Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
She headed toward the bathroom to relieve her screaming bladder, wash up and get dressed.
Right before she stepped into the bathroom, she snuck a peek over her shoulder. He was now sitting up and against the headboard, staring at some non-existent spot on the wall.
Shit.
She didn’t want to hurt him, but she also needed to protect herself. She wanted to avoid this ending badly, as well as avoid heartbreak for either of them.
She went into the bathroom, did her thing and when she came back out dressed and somewhat put together, she went directly to her overnight bag.
His eyes tracked her every move and a whole bunch of unhappy filled his face. “Is there something you need to tell me?”
“Like?”
“Like I don’t know. You tell me. I don’t know what’s going on in your head right now. I thought…” He shook his head, dragged his fingers through his messy bed head and whispered, “Fuck. I don’t know what I thought.”
“You’re great, Rez. I’m just not used to spending so much time with someone.”
“That sounds like a goodbye.”
She pressed her lips together. He was making her heart ache and this was going in a direction she didn’t want it to go. “It’s not. I just can’t spend all my free time over here when I have my own place to take care of.” That explanation would have to do for now until she could address the issue more tactfully.
“I’ll be in the club later,” he warned, “to keep an eye out for T-Bone.”
He didn’t believe her. She probably wouldn’t believe her, either.
Fuck.
She adjusted the strap of her bag over her shoulder, approached the bed, leaned over and planted a kiss on his lips. “Then, I’ll see you there.”
When she pulled away, he gave her a single nod with his mouth pressed into a tight line.
As soon as she reached the doorway, he called out, “Sapphire…”
With an ache in her chest, she paused and glanced over her shoulder.
He shook his head. “See you later.”
Chapter Twenty
He was going to have to start wearing earplugs in this fucking joint before he went deaf. The half-assed, so-called DJ needed a new job.
Rez took a sip of his flat beer and grimaced. Fucking horrible. How do you fuck up a draft beer?
With a sigh, he stretched out his legs and crossed his ankles, settling in for what could be a long night.
He kept one eye on the back hallway and one on Sapphire as she moved from table to table, flirting with the customers, climbing into their laps, playing with their hair, laughing and touching. Doing anything she could to sell private dances for herself and her fellow dancers.
He forced himself to remain in his seat and appear cool, calm and collected. He had to set his beer down on the table before he crushed the pint glass within his tight grip.
This is her job.
This is her job.
This is her fucking job.
You knew it before you hooked up with her.
Don’t be a dick.
If you say shit or cause a scene, she’ll never be in your bed again. Don’t fuck it up. Because right now, you get to touch every fucking inch of her. They don’t. They can only dream about it.
His jaw shifted when the man whose lap she was currently perched on pressed his face into her neck and slipped his hand from her sequined covered hip to her ass.
With a throaty laugh, she plucked playfully at the man’s hair and then pressed her bright red lips to his ear.
She’s playing a role. Just like you are.
His jaws unclenched, his muscles loosened and he began to breathe again when, with another laugh and a huge smile, she rose and waved someone over. She scored a private session for one of her fellow dancers instead of taking it for herself.
Beautiful and generous.
He lost track of her when the person he’d been waiting for took his position behind the red velvet rope.
T-Bone.
About fucking time.
“Hot damn,” he said under his breath.
As he reached for his phone, he heard, “He’s here,” in a soft sing-song voice behind him.
He glanced over his shoulder to see Sapphire with her blue eyes locked on T-Bone.
Rez’s first instinct was to check her from head to toe to make sure she was all right. She looked perfectly fine to him. More than fine, actually, in that sexy as fuck dress with the side slit that ran all the way up to her hip.
Though, that slit easily gave her customers too much access and might encourage inappropriate touching.
Jesus fucking Christ. He was turning into a possessive asshole.
“I see that. Time to round up the cavalry,” he murmured. He quickly sent out a text to the posse. Mount up.
“What are you going to do?” she asked so quietly, he almost didn’t hear her.
“See what he can tell us about Sadie’s whereabouts.”