Page 49 of The Heartbreaker

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said and ended the call.

I didn’t want to talk about my decision or what I hoped would happen this evening. Nor did I need to be reminded that Addy was Daisy’s teacher—something he might or might not have brought up.

In my mind, a line had been drawn down the middle of her two jobs.

And right now, I was standing on one side, not in the center.

I got out of my car and locked the doors and headed for the entrance of the club, paying the necessary cover to get access to both the VIP and main sections. Once I was in, I walked straight to the bar and scoped out the scene. I’d come early on purpose, unsure what time Addy got here and was assigned to a stage. I just hoped to catch her before she disappeared into a private room—another reason coming early had been part of my plan. The busier the club got, the more likely she’d be hired. And there was enough money in this town that the dude could request to have her all night, just like I had.

But from the looks of it, my timing was perfect. The VIP room, which I could see from here, was only about half full, themain room the same. She wasn’t on any of the three stages, so I ordered a filthy martini from the bartender.

As I was handing her my credit card, I said, “Has Addy been on yet?”

She eyed me up and down. “The redhead?”

I nodded.

“And you are?” she asked.

I remembered Addy had told me that the women who worked here often quit once they got boyfriends. We weren’t even close to a title like that, but I also didn’t want to allude to the fact that I liked her in case it set off any alarms.

So, I replied, “A fan. Nothing more.”

“The girls come and go so frequently, it’s hard to keep track of all their names.” She held a bottle of Tito’s over a metal shaker, the vodka pouring out in a thin stream. “She was on not too long ago. I’m sure she’ll be back in the rotation within the next couple of songs.” She nodded toward the closest stage. “You should check out the blonde that’s up there now. She’s the most skilled we’ve got.”

“I prefer redheads.” I winked at her.

She finished adding the olive juice and began to rattle the shaker in the air. “We don’t have too many of those. Addy might be our only one at the moment.”

“I guess that makes her in high demand.”

She poured the mixture into a glass and set it on the bar top, swiping my card and handing it to me, along with the receipt. “She’s a newbie. Once she comes out of her shell a little more, she has the potential of being the most popular woman here.”

“Then, I’m sure it’ll be a fight for the private rooms. Sounds like a good problem to have.”

“It’s no fight.” She smiled. “She goes with the man who pays the highest. That’s how this business works.” She immediately moved on to the next customer.

I gave her a generous tip and signed my name at the bottom and took the glass to a seat that was in the center of the room, giving me a view of all three stages.

This wasn’t a contest among the men here; I would always be the highest bidder.

But as the song played and the blonde made her way around the pole, I couldn’t stop thinking about what the bartender had said.

I’d told Addy that working here didn’t bother me, but those words were starting to eat away at me.

So did the thought of her being the most popular woman here. That men, like myself, would come just to see her. To spend time with her. To shower her with their money. To get her alone and try to put their hands all over her fucking body.

That was what I didn’t like at all.

Shit.

I took a long drink of the vodka, glancing between each of the stages as the song came to an end. A line of women was making their way out from the back—some were headed for the main area to try to score private dances, others went to the VIP room, the rest went toward the stages. I tried to look at their faces, but there were just too many of them.

Fortunately, the DJ made it easy, announcing the dancers who were entering the stage, and Addy was the first to be called, her name coming through the speakers as her heels hit the steps. They had to be at least five inches—shiny black spikes. And the lingerie set that covered her stunning body was a dark emerald lace bra and a pleated skirt that was short enough to show the matching thong beneath—a color that looked incredible with her red hair.

It had been too long since I’d seen those beautiful, perky tits and those juicy curves and that gorgeous face.

My dick was already hard.