished it had come from someone she knew cared about her…like Quinten obviously did. And Ben.
Her enjoyment of her break was much more subdued as the song ended.
She caught her breath as she returned to the bar, having burned off at least a little of her frustration. She smiled when she saw Cody, Heath, and Spencer walk through the door and nod at Mike and Rogelio. With a few minutes on her break to spare, she went to them and gave them all big hugs.
It made her happy to reconnect with them because she’d missed them after she’d left the Dollhouse. They were so protective of the dancers, and it had endeared them to all the girls, several of whom had been more than happy to show their appreciation.
Cody and Spencer had been the ones to rescue her when a drunken customer had pulled her off the stage and into his lap while she was dancing. They’d extricated her from his clutches, roughed him up a bit, and thrown him out of the club. Their protectiveness had earned them a special place in her heart as they’d encouraged her to get back on the stage and not let the actions of one asshole affect her ability to earn a living. She’d gotten back up there and finished her shift.
Heath and Cody had invited her out, for the three of them, but she’d already seen the way the other dancers showered them with attention and hadn’t wanted to “go there” with them because of the risk to her heart. When she was with a man, he was hers. She couldn’t expect that from them, even if it had been a nice fantasy.
By the time they’d gone to work there, she’d already learned her lesson with Tyler Anderson, the former assistant manager at the Dollhouse. It wasn’t a good idea to date people she worked with. Especially if they turned out to be crooks responsible for embezzlement.
While she’d known they were honest men, she’d valued Cody, Heath, and Spencer’s friendship too much.
Gesturing to them to come close, she said, “If you’re here to relax, you can come sit at the bar, but there’s a table of single girls over there, if you want to dance and have a good time.” She pointed secretively behind her hand to a table full of women who were ogling her three friends.
A devilish gleam sparkled in Heath’s eyes as he hugged her briefly and then sauntered with denim-clad sexiness over to the vacant table next to the ladies and flirted with Corinna when she approached. The girls at the neighboring table didn’t stand a chance with that big playful bear in their vicinity. Cody kissed the top of Camilla’s head and then made a beeline for the table. Spencer caressed her cheek with a knuckle and gave her a smile before following Cody. Those golden eyes of his would have all the single girls going ga-ga and falling at his feet in minutes. All three had understood her personal rule about relationships and hadn’t pressed her further. Their affection always filled her with warmth.