Page 18 of Forbidden Hearts

“Excuse me?” Jacob snorts.

“I want her for the rest of the night.”

“We don’t do private dances anymore,” Ben explains. “Some reapers were too rough on the women, so we had to put an end to it. Besides, Alex is already booked to work the stage for the night.”

“How much?” I ask.

“I don’t understand,” Ben says. He looks at Jacob, who smiles at my insinuation. “How much does she earn for the night?”

“How much to have her for the night?” I ask.

“Oh,” Ben says. “We don’t run that type of business here. It’s too risky, especially if there’s a snitch roaming around.”

I smile at Ben. “I just want a private dance.”

He looks over at Jacob again, who simply shrugs. “Like Ben says, we don’t do private dances anymore.”

“Anything can be negotiated,” I say. “Name your price.”

I don’t know why, but I can’t stand watching these filthy bikers put their hands on Alex. She’s a hot piece of work, and I want her all to myself.

Ben looks like he’s about to say something, but Jacob beats him to the punch. “Twenty grand.” He grins, thinking the price will shut down my request. But it might as well be pennies for me.

“Done,” I say.

“Done,” Jacob repeats with a smile.

He gets up and walks to the stage. Santiago stares at me as if I’ve gone mad. He knows I’m not the type to pay for a woman’s attention. But for some reason, right here, right now, I can drop a hundred grand just to get Alex away from these filthy men and onto my lap.

Chapter 9

Alex

“Gentlemen, gentlemen,” Jacob pleads with the booing crowd. He just told them I need to cut my performance short for the night. “Alex has some important business to attend to, but she’ll return tomorrow night. In the meantime, the next round is on the house!”

The men stop booing and shuffle to the bar. Some make for the exit.

“Christ,” Jacob shakes his head at the dispersing crowd. He helps me off the stage and leads me to the dancer’s room. As I follow behind Jacob, I glance back at his booth. Alonzo’s eyes remain on me as the door closes behind me.

“What’s going on?” I ask, wrapping my arms around my body. Jacob told the reapers I had business to attend to. It makes me nauseous to think what he means by that.

Jacob grins his devious grin.

“You probably saw your dear professor out there. I invited him because I wanted to speed things up a bit. And wouldn’t you know it? It worked.”

“What worked?”

Even though seducing Alonzo is part of the plan, I was stunned to see him at the club. More so when I caught him staring at me. Every time I looked in his direction, I noticed his hungry eyes devouring me whole. Just remembering the way he looked at me gives me chills.

What worries me the most is that part of me likes his unwavering attention.

“He wants a private dance,” Jacob laughs. He laughs as if it’s the funniest thing on the planet. “I guess you made an impression. He took the bait, and now it’s time to reel him in.”

The thought of somebody like Alonzo being into me feels absurd. Not just because he’s a killer but because he is deadly handsome. He can easily have any woman he wants, so him looking at me…

“So, he asked for a dance?” I wonder. “Just like that? Nothing in exchange?”

“Jeez, Alex. This isn’t a whorehouse. Of course he didn’t offer anything in exchange. He simply asked for a dance, and I agreed. You know, being his friend and all.”

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