Page 11 of Rum & Coke

“To come back tomorrow night.”

As soon aswe were back in town, I showered and then drove straight to Red Diamond. I couldn’t get Tessa out of my mind. Even when we were chasing Gabe through the woods. Even when the guys and I were sitting around a fire, drinking beer, and shooting the shit. Even when the Montgomery brothers drove us back to the city.

After getting out of my Lexus LX, I walked into the brick building. I hadn’t been inside Red Diamond before—hadn’t needed to. It was early evening by the time I arrived, and the moment I stepped inside, my eyes had to adjust to the dim lighting. Strip clubs were notorious for being dark, the light mainly focused on the bar and stage. But if you thought about it, it made sense it would be brighter in those spots so we could see the goods better.

I scanned the area for any trace of Tessa. My plan was just to talk to her again. If she were on stage, I’d give her a few bucks, making sure she knew I was there. If she were giving a guy a lap dance, I’d wait in line, and then pay for five in a row. But as I scanned every inch of the visible area, I didn’t see her. There were a few girls around, but none of them was the girl with the long brown hair and steel blue eyes I couldn’t get out of my head.

So, I waited.

I went to the stage, took a seat, and waited for the next dancer to come out. It wasn’t her. This girl was a little shorter than what I remembered Tessa being, even with her heels on. She wasn’t in a red bikini, and her hair wasn’t brown either. As I watched this girl work the pole, I threw her a few dollars to get her attention. She smiled and then came toward me. I held up a twenty and motioned for her to come closer. She bent at the knee, opening her legs as though I could actually see her pussy, and started to stand again.

“Wait,” I called out.

She got on her knees and began to rub her hands up her chest.

“Do you want this twenty?” I asked, raising my voice slightly so she could hear me over the loud music.

She rolled her green eyes as though she didn’t have time to work for it.

“I’ll give you this plus another twenty if you help me out.”

“With what?” she questioned, still moving as if she was putting on a private show for me.

“Is Tessa here?”

She wrinkled her brow. “Tessa?”

“Yeah, I need to speak with her.”

The girl shook her head. “She already went home for the night.”

“Oh.” I leaned back in my chair as hope died in my stomach.

“She works the mornings on Thursdays.”

I nodded and handed her the twenty. She eyed it and then I smiled, reaching into my wallet and pulling out another one for her as promised.

“Why are you looking for Tessa?” she asked, stuffing the bills into her bottoms.

I smirked. “Because she’s my favorite.” That was true. I didn’t know any of the dancers except Tessa.

“But you know her real name.”

I cocked my head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“Her stage name is Scarlett.”

“Oh.” I chuckled. “I met her last night at my buddy’s bachelor party.”

She stopped dancing and leaned closer to me. “You’re an S&R guy?”

My grin widened. “Yeah.”

“What’s your name?”

Because this chick knew me as an S&R guy, I went with my own fake name. “Duane.”

The girl started to dance a little. “She didn’t mention you.”