Electrified (18 page)

She knew he was looking for an excuse to chat, but she wanted some time to herself to daydream about Carson. “I think I want to take my car, let the top down, and enjoy the day. Rain check?”

“Yeah, yeah. I got you, babe.”

He really does.

W
ITH A
coffee delivered to Mike, the top down on her convertible, and iced green tea in the drink console, Sienna pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the Strip. She let the wind blow her hair and her thoughts drift to the man from lunch.

For so many years, avoiding being discovered or revealed for who she really was commanded every one of her actions. She must have reached some breaking point, spurring her to fall for Carson. She was spiraling out of control and had no idea how to stop it, nor did she want to.

But she had to.

Sure, there were other men over the years who had watched her and gave signals they wanted to know more about the stripper onstage. She just avoided any real eye contact. Scanning the audience as she blew kisses to the crowd, her signature farewell each evening, she took in the smiles and pleased expressions, but gave nothing more.

Sienna never really interpreted any of the looks to be anything greater than wanting a good time, and she certainly never pursued any of the men like she had Carson.

Now she was deep in a situation that could prove to be disastrous. So, her mission to the Cat’s Meow was twofold.

She actually did need a wax in order to wear what she wore every night at the club, and she knew she could turn to Penelope, the always sassy, up-for-anything owner, for man advice. As usual, Sienna parked in the back of the Cat’s Meow and called the front desk for someone to let her in. She knew a little talk with the bikini waxer to the stars of Las Vegas was just what the doctor ordered.

Penelope certainly had her fair share of men, but she never committed to one for a long time. She was a lover of life and all flavors of men, and had been around the block. A Vegas native, her mother a longtime showgirl, and her dad a casino host back in the good old days, she was a bit of a mother hen to a select group despite her sultry vixen appearance. With natural red curls that hung down her back and her sea-foam-green eyes, creamy skin, and always sexy, incredibly hoarse voice, she didn’t make it easy for men to look the other way.

Plus, she was smart. Penelope took full advantage of living in Vegas and looking the way she did. She would advise Sienna on how to take what she wanted from Carson and move on.

But did she even want that?

Inside the Cat’s Meow, she went straight to Penelope’s treatment room. Penelope no longer took appointments through the front desk, choosing instead to work exclusively with a small clientele who contacted her directly for both privacy and immediate service. When Sienna texted her earlier, Penelope gave her the green light to head in during the afternoon.

Sienna took a deep breath as she undressed and lay down completely naked on Penelope’s table. She needed the works—a Brazilian bikini, her eyebrows, and the small trail of peach fuzz from her stomach to the area that Carson had recently lit on fire. It would give her plenty of time to discuss the issue with Penelope.

“Hi, Sie. How are you doing, honey?”

Sienna relaxed at the sound of Penelope’s soothing, inviting voice. “Good, it’s been packed at the club. Asher’s happy, so I’m happy. Syd and Petal are lighting up the stage, which is great for them. And I like a guy.” She had no clue why her usually guarded self just spit that right out. There she was talking about guys like it was a normal, everyday thing for her.

She lay still, purposefully taking long breaths in and out. They were more about her sudden talkative mouth and less about the hair about to be ripped from her most sensitive areas.

“Well, good for Syd and Petal, but even better for you,” Penelope said warmly. Then she got to work, providing Sienna with just the right amount of distance to continue. She might have been lying there naked, but to bare her thoughts, Sienna needed a distraction. She couldn’t have said what she wanted to say while looking Penelope in the face.

“So, this guy, Carson, has been coming to the club and staying for just my act. He’s good-looking…well, gorgeous, and it seems that he likes me and I think I may like him. He’s tall and dark, and he has this funky tattoo that just adds to his mystery. Short black hair like mink, curling around his ears, and a scruffy five o’clock shadow speckled with a little gray. It makes him classy and distinguished.” She paused for a second, then said, “He’s tough and strong, but you can tell he’s got a gentle soul. I’ve fallen for this one.”

Penelope only nodded her head and murmured a soft “Mmm-hmm” to show she was listening.

As she stared at the ceiling, Sienna went on. “You know I’ve never really been involved, but I may want to test the waters with this one. It’s a good way to get my feet wet because he doesn’t live here, so no real fear of a big commitment.”

Rip
.
Rip
. Penelope’s gaze was totally focused on Sienna’s inner thighs, but she was all ears. “Go on.”

She tried to remain cool and noncommittal. “I feel a connection. Like maybe we could get together a little bit…together-together, you know? But there’s something else. I’m a little inexperienced in intimate relations. I’m not sure how to act or what to do.”

Penelope sighed. “Aw, sweetie, you don’t have to do anything but be your lovable self. If this man is all that you describe him to be, he’s an alpha and he’ll lead the way. That’s it. Nothing to worry about.”

Sienna lifted her head and caught Penelope’s gaze. “Are you sure? Do I need to be sending out some kind of signal?”

More ripping. Penelope moved Sienna’s legs up and in, making sure she could wear a thong and reveal nothing but a bare bum.

“Oh, I’m sure, Sienna. Besides the fact that you’ve got a killer bod, you’re the hottest stripper in Vegas with the most spectacular smile and personality of anyone I know. Just be you. Let your inner and outer beauty shine.”

“Hmm, okay.” Sienna was unsure about that being true, but she had no other reference point, so she’d run with it. “What if I don’t want to get too attached? I don’t think he’s that type, but just in case?”

Done with the waxing, Penelope began applying an exfoliant to her stomach, making it smooth and glowing. She bit her lip, then looked at Sienna and said, “No protection from that, honey. Maybe for a woman like me who can keep her heart distanced, but not for someone as kind and lovable as you.”

She gave Sienna a smile and said, “No man in his right mind would let you get away.”

Sunday night

T
HE CLUB
was definitely buzzing on the evening following her lunch date with Carson. They called it the Electric Tunnel for a reason, and tonight, the place was electrified with sexual energy, pulsing curiosity, and the sheer force of several hundred people seeking out a sensually charged good time. It was like a live wire inside the four walls of the club.

Tonight only more so for Sienna.

Even though it was Sunday, Sienna stayed back in her dressing room until she went onstage. Tonight was busier than usual, more like a Saturday than a Sunday, so Asher had put his foot down and insisted there would be no walking the club, definitely no peeking out in the crowd. She needed to level her emotions over Carson being out there somewhere, not heighten them, so she gave in without an argument.

Petal stopped by and mentioned the floor was packed. “Wall-to-wall people out there. Men, couples, and even a bachelorette party.”

Asher came by and said the dude in the cowboy hat was back, but they didn’t let him past the rope outside the door. In fact, they told him he wasn’t welcome anymore. Ever.

Sienna wasn’t sure if that was a relief or an omen. Why would he come back if he was asked to leave? Why did he want to find her so badly?

She didn’t have time for it.

Not going to ruin my night.

Asher also casually mentioned the guy she had asked him about a few days ago was back. “The one who sat front and center, came and went before and after your show with the black hair? Come to think of it…I think he’s the same man who spoke to you when you broke your own damn protocol and walked the club on Friday? I got an eye on him, but don’t have any details yet, doll. You okay with him being out there?”

She began to twirl a stray strand of hair and focused her attention on the floor. “Uh, Ash, I should probably tell you this now. I went on a date with him. Before you get mad, that’s what I came to chat with you about when I found Nat in your kitchen.” She didn’t dare raise her eyes.

“What? What the fuck? You went on a date and didn’t tell me? Jesus Christ, he could’ve been a scumbag, attacked you, or hurt you. You don’t know anything about this guy.” Asher paced the length of the room, anger pouring off of him, definitely making Sienna regret waiting to tell him about Carson.

“No, no. He’s not like that, but I took Mike with me both times I saw him.” She risked lifting her face.

“Both?” He stopped moving and stood over her, his hands at his waist, his expression ominous.

“Y-y-yes. Once for coffee, and earlier today for lunch. Mike tailed me, had his eyes on me the whole time. It’s all fine now. Don’t freak out! I was curious. I don’t think it’s going to be anything.” She tried a smile on him and it worked like a charm; the tension melted from his body. She knew Asher couldn’t bear to be mad at her for long.

Asher pulled Sienna in for a hug. “Oh, babe, I wish you would’ve told me. I could’ve stepped away from Natalie for a minute. But now I’m so glad you went. Making a life for yourself, that’s what you have to do.”

She breathed into his chest. “Ash, I don’t think so. I’m not ready, but this little thing was fun. Now I’m going back to life as I know it. Don’t worry, I’m going to be fine.”

“Whatever you say, missie, but we’re going to discuss this more this week when we go out of town,” Asher said with a wink. “This is a step in the right direction. Time to branch out, but that doesn’t mean I’m still not pissed and you don’t have to be cautious. I don’t like being kept in the dark.”

We are so not discussing this when we’re away because I’m going to be forgetting Carson.

Sienna’s time to head out to the stage was up. She went with a cat suit again tonight. Her hair was still down like earlier, soft waves rippling through the golden-hued lengths. Her suit, a white opalescent second skin on her curves, a zipper running the entire length of the bodice, only exposed a tiny bit of her neck and chest at the moment, and she’d chosen sparkly gold platforms for her feet. Her makeup much heavier than usual, with cat eyes formed from her dark midnight-blue eyeliner and smoky-gray lids. Once she’d finished off her makeup with gold lip gloss, then smoothed shimmery lotion over every inch of her skin, Sienna was ready to titillate.

Heading up the braided ropes dangling from the ceiling, Sienna planned to start swaying from the rafters before moving around the stage, lingering more toward the pole, avoiding the front. She didn’t want to get caught up in Carson’s smile or dimples. She shouldn’t be so intrigued by him. He was just a man lusting after a stripper, and she was a young girl trapped in a stripper’s body trying to live her life. A life without conflict and definitely no love affairs.

Sienna was trying to convince herself to pull back, but she kept stepping forward. The little break away with Asher would be good. She needed space, air to breathe, and time to reaffirm her resolve.

This was what she told herself as she inched toward the edge of the stage, slowly unzipping her cat suit, revealing her glimmering skin and cleavage, the flaps opening right to the edge of her nipples, exposing the firmness of her side cleavage. With her teeth nipping her bottom lip, her gaze somewhat down, her lashes covering her eyes, she gave one more zipper pull and her suit was now all the way open.

There was nothing left to the imagination when she flipped her head straight up, her hair whispering through the air and landing back down her back, her sculpted breasts and a tiny see-through thong peeking out from the cat suit left dangling open. Her eyes were open now. Open and staring right into warm brown eyes trained on her. Carson wasn’t taking his gaze off her, and she wasn’t able to move hers from his either.

With their eyes locked, Sienna strutted backward, never taking her sights off the man who was making her body boil with lust and her brain want to seek flight. She kept her baby blues homed in on him as she finished on the pole and the stage went dark.

Sadness swept over Sienna as the darkness stole Carson’s warm expression from her. She was in trouble, big trouble. She had to get away for more than a day. There was a rogue cowboy out there looking for her, and she was falling quickly down the rabbit hole when it came to Carson.

Her trouble was bigger than she thought as she headed backstage. This was a time to be clear-headed, not in a Carson-induced fog.

“Hey, Sie. Wait up!” Mike said as she zipped her cat suit back up and headed straight toward her dressing room.