Page 54 of Power Play

“And we know this how?” he asks.

“We talked the other night. She said she was at work and had to go. I might have told her to quit her job right before she told me that,” I say with a cringe.

“And you believed her?”

“I mean, I don’t know. Why wouldn’t I?” I question.

“Would it change anything if she didn’t?”

“If she didn’t dance? I mean... yeah, I guess. I’m not too stubborn to admit that she’s hot, and that I’ve enjoyed spending time with her. But that doesn’t mean I hear wedding bells and all that bullshit,” I grumble.

“No one has said that. It’s called dating for a reason. It gives you time to figure all that out, but you have to take the first step and figure out your feelings. How did she handle it when you kicked her out?”

“She was hurt,” I tell him quietly, remembering the look on her face when I told her to leave. She was crushed, and it was all my fault. Her gorgeous blue eyes were filled with unshed tears, crushing me. “I don’t want me or Rory to get hurt. We’ve been abandoned enough.”

“You realize that when you’re the one refusing to try—refusing to open up—you’re the one breaking your own hearts, right?”

I guess shutting myself off means I’ll never allow myself to truly find happiness outside of my daughter. So, he’s not wrong. But how do I fix it? What do I do to make this better?

“What do you think I should do?” I ask hesitantly, fear hitting me at the mischievous look that takes over Trevor’s face.

“You go get her,” Trevor says with a smirk. “We’ve got a couple hours until her shift. The guys will be here soon, then we go to Atlantis.”

“And how do you know this?”

“Perks of knowing her besties. Especially besties that also want to see her happy, and for some fucking reason, they think you’re the key to that.”

Grabbing my scotch, I down it right as the waitress comes over to ask if we want refills. Yes, please. In fact, bring over the whole damn bottle. Am I doing this? Am I really going to go try and talk to Sawyer? Maybe I should just text her. But she can avoid me that way. Plus, her face says everything her mouth doesn’t, so I’d prefer to have this conversation in person so I can really know how she feels.

The next couple of hours go by stupidly slow. The guys eventually join us for dinner and drinks, then we all Uber over to Atlantis where they’ve reserved the same table we had before, right in front of the stage.

I look around, but don’t see Sawyer anywhere—only the server that was here with her last time and another woman behind the bar. We take our seats, each grabbing a drink before getting ready for whatever show they’re putting on tonight. I don’t care what they do, my eyes are constantly looking for that sexy little thing who’s supposed to be behind the bar making drinks.

The music starting should have been my cue to watch, but I don’t.

When the lights dim even further, you’d think I’d stop looking for her and pay attention, but I don’t.

When a guy is brought on stage and put in a chair, that should have been my sign, but I still ignored it and kept scanning the room.

But, when I finally looked at the stage, my heart stops. Sawyer is walking out from behind a curtain, making a bee-line for the gentleman in the chair, her eyes glaring directly at me.

“What the fuck is she doing,” I growl at Trevor, who looks like he’s hiding a smile. “Did you know about this?”

“Who me? Never.” He smirks before turning his attention back to her. Which pisses me off even more.

Sawyer is wearing nothing but a red lace outfit, leaving nothing to the imagination. As always, this color is stunning on her. The man in the chair is about to put his hands on her, which is enough to make me feral.

The server from last time comes our way with more drinks, and pauses when she sees me, a slight smirk on her face as if she can read my thoughts.

“Sorry, she’s a little busy tonight with a bachelor party, so you’re stuck with me. I’m Serena,” she says, her tone light, but a little too devious for my mood.

I feel like everyone is in on something but me and I hate it

“Go switch with her,” I demand.

“No can do, grumpy man. She asked to go up on stage a few minutes ago, then she got to pick the guy. This is her show, I’m just here to watch.”

“Fuck that,” I tell her, standing up from my seat. Sawyer’s still watching me as she comes up behind the chair and places her hands on the guy’s shoulders. I expect to see the confident woman from the last show she put on for me. Yeah, I knew she was nervous, but from the outside she looked confident. This time, though, she looks nervous, as though doesn’t want to do this but is going to go through with it for some dumb reason. Just as she’s about to walk around to the front of the guy, I lock eyes with her and climb up onto the stage, causing her eyes to widen, but she doesn’t take her hand off of him.

---