After a week of preparation and tripe-checking to make sure we had the ?re-Grand Opening” of the club correct, it was time for me to get ready. Giving my body a week to rest and relax had done me a lot of good, and I wasn’t in nearly the kind of pain I imagined I would have been. I felt more stable on my feet and more confident in the way I carried myself. And my bruises had faded to a point where my regular makeup sufficed in terms of covering shit up.
I still didn’t like the fact that I had been bumped to a second-tier dancer, though.
Nevertheless, Cole was fantastic at disguises. I wasn’t sure how a fucking military medic also knew how to do costume makeup, but the strawberry blonde wig I donned sat on my head like a stroke of perfection. After a few makeup tips from both him and the internet, I was able to contour my face to look completely different than usual. And after popping in some dark hazel-colored contacts, I almost didn’t recognize myself.
“Holy shit,” Archer said as he walked into the bathroom.
Cole held out his arms as I turned around. “So, what do you think?”
I placed my hands on my hips. “Yeah, what do you think?”
Archer’s eyes raked down my body before he snickered. “You don’t even look like the Josie I know.”
I smiled. “Perfect.”
Cole patted my shoulders. “Let’s get your outfits picked out for the evening in case you’re called to dance, then we can get you to the club. They’re expecting you by—”
I rolled my eyes. “Seven. You guys forget I actually work there.”
There were a few outfits I loved that Archer vetoed, but it didn’t piss me off like it would have. Between him being protective and this little idea brewing in the back of my head that he didn’t want any other man to see me in something scandalous made me feel powerful. Special. Beautiful, in a way I hadn’t felt in a very long time. Of course, I didn’t need a man to make me feel that way. I felt sexy every time I got onto that fucking stage.
But Archer’s attention made it a bit more… special.
“That’s the one,” he said.
I looked down at myself. “I look like a farmer’s daughter who’s never explored the world at all.”
Cole chuckled. “And that’s why it works. The wig and the colored eyes give you an innocent look. So, we play on that.”
Archer crossed his arms. “It’s a major kink. If you get up there and dance, you’ll rake in the money.”
I smiled brightly. “Sounds like I should keep up this schtick then, once this is all said and done.”
Cole rubbed my back before he made his way for the door. “I’ll wait for you downstairs. We’ve got about ten minutes before we have to head out.”
I nodded. “Thanks. I’ll be down in a second.”
And once Cole closed the bedroom door behind him, Archer and I were alone.
“Are you going to be okay with this?” he asked.
I giggled. “I’ve got the gun you gave me tucked away and another magazine hidden in a clutch purse that’s strapped to me. I’ll be just fine.”
“And what’s the number one rule we keep going over?”
I rolled my eyes. “The code word is ‘pineapple’ if I get myself into trouble and can’t get out.”
He took my hands. “Good.”
Without thinking, I stood to my tiptoes and pressed my lips against his. And just as quickly as it had happened, I had every intention of stepping away. But when I went to shift backwards, Archer cupped the back of my head and deepened our kiss.
Weakening me at my knees.
“Mmmm, you keep this up and these heels will be the death of me,” I murmured.
He sucked on my lower lip before releasing me. “Remember that you’re not alone in this, all right?”
My forehead caught his as he pressed it against mine. “I know. I’ll remember.”
He stroked his thumb against my cheek. “Good.”
I kissed him one last time for good luck, then turned on my feet. If I didn’t put some space between us, I’d never make it to the strip club, and I needed to do this for myself. For them. For the girls that were in the way of this fucking crew that thought they could come in and take over at the drop of a hat.
So, with my head held high and my shoulders rolled back, I popped my pain medication for the last time before heading out to the van parked in Archer’s driveway.
Before we all set off toward the club.
Getting into the club was easy enough. The staff entrance was around back, so I got dropped off a couple of blocks away from the club and walked there myself.
“Testing. Testing. Josie, clear your throat if you can hear me.”
Tanner’s voice rang in my ear and I cleared my throat.
“Great,” Cole said. “Sniffle if you can hear me.”
I did as he asked, and the guys went around the circle like that. I fake-sneezed and groaned and did a host of other things that probably made me look like a walking crackhead. But I knew it was all for a greater good. Then, I got to the back entrance of the club and paused, giving myself a second to breathe.
Before I opened the door and ran smack-dab into a massive man in a leather jacket.
“Who the fuck are you?” he asked.
I slowly looked up at him before Cole sounded in my ear. “That’s Marty, one of the Black Flag members. He’s the one guarding that back entrance.”
Thanks for the heads-up.
“You mute or something, bitch?” the man asked.
I cleared my throat. “No. You’re just massive. I’m here for my first day on the job. Where are the changing rooms?”
He glared at me before he pointed down the hallway. “Third door to your left. You one of our main acts?”
I slipped past him. “Just a tap-in. I’m here temporarily, to see if it works out between me and this club.”
The man chuckled. “Just shake that ass, rake in the money, and pay us our share. You’ll be good if you do those two things.”
“Beautiful, he didn’t even recognize you,” Tanner said in my ear.
But when I rounded the corner to get into the dressing room, that shit was a different story.
The girls gasped and I quickly shook my head as I closed the door behind me. They all rolled their lips over their teeth and I sighed with relief, thankful that I had made it at least this far. The girls all looked at me as if I had lost my mind, and I walked over to the lockers that had been designated for all of us.
“Remember, don’t use yours. Use the one for the new girls,” Cole reminded me.
I shifted down to the end of the lockers and placed my stuff inside, thankful to have someone in my ear feeding me all of this shit.
Then, Summer approached me. “What’s with the get-up?”
“Fuck,” Cole murmured.
I peered over my shoulder. “I can’t say, but what I need you to do is keep it on the down-low that you know who I am. All right?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
I closed my locker and turned to face her. “Because all of our lives depend on it.”
The girls gathered around me, ogling me as Summer grimaced. She gave me the one-two a few times, and part of me wondered if she was going to blow my cover just to get in good with the new owners. But when she drew in a deep breath, she relented and nodded her head.
“That’s fine with me. I hate these guys already anyway. What gives with them?” she asked.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll explain it all once it’s over. All you guys have to do is act like you don’t really know me. That’s all. Okay?”
The girls nodded their small sea of heads and the guys congratulated me in my ear. But the worst was only beginning.
Especially when another black-leather-jacket-wearing-asshole charged through the dressing room door.
“Hey! New girl!”
He whistled at me and the girls parted, giving me a clear shot of the man standing at the other side of the room.
“Yeah?” I asked.
He walked toward me and narrowed his eyes. “Do I know you from somewhere?”
Porter’s voice sounded in my ear. “On my mark.”
I cleared my throat. “You might. I get around a bit.”
The guy grinned. “I’m sure you do, sexy.”
I hated the way he clocked me with his eyes, but if I could distract him with that then it put less of his eyes on my face. And with my gut already locked up with Summer noticing me, the last thing I needed was for one of these jerk-offs to recognize me, too.
“You, uh, got any plans after tonight?” he asked.
I quirked an eyebrow. “I thought places like this had a ‘no dating’ policy?”
He chuckled and bit his lip. “We aren’t like most places, sweet cheeks.”
You got that right. “Why don’t we see how much time you can get me on that stage tonight, and then we can talk?”
His eyebrows rose. “Sexy, and a hustler. I respect it. All right, babe, I’ll see what I can do. But if I do you a favor, those legs of yours will do my hips a favor, if you get what I’m saying.”
“Jesus,” Brooks groaned.
But I put on my best smile. “Maybe you’ll have to show me what you mean later, if you catch my drift.”
The man clapped his hands. “All right, ladies. The hell are you staring at? Get back to work!”
Summer scoffed. “Work ain’t work for another hour.”
The man shot back at her. “Then, I suggest you take the whole time to change how you look if you expect us to make any money tonight, got it?”
Tanner hissed in my ear. “What a fucknugget.”
I bit down onto my tongue to keep from laughing as the guy strode out of the room. And when he slammed the door behind him, Summer turned toward me.
“I don’t know what the hell you doin’, but do it well. You got that?”
I winked at her. “You know how I roll, Summer.”
She smiled. “Fuck it up hard, mama.”
And I intended to do just that.
