Dance For Me (Strip in the City, Book 2)

21 • Hot Bet

But I had a secret of my own.

"I already know the steps," I told her.

One of her brows arched. "What do you mean?"

I thought it might be obvious, but maybe not. All week, I'd been unable to tear my attention away from her for a second. I'd sat in that chair, observing everything with jealousy pounding in my damn veins. Listening to her correct Lucas night after night. Watching him touch her with murder in my eyes.

"I can do the moves."

A huff of breath left her. "I don't believe you. There's no way you can execute this sequence without doing a dry run," she asserted. "This is a pretty complicated lift. And if you drop me on my head, I'm gonna be really pissed."

I tucked my tongue into my cheek as an idea percolated in my brain. An idea that could accomplish two of my goals at once. "I won't drop you, twinkle toes. I promise. And to prove that I'm serious, I'm willing to make a bet."

Tan let out a stuttering laugh, clearly in disbelief. "Bet that you know the steps? Or that you can do them?"

I nodded. "Both."

She let out a laugh, looking amused. "Okay, fine," she replied, crossing her own arms. I tried not to let my smile widen. I knew ballerinas were competitive, and twinkle toes wasn't letting me down. "What's the bet?"

I hesitated for a second, scratching at the stubble on my chin to draw out the suspense. I knew exactly what I wanted. "If I know the moves, you let me take you out for dinner."

This seemed to catch her off guard, which I liked.

I wasn't going to be like the other strippers she'd been with. I was going to treat her like the angel she was, inside and outside this rehearsal space, and hope that was enough.

"And if you don't?" Tan asked, seeming interested. "What do I get?"

Here was the best part. "You get whatever you want."

I'd give this girl the fucking moon if she told me to lasso the thing and drag it to Earth. That's what I did best. I made wishes come true.

She gave me a dragging glance with her lip between her teeth. It was torture watching the dirty thoughts as they flitted across her face. Every inch of my body ached for every inch of hers. Her mouth. Her tits. Her tight little pussy that I wanted back on my face.

Focus, Dom. Jesus.

As much as I wanted to give her whatever she wanted, even if it was sex, this wasn't going to be a one night stand like last time. Not a chance. As much as I wanted her, and god damn, I wanted her so bad, I was invested in more than just a hot fuck. I was invested in her. In us.

It was all or nothing from here on out.

Tan considered me, and a smile split across her face. "Okay. Deal."

We shook on it, just to make it official, and afterwards, I peeled my shirt off and took my place at the leftmost edge of the pool while Tan backed up a few paces until she was in the middle. I shifted my weight from side to side, testing how slick the bottom was. After talking so much shit about Lucas dropping her, I didn't want to do the same thing.

"Last chance to back out," she teased. "Because when I win, you're going to regret it."

I wondered what she wanted from me but decided to keep my curiosity to myself. It was more fun this way. "Nice try, but I ain't backing out."

Tan playfully set her hand on her hip. "Okay, but don't say I didn't give you the opportunity to save your pride."

I couldn't help the satisfied smile that stretched across my face. This was a win-win situation for me, so long as I didn't drop her.