Page 11 of Neverland

Pulling a travel-size packet of Kleenex from his jacket pocket, he handed me a tissue. “Here, you’re messing up that pretty face of yours.”

Gratefully accepting the tissue, I dabbed under my eyes hoping I hadn’t destroyed Momma G’s hard work. “You carry tissues?”

He shrugged his meaty shoulders. “There’s always someone crying in here. Sometimes even the men. Best to be prepared.” Despite everything, he brought a smile to my face, even if it were melancholic.

“How’s Sofie?” I asked of his wife.

Carter rolled his eyes. “Six months pregnant and giving me hell.”

I gently punched his solid arm. “You love it.”

He smiled in adoration. “I love every bit of it. Diamond… are you okay?”

I bit my lip to stop it trembling. Sometimes I just couldn’t muster the stage smile with the look of anguish playing over and over in my mind.

“Take a deep breath,” he encouraged and I followed his instruction. Unfortunately, it did little to ease the pain. “Good girl. Now give me that,” Carter said, snatching the tissue. “Go give these men’s wives a reason to be jealous.”

Standing on my toes, I kissed his cheek before he stepped aside so I could see who was waiting for me.

“Where have you been?” Blaze approached, all red hair and curves. She looked stunning. “They’ve been asking for you.”

“Who’s they?”

She gestured with her eyes. “The pair in the corner.”

Looking over her shoulder, I gave a quick study of the men. Polished leather dress shoes, expensive watches and tailored clothes. By all appearance, they could be big spenders.

Forcing Dominic’s memory from my mind, I sauntered over to the lounge, two pairs of eyes greedily traveling the length of body.

“Hi, boys,” I cooed, ignoring the tightening knots in my gut. The two men moved to either side allowing me space to squeeze between. My bare thighs rubbed against theirs and they angled their bodies to face me. Sheer curtains separated the booths and a beautiful chandelier emanating a soft glow, hung in each. It was a place where men could easily blow a lot of money, and if at first they were reluctant to spend, the girls would always find a way to squeeze a bit more out of them.

“You’re Diamond, right?” The man with a good head of sandy hair and strong jawline asked. He had eyes that told me he meant business and loved control. I knew them well. His friend, on the other hand, seemed more reserved.

“That’s me. And you are?”

If I’d blinked, I would’ve missed the two exchanging a loaded glance.

“You can call me Jason,” sandy-haired said. “And this here…” he gestured to his friend, “… is—”

“Simon,” the other offered. He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes.

What was going on?

Looking between the two, my hackles were raised. Were they playing some sort of game? It wouldn’t be unusual. A lot of men didn’t feel comfortable revealing their true names because they believed they had something to protect, mainly their wives. Each to their own, but there was something about these two that wasn’t sitting right. But I would play along with their charade because that was my role.

“Well, Simon and Jason, how about I order us some drinks and we can… get to know each other a little better?”

They both smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

“Sounds great to us,” Jason said, hooking an ankle over a knee. “We’re ready for a big night.”

I’m sure you are.

“Perfect, all I need is your credit card and we can make sure you boys get everything you want and more.”

Again, the two exchanged a glance that validated my discomfort.

“Well, actually, we prefer to use cash,” Jason said, taking the lead.

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