Page 86 of Break Out

His expression turned mischievous. “It’s a split-level tub. I’ve never seen anything quite like it before. You should check it out.”

I struggled to envision it. “You going to lead the way? Introduce me?”

His eyes bulged. “Fuck, no. You were right. They’re all devious as shit. I’m gonna go for a ride and see the rest of Augusta. Tell Steel, I’ll meet you two at his place around five.”

With three strides, Rafferty darted around the side of the clubhouse leaving me alone. I debated going back inside and checking out Steel’s room. After hearing what Rafferty said about the women, I didn’t expect them to be very accepting. Not to mention I had a low tolerance level for petty bullshit – especially from women.

If Mom had taught me anything, it was that females had enough to deal with in life. Adding more bullshit to another woman’s plate was just rude.

If Dad had taught me anything, it was to tackle things I didn’t like head-on. Putting it off wasn’t likely to make this any easier. If nothing else, I’d get to see what a split-level hot tub looked like.

I stepped off the concrete, turned to the left, and walked along a path of square, coral-colored pavers that ran along the back of the clubhouse.

For late March, the sun beat down on me relentlessly. Relief swept through me at the sight of a medium-size, metal-roofed open-air pavilion. Four wooden picnic tables sat in the center and two hexagonal picnic tables flanked the outside. Piles of clothing were heaped on one of the hexagonal tables.

Then I took in the hot tub which sat in between the clubhouse and the pavilion. It looked as though two hot tubs had been set side-by-side, but one was raised up to the height of an above-ground pool. It sat four feet higher than the other tub. On the outside end of the shorter tub, there was a bar and a couple of bar stools. Cans of beer and hard seltzer littered the surface.

As Rafferty said, all of the women were in the tub. Four in the lower tub, and three in the elevated tub where two of those women were making out.

“You’re lucky Steel didn’t see you earlier. Takes a lotta nerve to come back here after what you did,” a woman with kinky curls said from the lower level. Her eyes were aimed at one of the women in the upper hot tub.

Another woman in the lower level who had wavy auburn hair shook her head and scoffed. “That was months ago, never mind that. Since Kendall and Bella decided to make out up there, are you coming down here, Josie?”

“Not yet, Tessa,” Josie said, looking over the ledge at the other woman. Her eyes caught my movement and she glared at me. “Oh, look, y’all, it’s Jordan’s ex-girlfriend.”

Embarrassment rolled through me, but I powered past it. Something about Josie seemed off. The other women were looking at me with clear disdain, but Josie’s expression held something… extra.

I heard water sloshing and the two women who were making out had come to this edge of the tub to get a better look at me. One had blonde hair piled high on her head in a sloppy, but cute, top-knot. The other had wavy, shoulder-length brown hair and light brown eyes.

“Oh, you’re pretty,” the one with brown hair said. I had a feeling she’d been the one to stay inside with Rafferty.

“Kendall, you think everyone’s pretty,” Josie sneered.

She shot Josie a look full of attitude. “Well, everybody is, in their own sweet way. Even you.”

Bella tucked a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear and said in a low, warning tone. “Kendall.”

Kendall stood giving me a full view of her bare, voluptuous, double-D breasts. Yep, I bet she stuck around with Rafferty instead of following the bitch brigade outside. “What? I work at the Palace. You give as many lap dances as I have, you come to appreciate beauty in all forms.”

“Like that makes you some kind of expert, bitch,” Tessa said.

Kendall gave her a look and smiled at me. “You should get in. Take your clothes off, we don’t care if you’re naked. Most of us are strippers, so you don’t have anything we haven’t seen.”

To stall, I looked up toward the pavilion and noticed security cameras. They were all aimed away from the hot tub, so that was good. My eyes darted to the clubhouse and saw another camera which was pointed directly at the tub. Not so good.

I returned Kendall’s smile. “Sorry, I’ll have to pass.”

Josie didn’t hide her snicker, and a few of the others joined in afterward.

Kendall’s eyes darted toward the building. “Oh, if you’re worried about the cameras, Tie likes to keep a watch on us. I mean, what’s the point of security if some jackass barges through the gates and attacks us, right?”

From the lower tub, a brunette with a deeper voice said, “Yeah, Kendall, that’s what he’s doing. Protecting us. You know men are pervs.”

“Well, you’re welcome to one of my White Claws,” Kendall said.

I really liked her. With a regretful smile, I shook my head. “I appreciate it, but I can’t.”

“How come? Is it that stick up your ass?” Josie asked.

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