Chapter 10

Riley

“And that’s it for today, everyone. Hope you enjoyed it.” I ended off with that every session, since most of the dancers in the group were covered with sweat, red in the face, and probably a little pissed at me for pushing them hard and far.

I did it safely, of course, but I tried to advance them a little more each day, whether they were beginners or in the advanced class.

“Thank god,” Trevor yelped and whipped off his headband—violet, today. “Girl, you sure know how to work a man’s body.”

I laughed, but my thoughts flicked back to that night underneath Jax, and the laughter petered out. God, I had to get rid of these thoughts. I’d already decided once was enough, and avoiding him was for the best, but Jax was like the flu. I’d caught him. Would it only take a couple weeks to get him out of my system?

“See ya, folks. Drive safe, all right? Tomorrow, we’re going to start class at four p.m. instead of six p.m., OK? You should’ve gotten the text I sent around—Room B again.” We’d had to use Room B today, since our usual venue was one pole short and Jax’s guy was due tomorrow to fix it.

“We got it,” Trevor said as he stomped over to the chairs in the corner where he’d dropped off the gym bag that matched his headband. “Ugh, I’ll be much happier with you in the morning when my buns aren’t burning.”

Again, I chuckled, and again, Jax floated through my thoughts. I walked from the pole to the stereo and unplugged it from the wall. God, I had to get over this and fast. He was no good.

He was the opposite of what I needed.

Everything about my plan—having a baby by myself, getting the business back on point, and avoiding heartache—could be derailed by him.

He was gorgeous and powerful, and he owned strip clubs for god’s sake! Even if I was open to the prospect of love, it still wouldn’t be possible with him. Raising a baby around strippers? My skin crawled at the notion.

Around me, the dancers chatted and filtered out of the room. The gentle buzz, the thump of footsteps on the boards, these were everyday occurrences, and they set me somewhat at ease.

I wound up the stereo’s cord then carried it to the little storage cupboard near the stacks of chairs and equipment. I put it away, mulling over the day’s dancing, the repetitive thoughts about Jax, and the even more repetitive questions from Veronica.

She wanted details.

I’d held back on giving them because she’d totally judge me for having slept with the guy, and how could I blame her? It wasn’t like me to do that. I—

“You gonna stand there and stare at the wall all day?” Jax’s voice boomed through the dance hall, and I jumped.

I spun toward him, nostrils flaring. “You’ve got to stop doing that!”

“What?” He strode across the hall.

He was in suit pants again and a collared shirt, slightly open. The demon tattooed on his left pec peeked past the placket, taunting me.

My insides tightened up. Here we go again. Gain control of the situation for god’s sake. “Scaring me,” I replied. “You keep jumping out of nowhere at the most inopportune times.”

“Sorry, your Highness. I didn’t realize an open door meant I had to announce myself. I’ll bring my chauffeur next time, get him one of those trumpet things.”

“Yeah, because that won’t make me pee my pants in fear,” I replied.

Jax snorted. “Are you ready yet?”

“Huh?”

“I told you I’d pick you up at the end of the day. So? Are you ready to go?”

I blinked at him. He was incorrigible. “I don’t need you to fetch me every day, Jax. I’m fine. I don’t need—”

“Riley, you didn’t know what you needed, I mean, truly fucking needed, until last week.”

I wiped the sweat off my brow with the back of my hand, keenly aware of the stain on the front of my sports bra, and just how tight my booty shorts were. I was never self-conscious. I’d worked hard to cultivate a good body image. Around Jax, however, nerves screamed through me on high alert.

“We’ll grab some French food tonight,” Jax said. “How about it? Every night we’ll go on another culinary journey. You pick the country. I’ll either cook it, teach you to cook it, or buy it. What do you say?”

“I—” Why was he being so god damn nice? Was it just to get into my pants again? Surely not. He owned strip clubs. He had his pick of women, likely in every shape and size. What did this mean, then?

“C’mon, motormouth, make a decision,” he said. “Shit or get off the pot.”

“You’re so full of—”

“Nothing. Because you haven’t chosen what we’re going to eat. I don’t often give people choices, Riley. Appreciate it.”

“Oh, excuse me while I bow before you. Now, who’s the Highness?”

This time Jax threw back his head and laughed. The sound reverberated off the mirrors at the far end of the room and the ceiling itself. It warmed me, and then it heated me, because goddammit, why did it warm me in the first place?

Jax strode toward me, and I managed not to take a step back. He halted in front of me. “You can bow before me, anytime. I think we’ve established that.”

“No, we established that that’s not going to happen again,” I replied, lifting my chin. I held myself back from pressing into him, but goddamn I wanted to.

Jax didn’t touch me, but he gave me that Cheshire Cat smile. So damn sure of himself. He opened his mouth to speak, but a soft knock at the door stopped him.

I leaned to one side and went wide-eyed at the sight before me.

Oh, holy shitballs.

A woman, wearing a tight leather miniskirt and a matching jacket, a glitzy bikini top on display just beneath it, stood just inside the hall, fluffing hair so red it could’ve graced the top of Ronald McDonald’s head.

“Uh.” That was all I managed. “Uh.”

Jax spun toward the disturbance. “Fuck,” he muttered. “Cherry, what are you doing here?”

Cherry? This woman’s name was Cherry?

She tottered closer on nine-inch studded heels, swaying her hips in a totally exaggerated motion. Bright green eyes flicked toward me, entirely empty of any signs of intelligence. OK, maybe that was a little judgmental, but she did look… faded. Kind of empty. Or like she was missing something.

“Sorry, boss, but you didn’t hear me calling you back at the club. I followed you here,” she said.

Oh shit. Oh. She’s a stripper. Now I feel even worse about judging her. How cliché of me. Oh god, this isn’t good. This is not good.

This was exactly what I’d feared. That Jax’s professional life would spill over into mine. That jealousy would wrap around my heart and squeeze until I popped.

“Cherry—” Jax growled.

“You dropped your phone, see?” She dug a cell out of her pocket and held it out to him, chewing noisily on her gum. “I tried yelling at you but you didn’t hear. Who’s this?” She looked over at me. “Is she gonna be the new girl?”

Oh. My. God.

“No,” I said, quickly. “I’m just a dance instructor. I’m Riley.”

“Cherry Vanilla,” the stripper replied, and gave me the once-over. The look one girl gave to another that weighed them from head-to-toe, measuring whether they were worth time or jealousy. Her eyes narrowed. “Riley, huh?” She flicked her gaze to Jax.

What was the weird tension in the air? Were Cherry and Jax involved?

I couldn’t picture him with her. Scratch that, I didn’t want to.

“Riley,” Jax said, and looked back at me. “I’ll meet you out at the car. I’ll handle this. Apologies for the interruption.”

“No apologies necessary. It’s business, right?” I kept my tone totally even, though I’d have killed to add in a snarky comment at the end.

Jax walked toward the stripper and took the phone from her, then gestured to the door. He didn’t touch her. He didn’t place his hand in the small of her back. He didn’t even look happy to see her. But she visibly swooned at the sight of him, and that jealous beast in my chest roared like crazy.

This was bad. It was so bad.

He had strippers, and I had nothing. Except plans. What was that saying about the best laid plans of mice and men?

I turned my back on them, grabbed my handbag, and then made for the exit. I checked that each of the studio’s doors were locked, my office included, and hurried outside into the early evening. It was balmy tonight, and Jax waited beside his car, still in conversation with the stripper.

She was in tears.

He dismissed her with a flick of his fingers.

Cherry Vanilla tottered off to a little red Mazda that matched her hair to a T, then got in and started the engine. She glared at me as she drove off.

“Ready to go get some French food? Croissants or brioche?” Jax leveled that sexy smile at me again, and I shook my head.

“No thanks. I don’t have an appetite tonight. In fact, I’m super tired. I just want to get home and sleep.”

“Fair enough.” Jax opened the car door for me.

“I’ll catch a cab,” I said. “I don’t want to put you off any plans you might have.”

“I don’t have any plans, Riley. Except for having dinner with you.”

No plans? I had too many. And none of them included him.

“Get in the car, Miss Robinson,” he said.

“No thanks. There’s a cabstand on the corner.” I cut the sentences short and walked past him, down the sidewalk and away. He didn’t call after me, thank god. I’d have turned back if he did.

Two hours later, I was in my room, changed into my comfy cotton pj shorts and shirt, with my documents in my lap. All the medical records I needed to give to my chosen doctor, to the clinic, as well as my identification, and the information I’d pulled from the internet on artificial insemination.

Fertility shouldn’t be the problem. It was just the sperm donor and the process, and damn, being able to afford to do this and to have a baby.

Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, and I swallowed.

I couldn’t responsibly have a child without the money to support it.

All my plans dwindled. All my dreams.

I rose from the bed in Jax’s guest room and walked to the desk in the corner. I slid the top drawer open and placed the documents inside, on top of my journal, then shut it and choked back another wave of sadness.

Ridiculous. You’re not a little girl anymore. You want this, Riley. You want this baby so bad it’s killing you inside, so do it. Find a way and do it. Forget about Jax. Forget about everything else.

The tears came thick and fast, regardless. I’d never been the type of girl to feel sorry for herself, but I couldn’t help it now. The outlook wasn’t just dreary, it was pitch black. Nothing had gone as I’d expected, and we still hadn’t booked any extra students in our classes.

I didn’t have the cash to spend on advertising, and it was only a matter of weeks until I owed a payment on the studio. How many more days?

I’d have to divvy up my remaining two thousand dollars into different budget areas. One for the loan repayment, another for rent on a new place so I could get away from Jax and his temptation, and another for food. Maybe I’d be able to afford some form of advertising then, even if it was just printing out flyers and pasting them up all over the place.

But the loan repayment was too much for that. Fifteen hundred dollars would have to go to the repayment. That’d leave me with $500 for everything else. I gritted my teeth against the panic and—

Two sharp knocks sounded at the door.

I swallowed.

Another two knocks. “Open up, Riley. We’re going to talk.”