Except I knew nothing about being a showgirl. The ballet classes I’d taken as a child weren’t enough to prepare me for the demanding footwork required of a Vegas dancer.
“That didn’t work out,” I say. “But I liked Vegas. Liked the crowds and the noise and I could put up with the weather. So I stayed.” There’s not much else to say, not that won’t give away my real profession.
An uncomfortable silence follows, and I say the first thing I can think of, “Tell me about this church of yours.”
A smile takes over his face. “It hasn’t started yet. I was actually here tonight talking to Mike Randolph about it.”
Ah, fuck.
I feel clammy and my heart pounds. “Are you on your way to see him?”
“I just left his office,” he says, and I breath a small sigh of relief. “Church starts this Sunday in the Playmaker’s Lounge.”
My head spins and spots dance before my eyes. “Here? That one?” I point down the hall, in the hopes that he’s talking about another Playmaker’s Lounge.
“That’s the one. Sunday at ten. Mike said it wouldn't be a problem as long as we’re out by eleven. Real nice guy, Mike.”
I’m going to throw up. Not only am I horribly late, but the odds now point to me seeing Isaiah around town. And he thinks Mike is a nice guy. I can’t deal with this right now. I struggle to my feet and balance precariously on one foot.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “It was good to see you, but I’m really late, and I have to go.”
The elevator dings as it arrives, and I jump inside and push the button for the thirtieth floor without waiting for him to say goodbye.
Chapter Two
“You’re late,” Theo, my client, says, pulling me into the room as soon as I knock.
I stumble a bit on my sore ankle and bite the inside of my cheek so I don’t scream out in pain. “I’m sorry,” I say. “I was —”
“I don’t fucking care. You were expected over fifteen minutes ago.”
He’s dragged me into the sitting area of the suite, and I look around and discover there’s another man in the room. He’s sitting on the couch, though, so I can’t see him very clearly. I swallow. I wasn’t expecting anyone other than Theo.
The meeting with Isaiah has stripped me of the carefully constructed mask I hide behind, and I’m surprised at the way my mind rebels at what's been planned for me this evening. I’m not new at this job. I’ve done the three-way thing before. It’s just that talking with Isaiah brought a strange sense of normal to my life. A normal that didn’t include providing sex for money. A normal that whispered of years gone by in a soft Southern accent, I’d long ago given up hope of ever hearing again.
I look up to see Theo frowning at me and I realize that normal is a very dangerous thing for me to be.
You aren’t normal. You’ve never been normal. And you never will be normal.
It was a hard truth to accept years ago, and tonight it’s even harder. I close my eyes and allow myself a deep breath.I have to get it together, and quickly, or things are going to go very badly for me.
When I open my eyes, I am once more the woman I was before running into Isaiah. I am Athena and I am a prostitute. This is my life, and a coincidental meeting in a hotel lobby hasn’t changed that.
Prove it. I whisper to myself in a voice that no longer holds a trace of Southern accent.
I slowly unbutton my shirt. “Fifteen minutes? I’ll have to make it up to you.”
He’s staring at my chest now, his eyes glued to the skin being exposed inch by inch. “Damn straight you will,” he says, but his voice has lost that dangerous edge.
I slip deeper inside my head. Into that place that allows my body to do things I wouldn’t do if I thought about them too much. That place that’s kept me alive for years. I can’t afford to stay out of it for very long. It’s a luxury that has no place in my world.
“Is your friend not joining us?” I ask. “Is he waiting for an invitation?”
Theo shakes his head as if remembering where he is and calls out¸ “You’re missing our toy for the evening, Harris.”
My hands don’t want to move anymore. Harris. Dear Lord, not him. Anyone but him. I don’t want to be here in front of Harris. I grit my teeth and hope it’s a different Harris.
But as the man on the couch gets to his feet and turns around, I see that it is him.
“Athena,” he grinds out.
I nod in silent acknowledgement.
Harris is one of Mike’s business associates. In another place and another time, I might have found Harris handsome. He’s tall and well built, with sandy colored hair and eyes a deep dark blue hue I’ve never seen anyone else have.
But it’s not another place and time. It;s now and it’s Vegas, and I can’t think of him as handsome. Especially when I know he’ll tell Mike about my tardiness. Mike will know. I don’t allow myself to think beyond that at the moment.
“Finally want to sample the goods?” I almost purr.
He’s looking at me with an unreadable expression, and it confuses me. I’m typically able to read a man’s face when he’s with me.
“Not particularly.” His arms are crossed and he’s frowning.
“Come on, Harris,” Theo says. “What’s your problem?”
“Nothing,” Harris replies. “Except maybe I’m not in a mood to be with a woman so many men have already sampled.”
Theo laughs. “Could have fooled me. You didn’t have any trouble with the set of twins we had two weeks ago. Remember? Come on, you weren’t that drunk.”
Harris stiffens at the reminder of whatever wild times Theo spoke about. “Yes, I remember very well. But this one—” He nods toward me. “Is off limits to me. She’s Mike’s girl.”
“Aw, fuck, man. I forgot.” Theo looks me up and down. “Guess that means you’ll just have to watch while I enjoy her.”
I try not to think about the fact that they’re discussing me like I’m not in the room. Like I’m a piece of meat or an animal or something. I find it takes entirely too much brain power and blame that on the meeting with Isaiah.
Please don’t let me run into him often.
I know if I see him regularly, that place deep inside me that allows me to do what I do will go away forever.
Something flickers across Harris’s face, but I find I am, once again, unable to tell what.
“I don’t think so,” he says in reply. “I don’t get much out of sex when it’s a spectator sport.”
Theo shrugs. “Suit yourself. You leaving?”
Harris nods. “Yeah. I think I’ll go on. You guys have fun.”
But I’m slowly unzipping my skirt and Harris is no longer on Theo’s mind. The door closes behind Harris. I take another deep breath, and get to work.
***
I hadn’t lied to Isaiah when I told him I tried to be a Vegas dancer. I just didn’t tell him the whole truth. I most certainly didn’t tell him what happened after the audition.
The audition for the new group of dancers is finally over. I tell myself it’s okay and I’ll find some way to earn a living. The rumbling of my stomach reminds me it’s been too long since my last decent meal and hunger didn’t help my audition at all.
I’m in the dressing room, head down, stuffing my leotard and tights into my bag. Around me the other girls are chatting, but I’m not interested in talking. I want to go back to my hotel room and sleep. I try not to think about how close I am to running out of money.
The chatting stops suddenly and I’m aware of a presence beside me. I keep my head down, the shoes go into the bag next.
“Miss Athena.”
His voice is soft. Seductive. I look up and recognize one of the men from the audition. He didn’t run it, but he was in the room the entire time. Toward the back. Watching. He is breathtakingly handsome and he gives me a smile.