Page 15 of Forbidden Hearts

I take another sip of beer, thinking about Alonzo. My face warms up when I remember his pose during class and how his tatted arms bulged out of his tight muscle shirt.

I wonder what he looks like under that shirt.

I take two big gulps of beer when I realize what’s going through my head.

“Everything okay, Alex?” Alice asks with a smile. “If you drink any faster, you’ll choke on that beer.”

“Everything’s fine,” I say, wiping beer off my lips. “It’s been a long day.”

“Tell me about it,” she says. She tells me about her day, but soon I’m back to thinking about Alonzo and how he looked at me during class. A warm pulse travels down between my legs, and I squeeze them together.

I drink another sip of beer and try to think of something else. On the stage at the back of the club, Tiffany dances in her signature red polka dot bikini. Dollar bills line the edges of her bra and bikini bottoms.

Even though she says she hates being a dancer, something tells me she secretly likes it. She loves being watched. Desired. Even if it’s by these…men.

I don’t get it.

I finish my beer, thank Alice, and head to the back of the club. Sammy stands between the door to the dancer’s changing room and the door to Jacob’s office. Not only does he protect Jacob, but he also makes sure none of the reapers try anything funny with the dancers.

Sammy nods in my direction when he sees me. We haven’t had a hiccup since the night I yelled for Jacob. The night Alonzo was here meeting him and Ben.

Alonzo hasn’t shown up to the club since, and Jacob never told me what he was doing here in the first place. Of all things, that was the one thing he didn’t tell me. Honestly, I’m not in the least curious. I’m just here to make money.

I walk into the dancer’s room and go to my locker, where I keep my outfits. By outfits, I mean the bikinis I wear on the stage.

There is a rack at the back of the room with outfits that some of the other dancers share. That grossed me out when I first started working here, especially with all the sweat that gets released during dancing.

So I bought my own. My collection grew over time, and I experimented with several outfits until I determined which were the fan favorites that brought in the most tips. I don’t remember why I did that little experiment to maximize profits. I assume it’s something I picked up in one of my business classes.

“Wear your best outfit tonight, Alex,” Jacob says. I startle at his voice and turn around. He stands by the door with his arms crossed and a stupid grin on his face. “Tonight’s a special night.”

“What do you mean? What’s tonight?”

“Just do it, sweetheart,” he winks. He grins before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

What’s he planning? I wonder. I don’t like surprises, much less from him.

I grab my most popular outfit, a matching two-piece bikini themed after the American flag. My right boob has white stars scattered on a blue background, and my left boob and bottoms have red and white stripes. Despite being outlaws, the reapers are a patriotic bunch and love this outfit.

I don’t know what Jacob has planned for tonight. I just hope it doesn’t turn into a disaster.

Chapter 8

Alonzo

“The Den? What are we doing here?” Santiago asks, reading the sign above Jacob’s club. As we pull into the parking lot, he eyes the men in leather jackets standing by their parked motorcycles.

“You scared of bikers,hermanito?” I tease him.

“Fuck no,” he says. “I’m just wondering why you drove us to a shitty club out in the middle of nowhere. I thought we were getting drinks.”

“We will,” I say, pulling into an empty parking spot. “But there’s something we need to do first.”

“Which is what, exactly?” He looks out the window at the bikers and adjusts his gun at his waist. “Are we here to send a message to someone?”

“No, the guys who own this club work forNuestra Casa. They distribute drugs in San Marquez for the big guy. They’re allies, so no need to worry,” I explain. “We’re here because their leader thinks there’s a snitch in their ranks, and I’m helping them investigate. You’re here in case this snitch problem affectsNuestra Casa.”

“I guess that explains why the bar is way out in the boonies,” he says. He looks out at the wilderness beyond the parking lot. “So much for your retirement.”

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