Page 9 of Sprite Wedding
“You must really want to dance. You can barely sit still.”
“Mind if I go out there? You can join me when you’re ready.”
“Sure.”
He loved to dance. No need in keeping him from doing something he enjoyed.
He flashed a wide smile and kissed me. Then he went out to the dance floor. I soon lost sight of him in the crowd and chatted with Nova and Diego.
Diego’s eyes widened. “Ho-leeeee shit.” He pointed across the room and barked out with surprised laughter.
Lucas stood on a low table similar to ours, only he was dancing and—
“What’s he doing?” My heart jolted. Sweet and sour potions, no. He had unbuttoned his shirt.
Yes, he was stripping.
Yikes.
I covered my mouth. What was going on?
Lucas had been an exotic dancer when we’d met. He no longer danced at the club but worked with me at the Salem Supernatural Network. The slow, seductive moves he worked on the lounge table were definitely from the club days.
Was he drunk? I’d never seen him overindulge on alcohol as he had fast shifter metabolism. People near Lucas stared at him with expressions ranging from horror to amusement.
I jumped up. “We have to stop him.”
“I know.” Diego stood. “Or he’ll be showing his family jewels to the entire lounge. And some dude will get pissed off and throw him overboard.”
That might not be too much of a problem as he could change to dragon form and fly but still, this was incredibly inappropriate. Whatever had gotten into Lucas, we had to snap him out of it.
I excused myself as I pushed myself through those who had clearly overindulged.
“Lucas.” I tapped one of his muscular thighs to get his attention.
“You came, babe.” He reached his hand down to me. “Come on up.”
“Party’s over,” I said and offered apologetic looks to people nearby. “He must have had too much to drink.”
“I’ll say.” A twenty-something giggled. “But we’re not complaining.
Her friends tittered. Ibetthey wouldn’t be complaining. Lucas could put on quite the performance when he was on stage. I’d been as mesmerized as all the others in the crowd when I’d seen him dance at the strip club. I had been investigating, which was difficult with Lucas working his moves.
Although I didn’t consider myself the jealous type, I couldn’t lie and say I wasn’t relieved when he’d quit working the club. He was mine now, and I had zero interest in sharing him with a room full of gawkers.
Then again, he came to work with me at the Network, and that could be dangerous. After all, we investigated criminal supernatural activities, such as demons and dark magic. Perhaps he was safer dealing with the wandering paws of human hands sliding dollar bills into his G-string.
I exhaled and shook it off. He’d made his decision, and now was not the time to ruminate about anything. What was paramount was getting Lucas off the table and buttoned up.
“We have to get him down before security intervenes,” I said to Nova and Diego, who now stood beside me.
It wasn’t easy. Lucas’s eyes were half-closed, and he appeared to be in the zone. He mouthed along with the lyrics while swaying his hips and oh my, thrusting them.
“Cut it out, you scaly halfwit,” Diego muttered as he yanked on Lucas’s other hand. “You’re making a scene.”
Lucas shook Diego off. “Back off, party killer.”
He then leaned down to me. “Come on, Zoe. Dance with me.” He shimmied his shoulders.
