Page 13 of Strut

But it didn’t take long for Alec’s focus to be sucked up by the demands of the crowd, which left me free to ogle at my leisure. And ogle I did, watching as he danced and hammed it up behind the bar, keeping the waiting punters entertained. My gaze locked onto the tantalising clench and swell of his arse in those sinfully tight jeans; the slick bare muscles of his back as they stretched with every shot poured from the bottles lined up along the back wall; the lean muscle of his arms; the smooth curve from his neck to his shoulder tip; the mouth-watering bulge at his groin. Damn, but the man knew how to work a crowd, all that runway talent put to good use. I needed a cold shower and something sharp and painful for every set of eyes in that bar doing exactly the same as I was.

As busy as Alec was, he didn’t forget me. Two more beers found their way into my hands, both accompanied by a warm smile that curled my toes in my ridiculously expensive socks.

Fuck me.I was in so much trouble.

* * *

When Alec’s shift was over, I waited outside the club while he changed and clocked out. The crowd at the bar had become increasingly boisterous and way, way too handsy with the bar staff for my liking. It was good to be out of the crush and sweltering heat, the cool night breeze fanning my flushed face. Horns and sirens blared in the distance and groups of young club-goers laughed and wove their way along the sidewalks.

I smiled as I watched them cross the road but with no desire to turn back the clock. Before leaving the club, I’d pushed my way through the bodies to the bathrooms at the rear of the bar, only to find the stalls groaning with lust and urgency and wondered when exactly I’d become too old for this shit. In the fancier Manhattan clubs there was typically a private space for any shenanigans, and having a man go to his knees for me in a bathroom stall with his butt against the toilet roll holder was definitely less enticing than it used to be.

“Hey.” I turned to the bouncer on the door. “Anywhere good around here to grab a coffee and something to eat?”

“Hannah’s Deli on 17thand Eighth. Everyone knows it. They close at two.”

“Thanks.”

He grunted, then turned as Alec appeared through the front doors carrying a gym bag and looking all kinds of wonderful in a pair of arse-hugging acid wash blue jeans with rips at the knees and a black Henley. His tousled blond hair had been mussed with a little product that I hoped was put on for my benefit, his eyelids carrying the remnants of the dark shadow and looking way too fucking sexy for my safety.

“Night, Ben.” Alec patted the bouncer on the back. “Tell Margie I’ll give her a call about those books. And there’s a group of idiots getting tanked in there. I cut them off just before I signed out, so watch yourself when they leave.”

The bouncer smiled. “Thanks for the heads up.” A protective wariness settled on his face. “You with him?”

Alec nodded and shot me a grin. “Yeah. He’s not as dodgy as he looks, so you can stand down.”

The bouncer grunted. “Have a nice night.” Then he turned from Alec to me, wearing a friendlier expression than earlier. “Order the Hero Special.”

Alec arched a brow. “Hannah’s?”

I shrugged. “Apparently.” Then without thinking, I reached for his hand, the warm weight of it doing strange things to my stomach.

Alec froze and then pulled free. “I think you can manage on your own, don’t you? I know the way. Follow me.”

I ignored the bouncer’s smirk and did as I was told, cursing myself for being a thoughtless prick... again. Alec told me a little about his evening and the bar as we walked, how the pay was so-so but he liked the owners and the staff, and the tips were great. The last part wasn’t hard to believe based on what I’d just witnessed. Hell, I’d have thrown a wad of notes in his jar just to see him repeat some of those dance moves.

“You ever get trouble from the customers?”

He rolled his eyes. “What do you think?”

“Yeah, stupid question, sorry.”

“It’s fine. Some of them get a bit... over-invested. But Ben and the other security guys are really protective of us. Besides, it’s kind of part of the job. The more you play up to the crowd, the bigger the tips, but there’s always gonna be arseholes or drunks who want to take it too far. There it is.” He indicated a smallish deli across the road and deftly wove between lanes of traffic to get there.

I followed, paused outside the place, and snorted. “Thisis the place?” I shook my head. If I’d passed Hannah’s on the street, I would never have risked my stomach by going inside. Flickering neon signs hung in the window proclaiming eighty years of service and the best sandwiches and frankfurters in Manhattan—a claim made by practically every other deli I’d ever seen in the city.

“Trust me.” Alec pulled me through the double glass doors, and if I’d been hoping to be reassured by the interior, I was disappointed.

The tired linoleum floor, way too perky ponytailed server, and the half-dozen sets of seventies Formica tables and chairs did little to dampen my concern. But the smell coming from the kitchen was incredible, and the fact that all but one of those tables was taken up by happily munching customers, I was happy to be proved wrong.

“Don’t be fooled by the décor.” Alec grabbed the last table and collapsed into a chair. “This place is great.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” I sat opposite and looked him over, registering the tight lines at the corners of those deep-blue eyes—eyes that couldn’t settle on mine—along with the tense set to his jaw. He looked anything but comfortable to be with me and my heart took a dive. I sighed and pushed the menu away. “This was a bad idea, wasn’t it? I ambushed you and you look exhausted. If you wanna ditch this and go home, I’ll call you a cab. No harm done.”

Alec stared at me for a moment, then pushed the menu back toward me. “Itisa bad idea. But not for those reasons. Besides, we’re here now. May as well order. Your treat, right?”

I nodded, briefly scanned the menu, then slid it to the side. “I have it on good authority the Hero Special is the way to go.”

Alec snorted. “It is. You should definitely get that. But I’ve had enough carbs for the week.” He waved the server over and ordered a coffee and a Model Lite, whatever the fuck that was, as it certainly wasn’t on the menu.

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