Page 79 of Surrender
Nate smirked, looking back over his shoulder and patting the wall. “No window, it’s safe.”
Gina placed the cards in her hand on the table and flashed a pageant-winning smile. “I’ll grab your drinks.”
Nate crooked a finger at me, and I slid into the booth. “You’re really gonna sit up there?”
He reached for me, pulling me in between his legs. “I have to be able to see over everyone,” he explained, hooking his arm around my shoulders and pressing his lips to the top of my head. “Not tryna be rude, Tiny Dancer. Just gotta be careful with all the shit that’s gone down lately.”
Right.
Parker and his undercover buddies.
“I feel the sudden need to stand up and apologize to the room,” I said with a groan, leaning into Nate.
“There’s no need for that,” a warm, feminine voice announced.
The beautiful woman sauntered up to the table like she owned the place, or just didn’t give a damn who did. The silky red nightgown she wore was both sexy and sultry, and the way her curls were styled in a pile on her head gave it a look that suggested she was getting ready for bed.
“Blue almost made the guy cry before he stormed out,” she continued, sliding into the booth beside Lucy, who seemed completely unfazed by the stunning woman ranting beside her. “Unfortunately, we only have security cameras inside and on the doors. Otherwise, I’m positive we could have caught him sitting in his car, crying and slamming his fist on the steering wheel as he sings to Adele.”
I blinked a couple of times, a little taken aback by this woman’s energy and confidence.
But I could feel myself smiling anyway.
“Darcy, this is Roxie,” Nate announced, with a very slight edge to his tone.
A warning?
Roxie picked up on it immediately, but it seemed only to make her more excited.
“Well, well, well,” she started, placing her elbows on the table and leaning forward. “It’s nice to meet you, Darcy. Blue has told me absolutely nothing about you. Which tells me everything about you.”
My head fell to the side. “He hasn’t told me anything about you either,” I noted, fighting a smile.
She waved a perfectly manicured hand in the air. “That’s because I’m a stripperandan escort. I haven’t met many girlfriends who appreciate their men spending time with me,”she explained with a shrug. “And when I’m not doing either of those things, I like to use my free time to torment your boyfriend by teasing him about how much he actually loves me despite the permanent glare he tries to melt me with anytime I get too close.”
“It’s only the second part that makes me want to stick a fork in my ear and twist,” Nate muttered, holding me a little tighter.
“See,” Roxie exclaimed. “It’s a love-hate relationship. He loves to hate me.”
Roxie was like a cyclone.
And I think he was scared she was going to come in and rip me away from him with her eccentric acting.
But that’s all it was—acting.
Even I could see that.
Just like Nate has his hard, scary scowl, Roxie had this over-the-top, in-your-face approach to being around people. Both did the same job. They pushed away the ones who couldn’t handle them, and anyone who was left was worthy of seeing beneath the mask.
I didn’t want to say it out loud because I knew the reaction he’d have, but honestly, these two weren’t all that different. And that was probably why they had this dynamic.
I’ve seen how Nate treats the people he hates.
He definitely doesn’t worry about their safety or let them show up and sit, uninvited, with people he cares about.
“Ballet and stripping aren’t all that different, you know,” I finally answered, strumming my nails on the table. “I’ve danced for plenty of drunk old guys, and in less clothes than you have on. We just call it ‘opening night.’”
Roxie pointed at me across the table. “We’re friends. It’s official.”
