Page 16 of Promiscuous Lies

Posie

The evening is more fun than I anticipated. I join in on a game because Mike is insistent, and I’m surprised when I win a fucking laptop. If I knew the games were giving out these types of prizes, I would have joined in sooner. I thought it was a joke they played on newbies when they mentioned someone winning a twenty-carat diamond bracelet last year, but the prizes are all extravagant in their own way.

I could do so much with a laptop. I haven’t seen it as an essential, but now that I have one, I’m itching to go back to my designs online, which I was doing before Bentley. I hadn’t picked it up since he was born because I sold my last laptop for extra cash.

The minute I found out I was pregnant, I started saving. I saved and saved so I could move away. And I eventually got there. I sold everything and started fresh. And it worked until I started running out of money. I began working at a local cafe and was there for a few years before I realized it wasn’t paying enough. Then I found out about the club, and even though I’d never stripped before, Paula hired me. My first paycheck was only a few hundred, but that money was a saving grace. I quit the cafe and just kept this job. And I haven’t looked back since.

But now… I could dabble in my designs again, which makes me ridiculously happy. Or maybe it’s the slight buzz from the drinks making me feel this way. When I think it’s about time I leave, Mike pulls me to the side with a mischievous grin.

I want to slip out before the others start heading for other clubs that I have no interest in attending.

“Do you want this?” Mike asks. He opens his bag, and I see a brand-new cell phone inside. I look up at him, confused.

“You won that?” He nods with a triumphant twinkle in his eye. He opens another small bag, which has another phone in it. “You won two? How is that possible?”

“Lucky, I guess.” He shrugs. “I don’t need two, and seeing your cracked screen makes my eye twitch. But if you don’t want it, it’s all good. I can just sell it.”

“No way. I want it. Can I pay you for it?”

“No. Why would I charge you? I won it, so take it. Consider this my down payment to receive all the gossip of whatever happens between you and the boss.”

I laugh because he’s genuinely a devilish gossiper. “Nothing is happening between us.”

He looks me up and down. “Girl, you’re delulu if you think he’s once taken the time to speak with the dancers, let alone bring them a drink.”

I wave him off as I accept the bag. Then I throw my arms around him because I’m already on my third glass of the champagne mixture. He’s startled but hugs me back since I’m not usually the affectionate type.

“I know it’s a pity phone, but I love it.” I clap my hands. “Best work party ever.”

“Yep. So, are you going out with the girls tonight?” he asks.

“I think she’s had enough to drink, don’t you?” Dutton says, appearing behind us again, and we both startle.Is this guy a fucking wraith?

“You need to stop sneaking up on people like that. It’s fucking creepy.” I sigh. And then I glare at him. “Are you trying to control me? Because the last man who did that never saw me again.”

“Noted. Though, that won’t work here while I pay your bills,” he says in his superior, asshole-ish tone.

Mike bites his bottom lip, trying to hide hisI told you soexpression. I glare at him as if to say,There is definitely nothing between me and the boss.

I lean toward Dutton. “Technically, your clients pay my bills. Not you.”

“How are you getting home?” he asks, nodding to the glass of champagne.

“I’ll call a cab,” I tell him, looking down at my phone.

“I’ll drive you. Grab your things, and let’s go.”

Mike coughs next to me, and I don’t miss the mischievous twinkle in his eyes again.

“And Mike?” I ask Dutton. Dutton glances at him as if only noticing him for the first time.

“Get your shit too.”

Mike straightens his back and nods, picking up his bag. I can’t help but giggle at his smug-ass smile.

I grab my handbag from the back and thank Paula for the evening. She’s the only one we say goodbye to because we want to slip out quietly. Well, Mike and I, that is. Dutton is already waiting outside beside his car, hand casually tucked in his pocket as he talks to someone on the phone.

This car is different from the one he drove to my house. It’s a G-Wagon and looks just as expensive as the last. Does this asshole have multiple cars at his disposal? Most likely.

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