Page 2 of Daddy Issues

“Okay,” the Soletsky’s always tipped us more than anyone else—even in their own club. Everyone wanted the purple room. Not me. Not tonight.

“Gold room.” She shoved two whiskeys in short glasses at me.

“This where you’ve been hiding?” A deep, all too familiar voice rumbled behind me, the calloused tips of blunt fingers brushing against the tip of my hip. The tiny shorts and bra I wore left my back bare.

The tattoo.

Of course, Puck would recognize me not by my face, but by the pink and silver Chinese dragon that swirled up from my hip—it was his work. Tendrils of wicked heat slipped up from his touch and turned to nervous swirls in my stomach and lower.

The ice in the dark liquor clattered as I froze with my hand wrapped around the short glass. I managed to not slosh any over the edge as I jerkily placed it on my tray.

Better to rip the bandage off quick.Drinks steady, I balanced the platter on my shoulder and turned to face the one man I hadn’t wanted to see.

Adam Kelly. Better known to Dry Valley, Nevada as Puck. Sergeant at Arms for the Desert Kings Motorcycle Club.

Quite literally the man of my dreams. Or had been until…

I swallowed and plastered the biggest fake smile on my face. “Mostly. Miss me?” My words were all bravado.

And he knew it. A big man, a wall of tatted muscle that seemed to block out everything else, he leaned down on his elbow on the bar. His gray eyes were searching.

My stomach twisted and tightened. I tried my best to ignore the sensation. Puck had been pretty clear we would only ever be friends well before that night. After he’d been forced to get me out of a big mess, pretty sure he’d doubled down on that one.

“I need to get back to it. Good to see you.”

And despite my better judgment, I stretched on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. Because he was a good guy. Because I’d missed him. That close, I could inhale his intoxicating scent. His cologne was a favorite of mine, all sandalwood and bergamot and on him smelled even better than from the bottle.

His long fingers wrapped around my wrist before I could walk away. “Kenna, you don’t have to dothis.” And there it was, the incredulous judgment I’d been expecting.

Fighting back emotion, I shook out of his hold and jerked my arm to my side. I owed him so much for the trouble he’d gotten me out of. For fixing the problem I’d caused myself. That didn’t mean I was going to stand there and take his shit.

With a glare, I turned back to my actual job. No use hiding from them now. Better to show that I actually enjoyed what I was doing.

The gold and silver rooms weren’t actual rooms, but rather open VIP areas that overlooked the stages. An up close and personal view, accentuated by the dancers who gave private dances that were more scandalous than the main floor.

My stupid act of self-sabotage at that frat party had cost me a lot. But it had cost others so much more. Shaking a little as I remembered, I splashed a fake smile on my face. The Black Cat was the best distraction from all the things I’d done wrong and the things I could have done differently.

Even the hustle and bustle of working both gold and silver didn’t keep me from peeking at Puck as he lounged against the main bar, watching me with a deepening frown. Whatever, he wasn’t my problem.

“Sugar, why don’t come over here with us?” A guy in his early thirties, who might be attractive were it not for his potbelly, day’s growth of beard, and leering glassy gaze, popped a one-hundred-dollar bill at me. “Take something off and this is yours.”

My outfit already left little to the imagination. Fishnets, shorts so short they could pass as panties, and left half my ass showing, and dayglo pink bra with fishnet cropped shirt over it.

Only things he couldn’t see were my crotch and nipples. Not worth a hundred, not from that guy. I blew air through my lips. “Get a dance, sugar. Sheena puts me to shame.” I winked in the direction of the dancer who approached him.

He rolled his eyes, and his buddies chuckled as I cleared their empty bottles and went back to the bar. I stopped along the way, pocketing my tips and ignoring Puck.

“Can we talk?” he asked.

Dani cast me a worried glance, but I shook my head at her.He’s fine. I know him.

“I’m working. Why don’t you give me a call later?” I kept my voice easy and light, as if he was just another guy whose call I could ignore.

He glowered at me, not liking it. “If you’d answer.” His jaw was tight, angry even. I never saw much emotion out of the big guy…except when he’d pummeled Ghost outside of the clubhouse or when—

His grip tightened on my hip, his fingers digging into bare skin, and making me suck air between my teeth. That dark part of me, the one that got me into trouble, roared to life in response. As much as I wanted to walk away, I didn’t dare leave that touch.

“You don’t have to work here,” he whispered. “There’s always a job for you at the shop if you don’t want to babysit. You can—”

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