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

I made a face. “That wouldn’t be my first choice.”

“What would be?”

I pictured it for a moment and was scandalized that the thought of shedding my clothes and dancing was turning me on. “Um. There are a lot of sexy Broadway songs.” I needed to focus. This conversation was getting out of hand. “But that’s not the point. Lisa could destroy her knee entirely and not be able to walk again. Standing up for an eight-hour shift as a bartender would’ve been hard enough for her. I’m wondering if the promise of easy money made her get up on the stage.”

“It’s not easy money. Only the girls who can skate the line of sex and string the mark along with promises and sweet talk are the moneymakers. It’s not for everyone and there’s a high burnout rate for those who can’t separate the fantasy of the job from the reality of it.”

I tried not to dwell on the sound of the word sex coming out of his mouth. “Was Lisa a moneymaker?”

“Broadway?” He snorted. “No.”

I nodded. “Then it’s possible she tried stripping as a lark and when she didn’t make any money, she moved on to something else.”

Miles nodded. “Happens all the time.”

That made me feel a little better. “That doesn’t leave me any closer to finding her, though. Is there anything you can do to help?”

“Normally, I don’t do this,” he said. “But let me make a few inquiries and if your story checks out, I’ll give you the address she gave me on her employment application.”

“Thanks.” I sagged back into the couch in relief. “Do you mind if I ask some of the dancers if they know where she is?”

“As long as you pay for their time.”

“Can I have seltzer instead of booze for the drink minimum?” I asked. “I’m a little buzzed from the last rum and Coke I had at the Spearmint Rhino.”

Miles stretched up from the chair. My eyes riveted on the strip of abs that flashed when he stood up. Wow. I swallowed hard.

“As long as you don’t mind spending fifteen bucks a glass for it.”

I winced. It was Lisa and my mother’s dime, but the expense account was going to look fishy. “I might as well go for it then.”

“I’ll send Kikki in with a rum and Coke,” he said. “She was in charge of training Broadway.”

I was also on vacation and I didn’t have to drive anywhere. “Thanks.” I unashamedly watched his chiseled ass as he strode out of the room. The quick Google search I did in the parking lot had not prepared me for the sheer force of Miles Carvello in real life. I wouldn’t want to piss him off. Apparently, his black belts had black belts. I thought he’d be a thug. I hadn’t expected him to be drop-dead sexy.

Kikki sauntered in wearing just a thong and heart-shaped pasties over her nipples. She handed me my drink. I passed her a hundred and twenty and told her to keep the change.

She tucked them expertly into her thong and undulated around the pole. “So, Miles said you wanted to talk to me about Broadway.”

“You don’t have to dance,” I said, kicking my sandals off.

“I want to stay limber,” Kikki said, climbing up the pole with lazy circles, using her arm and leg muscles. She made it look easy.

If she thought she was going to shock me, she was in for a big surprise. No one in theater was shy about their bodies. There were too many quick costume changes to worry about things like that.

“So you’re Broadway’s sister?”

“Yeah.” I sipped on the drink. It was slightly stronger than the one from the Spearmint Rhino and had a refreshing twist of lime.

“She didn’t talk about her family. She didn’t really talk to us at all. I got the feeling she thought she was too good for us.”

At least Lisa was consistent. “When was the last time you saw Lisa—Broadway?”

“About three weeks ago.” Kikki gripped the bar with the side of her foot and reached down the length of the pole, posing with her arm and leg in an elegant curve.

“Damn, that takes strength,” I blurted.

“Thanks,” Kikki breathed out, the only sign of strain she gave. She switched positions and straddled the pole. Wrapping her legs around it, Kikki leaned back until she was almost upside down. “Broadway wasn’t a pole dancer.”

I nodded. After surgery, Lisa wouldn’t have had the muscle strength in her leg. I flexed my calves. I wonder if I did?

“She did a good bump and grind, but she wasn’t friendly with the customers and acted like she was doing them a favor by dancing on the stage.”

That didn’t surprise me either.

“Do you know why she wanted to strip?” I asked.

“Money?” Kikki lifted herself up and whirled herself around the pole, kicking her feet. “Don’t get me wrong. Some guys like the untouchable ice bitch routine. But not enough that she was in demand.”

“She left suddenly without notice. Was it because she wasn’t making enough money?”

“Why are you hunting her down, anyway? Are you trying to rescue her from Sin City?” Kikki sneered.

“No, I just want to make sure she’s okay and to have her call our mother so she gets off my back.”

“That’s oddly sweet.” Kikki landed with a flourish and took the drink out of my hand and tanked it. That was probably for the best. I needed to keep my head on straight, no matter how much the rest of me wanted to cut loose.

“Do you want a lap dance? You paid for one.”

“I’m good, thanks. Take a load off. That was some workout and you made it seem effortless.”

Kikki looked surprised. “Most people don’t get that.”

“Most people didn’t take dance lessons for their entire life.” When I turned sixteen, I got a job at a convenience store so I could continue my lessons. My mother had thought it was a waste of money, but my dad had convinced her