Stripped (4 page)

She settled in front of an older gentleman with her knees spread wide. Slowly, deliberately, she unzipped the front of the corset, but kept it in place with her other hand. Once she had the zipper all the way down, she ripped open the front and let the corset fall to the ground. Bountiful breasts with black tape making an X over her nipple were revealed. She moved onto all fours in front of the man. The guy’s attention was squarely on her tits, which swayed with every move she made.

As she rose back to her knees, her long, lush blonde hair fell into her face. Crimson lips pursed and she slowly wagged her finger at the man, before she lifted one of her breasts toward her mouth then flicked her tongue toward the covered nipple. She crawled a few feet down the money-covered stage before choosing another man to give a one-on-one performance.

Keeping her eyes latched on the stranger, she slid her palms over her breasts, down her toned waist and cupped herself. She took her bottom lip between her teeth and rubbed herself with deliberate, sexy strokes. Those lips parted and, God help him, it was like he was watching her come and it was fucking hot as hell.

She
was fucking hot as hell.

An untouchable erotic fantasy. A vision of dominance. This woman knew it, and had every man in this place wishing they could replace her hands with theirs.

As the song came to an end, she stood and strode off the stage with the same long, commanding strides she arrived with.

Swallowing, Jaxon tugged on his tie. Man, he needed to get the fuck out of here.

He wasn’t comfortable with how badly that woman had affected him. There was only one other woman who had that kind of effect on him—and she was off-limits too. Maybe he had a thing for that. God knows, he’d had some seriously dirty thoughts about his secretary too.

He needed to get that woman out of his system. He hadn’t figured out how yet.

Another fifteen minutes passed before Jaxon heard, “I’m going to tell you the same thing I told that little twat you sent out here earlier today, get the fuck out—”

“Or you’ll introduce me to your boom-stick.” Jaxon turned to face the angry masculine voice that approached from behind. “Yeah, he told me. Listen, you have somewhere we can talk?”

“Are you not hearing me? I’m not selling. Now take your elite ass out of my establishment.”

A wave of blonde hair caught Jaxon’s attention and he glanced over. The girl from the performance was now dressed in black studded bikini bottoms and a matching bandeau top. It wasn’t as revealing as what she had on before, but she still owned it. The way she moved was pure confidence, almost a hint of arrogance he could appreciate. It almost reminded him of…

The goddess leaned over a man, whose eyes stayed glued to the cleavage the top showed off, and whispered something to him. He nodded and she turned so her backside was facing him. The panties weren’t of the G-string variety, instead the material was cut high so it made the two cheeks stand out. Made a man want to cup them. Seductively, she swayed her hips and lowered onto his lap as she lifted her hair in her hands to reveal her nape.

McDaniel snorted. “Seems like I could sell you something though. That’s Lorelei. She’s a favorite around here. Gives a hell of a lap dance. Interested?”

He kept his eyes trained on the woman. Now that she wasn’t so far away and encased in fog and blue lighting, something about her seemed very familiar. Just then she turned her face toward him, lips pouty as she continued to slide her bottom along the man’s lap.

A lump formed in Jaxon’s stomach.

It couldn’t be.

Her eyes lifted and locked straight on to him.

In the last month those eyes had hid nothing, and they still didn’t, as they rounded in shock and she shot off the guy’s lap.

“What the fuck,” he whispered. The woman he’d been ogling seconds ago like some sex-deprived fiend was the same woman he’d been ogling in his office for the last goddamn month.

They stared at each other for a moment longer before she started frantically looking everywhere but at him.

“Hey, fucktard,” McDaniel’s hand landed on his forearm in a firm hold, “you’re making her uncomfortable. We don’t tolerate that around here.”

He shook off the man’s grip and charged forward, ripping his jacket off as he went. Something inside him was determined to get her covered. Get her away from all these men staring at her exposed skin.

When she started weaving through the crowd away from him, he called, “Miss Walker.”

She froze, then spun around, stalked straight for him, grabbed his arm and yanked him to the side. “Do not
ever
use my real name in here.”

He thrust his jacket at her. “Put this on.”

She stared at it and then at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Why the hell would I do that? I’m working.”

“You work for
me
. You’re an employee of Sutherland Investments.”

“So?” she shot back.

“You cannot conduct yourself in this type of manner outside of work.”

Both brows rose as she crossed her arms over her chest. “And exactly how am I conducting myself, Mr. Sutherland?”

“You’re selling your body for a paycheck. Don’t you have any self-respect?”

He instantly regretted his words, especially with the way she jerked back like she’d been slapped. Men turned their heads toward them, eyes wide.

A red flush brightened her cheeks as she pointed at him. “Fuck. You.”

As she spun around, he grabbed her elbow. “I shouldn’t have said—”

“Everything okay over here, Lorelei?” One of two huge guys asked as they hurried over.

She yanked at her arm, and Jaxon lifted his hands up instantly.

“Kick this asshole out.”

“Madison—” Her name slipped out. Damn! He hated that the first time he used it was under these circumstances.

“No!” She swiped her hand through the air, then stormed straight up to him, so close that she had to tilt her head back to continue looking him in the eye. “You don’t get to use my first name. You don’t get to know me at all. I quit, Mr. Sutherland. I’ll come by for my things tomorrow.”

As she turned, he caught the sheen of tears and his chest tightened. He was the biggest goddamn douchebag on the planet.

Two rough hands grabbed him and shoved him to the door. He shook them off, raising his hands. “I’m going. I’m going.”

As he made his way to the exit, his gaze caught McDaniel’s, who was leaning against the bar. The old man’s eyes were narrowed on him, intense, curious. Jaxon dismissed him, having no interest in dealing with him any more tonight.

His focus needed to be on Madison and how he was going to make his asinine behavior up to her.

Because one thing was for sure, he wasn’t letting her quit.

***

Fucking asshole.

Madison shoved open the door to the locker room with enough force that it slammed against the wall.

How dare Sutherland come into her place of employment and make her feel trashy.

Selling your body for a paycheck.

Entitled bastard.

It was none of his damn business how she made ends meet off the clock.

The door crashed against the wall, causing her to jump and spin around. Adam stormed in. “What the hell was that?”

“I’m so sorry—”

He slashed his hand through the air, silencing the rest of her apology. “You’re working for Sutherland?”

She swallowed, confused by the anger in her boss’ voice. Sure that had been a bad scene, but it’s not like there hadn’t been jealous boyfriends causing a ruckus from time-to-time. “I’m his secretary.”

“Goddamnit,” he muttered, shoving a beefy hand through his graying hair. “I’m sorry, Madison, you leave me no choice. Clean out your locker and get out.”

Her heart stopped before thumping so hard she felt the beats in her throat. She couldn’t have heard him right. Adam wouldn’t fire her. Adam was her friend. Had been since her daughter had been an infant. Him, this club, was the only family she had.

“What?” was all she could out.

“That fucktard has been bugging the piss out of me, trying to get me to sell this club. I won’t have an employee of his working under my roof. You get me?”

Madison stepped forward. “I quit, Adam. I told him, ‘fuck you,’ and quit.”

“I guess you need to go beggin’ for that job back, then, huh?”

She stared at the only dependable man who’d been in her life. For six years he’d had her back, helping her as much as he could, working with her. And just like that he was turning his back on her.

“Adam—”

His sharp shake of the head caused a sob to build in her chest. Before she lost it completely, she yanked open her locker, shoved her belonging into her bag and rushed out the backdoor of the club.

Tears blinded her as she stumbled to her car. After slamming herself inside, the flood of emotions exploded out of her, shaking her body as tears wet her cheeks. Madison pressed her hand to her mouth. How had this happened?

In less than ten minutes, she’d lost both sources of income. Had no way to pay for rent, food…her daughter’s medicine.

That last thought knocked the tears back. No more crying. Faith needed her. Noah needed her. She was all those kids had and she refused to allow this to break her.

Like all the other times, she had to stay strong and find a way to get through it.

And she would.

Somehow she was going to have to get her job back at Sutherlands.

CHAPTER FOUR

Madison gripped the steering wheel tighter as she stared at the large reflective glass building that housed Sutherland Investments. Anger and anxiety churned in her stomach.

How had she ended up here?

Twelve hours ago, everything had been fine. Okay, maybe not fine, but at least normal. Her kind of normal. Now she was jobless.

But, hopefully, not for much longer.

She
was
getting her day job back. Even if it meant groveling to the asshole who’d questioned her self-respect. In the end, what he thought didn’t matter. The two mouths she needed to feed did.

With that reminder, she pushed open the door to her eighteen-year-old white Oldsmobile Intrigue and stepped out into the parking lot. A brand new black Porsche sat a few feet away.

Sutherland’s.

The only reason she knew it was his was because of where it was parked. His designated parking place. The car changed every few weeks. He liked the sports variety. Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, she even saw a Bentley once. Too flashy for her taste. She’d settle for a car that was actually inside this millennium.

She straightened her black pencil skirt and adjusted her emerald blouse then straightened her shoulders. Confidence was important. Yes, she’d told this man, “fuck you,” last night, and as far as she was concerned, he’d deserved it, but pride didn’t pay the bills.

Once she made it to the third floor, swiped her security card and entered the office, nerves suddenly gripped her. Her already frazzled stomach started churning again and the tips of her fingers started to tingle. Madison backed into an unoccupied cubicle, bent over and took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

Wow
. This was going to take bigger balls than she’d imagined. Not that she expected it to be easy. The man had insulted her to her face. And she was about to all but plead with him to allow her to keep her job. But still, her reasoning alone should give her strength.

Her two babies.

You’re all those two kids have. If you don’t fight for them, no one else will.

With one more calming inhale, she exited the cubicle, head held high, walked straight down the hall and into Mr. Sutherland’s office.

“Miss Walker,” he greeted from behind his desk, all regal-like in his tailor-made gray suit. He swept his hand toward the twin leather chairs in front of his desk. “Have a seat.”

Like he’d been expecting her. That kind of threw her off her game. She was supposed to waltz in here, give her speech and that be that. Now he had the upper hand. She didn’t like it.

“I owe you an apology,” he said without preamble.

Madison blinked, her mind taking a second to process his unexpected words. What an interesting turn of events. She was pretty certain that an apology from this man was a rare occurrence and she wasn’t sure where this was headed. She sat, crossed her legs and folded her fingers on top of her knee.

“Go on,” she encouraged. She wasn’t saying a word until she’d heard more. She wouldn’t show her hand too soon.

Mr. Sutherland tugged at his tie. Apologizing and admitting he’d been in the wrong had to be eating him up inside. After the way he’d spoken to her last night, it was nice to see him squirm a little.

“I was out of line last night…what I
said
was out of line.” He shifted in his seat, then leaned forward until his elbows rested on the desk. “I want to make it up to you.”

For the second time in less than a minute, she was having to take a moment to digest his words. Mr. Sutherland was full of surprises this morning. “How?”

“I want you to stay on as my secretary.”

It wasn’t like she was a highly skilled employee, so she asked, “Why?”

“Because you make a mean cup of coffee,” he answered with a strained smile.

His attempt at humor felt flat to her and she stared at him with furrowed brows. He cleared his throat and tugged on his tie again. “Things escalated quickly last night and that was my fault. I never should’ve issued an ultimatum right there at your other…place of employment. Yes, there is currently a conflict with you working at the club and here, but that should’ve been something we addressed privately.”

“So you’re saying I can keep this job and still strip?”

His jaw clenched. “No. To work here, you’ll still have to stop—” he paused for a very noticeable moment—“dancing.”

The fact he couldn’t even say the word “strip” got under her skin. Not to mention the sarcastic undertones he’d added to the word “dancing”. There was nothing wrong with exotic dancing as an occupation. That foul word he couldn’t seem to utter had kept a roof over her and her kids’ heads, fed them, clothed them. The ladies had pitched in to help her when her louse of an ex had left in the middle of the night. Adam had been the closest thing to a father figure she’d ever had in her life.

How dare this man judge her.

Cocking her head to the side, she asked in a sugary sweet voice that belied the anger starting to simmer below the surface, “So how
exactly
are you making anything up to me, Mr. Sutherland? From my standpoint, I’m still losing a steady paycheck.”

She needed to shut her mouth. Staying employed by him had been her goal, and she had it. But, damn it, he was pissing her off again with his holier-than-thou attitude about her other occupation.

“I plan to up your pay to cover the loss of the other job. A couple hundred dollars extra a week should do, maybe give you a little extra to pad your pockets.”

She was speechless. The way he said that—like he was doing her a favor—was like a slap to the face. He wasn’t doing her any favors.
He
was the reason she was in this situation in the first place. She hadn’t signed a contract to work here. There was no ethics policy that stated, ‘Thou shalt not strip’. She made twelve dollars an hour to be a glorified barista to this pretentious jackass.

“An extra two hundred dollars a week,” she muttered. “I guess I’ll have to accept that since I don’t have a choice.”

Confusion crossed his face. “What do you mean?”

“I didn’t come in here this morning to gather my stuff from quitting, Mr. Sutherland. I came in here to ask for my job back, because
your
scene last night cost me my job at the club. My boss fired me as soon as you left. Said you’d been pestering him about selling the place. He was worried I was in on it.”

She wasn’t sure what had hurt worse. Adam firing her or him believing she’d ever betray him like that.

“That’s fantastic news!” He clapped his hands once. “There’s no longer a conflict of interest. Everything worked out for the best.”

One day she would make this man pay. “For
you
,” she said between clenched teeth.

She was trying desperately to rein in her anger. But the happier he acted the angrier she was getting. He had no idea how much his actions last night had made her life harder. No idea that the extra money he was giving her wouldn’t make a dent in the income she was losing. That she was still going to have to find another part-time job as quickly as she could, but
she
had no idea what kind of part-time job she was going to find that would bring in the amount of money she made at the club.

“I don’t see what the issue is,” he said, frowning as he lowered his hands. “I did cause you problems last night so I’ll give you the pay raise. You should be thankful. This will free up a lot of time for you.”

She laughed. A hollow, dead sound. She couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Do you understand that I made a lot more money stripping than I do here?”

This time he blinked. “I…uh—”

“Yeah, that’s right. I make more taking off my clothes than I do typing out your letters. In fact, I took this job to supplement my income, not the other way around. I wouldn’t have chosen this job over stripping. In fact, I didn’t. I quit. But, because of
you
, I’ve lost a majority of my monthly income and I’m in here having to listen to you tell me I should be thankful for freeing up my time.”

His eyes narrowed. “Good Lord, woman, how much money do you really need?”

“Wow,” she scoffed, shocked. “That’s rich coming from you. You don’t have a goddamn clue what it’s like to actually struggle, do you, Mr. Sutherland? You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth.”

“Are you calling me spoiled?” A vein in his forehead started to pulse. So she’d struck a nerve. Good. Because he’d been striking one with her since she’d started this damn job.

“You’re worse than spoiled. You’re entitled. You wouldn’t last a day on a budget.”

“Really?” He lifted a condescending eyebrow. “What are you? In your mid-twenties? What kind of budget do you really have, Miss Walker? Putting enough aside for your bar tab? Cover charges? Concerts? Girl weekends? Whatever wild oats you’re sowing right now?”

At the unintentional insult, she lifted her chin in the air. She refused to let the remark get to her. He didn’t know anything about her life. At her age, what he’d described was exactly what she should be doing. But that wasn’t the life she’d been given. And though she’d wished things could be different, she wouldn’t change how it’d played out because she wouldn’t have her kids. No matter how tired or how broke she was, they were her everything.

“You think life’s that simple? This coming from a man who has an endless supply of money. Who’s never had to worry about running out? Never worries about rent, or gas, or groceries, or hell, college tuition. You’ve had everything handed to you.”

If the man’s face got any redder his head might actually explode. She shouldn’t be getting so much enjoyment out of his reaction, but she was. After everything he’d said to her, after every little superior dig, to finally get under his skin was a huge sense of victory and she was relishing every damn second of it.

He shoved back his chair and rose. Placing both hands flat on the desk, he leaned forward, his nostrils flaring. “Put me on a budget, then, Miss Walker. I’ll prove you wrong. I’ve about had it with you judging me.”

“Yeah? Same here, buddy.”

Her comment seemed to hit home because the tension and anger eased from his frame and he sat back down. They stared at each other, neither breaking eye contact. She could almost hear the old western stand-off music play in the background.

“You’re serious then?” she asked.

“I’m dead serious. You set the rules of the challenge.” He paused, clearing his throat as he tugged on his tie. “Consider it my apology for costing you a well-paying job.”

It took her a second to catch up to what he was saying. “Anything goes?”

“Anything goes. Have the arrangement to me within the hour.” He looked at his computer, clicked on his mouse. “Now get back to work.”

She didn’t have to be told twice. She hurried out to her cubicle then sat and stared at the dark screen on her computer.

What the hell had just happened?

In all honesty, she should be jobless right now. But she’d seen Mr. Sutherland’s entire demeanor change when she’d insinuated that he’d been judging her too. Now not only had she been able to keep her job, but she was going to put the arrogant ass on tight budget. She smiled, reaching for the phone.

She knew exactly who could help her out.

The phone rang three times before her neighbor answered with, “What’s up, Maddy?”

“Would you be willing to loan your place out while you’re away so I can prove a point?”

“I’m intrigued. What point are you trying to make?”

Madison quickly filled Racheal in on the challenge her boss had agreed to and her friend’s responding cackle made a grin stretch her lips. “Oh. Maddy, that’s awesome. I just wish I was going to be here to watch it.”

“So that’s a yes?”

“Yes!”

“Thank you, Racheal.”

“No problem. Just promise you’re really going to make him suffer.”

“Don’t worry. I plant to make Jaxon Sutherland the poorest he’s been in his entire life.”

***

What the fuck had he done?

Jaxon jiggled the key in the lock. When it failed to turn for the fifth time, he grabbed the knob and shook. How old were these doors? His condo had an electric lock. All he had to do was press his fingers to the pad then key in a code.

He shoved his shoulder into the door and it finally popped open. He stepped inside the apartment. The living space couldn’t have been more than nine-hundred square feet. The kitchen was only big enough to fit two people comfortably and was separated from the dining and living room by a half-wall.

An old wood table sat in front of the half-wall so he assumed it was supposed to be the dining area. The rest was the living room, which was filled with beat-up, mismatched, second-hand furniture that even in its better days had been lower quality. A flat screen television hung on the wall, but it was one of those knock-off brands that sells for cheap.

Off to the right of the living room were three doors. One led to a sparse bedroom with nothing more than a bed with two end tables and lamps. A picture frame on the end table showed a photo of a man, woman and two kids. The other door led to another bedroom that had two twin beds. One bed was covered with a fairy blanket while the other had Toy Story characters. A mixture of dolls, teacups, dinosaurs and cars littered the floor.