Lia slipped her finger under her blonde wig and dug her nail into her scalp. Damn, she hated this thing, but going without would make her feel even more exposed than she already was in her short skirt, heels, and tank top.

It was nearly eleven, and for a Wednesday night, they were busy. There were two stages in Exquisite—one large, one small. That left about an eight-table section on each side, and then a few larger tables in the center. Depending on how much the crowd was drinking, two servers could usually handle all three sections. Each one would take a side, and they’d tag team the tables in the middle.

Any more than two servers and the money just wasn’t as good. Nobody worked a shift at Exquisite for any reason but to make serious money, so they were all happy to work their ass off for several hours and leave with a pile of cash.

She stepped up to the bar well, pulled out her tips, and quickly counted. She sighed. Three hundred dollars. A couple of weeks ago that would have satisfied her, but now she had new responsibilities. She’d worked harder than ever this evening, turned her flirt and charm up as high as it could possibly go. Winked and smiled until she thought she might gag. And honestly, the tips had been good. But it would never be good enough, she realized.

Sammy, the young woman working the little stage side of the room, stepped up beside Lia at the bar. She nodded at Lia’s cash. “Good night?”

“Could be better.” Lia liked Sammy a lot. She was single, had a young daughter, and although she serial dated losers, the woman had the sweetest and most optimistic personality of anyone Lia had ever met. It was a shame she spent her nights charming pervs, but Lia knew that as a high school dropout, Sammy’s options of keeping her and her daughter off welfare were limited. Made Lia mad to think about it.

At the beginning of their shift, Lia had briefly filled her in on her mother’s situation, and Sammy had offered a sympathetic ear. And given some not so surprising advice. The same advice she was repeating now.

“I told you. You need to be up there,” Sammy said, nodding at the lit-up stage behind her. “That’s where the money’s at.”

Lia glanced over her shoulder at Jenny, also known as Sparkles, who had her ass practically resting on some guy’s face. He placed a wad of cash on the stage at her knees. Lia looked back at Sammy who gave her a “what did I tell you” smirk.

“I can’t even imagine. It’s one thing to flirt and talk like we do. But getting up there and moving like that? I don’t even know if I could.”

“Please. Every woman has it in her. You just take a couple of shots, walk out there, and pretend each of those assholes is your dream man. And voila. You’re making bank.”

Lia gave Steven the bartender her order, then Sammy gave hers. The music on stage switched to some rock song, and Lia felt the base line pulsing in her head.

Sammy leaned over toward Lia. “I know you don’t want to do it, but you’re already working here. Why not make it worth your time? I mean . . . what’s the difference really? I made a grand in two days last week dancing.”

Lia shot a glance at her as Steven placed two beer bottles on her tray. “Seriously?”

Sammy nodded. “And that’s normal. You know Beck wants you to dance.”

Lia did know that. He’d been mentioning it at least once a week for the past several years.

“Serving here is good money,” Sammy said. “Don’t get me wrong. But you could make amazing money.”

With her final drink made and resting on her tray, Sammy turned around and headed for her section.

Lia thanked Steven with a smile and made her way back to her own tables. She’d seen so many girls dance on these stages, it didn’t even faze her any more. But the thought of getting up there and doing it herself . . . that was different. Even in her incredibly revealing clothes and fake blonde hair, she felt a sense of safety, because her feet were planted firmly on the bar floor. Not on the stage where you had to get naked and act like a seductress.

Could a virgin even pull that off? She shook her head as she looked over her tables. That was a silly thought. Of course, she could be sexy—if she got up the nerve.

For the remainder of the night she couldn’t shake the thought of making a thousand dollars a week. Her financial worries would be history. Keeping her mother in a private room would no longer even be an issue.

Nearly three hours later, she and four other girls walked out to their cars alongside Elliott and Steven. Everyone shouted their good nights and began to get into their respective vehicles and drive away. Lia was still shoving her bag and wig into the backseat. She had a long drive home so she usually liked to change out of her heels before she headed out.

She could feel Elliott behind her, waiting, as she slipped on a flip-flop. It was getting too cold for them, considering it was nearly October, but they were just easier to change into.

When she turned around, he was standing there, hands in his pocket, watching her.

“Thanks for waiting. I’m all good.”

He nodded but didn’t walk away. “You thinking about dancing?”

Lia’s mouth dropped open, then snapped shut. “Sammy tell you that?”

“Not entirely. I was just . . . watching you guys talk. I asked her and she didn’t exactly say no. In her defense, she did tell me to mind my own fucking business. To quote her exactly.”

“Well, maybe you should have listened,” Lia said, but she gave him a weak smile. Elliott was her friend even though she knew he wanted more.

“So, you are thinking about it?”

“Maybe. Is that so bad?”

He shrugged. “Not up to me.”

“No. I wasn’t asking for your blessing. I was just asking for your thoughts. You’re my friend.”

He looked down at the gravel and kicked a rock with his boot. A long sigh escaped his lips. “We’re always just going to be friends, aren’t we?”

“Elliott . . .” It was the first time he’d truly put her on the spot like this about the two of them. “You know I like you.”

He huffed out a laugh. Then another long sigh. “Do you need the money you’d make stripping?”

She considered his question. Could she make ends meet without it? She wasn’t sure. There was still graduation at the end of this semester, and no matter what she still intended to try and get the best job she could. But there was little chance that an entry-level position would make her anything close to the kind of money Sammy was talking about.

“I do need the money. But I still don’t know if I could do it.”

He just nodded. “Well, go on and get in your car. Lock the door.”

“Thanks for waiting,” Lia said.

“Always.”

She put one leg in and then stopped. “Elliott. How would you feel if you found out a woman you were seeing was a stripper?”

He shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed before finally answering. “I’d probably lose my fucking mind.”

That’s what she was afraid of. “Good night.” She gave him a half wave, suddenly wanting to be alone.

“Good night, Lia.” He waited until she was in her car with the door locked. And as she usually did, she turned on her headlights and watched as he got in his truck. Just because he was a man didn’t mean he was immune to crazy things happening. They pulled out of the lot at the same time, he turned left, she headed right toward the highway.

Merging onto I-70, she let out a breath of relief. All night as thoughts had been swirling through her head, she’d been forcing herself not to consider the bigger question. How could she even consider dancing if she ever expected things to move forward with Tyler? She’d have to tell him.

Nothing about him made her believe his opinion on the matter would be any different than Elliott’s. And she didn’t really think she even wanted it to. What kind of man wanted his partner taking off her clothes for other men? It was absurd.

Yet here she was considering it because she was so desperate. And now that Sammy had put the thought firmly in her head, Lia couldn’t stop thinking about it. It seemed so easy. She could find another job, maybe work her way up for a year, and just dance a few times a month.

God, if her brother ever found out she would just die.

And if Tyler found out? Well, maybe this was just a sign that right now was not the time for her to be in a relationship. She hadn’t seen him since the night he brought pizza because he’d gone out of town. Between her busy work schedule, school, and his own job, they’d only talked on the phone recently. He’d also mentioned having drills this weekend, which meant even more time apart.

She sighed. Hating the thoughts swirling in her head. There were too many variables. Too many reasons why she should just focus on the original task at hand. Giving her and Caleb a better life than they’d had up until now. Her big goals, which she had admittedly put on the back burner the past couple weeks. Ever since she’d met Tyler. As much as her heart ached to consider what that meant, Lia knew her family came first. Even the ones who didn’t deserve it.