Page 3 of One Night with the Player

“You know the answer to that. ‘Stay with You’ by John Legend.”

She clamped her hand to her hip and shot me a look that could have peeled paint straight off the walls. “You’ve got to be kidding. Still?”

“What?” It was just a song. So what if the first time I heard it I’d been riding in the front seat of my brother’s truck with Leo behind the wheel? He’d turned up the volume on the old Ford’s radio and sang the lyrics to me like he meant them. Hope that he’d finally think of me as something other than his best friend’s little sister had made me blind. I’d spent the next few days memorizing every word until I could sing it through with no mistakes.

“I need a name, ladies.” The DJ blew out a frustrated breath.

“Call her Luscious Legend.” Shiva’s glare dared me to argue with her.

“Whatever. It doesn’t matter. No one knows who I am and after tonight, no one will ever see Luscious Legend dance in public again.” I lifted a shoulder in an I-don’t-give-a-flying-fig shrug.

“Then you’d better make it memorable.” Shiva pursed her lips.

The DJ thumped his fist against the door. “Hey, Luscious, you’re on in three.”

The knots in my stomach quadrupled in an instant.

“She’ll be there.” Shiva shut the door to the dressing room behind him. “Come on, Liv. Get your ass up and start moving. You don’t want to pull a muscle during your first performance.”

I dragged myself to my feet, swaying slightly in the platform stilettos Mistress Crimson required her students to wear to class. Great. I’d been worried about passing out or falling down the pole. Now I’d have to make sure I didn’t get a cramp in my calf as well.

“Thanks, Shiva. You really know how to set a girl’s mind at ease.”

Either she didn’t pick up on the sarcasm, or she chose to ignore it. “Let’s go. Don’t forget to smile.”

Smile. Right. All the last-minute reminders Mistress Crimson had given me via our video chat raced through my head. The song currently playing started to wind down. My pulse shot up higher and hotter than one of those bottle rockets Ethan and Leo used to send into the sky around the Fourth of July.

I swallowed the nerves threatening to close off my throat. This was my time. With my hands shaking and my knees practically knocking together, I made my way toward the side of the stage.

“We’ve got a special treat for y’all tonight. Making her Club Curve debut, please welcome Luscious Legend to the stage!” The DJ nodded toward me—my signal to move into my starting position.

I shuffled over to the pole in the middle of the stage. As soon as my fingers touched the metal, a sense of calm flushed through my veins. The spotlights came on, making it impossible to see beyond the edge of the stage as the opening strains to “My Immortal” began.

3

LEO

Despite the few rounds of shots Ethan ordered, I hadn’t been able to shake the bad mood that had followed me from the airport. Even knowing Olivia was on a cruise ship on the other side of the country, being this close to where she lived had me on edge. There was no logical reason she should still be taking up space inside my head. When I was younger, I’d tried to chase thoughts of her away by spending time with other women. No matter how many women I fucked, it was always Olivia’s face I saw. Her voice I heard. Her touch I craved.

A break between songs gave me the perfect opportunity to tell Ethan I was going to grab a ride share to Mama Mae’s. Then a woman shuffled out from behind the curtain. I couldn’t make out more than an outline of her curves in the low light, but something about her pinned me to my chair.

The spotlights came on and she began to move. Her movements matched the beat of the song, graceful and haunting. She had on a dark blue dress slit straight up her leg. Every time she hooked her leg around the pole, her dress inched farther up her thighs.

I was transfixed, held captive by the graceful way she moved to the music. Unlike the dancers before her, she wasn’t performing for the crowd. She looked like she was dancing for herself. She was mesmerizing. The guys next to me didn’t seem to notice. While the music built to a crescendo, they flirted with the server and ordered another round of drinks. But I couldn’t look away from the woman on the stage.

She shed the dress, leaving her in a black corset and a pair of lacy panties that barely covered the round cheeks of her ass. My cock twitched at the sight of so much skin. The women who’d danced before her had stripped down to almost nothing, but Luscious’s performance outdid them all. She danced with the pole like it was her long-lost lover. Her movements touched a part of me so deep inside that I thought it had been lost to me forever.

By the time she left the stage, I knew I had to meet her.

“Hey, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” I clamped Ethan on the shoulder as I got up from the table and headed toward the side of the room.

A massive bald guy sat near a door leading backstage. “You can’t go back there.”

“Y’all have private rooms here, right?” I slid my hand inside my pocket, reaching for my wallet.

His brows arched. “That can sometimes be arranged. For the right price.”

“I’d like to meet the last dancer. Luscious Legend.” I didn’t typically flash cash around, but I always got what I wanted and would do whatever it took to make sure I got to meet the gorgeous blond.

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