Chapter 3

A day off for me was more rare than an honest politician. It came from a long history of working every minute to make ends meet, and continued on even now—when my emergency fund was flush with my earnings from those "untoward behaviors" King despised so much.

When I wasn't working at the club, I was usually waiting tables at Reilly's Irish Pub, the same bar I'd worked at for far more years than I cared to count.

Tonight, I had a true night off. No waiting tables, like I did the last two nights. No working at the club or spending time with men rich enough to happily fund my penchant for designer bags and shoes without blinking an eye.

Tonight was just me, a bottle of Prosecco, and a few hours spent with my old friend, Leni Harper.

"Please tell me you're not considering coming back," Leni said from her seat on the other side of the sectional. "You were miserable at the Minx."

The Pink Minx—the strip club where Leni and I met.

"It wasn't that bad," I said before taking a sip.

"Oh, please. You have a selective memory." She kicked her feet up on the couch. "You're as bad as my sister. She's on her fifth pregnancy and every time she says, ‘It's not that bad!' And then during labor, she's bitching at everyone who walks by to never let her have another, only to forget it a few months later."

Laughter—true, genuine laughter—was almost as rare for me as a day off. But Leni always knew how to loosen my tongue. My shoulders shook and my heart felt lighter than it had in a long time. "I think stripping and having a baby are very different things."

"You're right. They are. At least with stripping, you don't have to deal with dirty diapers." She smiled into her wine glass before bringing it to her lips. "You hated the Minx. The pole. The music. The leering and the filthy cash thrown at you every night. And don't forget the private dances and the men who paw you worse than all my sister's children combined."

"Ugh. I did hate that. But at least the money was good."

"Was being the operative word." She swung her legs off the couch, giving me her full attention. "This economy sucks, Carina. The men coming in want more and more for less and less. They are so desperate for the show that they try paying us in jewelry and junk like we're a damn pawn shop."

A smile crept across my lips. "Maybe you can get some new bling."

She rolled her eyes. "What would I do with some guy's wife's diamond tennis bracelet? It'd get scratched on the pole if I wore it to work. And let's be honest—finding a man who wants more than a lap dance and a blowy from his stripper girlfriend isn't easy. Truthfully, if I could afford to get out, I would."

Tilting my head to one side, I looked her over. Years ago, I'd tried recruiting Leni to the club. Back then, there was money to be found in stripping, and I stopped asking when I couldn't convince her to give it up.

But now?

Her looks had only gotten better over the years. Her rounded face had slimmed, her body had grown more toned. Years of playing with her clothes, hair, and makeup had given her the experience to know exactly how to set off her best features on the shoestring budget being a stripper often provided.

Leni had always been a favorite at the Minx. Men loved her and women got along with her easily enough—provided she liked them. She was exactly what I'd been looking for.

"I know it's been a while," I told her, "but my offer still stands. The Starlight Club could use some new blood, and I think you'd be perfect."

A crooked grin tilted her lips. "Really, Carina?"

My brow pulled down. "What?"

"You spent the past hour bitching about your asshole boss, and now you're trying to convince me to come work with you?"

I crossed one ankle over the other, then took a long drink to wet my parched lips. "It's not that bad," I told her, blowing off her concerns. "King is…"

He was something.

He was an asshole, there was no denying that. But he had his reasons, at least most of the time. Marco Leonetti trusted him to keep The Starlight Club running smoothly. Sometimes things had to be done to ensure that, and Kingston Donaghue never backed down from his responsibilities.

He was an easy man to hate, which made things all the more confusing. When he'd grabbed me by the arms and pulled me so close I could feel his heaving chest against mine, the fear I felt was mixed with something I tried hard not to examine.

King was my boss. There were lines drawn between us that shouldn't be crossed. So all those thoughts of him inching closer and pressing his lips to mine should've been washed away with his whispered threats.

"Earth to Carina."

I blinked, bringing Leni to focus. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You zoned out there. You were saying something about King?"

Of course. I gave her a sugary sweet smile. "King is an asshole, but he's my boss not yours. I'll take care of you so you get saved the headache of dealing with him most of the time."

"Sounds delightful." The sly smile she gave me made my skin itch. "I'd love to see you and King go head-to-head. I'm pretty sure you'd win."

A shiver raced down my spine. There would be no winning between us. King would destroy me, and I'd drag him down in the flames as I went.

"Come work with me and maybe you'll see it," I offered with a shrug before emptying my wine glass.

Leni gave a long stretch before doing the same. "Maybe I will."

"Really?" I swung my legs over the couch as she stood, then rose to meet her.

She placed her hands on my biceps and squeezed gently—not at all like Kingston's punishing grip. "I'd love to work with you again. And I couldn't stand to see you return to somewhere that makes you miserable. So if the choice is The Starlight Club or Pink Minx and your offer still stands, then I will gladly give up stripping." She shrugged and her face pinched. "Although, maybe just a few days a week at first, to try it out."

"Come in on your next night off. We'll get you situated, and I'll show you the ropes. You'll love it."

"What about King?"

"What about him?" I asked. My heartbeat thrummed in my ears, and I leaned back.

"Is he going to be okay with me just walking in and making myself at home?"

"Don't you worry about King. Leave him to me, I'll take care of him."

"Like you did Jerry at the Minx?" Even though she was smiling, my blood boiled in my veins at the reminder of the self-important asshole who used to be my boss. I'd proved to him I was worthy of a whole lot more than he gave me credit for.

A small smile curled my lips. "I wonder where old Jerry is nowadays."

"You mean after you got him fired?" Leni chewed her bottom lip, doing a horrible job of suppressing her glee. "I heard he moved home to work in his parents' restaurant and got fired there for being such a lousy piece of shit."

"That tracks."

"Damn right, it does." She let out a heavy sigh. "I have to go."

"Hot date?"

"I wish! I'll likely have bruises from all the grubby hands pawing at me all night. Don't tell my sister, but I'd almost rather go to work."

"No dirty diapers there."

"Exactly!" Leni leaned in and kissed my cheek. "I'll see you soon."

"You better." I walked her to the door and hugged her one last time before I watched her disappear down the hall. I hadn't even reached our wine glasses to put them away when she was knocking at the door again.

Except, when I swung it open, it wasn't Leni I found.

"King? What are you doing here?"

He barged inside, brushing past me like he belonged here when it was so clear that he didn't. "Where the hell have you been?"

When he spun to face me, I crossed my arms over my chest. "You'll have to be more clear. I don't understand your question."

He scowled, and a shiver raced down my spine. "You haven't been at work. This is the third night you've been gone."

"It's called time off, Kingston. I am allowed, you know."

"Three nights in a row?"

"It's not unheard of. Evie did it just last week. Ruby did it two weeks before that. It's all documented on our calendar. Please tell me you bothered to look at that before you came storming into my apartment to yell at me?"

He flinched and had the good sense to look guilty before he turned his back on me. He gestured to the wine glasses on the coffee table. "What have you been doing?"

Letting out a scoff, I squeezed around him to grab the glasses. "I had a friend over."

He grabbed my arm. "One of our customers?"

I rolled my eyes and tore free from his grasp. "Not that it's any of your business, but no. Men aren't allowed in the apartment. House rules."

He turned toward the living room, probably searching for proof of some nefarious affair. I rinsed the glasses but left them in the sink. I wasn't in the mood to clean.

He was still scouring the room for evidence when I walked past him toward my bedroom. "Look, King, it's been a long night. I'm going to bed so please see yourself out."