CHAPTER THREE

Chloe finished the dance and gently stepped down the steps, avoiding the roaming eyes that were upon her. She walked towards the bar and the smiling Lexi.

Her face was covered with a grin. “Looks like you've got an admirer.”

She held out her hand and waited for Lexi to give her a glass of lemon water. “Really, which one?”

“The dark haired hunk sitting over there. He’s very interested - he wants a private dance.” She pointed to a private booth of business men.

Chloe exhaled. “Perv?”

She laughed. “I don’t know. He’s certainly not hard to look at though - you can smell the money.”

It was Chloe’s turn to laugh. “I doubt that.”

As they were speaking, she could feel gazes on her. Lexi, who knew her well, smiled.

“Yep, that's the group.” She breathed.

Chloe hid behind her long brown curtain of hair. “Which one?”

“The one on the far right.”
She glanced in their direction and let her eyes sweep over a large broad shouldered man with jet black hair. He was doing exactly the same thing to her before meeting her eyes. Their gaze held for a moment before she turned her head back. “Arrogant as hell.”

“How can you tell?”

“Trust me; after you've been doing this awhile, you learn how to spot them.”

Dropping her hand down, she accepted the water that Lexi passed her and sipped it.

“When does he want the dance?”

“He asked me to set it up as soon as you were finished. Jake is getting him now.”

Chloe nodded before sighing. “Let’s do it! Tell Mike track five please.”

She watched Lexi speak into her tiny head mic and tell the DJ track five.

Finishing the water, she strolled over to the outside of the private rooms. Dim lights hid them from the rest of the floor giving the area a darker, more seductive edge.

Chloe smiled at the bouncer who stood guard outside the rooms. The point was to give each individual their privacy as well as to be able to hear the dancer if she called out for help.

“Hey, Jake.”

He winked and responded, “You're popular tonight.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Which song are you having?”

“Track five.”

His smile grew. “That's the third time tonight. Have fun!”

They grasped hands tightly before releasing their grip. It wasn't much, but such small gestures of support meant a lot.

Entering the room, she slowly stepped towards the pole in time with the music. He was sat in a chair opposite, watching her every movement. She hated to admit it, but he was gorgeous! Sometimes they had the rare good looking ones, but they were always married or engaged.

What really caught her attention though were his eyes. They were the lightest shade of crystal blue she had ever seen. With his dark eyelashes, it made them pop in a way she had never seen before.

She ripped her eyes away forcing herself to switch off and focused on her dance.

When she had first been introduced to pole dancing by Roxie, she was instantly hooked. The cold metal of the pole was secure and safe as she spun the excited pant of her breath whenever she was performing a difficult move, and the wave of victory when she did it flawlessly was addictive.

It was a safe haven, a place where she could just let go and be herself. It had taken a while to shut out the comments and the pants of aroused men at first, but after a while, it had become second nature to her. This time, however, was different. Usually, the men would sit there and rub themselves moaning and groaning or try and reach out for a touch. He just sat there. Quietly watching.

She wanted to look into his eyes again. Not a good idea. It was always best to create a detachment when dancing - otherwise, you could get sucked into their world pretty easily. But the temptation was there.

Glancing up, a shock of electricity went through her when their eyes locked. His were in a trance as he looked at her: so many emotions swirling behind his crystal blue irises.

Bad move.

Shutting him off completely, she finished. It wasn't usually wise to break away any bond with the person watching - it tended to result in low tips, but she felt as if there had been no other alternative.

Unlike most of the other business men, he was dressed in dark blue jeans, a white dress shirt that was unbuttoned with a dark navy suit coat. His jet black hair was neatly slicked back. She didn't miss the way he moved, with assurance, and his aura filled the private space. His gaze rested on her as he took a few steps forward.

She remained perfectly still. He was the sexiest man she had ever seen, and the swirling flavor of command only amplified his physical appeal. It didn't take much for her to imagine what his body looked like beneath his clothes. Chiseled chest, wide shoulders, rippling abs, even his scent of pure man lured her in. His attraction was hard to deny.

He finally nodded his head, turned and left the private room. Chloe exhaled the breath she had been holding in relief. The tension between them could've been cut with a knife. She was about to leave when she noticed the money on the table by the chair. Walking over she picked up the bills and quickly counted. Her eyes widened in surprise. There had to have been at least one thousand dollars in her hand.

Slipping the money into her bra, she turned and left.