Oh shit.
I stepped around Luke and (do not ask me why) said in a girlie, airhead voice (in other words, using lingo punctuated by exclamation and question marks where they did not need to be). “Hi! I’m Roxie! Jet’s friend?” I put my arm through Luke’s and leaned into him, resting my head briefly on his shoulder. “This is my fiancé, Luke? He’s not here to watch the dancers! Real y!” I smiled up at Luke. “Are you, pookie?”
Luke looked down at me and gave one of his half-grins and shifted his body, so instead of my side leaning into him, half of my chest was pressed against him.
I pursed my lips, gave him a quick scowl, then rearranged my face and looked back at the black guy with a smile.
“We’re just here to watch Lottie’s fantabulous debut!” I announced.
The black guy stared at me.
“I know who you fuckin’ are too. Lottie’s been talkin’.
Shit, everyone in Denver knows who you are. This ain’t your fuckin’ fiancé. You’re sleepin’ with Nightingale. Fuck!” he shouted. Then he turned to Jet and pointed a finger in her face. “Somethin’ happens, I blame you.”
Then he stalked off.
Jet looked at me. “That’s Smithie. He’s real y a big softie.”
Maybe Uncle Tex was right; maybe Jet was a bit loopy.
Then Smithie came jogging back with his finger pointed at me.
“You dance?” he asked.
I stared at him. “Dance?”
He jerked a thumb to the stage.
“Holy cow,” I breathed.
“She doesn’t fuckin’ dance,” Luke answered for me.
Smithie threw up his hands and looked at Jet again.
“Another fuckin’ one of these guys. What’s wrong with strippin’? Fuck!”
Annette cal ed from the table. “I dance! Do you have amateur night or something?”
Smithie turned to her. “You don’t need fuckin’ amateur night, woman, you need to know how to fuckin’ move. You know how to move?”
Jason was looking pale.
“I know how to move,” Annette answered.
“You’l be drivin’ a Porsche in a month.”
“I don’t want a Porsche. I want a condo in Breckenridge.”
“For that you gotta do lap dances,” Smithie said.
Jason started to look sick.
“I’m not sure I want to do lap dances,” Annette said.
“Suit your-fuckin’-self. You wanna just dance, fuckin’
come in tomorrow. We’l get you set the fuck up!” I didn’t know Smithie, like at al , but even I could tel he was excited.
I tugged on Luke’s arm and he looked down at me.
“Do something,” I hissed.
“What?”
“I don’t know. Something. Jason looks like he’s going to be sick.”
“Not my problem.”
“This is cool!” Annette yel ed.
“Good God,” I muttered, momentarily forgetting myself and resting my forehead on Luke’s shoulder.
“Babe,” Luke said low.
My head jerked up.
Shit.
I stepped away from him.
“Good idea,” he mumbled.
I turned to the table and announced, “I need a drink.”
“Get over here and sit next to Shirleen, girl,” the black woman said to me and I walked over and sat down, throwing my wrap on the back of the chair and my purse on the table.
Luke fol owed and stood behind me.
“Someone get this girl a drink. What you drinkin’? I got me an appletini. You ever have an appletini? So smooth, get you fucked up before you can blink.”
“An appletini sounds good,” I agreed. Fucked up sounded even better.
She started snapping her fingers and, as if by magic, a waitress arrived. The waitress was wearing a cute, black camisole with “Smithie’s” written across the front in fancy, red script, a tiny red mini skirt and a pair of kickass black strappy sandals. The outfit was the shit.
“Get my girl an appletini, me too.” Shirleen ordered then swung her big ‘fro back to me. Then she said, total y nosy but somehow getting away with it. “Jet’s been tel in’ me you got man trouble.”
“You could say that.”
“Tel Shirleen all about it.”
“Which man are we talking about? The scary ex-boyfriend who won’t let me go? The bad guys I don’t know who might accidental y shoot me? Or the good man I have that I’m afraid to lose?”
Shirleen stared at me. “How many men you got, girl?”
“Just those,” I said. I looked up at Luke then back to Shirleen. “So far.”
“Wel , then, we got al night, unless you’re real y here for the show.”
I shook my head. “I’m just here for Jet.”
“Start talkin’,” Shirleen demanded.
So, I did.