He couldn’t tear his gaze away as she slipped her hand down her breasts and unhooked her bra. Her pert breasts burst free as she bared herself to the male audience.
He shifted in his seat as his dick hardened. Embarrassed and angry at the way his body was reacting, he looked away. He flagged down a passing waitress and ordered a beer, hoping the alcohol would cool his lust.
He tipped her generously when she returned quickly with an ice-cold beer. Taking a long pull on his drink, he cut his eyes to the girl on stage.
The stripper didn’t try to get to close to the customers, nor did she ignore them. She seemed to do a careful dance of knowing who to get close to and who to stay away from. She’d pay more attention to the safe older gentlemen and limit her interaction with the aggressive younger guys.
She was probably a gold digger looking for a sugar daddy to take her out of this lifestyle. Like that stripper turned Hollywood actress.
He continued to study her, and when she made her way to him, his heart sped up. He looked away, not wanting to draw her attention to himself.
She knelt down before him and arched her back, thrusting her breasts upward. She came up on her knees and hooked her thumbs on the side of her denim shorts. With a quick tug, the shorts came off, revealing a tiny red G-string. His body tightened and pulsed as unwanted lust shot through him.
He should look away. He knew he should look away. But he was helplessly trapped under her spell, unable to tear his gaze away from her.
He wanted to see her face, see if the sinful body had the face of an angel.
His hand went for his wallet. His heart pounded and he suddenly wanted to leave, escape outside where he could gain control over himself. He knew the stripper had him where she wanted, but his body was bent on a course of its own. If she had asked him for his soul, he would have signed the papers over to her that night.
Glancing down, he pulled out a couple of twenties. His fingers itched as he leaned forward, ready to hand them to her. She moved closer to the edge of the stage, and he caught a glimpse of her face.
“Thanks, sugar.” She grinned and hooked her thumb in the side of her G-string, presenting a slender hip for him to stick his bills in.
He caught her wolf scent and froze.
She gave him a sexy grin, her white teeth gleaming in the darkened room. He studied her eyes and he immediately knew. He’d seen her eyes before.
“You gonna stick it in? Don’t be shy. I won’t bite.” She leaned closer and traced her finger down his chin.
An invisible electric current sparked between them. It knocked the breath out of him, and from her widened eyes, he knew she felt it too.
Her smile slid off her face, and she eased away. He grabbed her wrist, and panic darted through her eyes.
“Let go of me.” Her chest was rising and falling fast, like that of a cornered animal. Her gaze darted around the room, looking for help to escape his grasp.
“I can’t do that, Catty Steele.” He tightened his hold so she knew he was not someone to play with.
She jerked her gaze back to him. Her face went white and her bottom lip quivered. Fear poured off her.
He’d gotten her attention. Good.
“Who are you?” Her voice cracked as she tried and failed to keep her expression neutral.
“I need to talk to you. It’s important.” He couldn’t talk with her here. Too many eyes. “Meet me at Jackson Square.”
“I can’t. I have to work all night. Besides, I don’t even know who you are.” She narrowed her gaze and tried to compose herself.
“If you care about your family, you need to meet me. Tomorrow morning. Jackson Square. Six thirty.” He leaned in right as a strong hand landed on his shoulder. “Think of your family.”
“All right, asshole. Time to go. No touching the merchandise.” One of two burly security guards pulled him by the shoulder while the other grabbed him under the arm, ready to restrain him if he didn’t comply.
He itched to tell these two humans that if he got good and pissed, neither one would be able to restrain him. But he wasn’t going to blow his cover that easily. He had only just arrived in the city and had a long way to go to uncover who was behind kidnapping the Guardians. Not to mention that he needed to find his brother.
He reined in his anger and didn’t fight them.
Sadness darted in her eyes as they led him away. Opening the door, they shoved him outside, slamming the door behind him. The repulsive scent of piss and vomit in the alley greeted him in the dark humid night. His stomach hitched.
So that was Catty. Zane’s sister. He’d recognized her when he’d seen her eyes. They were the same odd color as Zane’s.
He hadn’t expected to find her so fast. She was gorgeous, and with a body like a supermodel, she probably made a lot of money stripping. But she didn’t fit in with the rest of the girls. The other girls were flirty, didn’t mind touching the customers, and didn’t mind getting touched either.