The Art of Sin (17 page)

     “You like being bad, don’t you?”

     She backed her butt into his him, rubbing against his erection.     “Does that surprise you?”

     Grady shoved two fingers deep into her, making Al grunt with surprise. “No, I had a feeling you were this way, but you don’t like to show it.”

      “I—I never felt comfortable enough with anyone to … be bad.”

      His lips skirted along the right side of her neck. “What about with Geoff?”

      “Geoff?” Her cynical snicker intrigued him. “Geoff and I have never been … well, he was never adventurous, not like you.”        

      Grady liked hearing that. He was thrilled that he could give her something that Geoff couldn’t. Quickly unzipping his jeans and removing his cock, he teased her with his tip. “Tell me, is this a fantasy of yours? To have sex in public.”

     “We can talk about that later. Just hurry. Before someone comes,” she begged, trying to back into him.

     “No, you’ll tell me now.” He moved his hips away from her butt. Taking her hands, he shoved them into the wall of the shed, pinning them above her head. “What fantasies do you have?”

     Al’s divine creamy ass beckoned to him, but he summoned his self-control, determined to get her to speak.

     “I want to fuck … in dangerous places. You know, where there is a chance of getting caught.

     “Places like the zoo?” he whispered.

     “Anywhere in public. I just want to know how it would feel … with you.”

     Thankful that she was finally opening up to him, he let up on her hands and reached for his back pocket. Retrieving his wallet, he was grateful that he had restocked it with condoms before heading up to Al’s place that morning. Taking a foil packet from his wallet, he quickly returned it to his back pocket.   

     After slipping on the condom, his arm went around her waist, pulling her to him. When he eased his fingers into her folds, spreading her open, he could feel her relax against him.   
     He entered her with one swift motion, penetrating all the way inside of her. Al moaned as he started moving in and out. Deliberately, he took his time, relishing the feel of her. He wanted to enjoy her fantasy and was delighted that she had finally shared something so intimate with him.

     The first time she came, Grady held her close, and when her body drooped in his arms, he started pounding into her. He gave into his impulse, wanting to go hard and deep. Al was grunting against the force of his penetrations; he could feel her body tensing as her second orgasm crested much faster than the first. Her nails dug into his arm, her head rocked back, and just when he felt she was going to scream, Al tucked her head, shuddered, and didn’t make a sound.

     Her silence made his final thrusts all the more exquisite. When he finally came, he bit down on her shoulder, desperate to stifle his groan.

      They did not take long to enjoy the aftermath of their lovemaking, opting instead to dress quickly and move away from their hiding place. Just as they stepped out from behind the line of dense foliage, a small gaggle of children ran by the path in front of them, screaming at the top of their lungs.                     

     “Where were they a few minutes ago?” Grady cracked. “We could have used all that screaming then.”

     Al’s airy giggle warmed his heart. She trotted ahead to the path, and he watched her ponytail of long blonde hair dance in the light breeze. On the path, he caught up to her and took her hand.

     Strolling along, he wondered how he had been so lucky to have finally found a woman who made him feel as if the world was a place of endless possibilities. In a few days, he had gone from his dead-end, day in and day out existence, to appreciating that life was about those special moments and not the monotony. 

*     *     *

     The sun was sinking in the western sky when they returned home. As they climbed the steps to her third-floor apartment, Grady wished their time together did not have to come to an end.

     “Maybe I could come by after I finish up at the club?” he suggested, as she put the key into the lock of her apartment door.

     Al turned to him. “That might be pretty late, and I have a case in the morning.”

     He took a step closer to her. “Then why don’t you go and take a long nap, so when I come by you’ll be fully rested. We don’t have to do anything tonight. I just want to be with you.”

     Al rested her hand on his chest. “I guess you could come by for a little while.” Her hand caressed the thick muscles in his chest and then she smiled. “But I can’t promise that nothing will happen, especially if you take your shirt off.” She curled into him. “Or your pants.”

     Grady threw his arms around her and kissed her lips. Al quickly opened her mouth, hungrily accepting him. He wanted to carry her into her apartment and take her to bed, but then he remembered the club.

     If he was going to take a permanent position at The Flesh Factory, he would have to keep Matt Harrison happy, and make all of his shows. He didn’t want to risk losing his paycheck, especially now that things were looking up in his personal life.

     He reluctantly let her go. “I’ve got to get to work.”   

     She stepped back from him. “Go on. I’ll be here when you get back.”

     He kissed her lips once more. “I don’t know how I’m going to get through two shows, knowing you’re waiting for me.”

     She returned to her door and pushed it open. “Oh, I’m sure all those screaming women will help keep your mind occupied.”

     He waited as she walked through the entrance to her home, and then added, “All those women don’t mean anything. It’s just a job.”

     She took her keys from the lock. “I know.”

     “I don’t want you to think that I would ever—”

     “Grady, it’s all right. I don’t mind.” She waved to the stairs behind him. “Go to work.”

     He turned to the stairs, but before he reached the first step, Al called to him.

     “Just make sure they don’t get close enough to grab your ass, all right?”

     Chuckling, he faced her. “They won’t, I promise.”

     Al shook her head and quickly closed the door.

     Encouraged by her jealousy, Grady happily trotted down the stairs. She was beginning to care for him; he could sense it. However, he knew that the comment she had made would be the first of many about keeping the women off him at the club. With time, her comments would take on a more demanding tone, and eventually turn into ultimatums. He had seen the strain his choice of employment could put on a relationship. Now, more than ever, Grady had to start making plans for getting out of the skin game. If he wanted a future with Al, he had to begin looking for another job.

     
But what am I good for? Who would hire me?

     The idea of returning to the corporate world did not appeal to him, but it would be more palatable to Al than dancing. A strange shiver of deja vu overtook his body as he recalled the exact same scenario with Emma. He had walked away from dancing to make her happy, but had not been happy with where he ended up. He wanted to believe that things would be different with Al. Grady felt like the sand in his hourglass of hoped for dreams was running out, and that Al was his last chance at finding that place between happily ever after and happy for now.  

Chapter
14

     The Flesh Factory was packed and the tables in the pit were overflowing with women. The music was vibrating through the walls, and the high-pitched screams were grating on everyone’s nerves. It was one of those nights where the dancers were getting groped a little too much by the patrons, the bartenders were getting snippy with all the orders of white wine spritzers, and the management was aggravated with the staff’s complaints. It was what was termed in the business as a Full Moon Night, when all the bitches came out to play.

     “Jesus, they’re brutal out there tonight,” Lewis uttered, as he came in the dressing room door, pulling bills from his G-string. “I swear, one old lady out there was going to give me a blow job right on stage.”    

     Sitting with a towel around his waist, Grady wiped his hand over his sweaty brow. “I know. I damn near got a hand job from one woman.”

     “Probably the same woman.” Lewis began counting up the bills in his hands. “At least the tips make up for it. I got almost two hundred out there tonight.”

     Grady nodded in agreement. “Yeah, tips were good tonight.”

     Lewis went to the dresser and grabbed a towel draped on top of it. He began wiping the sweat and oil from his body. “Did Matt give you a lot of shit for missing the other night?”

     Grady picked at the towel around his hips. “No, quite the opposite. He offered me a permanent job, dancing here. No more traveling.”

     “Yeah, I knew he would have to fill Colin’s spot in the line up.”

     “Colin?” Grady furrowed his brow at him. “Colin quit?”

    “No, got fired.” Lewis tossed his towel on the dressing table. “Matt got wind of an altercation between him and Beverly.”

     Interested in hearing more, Grady leaned forward in his chair. “What do you mean by an altercation?”

     “Colin had been sleeping with Beverly. She wanted to call it off, he didn’t. Then things got out of hand. He hit her; a few times from what I hear.”

     “Are you sure Matt didn’t beat her up and is looking for a scapegoat?”

     “Nah, Matt wouldn’t touch anybody. He’s not the type. I think he knew about Colin and Beverly, but didn’t care. If you ask me, that marriage has been over for a while now.”

     Grady fell back in his chair, dumbfounded by the news. “Are you sure about this?”

     Lewis stepped out of his G-string and reached for a thick white robe hanging behind the dressing room door. “I saw Colin packing up yesterday. He told me Matt canned his ass because of Beverly. Ed, the guy who shares his dressing room, is the one who told me about Beverly getting beaten up. Apparently, Colin is a pretty angry man where women are concerned.”

     “Shit,” Grady whispered, and ran his hand over his face.

     Grady envisioned what could have happened to Matt if he had not found Doug when he did. He was not sure how he was going to break the news to his friend about what had really happened to Beverly, but he had to set the guy straight. Doug was giving his heart to a woman that did not want it, and would eventually hurt him. Grady had been on the receiving end of such betrayal in the past, and did not wish that kind of heartache on anyone.

     “Is there a problem?” Lewis asked, tying off his robe.

     “No,” Grady told him. “I guess I’m just kind of shocked about Colin, that’s all.”

     “The guy was an asshole. He started a lot of fights around here with customers and other dancers. The place is better off without him.” Lewis smiled. “But hey, it’s great news for you. No more traveling. I think that landlord of yours will like having you as a permanent tenant.”

     “Yeah, she might.”

     “How is it working out with her?”

     Grady slyly grinned. “Better than I’d hoped.”

     “When I saw you two dancing together, I knew it was only a matter of time before what was going on vertically went horizontal.”

     “You’ve got a way with words, Lewis.”

     “I’d better. I’ve got the MA in English from Duke to prove it.”

     “No shit.” Grady shook his head. “I’ve got a BA in finance from Yale.”

     “What strange bedfellows this economy has made, eh?”

     “Indeed,” Grady confirmed.

     A loud rap on the door made both men turn. Lewis went to the door and when he opened it, Nick Davies from the bar was frowning at them.

     “Paulson, there’s a woman asking for you. Says she’s your landlord. I thought it might be important, so I said—”

     Grady jumped from his chair. “Where is she?”

     “At the bar,” Nick replied.

     Grady was scrambling toward the door when Lewis stopped him. “You can’t go out there in that.” He gestured to the towel around Grady’s waist. “You’ll be torn to pieces by that crowd.”

     Grady glimpsed his towel. “I’ll change.”

     “No,” Lewis asserted. “I’ll go and bring her back here. You stay put.”

     “What about Matt’s no girls backstage rule?”

     Lewis waved off his concern with a curt grin. “She’s not a girl; she’s your landlord.”

     “Thanks, Lewis.”    

     “Hey, anything for another Ivy Leaguer.” Lewis walked through the entrance, pushed Nick out of the way, and then shut the door behind him.

     Grady reached for his jeans and briefs hanging over his chair by the dresser. Another knock at the door, took Grady by surprise. He hastily zipped up his jeans and ran his hand over his sweaty hair, trying to make himself look presentable for Al. But after pulling the door open, he was stunned to see Matt Harrison standing before him.

     Wearing a tailored brown suit and yellow tie, with his silver-tinged black hair neatly combed back and flashing his gold Rolex, he appeared to be every inch the wealthy executive, not the owner of a strip club.

     “Hey, Grady, got a minute? I wanted to talk to you about our little arrangement. See if you made up your mind about dancing permanently here at The Flesh Factory.”

     Matt slinked into the room, and Grady nervously checked the hallway. Deciding to leave the door open, Grady hoped Lewis would know to get Al out of there before Matt saw her.

     Grady turned his attention to Matt. “Sure, we can talk.”

     Unfortunately, when Grady stepped into his dressing room, Matt shut the door.

     “You thought about what I said?”

     Grady anxiously kept his eyes on the closed door. “Yeah, I thought about it.”

     “Look, I’m not gonna play games with you. I like you; you’re not stuck up or want to be catered to like some of these guys around here. Plus, you look good on the stage and the women like you, so I think you would do well here. What do you say? Do you want to become a headliner here?”

     “Actually, Matt, circumstances have changed for me and I’ve decided I want to stay in New Orleans. I would like to accept your offer.”

     Matt raised one black eyebrow. “By circumstances, I assume you mean a girl?”

     Feeling self-conscious about his semi-naked appearance in front of Matt, Grady went to the chair by the dresser and picked up his T-shirt. “I just mean circumstances.”

     “It’s that broad from the other night, isn’t it? You two looked awfully good together. I wondered if you knew her.”

     Grady pulled on his T-shirt. “You can call my agent, Burt Conroe, with the details.”

     “Sure, I’ll call Burt and we’ll hack out a contract.” Matt smiled, appearing happy that he had gotten what he wanted. “I’ll even give you Colin’s old dressing room, too. You can move in there anytime you like.”

     “I’m happy here.” Grady paused, remembering what Lewis had told him earlier. “I heard you fired Colin,” he added. “Is it true?”

     Matt’s happy smile disappeared. “Yeah, he got to be too hard to handle. That boy had one too many bad habits, if you know what I mean.”

     Grady was just about to inquire which of those bad habits Matt was referring to when the dressing room door flew open. Lewis and Al stepped inside and stared at Matt and Grady. Grady blew out an uneasy breath, waiting for Matt to let into him for breaking his rules.

     “Allie Cat? Is that you?” Matt went to Al, throwing his arms around her.

     “Hey, Uncle Matt.” Al gave the man a warm hug.

     “Uncle Matt?” Grady exclaimed.

     Matt turned from Al. “Yeah, this is my Allie Cat. I started with her old man in a club a few doors down from here. I knew her sister Cassie, too. She used to dance for me. Everybody up and down Bourbon knows Al. She’s been hanging out in all the clubs since she was in diapers.” He glanced back at Al. “I haven’t seen you since … well, it’s been a long time.”   

     “You didn’t tell me you knew my boss,” Grady vented.

    Matt motioned between Al and Grady. “You two know each other?”    

     “Oh yeah, this is a hell of a lot better than Shakespeare,” Lewis commented, backing out of the room and shutting the door.

     “Grady is my tenant,” Al told Matt. She then smiled knowingly at Grady. “He’s also a very good friend.”

     Matt interpreted the smile on her face. “Just a friend?”  

     Al stepped further into the dressing room. “Please, Uncle Matt.”

     Matt raised his hands, assuaging her disapproval, and then a thought hit him. “You were the girl on the stage with Grady the other night. I thought you looked familiar.”

     Al nervously tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her left ear. “I, ah, just came to see his show.”

     “You reminded me of Cassie up there. You moved just like she did on the stage.”

     “I’m no dancer,” Al argued.

     “It ain’t about being a dancer in this business. You know that.” He turned to Grady. “I guess I can see why your circumstances have changed. You just make sure you do right by her. She’s like a daughter to me.”

     Grady cleared his throat. “Yes, sir.”

     Matt went to the door and then turned back to Al. “Don’t wear him out too much tonight, Allie Cat. He’s got two more shows tomorrow night.”

     She smirked at Matt. “Glad to see you haven’t changed, Uncle Matt.”

     Matt opened the door. “You know me, baby. Once a skin man, always a skin man.”

     Matt stepped out into the hall and closed the door, chuckling as he went.

     As soon as Grady was sure Matt was gone, he went to Al’s side and slipped his arms around her waist. “When were you going to tell me about Uncle Matt?”

     “I knew he owned the club, but I didn’t think he would remember me. Matt was one of my dad’s old friends. He helped Cassie and me after Mom died. I haven’t seen him since his wedding to Beverly.”

     “You were at his wedding?”

     She nodded. “Beverly invited me.”

     Grady’s face became serious as he stared into her eyes. “Then you must know what kind of games she has been playing with Doug.”

     She stepped out of his arms. “I know Doug is one of many men in and out of Beverly’s life. I’ve tried to warn him about her, but he never listens.”

     “Did you know Beverly ended up in the hospital two days ago, and told Doug that Matt beat her up?”

    “Matt? No way.” Al vehemently shook her head. “He may be many things, but he has never raised a hand to any woman. It was probably one of Beverly’s other boyfriends.”

     “It was. Another dancer here at the club named Colin. Matt fired him for it.”

     “Sounds like Beverly’s MO. She’s always had a thing for dancers.”

     “Doug needs to know how Beverly really is,” Grady insisted.      

     “He already knows, Grady. He knows all about Beverly’s other men, but he still won’t let her go.”

     Grady ran his hand over his short blond hair. “I had no idea.”

     “‘Love makes for strange lovers,’ my mother used to always say. I don’t know why Doug puts up with Beverly, but he does. Maybe Matt stays married to her to spare his kids the pain of divorce … or to keep everyone from finding out about his other life. God knows, Matt was never really into women.” 

     Grady stared at her in disbelief. “You knew about that, too?”

     “My father used to call Uncle Matt queer when I was a kid. I didn’t know what it meant, but when I got older, I figured it out.”

     Grady shook his head while muttering, “This really is a small town.”

     Inching closer, she ran her fingers along the ropelike muscles in his forearm, tracing the large veins with her fingertips.

     “You’re oily.”

     “I didn’t wipe off the oil from my show yet. I was hurrying to dress so I could get to you.” That lustful tingle began in his groin as he watched her slender fingers stroke his arm. “What are you doing here? I thought we were meeting back at your place.”

     “I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to catch your show.” Her alluring grin was fueling his desire. “Sorry to say, I missed it,” she admitted with a sexy sigh.