Stripping For The Alpha King

Chapter 6

My eyes dropped to my hands and I stared at them long and hard, like they would somehow tell me what to say in response to that. I was used to men giving me compliments. They told me how sexy I was and how wonderfully my body made them feel all the time when I was dancing. But when I was wearing street clothes and had almost no makeup on men hardly even glanced at me. And there was just something about the way the words came out of Ajax's mouth that made them seem so much more intense. He said it like he saw my soul, like he knew my heart as well as he knew my face.

"Here, I bought a caramel flavored concoction and a normal London Fog. Something sweet and fun or something classic," he said, breaking the silence as he pushed the two cups towards me, "I wasn't sure which one you would prefer."

"I'm a sucker for sweet drinks," I admitted, pulling the cup towards me. I glanced at him very briefly then and saw that he was still inspecting me with a gentle smile on his lips, like he was so pleased with what he saw. That was simply impossible. My eyes dropped again and I wondered if he was thinking about the lap dances I had given him instead of the average girl he saw before him now. It didn't seem to match the pleasant, elated expression on his face but the thought still made me uncomfortable, "Why did you ask me here, Ajax?" I demanded, my voice coming out with a certain amount of venom.

"Why did you come?" he asked softly.

It was a damn good question. One that I couldn't answer because I knew that if any other client had asked it would've been a stone cold no. I would've been afraid of his intentions or disgusted with his desire. Men saw you once half naked and felt like you owed them something more because you gave them an erection. But there was something about Ajax that had made me feel safe enough to say yes.

"I figured that if you were willing to pay four hundred bucks for twelve minutes half an hour would come at a pretty high price too," I shot back.

"We didn't discuss any kind of payment. You came here because you wanted to," he said. His voice wasn't strong or overbearing, but there was a certainty to it. I could be as mouthy as I wanted; he wasn't going to let me push him around.

I gritted my teeth, but was aware of how right he was. I didn't have a quick remark to get back at him. I just pulled out my cell phone and put it on the table, letting the screen light up. "You have twenty five minutes now."

"Are you still in school?" Ajax asked, immediately done with bantering.

"Yes," I said tightly.

I felt like something in me wanted to give out. I wanted to ignore the red flags that were waving in my mind and lean in so I could listen to every word he said because just hearing his voice made me feel wonderful. But I still couldn't believe that I had done this. I couldn't believe that I had agreed to meet up with a random man from my strip club. Especially one who seemed to have an unhealthy infatuation with me.

"What is your goal for you education?"

"I want to be a teacher," I answered without thinking.

"Have you lived in Denver your whole life?" he continued.

"No, my mom and I moved here when I was very young."

"Where did you move from?"

"Portland, Oregon." As if coming out of some kind of haze I was abruptly very aware of how much information I had just tossed into the air. Maybe next I would give out my social and send him a picture of my credit card. I pressed my lips together, hoping that some of my personal information would stay secret.

"Oregon is very scenic," Ajax mused. "I really like the Japanese garden in Portland and they have that mansion too."

"Are you from there?" I asked, remembering the way he said he needed to see me before he left. Clearly, he wasn't a local.

"No, I'm actually from Europe."

"Really? You don't have that much of an accent and your English is amazing," I said, cocking my head to one side. Now, it was my turn to dig into him.

"I've grown up in a...worldly setting to say the least," he admitted. "I don't think I've spent more than six months of my life without going on a plane, train, or boat."

"And you decide to come to Denver, Colorado to go to a strip club?" I challenged. "That sound exactly like what any white guy who claimed to be cultured would do."

"I wish," he said through a small bout of laughter, "My parents are considering moving their king- business here. The demographic here is much more needy and needs a little more attention than the European market as of right now. With the amount that we all spend on flights to get out here as often as we need to it's becoming very expensive."

"Ah, so you're the rich son they pretend to employ so you feel like you have a purpose. But, let's be honest, your only real job is putting the money they earned on the stage of your favorite stripper. Or, if you're lucky, in her thong," I taunted.

At least that explained why he was so sure of himself and why he was so willing to spend all that money on a lap dance. He probably just met me for coffee so that he could have a nice plaything while he was in the city. And I had fallen perfectly into his plan.

"No, it's not like that at all," he said, becoming serious very quickly. "I was staying with some of my parents'...clients and they decided that going to the strippers was the most reasonable source of entertainment in this city. Considering that we drove past two museums and a theater to get there I'm thinking that I shouldn't trust those guys to provide entertainment for me anymore."

"Right, and I come into play how?" I asked, leaning back in my chair and folding my arms across my chest.

"I didn't plan on you coming into play at all," he said with surprising honesty.

"So, what do you want from me now?" I demanded, "There has to be come kind of grand reason that you asked a stripper to meet you for coffee."

"How about you agree to come to the botanical gardens with me and I'll tell you whatever you want to know? I do have one condition though."

"And what's that condition?"

"No time limits. You can go home whenever you want, but you aren't going to leave at a certain time just to prove a point."

I pondered his offer. My twenty five minutes was almost up which meant that I got to go home and call Holly to discuss all the weird and wonderful that had happened. Together we could decipher what this all meant. But when I saw those forest green eyes watching me with careful optimism I knew I wasn't ready to leave this enticing man just yet.

I gathered up my belongings, slipping my purse over my shoulder and grabbing my coffee. Ajax's expression fell into sadness as I stood. It almost seemed like the rejection would've crippled him.

"Are you coming or am I going to have to venture into the botanical gardens myself?"

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