I grinned and looked at her out of the corner of my eye. “The girls that work there are kind of territorial. They aren’t going to love a girl that looks like you waltzing in on their turf, so try and ignore any shade they throw your way.”
She snorted softly. “I’m a grown-ass woman, Titus. I can handle myself. No one can make me feel worse about myself than I already do on a daily basis.”
I didn’t doubt she could hold her own, but years of being nothing more than meat for the hungriest predators the Point had to offer made the girls that danced at Spanky’s an entirely different breed of woman. They could be vicious and cruel without a second thought. It was how they protected themselves.
“Just remember why we’re there.”
She mumbled her agreement and the rest of the ride was silent until I pulled into the parking lot of the strip club. I made sure to park next to Nassir’s Bentley. It was the only spot where I was pretty sure nothing was going to happen to my baby. Nassir loved his outrageously expensive car, so I knew he probably had cameras on the spot where it was parked. I didn’t want the GTO to meet the same fate that had befallen Race’s Stang. Nassir might not give a shit about me or mine, but I left the GTO close enough to his ride that should anything happen to my car, his would be messed up as collateral damage, and the fancy bastard would never stand for that.
I pulled Reeve to my side and wrapped an arm around her shoulder so that her side was pressed tightly all along my own as she curled her arm around my waist and we headed inside. I burned everywhere we touched and I heard her breath hitch at the contact. I pulled open the door and winced as loud music and an overwhelming view of pink assaulted my senses. Nassir had way better taste than the previous owner of the club but he hadn’t gotten around to redoing the place. His attention had been focused on his club burning down and finding the man responsible.
Chuck was a giant black man. He was one of the few people I had ever encountered that I actually had to tilt my head back to look in his eyes. He flashed a blindingly white smile at me, which had the gold incisor he sported sparkling at me. I squeezed Reeve when I felt her stiffen next to me.
“What’s up, Chuck?”
“Twice in one week, cop. That’s not good for business.”
“I thought of another question I wanted to ask your boss.”
His dark eyes skimmed over me and landed on Reeve. He let his gaze sweep over her and then bounce back to me.
“You traveling with your own talent now?”
I forced a laugh and saw Reeve roll her eyes out of corner of my eye. “Something like that.” I hugged her closer and inwardly applauded her when she reached up to put a hand in the center of my chest. She batted her eyelashes at Chuck and gave him that grin of hers that was designed to stop anyone with the Y chromosome from thinking with the head that was located above their belts.
“It was supposed to be date night. He’s lucky I’m willing to let him make it up to me later.” She played the temptress so well it was no wonder it was all I could do not to touch.
She giggled when I let my hand slip to her ass. She turned the appropriate shade of red as Chuck waved us through into the heart of the club. I wasn’t an openly affectionate guy but something about touching her, putting my hands on all of her curves, felt natural. Playacting with this girl felt more right than being with any other girl that I had actually been involved with. That didn’t bode well for me or my sanity in the long run.
“Let’s go up to the bar. There’s less chance of any of the girls getting in your face if you aren’t down on the floor taking attention away from them.”
She didn’t say anything. Her eyes were big in her face as she was taking everything in. There was a lot to see. The naked girls onstage. The lights changing colors as they skipped over bare, glittery skin and drooling customers. The burly security guards that were wandering around keeping an eye on things. The scantily clad cocktail servers that scuttled by on dangerously high heels with trays full of drinks. It was loud and flashy but underneath it was sadness and hopelessness that seemed to permeate every single corner of the club.
I sat Reeve down at one of the black leather bar stools and waited until the bare-chested bartender that looked like he should be on a billboard selling something unnecessary to rich people handed her a drink. I saw the door to Nassir’s office swing open, so I bent forward and pressed my lips to the back of her head.
“Sit tight. I’ll be back in a second.” I stiffened for a second before remembering we had an audience when she swiveled around and touched her lips lightly to mine. It wasn’t really a kiss; just a touching of mouths, but it was still enough to have my pulse thundering and my cock tightening.