Page 15 of Seeking Vengeance
“Oh. Um, not very well,” she stumbled, taken aback by his offer. “I mean, I worked in a small-town bar for a couple of months once, but it was nothing like this.”
“We can train you.”
Nicki thought about it. It could work. Bartenders heard more gossip than pole dancers. And while she would still probably be expected to wear ridiculous, skimpy clothes, at least she’d be behind the bar and out of immediate groping reach. She had to play her part though.
“How does the pay compare?” She sniffed, crossing her arms.
“The base pay is significantly lower, but the potential for tips is much higher, based on increased customer interaction.”
“Can I have a day to think about it? My mind is a little fried right now.”
“Sure,” he said. “I wouldn’t want you to start on a Saturday anyway—too busy for training. If you’re interested, come by Monday, around four.”
She nodded. “Thanks.” Then, she breathed a sigh of relief as she walked out of his office and back to the dressing room.
* * *
“Satisfied?”Jason twisted the lock on his office door and turned around as Sean silently slipped out from the private bathroom.
“Yeah.” He grinned. “You did good, Jacie.”
Jason sighed. He should have known the minute Sean Callaghan had shown interest in her, she was trouble. Hell, he’d learned a long time ago that it was a good idea to stay far away from anything the Callaghans showed a particular interest in but especially women. And his tête-à-tête with Nicki Milligan only reinforced that little gem of wisdom.
He walked back over to his desk and poured another brandy. Generally, Jason allowed himself one drink at the end of a stressful night. Tonight, he’d have two. He didn’t bother pouring one for Sean.
“What the hell have you gone and gotten yourself into now?” he asked his old friend.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sean shrugged, but he couldn’t completely hide the wicked intent in his eyes.
When Sean had barged into his office earlier, he had been very specific—no more interactive show segments with Nicki. If Sean wasn’t such a good friend—and he didn’t owe Sean a few favors—Jason wouldn’t have considered it. Nicki was a gold mine—she drew the men in, without question. Attendance had risen in the couple of weeks she’d joined the staff, and that was no coincidence. The atmosphere was more electric when Nicki was around. And yeah, it heightened the tension, but Jason had no doubt he could handle it with a few more well-placed men. Keeping her out of the show was going to hurt his bottom line.
He’d told Sean as much, but Sean hadn’t been the least bit sympathetic.
Hell, after watching the show those two had put on, Jason couldn’t really say he was surprised. He’d had his eyes glued to the monitor during her performance, every bit as enthralled as those down on the floor. A woman in the throes of pleasure was impossible for any healthy man to ignore, and Jason was no exception.
“Right,” Jason scoffed. If Sean didn’t want to come clean, it was no skin off his nose. They already had a lot of secrets between them; one more wouldn’t matter. “But we’re even now, true?”
“Yeah, we’re good. Later, Jacie.”
Jason shook his head as Sean unlocked the door, then cheerfully whistled his way down the corridor to the private exit.
The two of them went back a long way, and Jason had never seen Sean so proprietary over a woman. Sean wasn’t exactly a flowers-and-roses kind of guy, prone to romantic gestures.
He smirked. Seeing his badass friend so smitten was amusing. He’d always known that when Sean fell, he would fall hard. The funniest thing was, Sean probably thought he had it all under control.
Sean was going to have his hands full with this one though. Nicki wasn’t like the other women who worked at Angels.Usually, understanding their motives was easy enough—kids, college, mortgage—but none of those seemed to apply in Nicki’s case. Whatever drove her wasn’t so obvious.
A drug habit maybe? Instinct told him no. She kept herself in excellent shape, and her focus and control were unquestionable. Supporting someone else? Again, not likely. A background check listed only her brother as next of kin, and he had his own job in town—working for Sean Callaghan, no less.
Even more intriguing than her underlying motivation was the woman herself. She was stunningly lovely with her dark hair and unusual eyes, and he could easily picture her in an elegant ballgown at a gala premiere, yet she wore the whole bad-girl persona like a second skin. She came across tough as nails on the outside, but sometimes—like those few minutes when she’d thought he was firing her—he had the impression she was as fragile as fine crystal on the inside. If anyone could reach her there, that was.
Jason sighed heavily and resumed his seat behind the desk to start going through the night’s receipts. Whatever her deal was, she was Sean’s problem now.
The thought made him smile.
* * *
Nicki’s mindwas whirling as she made her way back to the dressing room. Those dancers still remaining looked at her questioningly, hoping for some scoop, but she refused to meet their eyes. It didn’t take long to don her street clothes and grab her personal belongings. There was no sense in leaving anything here if she wasn’t sure she was coming back.
