Chapter 2

A few days later, Penny’s hand hovered over the ornate metal door handle at Ruby’s, the local strip club in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Actually, it was the only strip club in the small town. When she decided to run away from her privileged life in Oklahoma to raise her daughter far away from the judgment of her family, she never imagined most of the raising would be done by her friend JL, who watched Sarabelle while Penny ran back and forth between two exhausting jobs just trying to make ends meet.

Earlier in the day, while she was waitressing at EE’s Diner, Jeffrey, the owners’ smarmy son, had gotten a little handsy, and when Penny had made it clear that she didn’t appreciate his hand “accidentally” touching her butt, he’d gotten defensive and threatened to fire her. The fact that the threat of losing that crappy job scared her more than the creepy man touching her had made her realize it was time for a change.

A major one.

So she’d thrown her apron at him and walked out. But now she was freaking out because she needed that job. Really needed it. She still had her job at the Pier, but that wasn’t enough to support her and Sarabelle.

Penny felt herself sinking, and the more furiously she treaded water, the more tired her legs became and the closer she felt to drowning. She needed a lifesaver immediately or she would not survive, and that thought made her even more despondent. Fortunately, during her midday break at EE’s, she had seen a flyer about an opening for a bartender at Ruby’s that paid double what she made at EE’s.

The problem was that Ruby’s was a strip club, and even though she wouldn’t be stripping, the thought of working there, after her highly sheltered, highly religious, and highly judgmental upbringing, made her feel immoral.

Working at a strip club had never been the plan. In fact, it had been ingrained into her that things such as strip clubs, which created “lustful” thoughts, were sinful and that strippers were the devil, luring men to make poor choices. In the last two years she’d realized how much of her upbringing had been based on hypocrisy and how clueless she’d really been, having been raised in a little bubble of ignorance.

But even with all her eye-opening experiences, she still knew that she had been naive to think she could survive all on her own when she’d never lifted a single finger before her daughter was born. Heck, she’d never even washed clothes before Belle came along. She was in way over her head, and the fact that she was even entertaining the thought of working at Ruby’s was a clear indication of that.

Penny braced herself to see naked women gyrating in a seedy club as men groped them. She expected to see drugs being snorted on tabletops, shots of liquor being drunk off naked bodies, and sex to be had everywhere. The only man she’d ever seen naked was Lawrence, and that had been one time, and it had been fast and painful and had resulted in Belle. Regardless, Penny took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

Bam!

“Oh, shit!” a woman shrieked as red liquid poured down the front of Penny’s white oxford shirt. “You okay?”

Penny looked down at her wet and stained shirt, then looked up and saw a topless woman holding a tray with a knocked-over glass on it. The woman reached out and patted Penny’s chest with a napkin, apologizing over and over: “Sorry. Sorry.” Then she began wiping her own bare breasts.

Flustered and embarrassed, Penny stepped back.

“Hey, it’s cool. I’m sure it’ll come right out. Don’t think it’ll stain, do you?” Seemingly concerned, the woman reached out for Penny again, presumably to try wiping more of the liquid off her chest, but a mortified Penny held her hands out to stop her.

Looking around quickly, the place wasn’t at all what she’d imagined. It was dark but not seedy or smoky. There were groups of men having drinks in booths with leather banquettes, and there wasn’t so much a stage as various small stages with poles where women were dancing and chatting with the men who sat close by. The waitresses, such as the poor woman currently apologizing to her, were topless, but the bartenders at the big modern-looking bar a few feet away were dressed. Scantily, perhaps, but not nude—just as the ad for the job had said.

“Honey? You listening? Hello?” The woman snapped her fingers in an effort to get Penny’s attention. “Your shirt? You think the stain will come out?”

Penny shook her head to get her thoughts in order, then looked down at her shirt. “Uh…yeah, sure, it’s fine.” Penny took the napkin from the woman’s hand and patted her drenched shirt.

“You okay? You lost or somethin’?”

“Yeah…no. I mean…” She really didn’t belong in a place like this. She had on pearls, for goodness’ sake. Her oxford shirt was buttoned almost all the way up, she had on modern slim-cut black slacks—she was, after all, applying for a job—and the plaid headband on her head holding her brown hair away from her face definitely made her stand out. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, she held out the flyer to the woman.

“Joe!” the woman yelled over her shoulder, then turned back to Penny. “You need to see Joe. Joe!” she yelled again.

A man, presumably Joe, walked toward Penny. He had a shaved head and tattoos that began at the knuckles and went up both arms, disappearing underneath his tight-fitting black T-shirt with the Ruby’s logo, and continuing up his neck. He had gauges in both ears, a pierced eyebrow, and a pierced lip. If he hadn’t also had a big, toothy, dimpled smile, she’d have turned around and run away.

“Did Darlene spill a drink on you?” he asked, shaking his head as if he was upset, except from the adoring look he gave the topless waitress, it was obvious he was more amused than anything else.

“In my defense, she stumbled right in and ran into me,” Darlene remarked, and Joe squinted at her disbelievingly. “Honest,” she added, holding up a hand and then turning to Penny. “Tell him.” Darlene gestured for Penny to speak.

“Oh…uh, yes. I ran right into her.” It was difficult to talk when there were women completely naked a few yards from where she stood and a topless waitress a foot away whose breasts jiggled every time she spoke and pointed.

“I’ll let it go this time,” Joe said with a wink to Darlene.

“This time? Honey, I haven’t gone one day in the last five years without screwing something up. But you love me anyway.” She kissed Joe’s cheek with a loud smack and walked away.

Joe tipped his head, indicating for Penny to follow him. He pulled a chair out for her, and Penny sat. Then he pulled up another chair for himself and sat down. “You asked for me?”

Penny showed him the flyer with the want ad. “I was hoping the job was still open. I’d like to apply, please.”

Joe cocked an eyebrow and leaned back to assess Penny. Immediately she reached for her pearls and began to fumble with them, the way she always did when she was nervous. “You don’t look like a stripper.”

Penny gasped and shook her head. “Stripper? Oh, no. Bartender. Says right here that no stripping is required. I have experience, about a year. I work down at the Pier. I…uh…”

“Relax, honey. What’s your name?”

“Penny. Well, Penelope Richards, but everyone calls me Penny.”

“Penny,” he repeated, then sat back and crossed his arms, scrutinizing her again. “No offense, honey, but you don’t look like you belong here. Shit, you look like you’re about to run away.”

Damn it! She needed this job. She rubbed her upper arms, feeling like she wanted to cry. She’d never cried much when she was younger, probably because she’d never had reason to. Everything had always been handed to her on a silver platter—literally. Her parents actually had their meals in a formal dining room and used silver serving platters and fine china. She felt a sob bubbling up in her chest. She held it back and sat up a little straighter instead. “I know I don’t look like I fit in, but I will. I can. I promise. I’m a very hard worker and committed to any job I take on. I don’t gossip, I mind my own business, and I get along great with everyone. I won’t lie—I’m not the best bartender. But I’m a fast learner.”

“Shh.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “You seem hard up for work and kind of desperate. Desperate people are always either the best employees or the worst. Someone gave me a chance one time, and I can do the same for you. But you have to do one favor for me.”

Her eyes opened wide and she held her breath.

“Relax,” he admonished. When she drew her eyebrows together in confusion, he went on, “Relax. That’s the favor I need from you. You’re really wound up tight, honey.” He squeezed her shoulder and smiled. He had a wonderful smile. It made her immediately feel at ease. “How soon can you start?”

“As soon as possible,” she said.

Joe gave her a tentative work schedule and her hourly rate and an approximation of the tips the bartenders normally received. Instead of working six days a week, she could cut back to one day at the Pier and four days at Ruby’s. “Do me a solid, though. If you’re going to quit the Pier, give Patsy enough time to find a replacement, yeah? Patsy’s good people. Wouldn’t want to leave her in a bind.”

“No problem.”

“Come on back with me. I’ll give you your uniform, have you fill out some paperwork, and show you around.” Joe led her to the back, where she passed by more girls dancing and a group of men drinking and flirting with a stripper who was giving one of the men a lap dance. Then he led her to what he called the “girls’ changing room,” which was lined with different outfits. Along one wall were mirrors, a long table, and a lot of makeup, hair products, blow dryers, and flat irons.

Toward the back of that room were lockers and a closet. He opened one and handed her some shorts, much like the ones she wore at the Pier, and a very formfitting black top with a plunging neckline and Ruby’s logo across the back. “Here you go. That’s your uniform, and here’s a T-shirt so you don’t have to go home all sticky and wet.”

Her eyes widened and her face immediately reddened. He snorted out a laugh. “What was the first and only rule?”

“Relax?” It was meant to come out assertively but sounded like more of a question.

“Yes, relax. Lighten up. I was talking about your wet shirt. By the color, I assume it was some sort of fruity drink. You’re probably all sticky.”

She glanced down at her blouse. “Oh.” She took the T-shirt and looked back at him. “Thank you.”

“I think you may have a dirty little mind there, honey,” he chuckled. Then he handed her some papers and walked out to give her a chance to change into the shirt. “See you soon. Make sure you bring all those filled out. Give me a ring when you’re ready to start.”

A few minutes later, with a handful of uniforms and a whole lot of relief, she walked out of the changing room and toward the front door.

“Oh, you got the job!” Darlene exclaimed when she saw the uniforms in Penny’s hand.

“I did.”

“Great! See you soon.” Darlene strutted away looking perky and happy.

It amazed Penny how comfortable Darlene was with her body. And Penny couldn’t take her eyes off the women dancing there. Beautiful women, in all shapes, sizes, and skin colors. Penny began to head toward the door, still looking over her shoulder in awe of everything she was seeing, when—

Bam!

“Motherfuck—”

“Sorry!” she shrieked as another drink spilled on her. I haven’t even started yet, she thought, and I’m probably going to get fired soon.

The man she’d bumped into looked somewhat familiar. “I am so sorry,” she told him. “I wasn’t looking where I was walking and—”

“Penny?” At the sound of her name she glanced over the man’s shoulder to see a very familiar Texan whom she’d been purposely avoiding. Her lips still tingled from his kiss. Not to mention the hug that she’d needed so badly. Sometimes the empathy of another human being was enough to get you through those tough days, and he’d given that to her without judgment. But that didn’t mean that she still wasn’t embarrassed by her emotional breakdown—not that he’d done anything to make her feel ashamed.

“You’re that cute little bartender from the Pier, aren’t you?” said the man who was wiping his shirt.

“Yes. Well, I don’t know about the cute part, but the part about me working at the Pier…” Why did she have to be so awkward? She exhaled loudly and continued. “You’re Iggy, right?” she said with an apologetic smile.

“Yep. And you know Trav—” He started to point to his friend, but Travis cut him off.

“She knows who I am.” A firm hand gripped her forearm and pulled her toward him. Goodness, Travis was handsome, in a rugged sort of way. In a way that made her nervous. In a way that reminded her of home.

The native Texan had curly blond hair that he usually tucked into a worn-out cowboy hat. Today he wore cowboy boots and a black long-sleeved button-down shirt that hugged his broad shoulders and defined abs. But it was his eyes that drew her to him. They were clear blue and always seemed sincere and serene. Except right now. Right now they looked…mad? Suddenly she had a memory: the night of the kiss, when she had inadvertently pressed her body against his, his eyes had gone a shade of blue-gray that made him look predatory.

Normally it both irked and intrigued her that Travis always seemed not to have a care in the world. She envied his lackadaisical personality, mostly because it reminded her of herself just shy of two years ago, before she’d gotten pregnant. Because she’d grown up in a house with a preacher for a stepfather, she knew envy was something that shouldn’t sit in her heart, but that’s exactly what she felt. Travis seemed to have no problems at all, and here she was, feeling suffocated by the weight of all her problems.

But now Travis seemed agitated and dangerous. It was a side of him she hadn’t seen before. He looked her up and down. “You’re working here now?”

She looked down at her white Ruby’s T-shirt, which was drenched—again—and noticed that her bra was now visible through the wet fabric. Awkwardly she crossed her arms over her chest. “No. Not yet. I’m starting soon, though.”

He snorted. “Yeah, no. That ain’t happening, darlin’.”

She opened her eyes wide. “Pardon me?” She might be young, she might be polite, but she wasn’t a doormat. She hadn’t run away from her overbearing family only to put up with an overbearing man here in Tarpon Springs.

He crossed his arms over his chest in a gesture that would send most men running. “You can’t work here.”

“Why not?”

“It’s a strip club.”

“I know.”

“You ain’t no fuckin’ stripper.”

Forgetting about her wet T-shirt, she put her hands on her hips incredulously. “It’s really none of your business, cowboy. You’re here. Both of you, actually. Obviously you don’t have issues with strippers.”

“Iggy’s in town,” Travis asserted, as if that was a good enough reason.

Iggy barked out a laugh. “Yeah, okay, buddy. Great save.” He patted Travis on the shoulder. “I’ll be at the bar.”

She rolled her eyes and followed Travis to an empty table.

“You can’t work here, Penny. I’m serious.”

“I see that you’re serious. But I seriously don’t understand why you are so concerned about where I work—or why it’s really any of your business.”

“I’ve never seen you quite so sassy, darlin’.” He gave her an irritated glare. “This isn’t a place for someone like you. Trust me, I know.”

“Why? Because the patrons are men like you?” Now she was upset too.

If she expected him to deny it, she was sadly mistaken, because he quickly answered, “Yes!”

“I’m glad I never agreed to go out with you, then.” She sat up straighter, held her head up higher, and cocked an eyebrow. She wasn’t usually so mouthy, but this man was infuriating. He didn’t even really know her! She wasn’t in Tarpon Springs to ruffle feathers, but the man was seriously out of line.

Travis leaned in closer, his mouth inches from her ear. “All that sass will get you fucked on top of the bar in the middle of a strip club, sugar. Don’t tempt me.”

Never in her whole life had anyone said anything so crass to her. She wasn’t sure whether to get up and slap him or take him up on his offer—not that she’d ever really have the nerve to do that. Heat rose up her face, and she had to look away from him. Still inches from her ear, the warmth of his breath reverberated through her body in ways she didn’t even know how to describe. “And the fact that you went from back-talkin’ sass to sweet and innocent in a second…” He nuzzled her neck. “Fuck, darlin’, I’m thinkin’ you actually might want to get fucked on the table.”

He sat back and looked at her.

Once she’d processed the dirty words, she scowled. “You’re disgusting.”

“You’ve got no idea.” He winked.

Annoyed beyond belief, she stood up. “Maybe other women find that kind of talk sexy, but I don’t. I think you’re a pig.”

“Damn fuckin’ straight, darlin’.”

“Stop it!” she said, practically stomping. “Do not talk to me that way!”

“Point fuckin’ made,” he huffed. “If you can’t handle my tongue, how you goin’ to handle the men that come in here? They’re worse, you know.”

“Doubtful.”

“Listen, Penny, you’re a beautiful girl. You’re sweet and naive, and in a world where that’s a rare thing, you stand out like a fucking shiny diamond in a barrel full of shit. Men will be groveling at your feet in here. Men will want you more than any of those naked broads over there,” he said, pointing over her shoulder. “You cannot work here.”

“This is not your call, cowboy. I will work wherever I want.” She sat with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at him.

He pulled off his hat, ran his fingers through his hair, and sighed. “Fine. When do you start?”

“Not sure. Soon, I think. I need to talk to Patsy first.”

“Fine,” he repeated.

“Okay, then,” she said, and he sat there looking at her. They were in a verbal standoff, and she wasn’t sure what else to say.

“Wait here,” he commanded, which upset her again. Who did he think he was? He knew nothing about her other than whatever assumptions he’d made based on chatting casually with her at the Pier or at EE’s. So, they’d kissed a few days ago—so what? He kissed a lot of women and she doubted that he was trying to meddle in their lives. He didn’t know about Sarabelle, and he didn’t know about her past. He had no right to pass judgment or bark orders.

After talking to Iggy, Travis came back and reached for her hand. “Come on.”

“Huh?”

“Taking you home. You ain’t got a car. It’s late.”

“How about Iggy?”

“He’s got some friends coming soon. He’ll be fine.”

“But I don’t need a ride. I’m perfectly capable of taking the bus.”

“Yes, I know. You’re perfectly capable of taking a bus and working at a strip club, pearl necklace and whatever-the-fuck thing you have on your hair and all. And you’re absolutely perfectly capable of kissing me so hard and so damn sweet that I can’t fuckin’ stop thinking about it. It was like you poured molasses in my mouth and I can’t stop imagining how the rest of you tastes. But that’s not the point, right? The point is that I want to drive you home, so let me, okay?”

Her face warmed and her skin erupted in goosebumps. The man certainly had a way with words. Words that deserved a slap across the face, not a thumping heart or shaky knees.

“Well, it is late,” she conceded. “And it is better than taking the bus.”

“I’m glad the prospect of me driving you home is just a few steps above a shitty public bus,” he said, laughing, and she couldn’t help but laugh too.

If there was one thing Travis knew with absolute certainty, it was that there wasn’t a single female on God’s green earth that could look more out of place in a strip club than Penny Richards. Her curly brown hair was held back with a headband thing that reminded him of a private-school girl, and not the sexy ones he fantasized about. More like the pretty yet awkward and out-of-place ones. She was wearing black straight-legged pants and flats that looked completely practical and not at all sexy.

Even Ruby’s suggestive T-shirt looked unassuming on her. Maybe it was those damn pearls she rubbed when she was nervous. He was used to showy women with tight clothes, high heels, heavy makeup, and poofy hair, women who assessed their self-worth by the reactions they received from men such as himself.

And if any man in the place knew that her mouth was as fucking unexpected as a typhoon in Ohio, they’d be all over her. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said it was the best kiss of his life. That kiss had been slow and sweet, quickly erupting into maddening need and desire.

The problem was that the very first time he’d laid eyes on Penny, something had clicked. He wasn’t sure what it was, but something had shifted inside of him. Something he suspected couldn’t be put back to its original state. Maybe it was those big brown doe-like eyes that said everything but nothing all at the same time. Or maybe it was her naiveté, her awkwardness, or her big easy smile that hid something he couldn’t seem to figure out.

He’d always thought it was strange that his friends had fallen head-over-ass in love with their girlfriends and never again saw another woman. The way they wanted to possess and protect their women had been incomprehensible to him.

Until he’d met Penny.

And then that kiss—she’d blown his mind away. But more than that, seeing her cry the other night had broken him. He’d just wanted to wrap her up in his arms and whisk her away to a place where everything was secure. He wanted to keep her in a bubble and stand guard outside it. But she wouldn’t go out with him, nor had she given him any indication she wanted a repeat of that kiss. He wondered if she noticed how much time he spent at the Pier and the diner. And if she did, did she realize it was his way of keeping an eye on her? Not in a creepy way—well, not entirely.

He knew she didn’t have a car and took the bus, and that worried him. He knew she worked at the Pier, where people tended to indulge and get overly handsy, and that worried him too. He knew she didn’t have friends, other than the acquaintances she’d met at work, like JL, and this saddened him. She was also the biggest klutz he’d ever met. That now three people had hired her to work in a restaurant or bar was beyond him. She couldn’t seem to get an order correct, she broke glasses often, and she became frazzled easily. Surely she lost her employers more money than she made for them. Yet people wanted to help her, and even when she screwed up, he’d never seen anyone actually be upset with her.

Now those big brown eyes were focused on him. “Did you hear me?” she demanded.

He had been so deep in thought he hadn’t even realized they were already in his truck. Maybe he just had to show her how good they’d be together. He might not be able to promise her forever, but he could promise her a good time, and she looked like she needed that.

“Sorry, didn’t catch that,” he said as he buckled up, threw his hat on the dashboard, and started up his truck.

“I was giving you my address.” She repeated where she lived.

“Did you already have dinner tonight?”

“What?”

He slung his right arm over the back of the bench seat, his fingers inches from her hair. “I’m starving. Let’s go grab a burger.” For the better part of a year he’d been pursuing her relentlessly and unsuccessfully. He’d tried to date other women a few times but had never been able to get her out of his mind. She was stuck deep inside his head, and he wasn’t sure how to get her out of there. The only reason he’d agreed to come to the strip club with the guys tonight was because Iggy had razzed him about his grumpiness of late. Now that he had her in his truck, this close, he needed to get her to spend more time with him. Maybe she had some sort of weird flaw that would turn him off and then he could move on. Wishful thinking on his part.

“How ’bout the Pier? That way you could talk to Patsy and eat. Two birds and all that.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Okay, so one bird. You talk to Patsy and I eat.”

“I don’t know, Travis.”

That kiss, the one that he couldn’t stop thinking about—that needed to happen again. He was stopped at a red light, the tips of his fingers casually toying with one of her curls. “Unless you give me a really good, believable reason, I don’t see why we can’t go to the Pier. Just two friends hanging out.”

When she didn’t respond, he glanced at her and saw that she was clutching her pearls. Obviously he needed to tread lightly. “Okay, not even that. How about I give you a lift to the Pier so you can tell Patsy you got another job, and while I wait for you I’ll grab a burger? Completely harmless. Consider it me just bein’ friendly and saving you bus fare and you being kind to a starving man.”

She exhaled but still didn’t answer.

“Come on, darlin’. What else do you have to do? I don’t bite. I promise.” When she didn’t say anything he added, “Although I seem to recall that you do.”

She looked over at him and smacked him in the shoulder playfully, her skin pink with a blush. “It’s rude to say things like that.”

“Oh, you’re back to judgy.” There was something about the way she thought carefully before she spoke. The way she observed things quietly from the sidelines. She wasn’t just thinking; she was passing judgment.

“I am not judgy!”

“Then tell me what things you don’t want me to talk about. Things like how you and I kissed? Things like that are the things I shouldn’t talk about?”

“Yes, exactly. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You’re right. Actions are better than words. I’m more of a doer myself. Why talk about it when we can just do it again?” he teased, pointing to his lips.

She snorted at his silliness. “Oh, please. I have never met anyone who talked as much as you do. You are definitely more of a talker than a doer.”

“That sounds like a challenge, sugar.”

She shook her head and laughed. “It’s really not.”

“Look at that—I got you to laugh. We get along, you and I. Admit it—I’m your favorite non-cowboy,” he said, and she laughed loudly this time. “Let’s go to the Pier. You talk to Patsy, I eat a burger.” He gently jabbed her ribs with his elbow. “I don’t want to take you home yet. I want to spend some time together.”

She looked at him, clearly wary and torn, but he didn’t want to let her off the hook. Just as he was about to beg, she spoke. “Okay. Yes.”