Page 11 of Loving Lex

I barked out a half laugh. “Don’t ask.”

“Alright,Johnny. Let’s get to work.”

“Cool.”

“We start by reminding Mr. Cuthbertson to keep his hands to himself.” He waited until I met his eyes. “Let’s go.”

I’ll admit something primal and a bit protective roared up inside of me at the thought of some old creepster touching Duchess. She may be snippy and all sorts of hoity-toity, but she was still a woman, and no man had the right to put his hands on a woman who wasn’t willing. Ever. I didn’t give a shit what the circumstances were.

We approached a heavy-set older man with his lap full of a voluptuous dancer. She didn’t seem to mind him being handsy one bit.

Jarod lifted a brow my way as he leaned in and murmured something in the man’s ear.

The man sat back and lifted his gaze to Jarod, then to me, then back to Jarod. The dancer shifted off his lap and moved a few steps away when she sensed something was amiss.

“I certainly didn’t mean any harm,” the man said, his voice wobbly from one too many drinks. “She’s a beautiful girl.”

“You know the rules here, Mr. Cuthbertson,” Jarod said, his tone firm. “No touching the waitresses.” He inclined his head toward the dancer. “We have other ladies you can pay appropriately for that privilege. Do we understand each other?”

The man cleared his throat. “Why—yes. I—no more touching. You have my word.”

“I’ll hold you to that, sir.” Jarod stepped back, then shot me a quick look before leaning down on the arm of Mr. Cuthbertson’s chair. “And, if I were you, I’d give that young woman a big tip for her trouble. She’s certainly earned it, don’t you think?”

“Of course. Of course. I’ll do that.”

Jarod nodded and stood, then tipped his head for me to follow him to the front. As we stepped into the doorway of the check-in area, I glanced back just in time to see Duchess reappear with a fresh tray of drinks and a fresh coat of fire-engine-red lipstick.

“Lex?”

“Huh?” I turned to find Jarod frowning at me. Obviously, I’d been staring a little too long.

“You gonna be able to focus on your job here instead of the other employees,Johnny?”

“Yes. Just making sure everything was okay out there.”

“Uh-huh.” He reached around me to shut the door. “I’ve got guys to handle that.”

I didn’t say anything else as he led me to the plush check-in area that was just as decked out as the rest of the place. Red velvet, soft lighting, mood music. The only difference was that security was posted there rather than beautiful girls to make sure the clientele that got through to the club were vetted and meant to be there. If not, they were discreetly seen out, or, in rare cases, dealt with more firmly if they didn’t get the message.

Gideon Kane took the security of Cameo very seriously, and if all it took was simply a menacing threat to get someone in line, great, but I quickly figured out that they had absolutely no qualms about getting physical. There was a zero-tolerance policy in place. They would just as soon take you to the ground, throat punch you, or worse, if it was called for.

Jarod and I spent the next couple of hours going over their security system and the computers as clients began to show up. It was all very exclusive and no cash was exchanged up front, as it was all done electronically. Most of the men who checked in were suits and high-end, powerful types. Nobody caused any trouble. All in all, it seemed pretty easy so far.

After a while, Jarod touched his earpiece and listened to something. He glanced at me. “Minor issue upstairs in one of the suites. I’ve gotta go help the guys handle it. You think you’ll be okay here for a bit?”

“Sure.”

He stepped toward the exit. “If anything comes up that you need help with, just pick up that phone.” He pointed to a black phone mounted in the corner. “It’ll get you reinforcements.”

I didn’t bother asking and just nodded before taking a seat on the stool. I glanced at the security feeds, taking in each corner of Cameo, inside and out. The employees, the clients. There was currently a show going on inside of Sizzle and a bachelor party for some entertainer off the strip in one of the VIP suites.

The valet opened the front door and a guy in a three-piece suit strolled in looking like he owned the joint. He slid his ID across the counter to me without a word while checking something on his phone. I went through the process of checking him in, as the computer software did its thing and the cameras behind me processed his face. Within moments, everything I never wanted to know popped up on the screen. I recognized his name instantly as a high-powered lawyer whose name and face were all over the advertising screens on the strip. Sundae was going to be busy showing him herdesserttonight.

I handed his ID back to him. “You’re all set, Mr. Sloan. Sundae should be waiting for you upstairs in suite number four. Have a good evening.”

He put his license in his wallet and nodded, heading away without a word like I was barely worth his time. Fuckwad.

JD made his stoic, silent appearance shortly afterward, coming in to survey the security screens carefully before handing over a case for my gun, two extra mags, four boxes of ammo, a shoulder holster, and a badass switchblade. The lift of his brow asked me if that would all be sufficient.

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