Camilla got Ben’s attention and said, “I’m going to help her before she flashes everyone.”
Beck waved a hand at her and said, “I’ve got it, I got it. It’s okay, Camilla. Pipe down, Lucy. We’ll get you trussed back up in no time.”
Beck wasn’t drunk, at least Ben didn’t think he was. But he also noticed that Lucy went completely stiff and gasped as Beck grabbed hold of the rapidly slipping laces and turned her so she faced the bar. They’d drawn a few pairs of eyes, but most of the patrons were focused on the dance floor and their own conversations. Ben watched with growing concern as Lucy blushed while Beck jerked at the strings, tightening them back up, row by row.
Patrick nudged his arm. “Ease up on the laces a little, Beck. We don’t want her to pass out.” Beck jerked the laces so hard at one point Lucy lifted a hand to cover her jiggling cleavage.
Beck smirked and looked over her shoulder, leered at her breasts, and said, “Good Lord, woman, a man could happily smother to death between those gorgeous tits.”
Lucy’s eyes popped wide open, and a look of utter astonishment crossed her face. Beneath the pale pancake makeup she wore, her cheeks turned red, and she looked ready to bite him with her vampire teeth.
“There ya go, Juicy Lucy,” Beck said and then shocked even Ben when he delivered a resounding smack to Lucy’s round ass, bumping her up against the bar.
“Juicy—” She growled and curled her little hand into a fist, as she turned to Beck. “You big, hulking baboon. I ought to—”
Jayne Sheridan picked that moment to intervene. “Lucy, are you okay? I saw what happened from across the club. I think your costume got caught on that blonde’s somehow, the one that just walked away. She must’ve accidentally pulled the strings loose.”
Camilla scoffed. “I doubt it was an accident.”
Jayne turned to Beck. “Thank you for helping her, Beck. That could’ve been really embarrassing if you hadn’t acted so quickly.”
Beck smiled at Jayne and nodded kindly. “I was happy to help, ma’am. I wouldn’t want her to be embarrassed or anything.”
Lucy made a high-pitched feral sound as she adjusted her cleavage one more time, grabbed her drink, and stalked away after Jayne.
Beck shook his head as he turned back to his beer. “I swear that little gal is a feisty thing.”
Ben laughed. “Probably feistier than she wanted to be.”
Camilla smiled at him and rolled her eyes. Beck said, “Huh, Ben?”
Ben wiped down the bar and replied, “We’re gonna have to work on your pick-up lines and compliments, Beck.”
Beck shrugged and lifted his beer to his lips. “I was never good at any of that.”
Patrick rubbed his eyes, looking utterly disgusted. “No shit? I’d never have guessed that.” He looked over at Lucy with regret and shook his head.
Although The Dancing Pony was predominantly a country and western nightclub, for special occasions, the patrons enjoyed when Ben and Ethan mixed the music up a little. Ben chuckled when Camilla perked up at the beginning guitar chords of one of the rock songs. She gave him a big Cheshire cat grin and began shaking her luscious ass to the beat as AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” pounded over the sound system.
Holy hell! Judging by the way she’s moving, she’s danced professionally to that one before.
She didn’t make a move or any indication that she wanted to swarm the dance floor with the other girls, just kept on gyrating as she mixed her drink order. When she’d set everything on Corinna’s tray, she kept dancing, laughing when one of the customers at the bar cheered her on, and Quinten caught his eye. His friend shrugged and smiled, looking like she had him wrapped around her finger just as tight as she had Ben.
Quinten gestured at the dance floor, and Ben nodded. They approached Camilla, and she squealed when they lifted her bodily up onto the bar and passed her to Tom and Bill on the other side. She giggled the whole time and turned to blow them a kiss before dancing off to party with her friends for a few minutes.
Quinten sighed as they stood there and watched her, carefree and happy as she rocked to the beat. Quinten leaned against the counter next to Ben and flipped his bar towel over his shoulder. “I loooooove making that little gal happy.”
Camilla raised her arms over her head and did one of those trademark sinuous stripper moves. Ben and Quinten both groaned at the same time, and Ben laughed but never took his eyes off of her. Ethan, Jack, and Adam were standing nearby watching over the girls, including his.
The tune changed to another familiar classic, “Black Magic Woman” by Santana. Camilla made her way back to the bar, and Tom and Bill helped her back onto the bar top so she could get back to work. She turned to watch the dance floor and looked down at Ben and Quinten with an excited expression on her face, pointing at the center of the crowd that was forming.