Page 15 of The Price of Forever

“Thanks for the offer.” I lifted my glass in a salute. No way in fuck I’d ever get on a stage or anywhere near a pole. But a woman could fantasize about whatever she liked. I wouldn’t stop her.

I settled into the plush seats to while away the rest of Jordan’s shift. She moved from lap dance to lap dance. Men ate her up, and fuck, she looked sexy with every glance, breath, and dip. By the time she wrapped up with the lap dances, she breezed past me, patting my shoulder.

“I’m off to change. Meet me by the doors in twenty, okay?”

She didn’t wait around for my response. Every inch of her skin glistened with sweat under the lights. She’d spent the last five hours in those heels, which seemed like a physical impossibility, much less moving with grace and sensuality at every turn.

I texted Legs to let him know we’d be needing him outside soon. Once I’d paid for my drinks and left a hefty tip—“Don’t be a stranger, okay?” the bartender purred as I handed her the fifty-dollar bill—Jordan was heading for me in leggings and her black leather jacket, clutching the straps of a new backpack.

All traces of the incredible performances were gone. save the luscious deep lipstick, winged eyeliner, and her curls, which were pulled back into a low ponytail.

“Oh, he’s your friend?” the bartender asked, jerking her chin in my direction.

“Sure is,” Jordan said with a tight smile, slapping my shoulder.

“I named him the Root Bear,” the bartender said, her Brooklyn accent revealing itself.

“Aww. You like that one?” Jordan pushed onto her tiptoes to pinch my cheek. “You’re a cute little root bear.”

“All he drank was root beer,” she went on. “What else am I gonna call him?”

“Root Bear, meet Joss.” Jordan gestured behind the bar and Joss grinned in return. “Stage name is Jade. She’s the best damn bartender in this entire club. Her Manhattans will knock your socks off.”

“Nice to meet you,” I told her. “Do you all have gemstone alter-egos?”

Jordan laughed. “Most of us.”

“I also told him he needs to get on that stage a time or two,” Joss added.

“Oh, now there’s a thought.” Jordan eyed me from head to toe.

“Not gonna happen,” I confirmed.

Jordan and Joss shared smiles and goodbyes before Jordan led the way out of the club. We hit the cool night air, and Jordan strode off down the sidewalk. I paused under the club’s black awning and took a deep breath. Clarity flooded me now that I was away from the seductive lighting and bare bodies.

“What are you doing?” Jordan stopped about five paces away and looked back. “The subway station is this way.”

“I called for a car,” I told her. “He’ll be here any minute.”

She smirked. “I don’t use private cars to get home.”

“At ten o’clock on a Sunday night, you should.”

Her smirk turned into a sneer. “Thanks for the advice. The subway is perfectly fine, and it’s better for the environment. Anything else?”

“I’d like to review what I found inside the club tonight,” I told her. “I’d rather do that in a private space than in the middle of a crowd with uncounted strangers listening in.”

She bored a hole through my head with her gaze. Finally she said, “Fine. Guess it won’t hurt to experience your life of luxury just once before you’re gone forever.”

The shiny black Fairchild SUV rounded the corner, pulling up to the curb in front of me a moment later. The hazard lights blinked, and I gestured toward the tinted windows. “Ready?”

She trudged toward me, and I opened the door to the back seat, waiting patiently for her to climb in. I couldn’t pry my gaze off the flex of her ass as she stepped in, only able to see the bare half melons she’d been flaunting for the past five hours.

This assignment definitely needed to end. I trusted Jordan to follow through on her promise to fuck off once I handed over the final report.

Once we were both settled into the backseat, Legs waved from the driver’s seat.

“Hey there.” He twisted around, eagerness shining in his dark eyes. “I can’t believe I’m lookin’ at ya.”

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