chapter Sixteen
“You’ll need to wear this,” Liam instructed, handing Denise a helmet.
This was the first time the two of them had ridden his bike for pleasure, and she was a bit nervous. She put the helmet over her head and made sure to strap it at her chin. The night before, when he’d told her it was time for her to join the land of the living, she hadn’t thought he meant so soon.
“This is going to be much different than last time, huh?” he joked.
“No, I loved those bullets flying past my head,” she deadpanned.
He got on and motioned for her to slide on behind him. When she did, he grabbed her thighs and pulled her so that every inch of their bodies touched.
“When you ride bitch, we touch.”
The tone of his voice sent chill bumps up her spine, and she gladly scooted up so that she could wrap her arms around his waist. She made sure to snake her arms under his cut, as close as she could get. The feelings of a new relationship made her want to be as close to him as she could. As they rode she held on tightly, leaning this way and that with his body. They came to a stop too soon. Excitement shot through her as he brought his gloved hand up to rest on hers. It was fleeting, but it was one of those small touches she’d never had before. This whole situation made her feel like a teenager dating someone for the first time. It was new, exciting, and she loved it.
“This is what you meant by getting me back into the land of the living?”
Liam laughed as he swung his leg over the back of his bike and helped her off. “I’m gonna assume you’ve never been to a strip club before. So yeah, this is the land of the living.”
Her eyes were wide as she gazed upon the building in front of them. Wet Wanda’s, the neon flashing sign proclaimed. It was an old building, built in the sixties or seventies vein, and looked like it was built with rock. It was so old the rock looked gray. An hourly motel sat adjacent to it.
“I’m not so sure about this,” she mumbled as she grabbed his hand and followed closely behind.
The bouncer at the door knew him, and Liam lifted his chin in acknowledgement, grasping the bouncer’s hand and shaking it. She barely listened to the words they exchanged, but she was curious when the bouncer waved them in, not even asking for a cover charge.
They entered the belly of the beast, and she couldn’t help but glance around. It was dark in the main part of the building, but she could see that it was very clean. A large stage dominated the room which separated into individual stages amongst the floor with booths around them. Scantily clad women raced back and forth between tables hauling food and drinks. Among the people she could see some of the members of Heaven Hill. She wondered just how often Liam and the guys frequented this establishment.
“You alright?” he asked her.
She nodded as he led them to a booth further back in the room. From there they had a good look at the main stage. In front of them, the table blocked most everyone from looking at them. The vinyl of the leather was clean and comfortable. It was obvious that it was well used, but it was in good condition. Sinking deeply into the booth, she snuggled up close to him. His arm went around her shoulders as he got comfortable. Spreading his knees, he braced his feet on the floor, giving the impression that he was just a man there with his woman.
“I’m okay, this is just different,” she explained, trying to avoid looking at some of the more provocatively dressed women.
A woman walked up to their booth, this one a little bit more covered up than the rest. “How you doin’ Liam?” she asked, giving him a polite smile.
“Not too bad, Bianca. Can I get a beer? Whatever you’ve got on tap.”
“And you honey?” she glanced expectantly at Denise.
That caught her off guard, she wasn’t a big drinker, and she had no idea what ‘tap’ meant. “Sure, same here,” she blurted out.
Liam laughed. “You’re not a drinker are you?”
Her face flamed in embarrassment. “I haven’t really had time to do that.”
His hand stroked her shoulder, causing goose bumps to break out on the skin exposed there. “Do you like Sprite?”
“Yeah.”
Bianca could see where he was going with this. “Do you like Strawberries?” she asked, her eyes twinkling at the exchange between these two.
“They’re my favorite,” Denise admitted, wondering if she’d get herself some strawberries out of this.
“I’ll hook you up with something a lot better than a damn beer. I’ll be right back, y’all.”
Once she was gone, they sat in silence. Liam took in what was going on in the club, and Denise wasn’t sure of how she should act now.
“You come here often?” she blurted.
“In my youth, yeah. Now we work protection for the club. Someone is here every night. We make sure the ladies get out of here safe, and if there’s any problem in here, we take care of it. Most of the women working here are trying to make better lives for themselves. Bianca, our waitress, is in college. She’s damn smart.”
Before she could say anything, the woman they were talking about came back with their drinks. She sat a drink down in front of Denise. “Try that and tell me what you think.”
It was clear, with strawberries in the bottom. It looked carbonated, but she wasn’t sure what this was. Looking at the two of them, she took a sip from the small straw that sat in the drink. It had a bit of a bite, but it went down smooth. “That’s good. What is it?”
“Strawberry flavored Vodka and Sprite. Be sure and let those strawberries sit in the bottom and then eat ‘em, but watch it. They’ll be completely full of alcohol.”
Bianca left them to go to another table, and Denise went back to sipping on the drink.
Liam took a drink himself and removed his arm from around her shoulder. “You’re gonna have a good time tonight,” he predicted.
The smooth burn of the drink kept going down her throat and her tongue opened up, telling him things that she hadn’t told anyone else ever. She told him about how lonely she’d felt being the single mother of twins. Bianca kept bringing the drinks. Denise was on number three when she shocked the hell out of him.
“Oh, and have I ever told you how sexy you are? You have this dark, dangerous look about you and the tattoos going up and down that one arm,” she leaned forward so that her lips met his ear. “They get me hot.”
“Holy shit woman, you’ve got to stop drinking now.” He immediately realized how much the alcohol was affecting her. It was nice, but he didn’t want her this way.
He motioned Bianca over. “Hey, get her some water, coffee, something else besides alcohol.” His teeth were clenched, and Bianca laughed, knowing exactly what was going on.
Underneath the booth, her hand rested on his thigh and then curiously went further up, grabbing his package with a firm grip.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he breathed loudly through his nose. “Don’t start something you won’t finish here. With you, I’m a hair trigger,” he warned.
For the first time, his guard was completely down with her. She gazed into his eyes, seeing the honesty there. He was trying so hard to be a gentleman, to show her that he was different than the only other man she had ever been with. Pulling her hand back, she let it rest on his thigh again.
“Is that okay?”
“You can do that.”
Bianca came back, putting a mug of coffee in front of her, along with some milk, cream, and sugar. Her mouth opened to say something, but it was drowned out by the screams of the crowd that had gathered as the lights went down.
“What’s going on? Am I going to see a woman strip?” Denise asked, doctoring her coffee cup.
Liam smirked. “You seem like you might like that, which surprises me, but no. Not tonight. Jagger’s performing.”
Jagger Stone was a Prospect in the club. She’d seen him a few times. They’d said ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ when they had passed at the club.
“Performing?”
He nodded. “He sings, plays guitar, and writes songs. He’s damn good.”
Bianca had stood still at their table, watching as Jagger took the stage and had a seat.
“She always watches, but she never admits she has a thing for him,” Liam pointed at Bianca. “They haven’t ever even exchanged ‘hellos’, that girl is so shy.”
Denise could relate. Now that the alcohol was wearing off, she was embarrassed by the way she had acted.
An hour and a half later, Jagger wrapped up his set and threw a guitar pick out in the audience. She had to giggle as two women fought over it. With startling clarity, she realized that many women had given Liam the eye as they walked past him. If she wanted to live this life, she was going to have to learn to take what she wanted. If she didn’t, there would be someone there to scoop this man up if she let him go.
“Let’s go, it’s gettin’ late,” Liam said low in her ear.
They got up and left the club, walking into the warm, muggy night. Once at his bike, he handed her the helmet she had worn on the way over. Before putting it on, she leaned into his body, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“Thanks for this. You’re right, I’ve never done anything like this before, and I had a great time.”
He brought his hand up to her cheek and brushed her hair out of her face. “You’re welcome. Next time, we’ll go a little bit lighter on the booze huh?”
She giggled, still feeling a little loopy from it. She blamed that for what she did next. Standing on tiptoe, she crushed her lips to his, sweeping her tongue against the opening of his mouth. When his hands tucked into her hair, she pulled away and got on the back of his bike.
Getting on the front, he felt her arms wrap around his waist, and he took a moment to put his hands on her thighs and squeeze. It was a comforting gesture and she loved it. Turning his head over his shoulder, he kissed her once more before starting the bike and heading off into the night.