Chapter Two
You’ll never know unless you try. Rahab’s father had told him that often enough. Now, he lived his life by it. This woman was the sexiest thing he’d seen in a dog’s age, and he wanted her. The prim and proper aura that hung about her like a cloud didn’t faze him a bit.
The wildest women in bed were usually dressed to the nines and spoke like royalty when everyone was watching. They hid their sexual urges underneath expensive clothes and the right words. He’d bet dollars to donuts this one was a tiger in bed.
Dark eyes flashed at him, but they weren’t filled with indignation. Oh no. That was lust. It was a brief emotion, but he’d caught it. Her dark hair had caramel-colored highlights in it, giving her a fun, flirty look. That expensive suit and those equally pricy boots couldn’t hide her curvy body or her full tits. He’d see that body naked, and taste every inch of it before this night was over.
“Excuse me?” Her voice came out in a whisper, but the fine sheen of sweat along her hairline told him she’d heard him just fine, and was right now picturing the two of them together.
“You heard me. Don’t pretend you didn’t.” He nodded toward the plate. “You want some more? It’s so damn good I might have more myself.” Rahab slid off the stool and grabbed a fork and a plate, then piled it high with food from the open containers. He put it in the microwave and turned to face Liz, who still stared at him.
“If you’re not going to eat that, I’ll take it.”
“No. I mean, I’m going to eat it. But what the hell makes you think I’m going to sleep with you?”
He chuckled. “We won’t get much sleep.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah. I know what you mean.” Rahab moved his stool closer to her and began to eat. “Damn, this is good. Do you know how to cook?”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“Okay.” He shrugged. “I was only asking to be polite.”
Rahab ate while she waited for him to say something else, but there was nothing left to say. He wanted her, and he would have her. She wanted him, too. Before this night was over, she’d admit that to him and to herself. End of discussion.
She finally began to eat again as well. “Yes, I do cook. But nothing like this.”
“She’s Sicilian. Rai, that is. Her grandmother or something taught her.”
“My specialty is tortilla Española.”
“What is that?”
“Tortillas made with eggs and potatoes, but you can substitute different things for the potatoes. I like to experiment.”
“That sounds yummy.”
“It is.”
They ate in silence, but Rahab felt the heat coming from her. She was definitely interested. He must remember to thank the firm of Campbell, Pennington, and Krucinski for sending her here with Donny’s papers.
Did she know what they were for, or was she merely the messenger? She hadn’t worked for them very long. He shouldn’t ask, because the Brothers never interfered in Donny’s business dealings outside their club, but his curiosity got the better of him. “So, how much do you know about those papers Donny is reading over?”
“Everything. I typed them.”
That was a surprise. “Do you know what he does?”
“Yes. And I know who Vito Cinquepalmi was. I know he’s dead, and I know all of you plus Donny suspect another Mob boss ordered the hit. I know that those papers he’s editing are the drafts of contracts, that will eventually allow Donny to take over all of Vito’s businesses.”
Rahab leaned his stool back again. “And does any of this bother you?”
“Why should it? A client is a client. I didn’t become a paralegal so I could hang out with perfect people who never have any problems.”
“Where are those people? I’ve never met them.”
She laughed, and his dick grew so fucking rock hard he was in serious pain. “Neither have I.”
That mouth. He had to shove his cock into it tonight. He loved full lips on pretty women, and this was one was a stunner.
“Are you done?” She rose and reached for his plate. Rahab handed it to her, watching as she rinsed off the plates and then washed them by hand. She pointed toward the dish rack. “Should I just stack these here?”
“Sure. That’s fine. You ready to see the club?”
She gave him a long, searching look. Several emotions crossed her face, and he waited patiently through each one. This woman would be his tonight. He knew it as certainly as he knew his own name. “Yes. I’d like to see it.”
Rahab grinned again, but resisted the urge to pump his fist in the air. He led her down the corridor that opened into the club, and stood back while she slowly walked through it, twirling in circles every few seconds as she took it all in.
“It’s not anything like I pictured.”
He leaned against the bar. “What did you picture?”
“Something … I don’t know. Dark. Dirty. With bump and grind music.”
“Each dancer chooses her own music, and it ranges from songs recorded in the seventies and eighties, to songs your kids would know.”
She tilted her head slightly. “Do you have kids, Rahab?”
“Me? No. I’m unattached and intend to keep it that way.”
“You can be unattached and still have kids.”
“Not if you’re careful.”
“Oh, I see. You’re the love ‘em and leave ‘em type.”
“No love involved. Just good, hard fucking with some kinky stuff, if they let me.” The urge to reach into his jeans and adjust his dick was strong. He waited until her back was turned and she was busy checking out the far end of the club to do it, but that still didn’t help. He was ready to burst.
When Philomena, one of the dancers they called Nightingale, came in to rehearse, Liz returned to where Rahab stood, leaning against the bar. “Do we need to leave?” she asked.
“No. You won’t get the full effect of her routine unless you stay for the end of the first set, but you can watch her rehearse if you want. She uses feathers in her routine, and that’s all she wears on stage. They make a hell of a mess, so she has to be the last dancer of the set.”
“Feathers?”
“Yeah. She wears them like clothes. Sticks them to her body with some kind of washable glue. But most of them fall off during her songs, and it takes a while to clean them up.”
The music started, and Phil began to dance, wearing a leotard and her stripper heels. Slowly, Liz’s mouth dropped open slightly, as if surprised by the athleticism she witnessed on stage. What had she expected? Some silly hip thrusts from an old movie?
Phil wasn’t yet as good a dancer as Chloe, but then, no one was. Still, she was coming into her own, along with Kayla and Natalie. “What do you think?” he shouted, over the music.
“She’s amazing. How does she do that on the poles? She looks like she’s flying.”
“I have no fucking clue. I sure couldn’t get my body up there like she does.”
“Seriously doubt I could either.”
“You ever try?”
Her laugh made his dick hard all over again. “Ah, no. Why the feathers? Do they all have a gimmick like that?”
“Not all of them, no. She likes them because of the legend. It’s why we call her Nightingale.”
“What legend is that?”
“Nightingale was an Athenian princess turned into a bird to keep her safe from some king, or something like that.”
“Interesting.”
When Phil finished, she came over and introduced herself to Liz. “What did you think?”
“I loved it. How do you get so high on those poles like that?”
Phil patted her abdomen. “Lots and lots of core strength. You staying to watch the shows?”
“I don’t know how long I’ll be here.”
“She’ll be here,” said Rahab.
“Great.” The house lights began to dim and change color as Jinn, their sound engineer, got everything ready for the customers. “I’ll see you later.”
“We’ll be open soon. Let’s go and see how Donny is coming along on those contracts, but I’m betting he’s not even close to finished.”
“What do you want to bet?”
Rahab grinned. “That’s a loaded question, isn’t it?” As Meghan and the others who would tend bar that night began to file in, Rahab led Liz down the hall and stopped outside the door to Donny’s office.
“Tell you what. If he’s done, you have to stay and watch just one dancer with me, and then it’s your choice whether you stay any longer.”
“How is that an actual bet?”
“I’m not finished. If he’s not done, which I highly doubt he is, you’ll not only stay and watch the first set with me, but we’ll split a bottle of tequila and finish it in my room once Donny has the papers ready for you.”
She laughed again, and his entire body tingled. “Again, that’s not really a bet. What do I get out of this if I’m right? And better yet, what am I supposed to be right or wrong about?”
No one was around, but Rahab wouldn’t have given a shit if they were. He leaned close and kissed her. Just a soft one, which nearly killed him, but she was right there on the edge. And if life had taught him one thing, it was not to push anyone over until they were ready to fall.
“You get me. All night long. Fucking your entire body in every imaginable way. And I’ll even make sure you’re fed before you leave in the morning with those papers.”
Long moments ticked by while they stared into each other’s eyes. There was a flicker of doubt in there, but it passed by briefly. Rahab never faltered. He gave her the look that had spread countless pairs of legs. He knew his power over women, but he’d never wanted one this badly.
“That is a very intriguing proposition. Let’s see if Donny is done.”
“Is that a ‘yes’?”
Her slow grin unnerved him. “It’s a ‘maybe’.”