Tough Guy: A Hero Club Novel by Jamie Schmidt (the reading list .TXT) 📗

“Broadway said she danced professionally. On stage, the real stuff, not just taking off her clothes for money.”

“She did. She was really good.”

Kikki scowled. “Not that good. She was always icing her leg after a fifteen-minute routine.”

“Do you think that’s why she stopped stripping?”

“Like I said, we weren’t close. When she was here, she did the minimum required and took up space. I was glad to see her go.”

“Was there anyone she talked to or got friendly with?”

Kikki got a calculating look in her eye. “I think Mina can help you out.”

“Let me guess,” I said dryly. “A hundred dollars and a two-drink minimum.”

She winked at me and put a lot of jiggle in her wiggle when she walked out.

“Bacardi and Diet Cokes,” I called out. Might as well get comfortable. I loosened the belt on my wrap dress and tucked my feet under me on the couch. This could take a while.

Chapter Five

Miles Carvello

Jackie Mitchell’s story checked out, although it took longer than expected. I had Grier run a background search on her and her family. He bitched about it until I told him that I had some pills for him in the safe and another lead in the form of Ginny selling drugs out of Dalton’s.

I wrote Jackie’s sister’s address on a sticky note and went back to the VIP room. I should bring her back to my office, so she wasn’t holding up a room for one of the girls. I had wanted to shock her, but that hadn’t worked. What had I been thinking? I liked how every emotion flitted across her face. It was intimate sitting there talking to her about stripping. It turned her on and I was one step behind her. If she went back to my office or perhaps upstairs to my apartment, no one would interrupt us.

Rubbing a hand down my face, I needed to get Jackie out of the club before I was tempted to blow off the rest of tonight and show her the town. I should hand her the address and tell her to take her fine New York ass out of my club. When someone ran away from their family to Las Vegas and then disappeared, there was a reason for it. But nothing in Grier’s background check convinced me that Lisa Mitchell or her sister were the type to do that sort of thing. It was obvious Jackie was worried that Lisa’s disappearance wasn’t voluntary, and I knew she wouldn’t get anywhere with the cops unless foul play was suspected. So that was why I was breaking privacy rules to give Jackie her sister’s address. I knew all about the limitations on police investigations. My uncle’s club had been burned down and it had been declared arson, but there hadn’t been any convictions.

When I walked into the VIP room, I wasn’t expecting Mina to be nursing a rum and Coke on the couch while Jackie was halfway up the stripper pole in her underwear. Holy crap, I was envious of the pole.

Mina shot to her feet and Jackie gave a little shriek and fell on her ass. Good thing the floor was padded.

“Out,” I said to Mina, gesturing to the door. She slammed it behind her in her haste to leave. That door was getting a workout tonight.

Jackie sat, splayed out on the floor. Her hair was messy around her face and she hadn’t bothered to cover herself. She wore a simple white cotton bra that pushed up her curves enticingly. Her panties covered most of her ass. She looked like an Amish stripper.

“I figured since I was paying premium bucks, I’d get some instruction while I was interviewing your dancers,” she said.

My eyes narrowed. Did I detect a slight slurring in her words?

“You thinking about becoming a stripper?” Her damn blush was going to be the death of me.

“Maybe for one night?” Her lips twitched.

Lord help me. I hoisted her up on her feet and considered kissing her, but figured she’d slap the shit out of me. “You’re not the stripper type.”

The crazy chick got offended by that.

“I can dance. I’ll ace any interview you set up.” Jackie glared up at me, her hands on her hips.

“Stripping isn’t just dancing. I told you. It’s seducing a man out of every dollar bill in his pocket and maxing out his credit card.”

Jackie set her shoulders. “I can be seductive.”

No shit. But there was seductive and there was taking off your clothes in front of a strange man. I decided to call her bluff. “Show me. If you wow me, I’ll let you do a set.”

“You’ll let me strip?” Jackie shook her head in disbelief. “I didn’t come here for a job. I came here to find my sister.”

“She’s not here. Yet, you still are.”

“Because the dancers keep stringing me along, feeding me bullshit.” She folded her arms in front of her chest. I guess she was mad, but all it did was push up her tits until my mouth almost watered.

“They don’t trust you. You’re a paycheck to them. Here.” I stuck the note on her tempting cleavage and took a reluctant step away from her. I liked being close to her, but she was a distraction that I couldn’t afford to indulge in. I had a club to run, and an uncle to avenge. “It’s the address she gave on her employment application.”

“Thank you,” Jackie said warmly and tucked the note into her purse. I expected her to make a beeline out of here or at least get dressed. But she hesitated and looked up at me with her pretty green eyes. “Did you interview her?”

“Yeah.” I was wondering if she was going to put her dress back on, but I was enjoying the show too much to point that out to her. My fingers itched to get inside those panties that fit her like a pair of shorts. A bikini would show more