Page 29 of The Afterthought

To my left is a stage with a woman in a thong sliding up and down a pole. The look on her face tells me that she is lost in thought as a group of men sit in seats around her, eyeing her. I turn my gaze directly in front of me, where another stage sits with a large mirror behind the entirety of it. Two more women on poles dance on this stage in various forms of undress.

I look past the stage in front of me to find a set of doors leading to the bathroom, another set of doors that are roped off, and one final door that is not labeled. To my right, I find a long bar, filling up the remaining length of the room, and walk over to it.

Two men sit on barstools at the bar, talking to the person working behind it. I'm surprised to find a man working behind the bar. With this being a club, you would think a woman would be back there getting the drinks. I suppose that's what I'm here for.

When I approach, the bartender locks eyes with me, and the three of them go quiet. The two sitting on the stools turn to look at me, and I have to control the shock on my face when I see Alec sitting there and having a calm discussion with Sheriff Wolfe. I ignore their eyes on me and slap a $10 bill on the bar.

"I'll have a vodka soda."

The guy behind the bar laughs and reaches out to grab the money before turning to make the drink. I wait patiently, watching out of the corner of my eye as Alec leans in and whispers something in the sheriff's ear. He nods and looks over towards me.

"Keep your men in line, Mr. Boone. I don't want to have to come back here again." He says it loud enough for me to hear. It feels like he's putting on a show, and I wonder why he’s really here.

He takes a step away from Alec and stops next to me. "Avalynn, I trust you are settling into town nicely."

I turn and face him, keeping my face blank. "Yep. Here for a job."

"You don't strike me as the type to work somewhere like this," he admits, and I can see the way his eyes burn through my clothing.

"I'll be behind the bar. Fully clothed," I clarify.

"Ah, well, I will leave you to it. I have to be on my way. Give your sister my best."

I give him a weak smile. A glass lands on the bar beside me. I reach out to grab the drink, noticing that Alec has turned in his chair and is now looking at me. I casually smile at him while sipping on my drink.

"I expected you to call before showing up," he says with a look of irritation. He doesn't like being caught off guard. I wasn't supposed to see the Sheriff here talking to him.

"What can I say? I like to be unpredictable."

He takes a moment to study me before I see his features visibly relax. "Let's go to my office so we can talk without the noise and distraction."

Alarm bells ring out. This is a bad idea, but still, I follow him as he hops off the stool and goes straight to the unlabeled door I saw earlier. The door opens to a big office. Half of the office has a large circular couch with a pole in the middle. The other side houses a large oak desk. Bookshelves with assorted items line the wall behind the desk. Several bottles of what looks like expensive whiskey and glasses sit on one of the shelves.

Alec steps up to the desk, pushing the large black chair to the side to grab himself a glass and pour some of the amber liquid into it. I take it upon myself to fill one of the seats across from the desk with my vodka soda in hand. When he finally turns to look at me, he smiles. It seems fake, but he smiles.

"I'm happy that this morning's little run-in didn't scare you away." He takes a seat in the chair behind his desk, making himself comfortable.

"In case you haven't picked up on it yet, I'm not the kind of woman who lets someone else tell her what to do."

"Indeed. You are a rare gem, Avalynn. One I'm happy I had the chance to indulge in."

A blush meets my cheeks when I remember him dicking me down. Clearly, he is still interested in pursuing something outside of the usual business relationship. I need to be cautious with this. He's a Cobra, I remind myself.

"So, this job?" I question attempting to bring the conversation back to part of the reason I'm here.

"It's yours if you want it." He brings the glass to his lips, taking another sip, never letting his gaze leave mine. Something about it seems a bit sinister.

"That's it? No interview? No questions? It's just my job if I want it."

"That's what I said, is it not?"

"And no uniform?"

"Correct. You are welcome to wear, or not wear, whatever you like. You could bring in some pretty big tips from some of the regulars if you wore something... less." A chuckle escapes him. "I might prefer it if you covered up a bit, though. I would rather not have to fight off my customers to get to you."

Here we fucking go. Another man who thinks that just because we fucked he now has some weird claim on me. What the hell is going on in the minds of the men in this town? I belong to myself and myself only, regardless of who I let put their dick in me.

"If I were to start working here, this would be a business-only relationship between you and me going forward."

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