Wanted - Dead or Alive: A Bad Boy Outlaw Romance (6 page)

“Okay…” I roll this word off of my tongue. Strip club owners are notoriously hard to get hold of.

I need to think of a plan. What the fuck can we do now? How can I solve this?

“I know what we have to do,” Willa says, her expression stern. “I need to audition.”

“Audition?” Clearly I’m still a little shaken up from everything that happened this morning, because it takes me a while to catch on to what she means.

“Yes.” She stares straight into my eyes, determination and trepidation plastered over her face. “As a dancer.”

Holy fuck.

I
tap
my foot repeatedly against the floor as I watch Willa work her magic on the shift manager. She’s turned on a charm that I haven’t seen from her yet, and even though I can’t hear anything that’s being said, I can see that it’s working.

The skinny metrosexual man casts a lingering look up and down her body, which instantly sends a fiery rage throughout my body. Doesn’t he know that I claimed her last night when I put my hands on her like she begged for? How dare he?

I squeeze my fists tightly together, holding them close to my sides as I suck in some deep breaths to calm myself down. Now is not the time for me to lose my shit. If I’ve ever needed to keep it together, now is the time. This isn’t about me, it’s about Willa, and it’s about Nicolette.

“Fuck,” I whisper to myself, trying to avert my eyes. If I can look away, I might just be able to keep a hold of myself.

The brunette bar tender who was flirting with me earlier approaches me with a question. “Another drink?” she asks. She still sounds a little pissed, but I really don’t give a shit.

“Whiskey,” I snap at her. Even though I know she wants me to look at her, I still can’t drag my eyes away from the scene that’s unfolding in front of me. I know that I should at least make eye contact if I want another free drink, but I just can’t. It’s like my view is glued in one place—Willa—and that’s the end of it.

“Yeah okay, coming right up.” Gone are all of the niceties, which certainly doesn’t bode well for my freebie.

The next second, I hear the glass slammed down on the table, and that’s the only sound that can grab my attention. But as I turn, all I see is the brunette’s ass shaking away from me.

I spin back to see Willa throwing her bag on the nearest chair and shaking off her jacket. My heartbeat kicks up a notch. Something is happening, and being out of control is fucking killing me. I’m usually the centre of all plans, the one who lays down the groundwork. I don’t like relying on anyone else.

Willa’s hands find their way to her hips, and she holds them there determinedly. She moves her neck from side to side, as if she’s gearing herself up for something, and that’s when it hits me. She’s about to dance. Here. On the stage. Right in front of all of these people.

In front of me.

Oh, shit…

I shift in my seat, throwing the drink down my throat quickly. I wasn’t prepared for this. I didn’t think they did it this way. I glance around the room, noticing that there are only a couple of other guys here, so I guess it won’t even matter if Willa performs terribly.

Not that I think she will.

I know she’s innocent and sweet, but the way that she reacted to me last night was hot as hell. She might be cute, but there’s a sensual side of her; one that could really make this work.

She steps up onto the stage, looking much more confident than I imagine she feels. I tap my fingers on the table, unsure of how I’m feeling.

Then the beat starts.

A random R&B tune blasts out of the stereo and I can see Willa zoning in her focus. She begins by lightly shaking her hips from side to side, and I’m instantly mesmerized. Nothing else even matters—the other guys, the bartender, even Nicolette…it all just vanishes from my mind as if the entire world has shrunk to just me and her.

Willa’s shyness visibly begins to melt away, and her hands slowly start to travel up her body in sensual glides before running through her hair. The innocent air that she usually carries around her slips away and she becomes a sexy temptress, a Venus, a fucking
goddess
. Honestly, she takes my goddamned breath away.

Her entire body begins to move in time with the music, and her tongue runs lightly along her lips. I shift forward in my seat, clutching hard onto the whiskey glass. This is officially the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. I may have been to more than my fair share of strip clubs, but none of the girls have ever gotten me this fucking hard so quickly. I’m straining painfully against my jeans, and all I can think about is grabbing her, throwing her to the floor, and pushing my length inside of her tight pussy.

I don’t know if it’s better or worse for my imagination that I know exactly what she feels like. Exactly what she’ll feel like when I finally do fuck her….

I remember the orgasm rocking her body against my hand last night, and I recall the tremble that raced through her as she fell apart against me. It was such a powerful, earth-shattering moment that I almost wonder if that’s the first orgasm she’s ever had.

I’m not used to that. The girls I’m normally with have experienced their sexuality fully and know exactly what they want. That makes some of them too bossy for my taste, but then again, I’m always fully aware that it’s never going to lead anywhere permanent. Even if we do fuck more than once, that’s all it’ll ever be.

I’m not exactly the ‘settling down’ type…but fuck, Willa is making me question that right about now.

Willa’s fingers deftly play at the hem of her T-shirt. She’s going to tug it off at any second, but she’s just teasing everyone first, and I take a second to glance around and quickly see that she has the attention of every damn person in the joint. It isn’t just me that sees her mesmerizing qualities. She’s fucking amazing, and now everyone knows it.

The brunette catches my eye and flashes me a knowing wink as if to say,
‘I get it now’
. I gulp down the raging jealousy that’s pouring through me and turn back to watch Willa.

Her top is now being casually tossed to the side as she moves effortlessly, and her feet glide across the stage towards a pole.

Oh God, no…

I don’t know if I can handle this anymore. My body is screaming at me to get up and pull her down; to stop her from showing too much of herself to the world, because that body of hers is for my eyes only. I want to take her in my arms and lay her on the floor before fucking her brains out. I want to stake my claim and make her mine.

But I can’t. Not yet.

I can’t.

I need to keep telling myself that.

She glides her leg around the pole and starts to swing her body around it. Desire fills her expression as she catches my eye for a split-second, and that actually calms me down a bit. I don’t have to think like the arrogant prick I normally am to know that she’s thinking about me. I can just tell.

I slide back, swinging my arm casually over the back of my chair, and a smug smile plays on my lips. If she’s thinking about me, it means that she still wants me, despite everything. If she wants me, I’m gonna let her have me. I might even surprise her and be gentle.

Probably not, though. I doubt I’ll be able to control myself that much.

My buoyancy and stiff erection only last for a few moments, because the second I actually start to enjoy myself, the universe seems to have another plan. Just as Willa is shaking off her trousers, the metrosexual man indicates for her to leave the stage.

Fuck!

I almost cry out in anger. Why the fucking hell is that asswipe stopping her now? He sure as shit can’t say that she was bad. She was beyond amazing.

That’s when I see them walking off together. Willa has only had enough time to pull her top back on, so her long, sexy legs are still bare. I quickly realize exactly what’s happening and it damn near kills me.

They are going to the owner’s office.

My heart stops dead in my chest. I know this is what we wanted, and this is what the plan was all about, so why do I feel so fucking shitty about it all?

O
h my God
.

My heart is absolutely pounding and my mouth has run dry. I’m trying to walk confidently—despite the fact that I’m still half naked—but I think it’s obvious that I’m shaking.

I don’t know what I’m more afraid of; meeting the club’s owner, or finding out more about Nicolette. From the brief bits that Karma told me, I’m not sure how much more I want to know.

Of course, I know that I have to know. If I don’t find out the truth, then I risk losing my sister forever. I just don’t know how deep this all goes. The last time I got myself involved in Nicolette’s affairs, I nearly got raped.

Feeling vulnerable all over again, I try to tug my T-shirt down as far as it’ll go, as the surprisingly posh doors to the club owner’s office swings open. This entire room is completely contradictory to the rest of the place, which quite frankly looks like crap.

“I have another one for you,” the shift manager announces in an overly-dramatic way.

I step out from behind him, wanting to seem much more confident than I really feel. I don’t want him to immediately see my weaknesses and pounce upon them.

The man I presume is the owner sits in a luxurious leather chair behind a solid mahogany desk, and he shoots a terrifyingly wolfish grin my way. “Please, come and sit down.”

He indicates to a much smaller chair, located on the other side of the desk. It’s clearly designed in a way that makes him look like the more powerful person in every single meeting he has.

My steely resolve deserts me as I scuttle over to the chair like a scared little mouse.

“So…” he continues in the syrupy voice that I imagine usually gets him everything
he wants. That, teamed with his caramel-colored skin and dark brooding eyes, which match his hair perfectly, makes him one of the most charismatic men I’ve ever had the pleasure of sitting in front of. “You want to work here?”

He stands up, pacing the room slightly, and I’m sure this is just to show me his expensive tailored suit.

He’s a man of power; that much is clear. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me to discover that he’s
really
powerful, like a mobster or something. I gulp down the fear that’s racing through my veins, threatening to come out as vomit at any given moment.

Oh God, Nicolette. What the hell have you gotten yourself involved in?

I need to channel the sexy, confident stripper that I just managed to portray up on the stage. That girl would be able to take this guy down with a few scathing words, but she seems to have deserted me.

How the hell did I become her? I guess it was because I was thinking about Dexter; about his hands and his cock. Oh, that cock…

I might not have managed to get fully acquainted with his penis, but I’d seen it throbbing in all its glory, and it isn’t an exaggeration to say that it would have filled me up quite nicely. I was imagining the orgasm he gave me with his fingers last night, intensified tenfold. That’s what I thought sex with him would be like.

Not that I’m at all thinking about finding out…

“Yes,” I manage to purr.

The club owner laughs loudly, which isn’t the reaction I was hoping for. Oh god, is my attempt at being sexy really
that
funny? That’s the last thing a girl ever wants to hear. That’s the sort of thing that can put a girl off sex for life.

“Is that right?” he drawls, drawing closer to me. “I was under the impression that you were here for something quite different.”

He breathes those last words into my ear, making my heart flutter frantically.

What the hell does he mean by that? What could he think I’m here for, if not a stripping job? Oh God, he doesn’t mean…? No, of course not…he couldn’t actually think that I’m here for sex, could he?

The look in his eyes says otherwise.

Crap. How the hell am I going to get out of this one?

I feel my body scuttle backwards in my chair, and then, the owner lets out a loud, booming laugh once more. “Nicolette always said that you were funny,” he says.

“Ni…Nicolette?” Relief floods through every inch of me. He knows why I’m really here; he was just playing a twisted game with me.

“Yes. That’s why you’re here, right?” He turns back to face me directly. There’s a naughty twinkle glinting in his eye.

I nod, too stunned to speak.

“I’ve seen your picture before, so I know who you are. You do know that she’s alive, don’t you? I know there was some drama in the past with that fuckwit she was dating.”

His tone turns more than a little sour at this, and I can tell he had no time for Ryan either. I wonder if he ever told her to get the hell away from him. I know I certainly did. The only problem with Nicolette is that she’s far too stubborn to ever listen to anyone.

“Y…yeah, Karma told me. She said that she’s with a bouncer now?”

“Lucas is a good guy,” he says firmly. His expression is deadly serious.

“Okay…” I want to ask when I can see her, but something about that question feels oddly inappropriate.

The club owner sighs deeply, which suggests that he’s about to tell me something that I’m not going to like. “Look…Willa, is it?” He doesn’t wait for my reply. “Your sister is safe, I can guarantee you that. She would be happy for me to tell you that, but she wouldn’t want me to say anymore. I know for a fact that she doesn’t want you involved in any of this. She would explicitly tell me to tell you to stay out, back off if you don’t want any trouble. This is
not
the sort of thing for you to be getting involved in, okay?”

My body freezes, like I’m an ice cube stuck to the seat. I’m consumed by a chill, and it takes a few moments for me to even begin to respond.

“No,”” I reply firmly, ignoring the wobble in my voice. “No.”

“No?” He smiles at me. “No isn’t an answer. I’m respecting your sister’s wishes.” He stands up and indicates towards the door. “Now, if you’d like me to see you out—”

“No!” I say, my body jolting out of my seat as I cut him off. “I did
not
go through all of that; I did not do all that I’ve done, just to be turned away. You need to tell me everything you know, and you need to tell me now.”

I start to slam my hands down on his desk, no longer afraid of the fact that he’s clearly a dangerous man.

“Now, ma’am…”

“Don’t you
ma’am
me. I want to know everything.” I start to feel hysteria rising up inside of me. I’m so close, so goddamned close, yet somehow still miles away. “If it isn’t too dangerous for Nicolette, it isn’t too dangerous for me!”

I want to sound like a badass, but I clearly sound as desperate as I feel.

Frustrated tears prick at my eyes, and I almost totally give in to the emotion. I just can’t lose. Not now. I came here with the knowledge that I wouldn’t leave without at least seeing my sister. Now I’m right in front of a man that could make it happen, and he’s being a pigheaded asshole.

“Look…”

“Okay, just tell me her address, her phone number, what night she’s working next. I can’t go with nothing. I can’t. The last time I saw her, things were so bad, I
need
to know. I need to be certain that she’s okay.”

“You have my word…”

“Your word isn’t enough!” I say, the tears finally rolling down my cheeks.

I slump back into the chair, not wanting to give up, but not knowing what else to do.

“Okay, I understand.” The club’s owner sighs and walks over to me. “I can give you the last address she lived at with Lucas, but it comes with a very severe warning. Do
not
get involved.”

My heart lifts into my throat at his words. An address! It might not be where she is now, but it’s something, and at least I’m not leaving here empty handed. At least this has all been just a little bit meaningful.

“I know you probably won’t listen, but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least try to keep you out of it all.”

The owner shoves a small square piece of paper into my hand, and then he ushers me quickly out of the door, as if he can’t wait to be rid of the trouble I seem to have brought with me.

My emotions are raging all through my body. I don’t even know what to do with myself, and I’m not really sure what just happened. Honestly, it all feels a bit like a bad dream.

But…I have a connection now. It might not be everything, but at least it’s something.

It’s something…