Page 1 of One Wild Night

Chapter 1

Siena

Iwas nervous; therewas no doubt about that. It was my first day at a new job, which wasn’t anything new. I had been changing jobs every few months for the last three years. No...I was nervous because I would be doing something I had never evenconsideredwhen I was growing up.

After taking a deep breath, I looked up at the building in front of me. The outside was nondescript. In fact, if it weren’t for the neon sign hanging above the door and the blacked-out windows, it would look just like any of the other buildings on the block: gray exterior, gray door, gray, dirty sidewalk in front of it where people passed by without a single glance around them.Come on, Siena! You can do this, girl! This is exactly the break you’ve been needing, so grab it by the balls and run with it. Own it! You’ve got this!

With adrenaline pumping through my veins, I grabbed the handle and opened the door to Cherries, one of Chicago’s most well-known gentlemen’s clubs. Despite being slightly on edge, I managed to walk in with my head held high. I took a look around the main room and realized that the place wasn’t at all like I had expected. When I thought of strip clubs, I thought of dark, dingy places filled with crack whores who would do anything for their next fix. Cherries was dark, don’t get me wrong, but the place was pristine and obviously well taken care of. The main stage was designed to draw attention to it immediately. There was a beautiful blonde woman in nothing but a flimsy G-string and high heels, on her hands and knees at the front of the stage. I watched in fascination as she crawled toward a man in the front row, rose up on her knees, and let him put cash down the front of her barely there panties. There were tables throughout the room, only about half of which were occupied, and a long bar with barstools that spanned the wall off to the right. The few other women I noticed around the establishment were well groomed and extremely gorgeous. Most wore skin-tight, revealing clothing, or even just bras and panties, and didn’t seem to have a care in the world. It made me pause for a moment to wonder why I was even offered the job in the first place. I was a plain Jane compared to the beauties here. Still, I wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

After straightening my posture, I approached the bar with a smile on my face. A petite but beautiful young redhead approached me when she noticed me standing there. She was wearing a low-cut, white crop top and a pair of jean Daisy Duke shorts. Her black, lacy bra was visible above the fabric of her shirt, and I had to admit she had amazing boobs.

“What can I get ya, Hun?”

I glanced around the club again before bringing my eyes back to her. “Actually, I’m supposed to be meeting with Mr. Valenti. Do you know where I can find him?”

Her bright blue eyes traveled up and down my body as if she was sizing me up. I was about to clear my throat when she cracked a smile and answered. “He’s in the back room with the boys. Go down that hallway and it’ll be the last door on your left.”

“Thank you.” With a quick smile, I turned around and headed in the direction she pointed. I hadn’t noticed the hallway on my initial inspection of the club because it was tucked away in a dark corner.Last chance to get the hell out of dodge,my inner voice urged, but I had only ever run from one thing in my life, and to this day, it was still chasing me. There was no way I was running again. Yes, Cherries was a strip club, but I was very clear with Mr. Valenti when he offered me a job. I would not, underanycircumstances, take my clothes off for anyone. I would happily dance on stage, and wear skimpy outfits while doing it, but I wasn’t a whore. I wouldn’t strip for money, and I definitely didn’t plan on fucking people for it, either.

When I got to the back room, I stood in the doorway and silently took in my surroundings. Mr. Valenti was sitting at a poker table with five other men, all in three-piece suits. There were also several guys standing around the room, all dressed in the same manner, and all with very serious looks on their faces. I realized at that moment that Mr. Valenti, whoever he was, must have been a very important man...not someone to be messed with.

With a few sets of eyes on me, I slowly stepped through the doorway. I cleared my throat and gathered the attention of the rest of the room. Mr. Valenti quickly rose to his feet and walked up to me.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Valenti. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

He laughed loudly, slicing right through the thick tension that permeated the room. “Nonsense, my dear, sweet girl. And please, call me Carlo. I reserveMr. Valentifor individuals Idon’tlike.”

I wasn’t sure if he was serious or not, but I couldn’t keep myself from laughing. He was a very intimidating person, but also had a way of making me feel at ease. It was one of the reasons I even considered the position in the first place.

“Carlo, thank you again for this opportunity. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. I trust you were able to use the money I gave you to procure appropriate attire for your debut?” he asked, eyeing me up and down with a questioning look.

I patted the oversized purse I was carrying. “Yes, of course. I just figured it would be okay to change here. Was I wrong? I shouldn’t have assumed...” I had chosen to wear a pair of skinny jeans and a tight fitting, red top. It was sleeveless and low cut, accentuating my cleavage perfectly. I had decided not to dress in the outfit I bought for my first dance because I didn’t want to look like a tramp before I had to. It was one thing for the men in the club to see me half naked while I paraded around on stage. It was a completely different thing to have half of Chicago see me that way, as well. At least when I was working, I would be making money, and that’s really what it all came down to.

“No, dear girl, you may change here, of course, but before you do, I’d like to introduce you to a few people.” With a smile on his face, he put his hand on the small of my back and guided me toward the table.

Every set of eyes in the room were on us as we stood in front of several men, who all rose the moment we approached. “Trixie, I’d like you to meet my son, Antonio, and the manager of this club, Ryan Lawson. Boys, this is Trixie, our newest dancer.”

I smiled at the two men, who both looked to be in their early twenties. Antonio was what most would consider tall, dark and handsome. If I had to guess, I would say he was an inch or two over six feet, with jet black hair and dark brown eyes. He was clean shaven and smiled at me, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth. Most women would give their left tit to sleep with a guy like him, but he wasn’t at all my type. Ryan, however, was gorgeous. He was what I considered sex on legs with his light brown hair, crooked smile, and beautiful green eyes. Plus, from what I could make out beneath the suit, he had a body to die for. He didn’t look like someone you wanted to piss off, though...that was for sure.

Reaching forward, I politely shook Antonio’s hand. A chill ran down my spine as I did. The way he was leering at me with his nearly black, beady eyes creeped me out, so I quickly pulled away. When my eyes met with Ryan’s, however, I couldn’t look away. His dark green orbs gazed directly into my soul, and I felt myself get weak in the knees.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Trixie,” he greeted with the silky smooth voice of a god. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from moaning at the pure sex that dripped from his tone.

“Welcome to Cherries.”

“Uh...th...thank you,” I replied, completely flustered from his penetrating gaze. Finally breaking eye contact, I turned toward Mr. Valenti and smiled. “What time will I be dancing tonight, Mr. Val...uh, Carlo?” I asked. I needed to put some distance between Ryan and me, andfast. If I didn’t, I was afraid I would end up jumping on him right then and start dry humping him.

“Let me show you around the club first, and then you can change in the locker room. Are you okay with that?”

“Sounds great.” As we walked toward the door, I felt eyes following me. Chancing one last peek at the table, my eyes met with Ryan’s again and my breath caught in my throat. He was staring at me intently, as if memorizing every inch of my body. The look of lust on his face had me unconsciously clenching my legs together. Until today, I had never had a man make me squirm with just a look. Damn, what I wouldn’t give for a night with him.

Carlo glanced back to see what I was looking at, then offered me his arm and led me through the door.

––––––––

After Carlo showedme around, he introduced me to Libby, one of the other dancers. She was a real sweetheart, and for the first time in years, I could see myself actually becoming friends with someone. Libby was tall and slender, with long brown hair and hazel eyes. Her personality was what drew me in, though. She was from a small town like I was, so she was easy to relate to.

---