Page 12 of Midnight Whispers

NERO

Iend up passing out in bed, but when I wake, the idea to go to T&T’s is still fresh in my mind, so I recruit Damien to drive me, knowing I’m nowhere near sober yet.

He drops me at the entrance of T&T’s, and I lean my head back in the car before he pulls away. “Just park it. I’ll find you when I’m done.”

“Yes, sir.” He nods.

I hope Damien didn’t have plans tonight, although he probably did. None of us use him to drive us at night much anymore unless it’s a special occasion. But I’m not in any condition to drive.

I slip the bouncer a hundred-dollar bill and point at the booth in the back, opting to sit away from everyone in case someone recognizes me. My older brothers garner more attention in the press, but since my engagement became public knowledge, I’ve been in the gossip rags more than usual. Can’t wait to see what happens when they find out my fiancée is a lying bitch and there isn’t a wedding.

I slide into the booth, and the waitress dressed in a silver triangle bikini top and black booty shorts comes over. She has a small rack, which doesn’t do much for me, but she’s cute. After she returns with my drink, I shift my attention to the stage as the DJ gets set to announce the next dancer.

“Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourself for a tantalizing experience like no other as we welcome to the stage the embodiment of sensuality, the mesmerizing enchantress, the one and only, Cin!”

The dancer walks out, and my drink is poised at my lips, but I immediately set it back down on the table because holy shit, this woman deserves all my attention. Her long blonde hair sways as she makes her way down the stage, sashaying with a sultry and confident look in her eye, almost as if she enjoys performing.

From what I remember, dancers look as though they’re going through the motions, or their eyes are glassy with the telltale signs that they’ve been dabbling beforehand, probably to get through the night. But not this woman.

I appreciate all women, but everyone has their preferences. And this woman is built as if she popped out of my fantasies. Voluptuous. She has big natural tits, and my palms itch to feel the weight of them. Her waist nips in, then her shapely hips curve out.

The little blue number she’s wearing doesn’t leave much to the imagination, but it’s still not enough. I’m eager to see her take off the rest of her clothes.

I’m granted a good view of her plump ass when she crawls across the stage, and even though I should have whiskey dick with the amount I’ve drunk today, my cock twitches when I imagine her bent over in front of me in that exact position.

Almost as though she can sense my thoughts, she looks back over her shoulder at my table.

She continues her performance, and when the song changes, she comes down off the stage to work the crowd. The men are practically salivating as she approaches them, and I have no doubt one or more of them will probably invite her into a VIP room at some point.

Damn, I wish I could watch that go down.

I slide my hand down and adjust myself.

The third song comes on, and she returns to the stage, using the pole to show us how flexible she is, collecting more money from the men in the front row. The song ends way too soon, and she’s gone.

I watch the next dancer, but my interest is lost quickly. Images of Cin ping-pong in my head. I toss back my drink then pull cash from my wallet and drop it on the table before getting up and making my way to the exit.

When I get into the back of the car, Damien looks at me in the rearview mirror. “That was quick.”

“Saw what I needed.”

He starts the car. “Headed back to the manor?”

I shake my head. “No, we’re gonna stay here for a while.”

That buzz of adrenaline in my veins that was once so familiar returns. Probably not a good sign, but I don’t have it in me to care. For the first time in the past week, I’m not moping around, fixating on how Maude got one over on me.

No, now I have something—or someone—new to fixate on. As long as I don’t take it too far, it won’t be a problem.

Weeks later, I ease my car through Magnolia Bend but slam on the brakes after I pass Black Magic Bar. The same Toyota that Cin drives is parked in the side lot of the dive bar. I shouldn’t know what car she drives, but I’ve become a regular at T&T’s since the first night I saw her. Not that she’s aware. I sit in the back booth and only stay long enough to watch her performance, then I wait patiently out in the parking lot to watch her leave.

I consider it a point of pride that I haven’t followed her home or looked her up online. It means I have boundaries, which I didn’t always have.

After I reverse my car, I park it in the side lot and make my way up to the front porch of the bar, stand to the side of one of the windows, and peek inside. Cin is behind the bar, chatting with a guy seated along the bar. She bartends here too?

The stripper gig doesn’t earn enough for her then.

Surprised, I make my way back to my car and ease it out of the parking lot, finding a parking spot farther down the street where I can see the front of the bar.

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