Page 18 of Damaged Prince
Approaching the club entrance, I’m just as clueless about what I’m going to say as I was before I got here. The walk did nothing, and the only thing I’m sure of is that I need to talk to him tonight. It can’t let thisthingbetween us go on like it has been.
As I step into the packed club, I start to regret my choice of coming. While women cheer over the blasting music, I have to weave my way through the crowd to make my way over to the bar. The bartender is moving around quickly, making drinks for some customers as she takes the orders of others.
Letting her have a chance to catch up, I take a seat at one of the stools that becomes available and take a moment to observe the chaos around me.
The man on stage isn’t Eli, but he captures my attention nonetheless. With my brows furrowed, I get this feeling I know him from somewhere.
It’s not until he steps into the spotlight and rips off his shorts that I recognize him as Leon Graves, one of my students from last semester.
“Holy shit.” My eyes drop to his junk before darting away. Nope. That's far more of that man than I thought I’d ever see.Maybe coming here wasn't a good idea. I should have just called Eli. What was I thinking, coming to his place of work?
That's the thing, I wasn’t. I just knew I needed to talk to him and I couldn’t want to wait. So here I am... looking like a damn fool.
Thankfully, the bartender has a moment, and I wave her over. “What can I get you?”
“Glass of bourbon, please.” I’m going to need a few drinks to get me through this night, that's for sure.
She nods and gets to pouring my drink. “Can I ask you a question?" I ask her.
“You can ask, but I can’t guarantee an answer.” She flashes me a grin.
That makes me chuckle. “Fair point. But I’ll take a chance anyway. Do you by any chance know if Elijah is working tonight?”
Her brows furrow as she thinks for a moment. “I have no idea who that is.”
For a second, I wonder if I’m at the right club, but then I remember, they go by stage names here.
I smile at the memory of when I asked Eli if he had one. He told me that he did but he wasn’t going to tell me what it was because it was too embarrassing.
It took some bugging, but I managed to get it out of him. I laughed so hard I couldn’t breathe.
Thankfully, he couldn’t see my reaction, but he somehow knew how I’d react and called me out for being an asshole for laughing, followed by sending me a middle finger emoji.
“Ah, sorry, I mean Ben.” I clear my throat. “Is Ben... Dover working?” It’s not easy to ask that with a straight face.
Her lip twitches. “Ah. Yes. He is. He’s up next, actually.”
“Do you know what time he gets off? I need to talk to him.”
She raises a brow. “Can’t tell you that, my man. But if you really want to talk to him, you can always buy a private show.”
A private show?
No. No, I can't do that. That would be going way over the line. I’m here to talk to him, not see him dance.
“We have two options. You can be tied to a chair while you get a lap dance, or you can go to one of the discreet rooms and watch behind a one-way mirror, where you're able to still talk to them but have more privacy to... you know... play by yourself. If you know what I mean,” she says, giving me a saucy wink.
I choke on my tongue, and she bursts out into a fit of giggles. This girl can’t be completely serious right now. With the way she said that and the look in her eyes, she has to be messing with me. “Do private dances happen often?”
“Of course. It’s why we’re one of the busiest clubs around. In regards to Ben, he’s one of our more popular dancers. However, if you choose the lap dance option, there’s a good chance he will turn it down. He prefers the one-way mirror.”
Why does knowing that Eli just dances, but never touches, never gets close enough to another person, make me a lot happier than it should?
She looks at me, waiting for my answer.
I can’t believe I'm even giving this thought.Say no. Turn her down. Say you're going to stay here and wait to talk to him when he’s done with work. Be good, Kai. Be. Good.
“And how does one go about getting a private dance?” my stupid mouth asks, ignoring my brain completely as she hands me my drink.
