Nathan
I FLICK MY CIGARETTE AWAY AS I push open the door to Dirty Rumors, one of the strip clubs Dad owns. Heading toward the back hallway where his office is, I tip my chin at Carl behind the bar as I pass. I pay no attention to the girls practicing their routines on the stage. I may be a voyeur, but I’ve seen every move they could come up with hundreds of times. Watching strippers on stage no longer does shit for me.
I tap on the black door before opening it and walking through. My dad’s at his desk, on the phone, and when he sees me enter, he juts his chin toward a chair. I take a seat and throw an ankle over my knee to wait for him to finish.
“All right, Jerry. My kid just walked in. I’ll have the paperwork drawn up and ready Thursday.”
A moment later, he hangs up and drops the phone to his desk. He runs a hand through his hair before leaning back in his seat, his laced hands over his stomach. My old man is in his early sixties, but doesn’t look a day over forty. He works out regularly to stay in shape, and his salt-and-pepper hair only adds to his appeal. Or so I’ve been told by multiple females who have worked for him over the years.
“How’s it goin’?” he asks. “It’s been a while since you’ve stopped by.”
“Work’s been keeping me busy.”
“So, I assume business is good then?”
He turns in his seat and grabs a couple beers out of the small fridge behind him. After tossing me one, he opens his, takes a swig, and rests it on the arm of his chair. I pop the top of mine and do the same.
“Yep,” I reply. “Really good.”
He nods and tips the bottle to his lips again. His eyes stay on me, and I decide to wait him out. There’s a reason he asked me to come here today.
Growing up, I was always close with my dad, and that hasn’t changed since becoming an adult. I always know when something’s going on with him.
It only takes him a couple of moments before he decides to enlighten me.
“I’m selling out,” he states quietly. “It’s time to retire.”
It takes me a moment to absorb his words, and when I do, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t shocked. He’s owned strip clubs since before I was born. What makes him successful and stand out from most other strip club owners is he honestly cares about his girls. He once told me he thinks of them as his daughters. I thought that shit was funny because no daughter of mine will ever work in a place like this.
I’d have never thought he would sell out. I figured I’d find him one day dead in his office.
“Why now?” I ask, genuinely curious.
His eyes drop from mine and he looks off to the side. They narrow before he brings them back to me.
“You remember Lora?”
A tall woman with flaming red hair comes to mind. She came to my dad beaten to hell and back three years ago, asking for a job. Dad being the man he is, felt sorry for her and hired her.
“Yes, I remember her.”
He nods. Clearing his throat, he continues. “We’re getting married.”
I sit up in my chair. “Jesus fucking Christ, Dad,” I growl. “She’s, what? Twenty-three now?”
“Twenty-four, and watch your tone with me,” he barks.
I put my beer down on the desk with a bang. “Like that makes a fucking difference. She’s still thirty-seven years younger than you.”
“I love her, Nathan.” His tone has softened, but his eyes remain hard. “There’s been a lot that’s gone down with her ex that you don’t know about. Shit that I’ve helped her get through. We grew close over the last year.”
“And her? How can you be so sure she loves you and isn’t just after what you can give her?”
His fist slams down in the desk, jostling my bottle of beer and knocking over a cup of pencils.
“That’s enough!” he snarls. “I asked you here to tell you this because I figured you should know, but I’ll be damned if you’ll say shit like that about Lora. You fucking know her, Nathan. She doesn’t have a deceptive bone in her body.”
I clench my jaw because I know he’s right. I feel like a dick for even suggesting it. The girl is too sweet to try to pull off a stunt like that. She’s never belonged in a place like this, everyone knows it, but she’s a part of Dirty Rumors. From the day she walked in, everyone took her under their wing, security, staff, and other girls included. Obviously, my dad did more than take her under his wing.
“What about Walt,” I ask. “You really think he’s going to allow his daughter to marry a man over twice her age? Hell, you’re older than he is, Dad.”
He leans back in his chair, regaining his composure. “He already knows and has given his blessing.”
I raise my brows at that, remembering when Walt stormed into Dirty Rumors when he first found out his little girl was stripping. I was at the bar on one of my bi-weekly visits when the door was thrown open and a man started yelling for Lora. When he spotted her on stage, he hauled ass that way, but didn’t make it very far before Larry, Dad’s head of security, intercepted him. At first, we thought he was the guy who did the damage to her face, but it wasn’t long before we found out he was her dad. It took ten minutes for Lora to calm him enough to sit down and talk. I went with them to Dad’s office to make sure there was no trouble. Apparently, Walt didn’t know of the abuse Lora was receiving from her ex, and he broke down when he was enlightened. Although she was an adult and could make her own decisions about her life, she begged him to understand why she wanted to stay at Dirty Rumors. She wanted to make a life for herself on her own terms, without the help of others. Walt and Dad formed a friendship after that.
Releasing a sigh, Dad explains further. “He didn’t like it at first and damn near took my head off, but after Lora and I both sat down with him and explained how much we love each other, he’s since come around.”
I try one more time to get him to see reason. “You realize you’re setting her up for heartbreak, right? You’re sixty-three. If you’re lucky, you’ve got fifteen to twenty more years left. Are you willing to put her through that?”
Pain washes over his face and he looks down at his desk. His eyes stay pinned on the stack of papers there as he talks. “I’ve told her that over and over again. I hate knowing that I won’t be around as long as her, that I’ll leave her behind one day.” His hands grip the arms of his chair and he lifts his eyes back to me, the pain still evident. “It takes my fucking breath away when I think about the pain she’ll endure when that day comes. But she’s strong. The strongest woman I know, and I know she’ll be okay. For all the years I have left, every single day, I’ll live to make her happier than the one before, and when the time comes I leave this earth, I’ll know I gave her some of the happiest days of her life.”
I stay quiet and take in his words, knowing he’ll do just that. When my old man says he’s going to do something, he does it. It’s obvious he cares for Lora deeply, and I’ve known for a couple of years how she feels about him. I’ve seen the way she looks at him, the adoration and longing. I thought it would pass, but obviously I was wrong.
I nod. “Then I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks,” he utters gruffly. Picking up his beer, he takes a healthy pull. “I want you to be my best man.”
Although the request doesn’t surprise me, I still feel honored. “You got it.”
“What about you? You got a lady in your life?”
His question has me thinking about tonight’s date with Emberleigh. I can’t remember the last time I went on an actual date. I’m not the dating kind of guy, preferring to stay away from emotional entanglements with females.
It feels right with Emberleigh though. I want to know more about her life, and I want her to know more about mine. The feeling is foreign, and I’m not sure what to do with it, but I do know I’m willing to go against my normal MO and try something different with her. She’s captivated me from the first moment I saw her, and the more I know about her, the more I want to be around her.
“I see there is,” Dad says with a chuckle.
“There is,” I admit.
“You gonna tell me about her?”
I finish off my beer and take to my feet before answering him. “Not yet, but soon.”
With a smirk, he stands as well. Coming around his desk, he pulls me into a man hug. We thump each other’s backs before stepping away.
“Bring her to dinner one night.”
“Will do.”
He walks me out of his office, and after stopping by the bar to say something to Carl, we both walk to the front where José, another of Dad’s security team, now stands with his massive arms crossed over his chest, manning the door. The place opens in ten minutes. I grunt a hello to him, and after a goodbye to Dad, I leave him to tend business.
Jumping in my truck, I head home for a shower and to get ready for my date tonight with Emberleigh.
***
I HOLD OPEN THE DOOR, AND WITH my hand at Emberleigh’s back, usher her inside Amelia’s, a restaurant Abby told me about a while ago that Colt’s taken her to a few times. It’s not my usual style, I prefer the mom and pop atmosphere, but it’s nice and Abby said their food is good. I want Emberleigh to have a good time and she deserves to be taken to places like this.
The hostess greets us, her smile suggestive as her eyes run up and down my body. Emberleigh notices and stiffens beside me. I hold in my smirk at her show of jealousy, and instead pull her closer to me, silently showing the hostess she doesn’t have a chance in hell. Her pout only makes her look pathetic.
After walking us to our seats in a semi-secluded corner, she gives me another longing look before walking away.
“Bitch,” Emberleigh mutters across from me.
“What was that?” I ask.
She looks at me and shakes her head. “Nothing.”
I chuckle, because she’s so damn cute when she’s grumbling.
Our waitress appears, hands over menus, and takes our drink order. Instead of looking at my menu, I opt to watch Emberleigh for several minutes. Her hair is swept up into a loose bun at her nape. Several tendrils fall and sweep the sides of her face. My eyes slide down to her chest and the black top with thin straps that hides her tits from me. I know below the table, she’s wearing a deep-purple knee-length skirt. My initial reaction when she opened the door earlier was to say fuck the date and just eat her for dinner. I held back only by pure force of will. The woman tempts me beyond measure. I have no idea how I stayed away from her for as long as I did.
“What are you looking at?” Her soft question pulls me back to the moment.
“You.”
Her smile is slow and sweet. “Why?”
“Because looking at you does some serious shit to me, and because I can’t not look at you.” I pause, letting her absorb those words. “It also makes me want to switch from voyeur to exhibitionist, because I really want to fuck you right here in front of everyone.”
She sucks in a sharp breath and her tongue darts out to lick her lips. Her eyes darken with desire. The waitress picks that time to reappear with our drinks. Since we haven’t had the chance to look over the menu, I ask her to give us a few more minutes. This time, I point my eyes at the fancy folder in front of me, but I’m still very much aware of her. I can feel her heat and smell her perfume, and it wreaks havoc with my body.
Quickly scanning the menu, I pick something out, then throw it on the table. A few minutes later, Emberleigh does the same. Spotting the waitress off to the side, I tip my chin at her and she leaves her perch against the wall to come take our order.
Once the waitress leaves, Emberleigh picks up her glass of wine and takes a sip before putting it back down. Her eyes meet mine over the table.
“Can I ask you something?”
I nod my permission.
“Are you close with your dad?”
“We are,” I respond.
“And your childhood. What was that like?”
I scratch the scruff on my face that I didn’t have time to scrape off today and consider her question.
“As you know, I didn’t have the typical childhood. I went to school, played sports, and had a few friends who had parents that didn’t mind that my old man owned a strip joint. But I was raised around naked girls. That was my normal. My father watched after me as much as he could, but there were times I was left to my own devices, or when I was too young to care for myself, some of the women did it for him. They all treated me like I was their son. It was illegal to have a child in an establishment such as his, but I always stayed in the back when the doors were open. And none of the women or staff would ever report my father because they respected him. He’s always treated them right. My father was always there when he was supposed to be. It may have not been an ideal childhood, but it was what I had, and there’s no part of it I would change.”
She accepts my answer with a nod. Her finger runs along the rim of her glass as she looks at me contemplatively.
“I can’t imagine growing up the way you did. I’m not saying that as judgement. I think it’s wonderful that your dad was a real dad for you and you had so many people around who cared. It’s just way different than my own childhood.”
I sit up in my chair and take the opportunity to know more about her.
“What about you? Tell me about your childhood.”
A soft smile graces her face and her eyes light up.
“My parents were great. Very loving, and made growing up fun.” Her smile slips some and her eyes fall away, but before that, I see the stark pain that filters through them. “My brother and I were really close. We were two years apart, him being older, but we were always together. He was my best friend and very protective. There was one time, I think I was about eight years old, when we were in the woods behind our house. We came across a hornets’ nest. All we were doing was looking at it, but something must have set them off, because they started swarming at us. Of course, it got worse when we started swiping at them. Jason pushed me to the ground and covered me with his body so they wouldn’t get to me. Dad used to tell Jason it was his duty as my older brother to always protect me.” Her eyes lift back to mine and she releases a small laugh, but her eyes are glassy with unshed tears. “He took that job very seriously.”
I reach across the table and take her hand in mine. Lacing our fingers together, I give her what comfort I can, because I know this doesn’t have a happy ending. She’s referring to her brother in the past tense.
“What happened?” My question comes out low.
Her fingers jerk in mine and her face scrunches up in pain. I give her a minute to compose herself. She pulls in a deep breath, and I watch as the strong person I know she is pulls herself together.
“I stayed home from school one morning because I wasn’t feeling well. He had just gotten his license a month before, so he would always drive me to school with him. My parents didn’t make him, he just wanted to do it because that was the kind of brother he was.” Her smile is sad before it drops. “There was a woman who was running late for work. She was applying makeup as she was driving and swerved into my brother’s lane. They hit head-on and he went through the windshield. We were told he died instantly and wasn’t in pain, and although that gives us a little comfort, it still doesn’t make it any less painful.”
“Jesus, Emberleigh,” I say gruffly. “I’m so sorry, baby.”
Her fingers tighten in mine as she looks at me with so much pain reflected in her eyes it makes my own chest feel tight. “Thank you.”
Getting up from the table, I walk to her side, pull her to her feet, claim her seat, then tug her down to my lap, not giving a fuck if we are in public. There’s nothing that would keep me away from her right now. As I’m adjusting her so she’s sitting sideways, her wide eyes watch me. Once we’re settled, she looks around once, then buries her face in my neck. I rub her back and hold her tight as her body trembles against mine. She doesn’t cry, but I know she’s on the verge. I can feel it in the way her heavy breaths touch my neck. I admire the hell out of her strength.
Several minutes pass before she lifts her head. I rest my forehead against hers and cup the side of her face.
“You okay?”
She licks her lips, her throat bobbing a couple times. “Yeah. It’s something I don’t really do well with talking about. I’ve struggled with his death for years, and have only come to terms with it the last few.”
I place a gentle kiss against her lips. “That’s understandable. I’m sorry to have brought it up.”
Now it’s her turn to kiss me. “No,” she murmurs against my lips. She pulls further back to look into my eyes. “I need to be able to talk about it. I miss Jason with my whole heart. He was a wonderful brother and friend. I need to remember him that way and not just think about the pain of him being gone.”
“You’ll have to tell me more stories about him one day.”
She smiles, and for the first time since she started talking about her brother, it’s one of joy. “I’d like that.”
Spotting the waitress approaching with our food, I get to my feet and deposit Emberleigh back in her seat. The rest of the evening is spent talking about much lighter things. I tell her about my father getting married and his invitation to have us over for dinner one night. She tells me more about her family, steering clear of her brother for the time being. I find myself captivated by her when she speaks about them. Her eyes light up the brightest and her face is more animated when she speaks of Avery, furthering my curiosity about the little girl. She asks why I chose to open a security firm, then she tells me why she chose nursing school. Something flickers in her eyes when she talks about her school, but I refrain from asking, not wanting to dampen the night more than it already has been.
After dinner, I take her back to her place, where we end the night with me worshipping every inch of her body. And where she steals a part of me that I never knew was up for grabs.