Stepbrother Desires (Billionaire Contemporary Romance) (3 page)

I was awestruck
when I first saw the inside of the club. Maybe I’d watched too much television
because I was expecting the rank odor of stale booze and cigarettes, threadbare
carpet and layers of filth on the tables and chairs that would explain the
dimmed lighting.

Was I way off or
what? The place was like a palace. Not one of those showboat gin palaces that
plied the Mississippi in the 1930’s. No, I mean a real palace, you know, like
where European royalty live. It was absolutely amazing.

Luxurious
leather booths lined three adjoining perimeter walls, all with a perfect view
of a well-lit stage, upon which were mounted three poles. This is what the working
girls always referred to as
center stage
, not because of its actual
position, but in reference to the status bestowed upon those chosen to dance
there.

“Nobody asks to
dance center stage, “Kandice explained. “You get
chosen
and to be chosen
requires a lot of hard work, dedication and a special quality the businessmen
who can afford to come here have come to expect.

“The men who
come here are here to see and experience something they can’t get anywhere
else.”

“Do we get to
keep the tips?” Melissa asked.

“There aren’t
any tips here at Centerfold,” Kandice explained. “It’s a house rule to ensure
that both guests and the working girls alike are treated with the utmost
respect. The girls are here to provide an unrivalled adult entertainment
experience by performing to satisfy the minds and emotions of the high rolling
patrons while playing to their more primal desires as tastefully as possible.

They achieve this
by celebrating their sexuality and athleticism while expressing both through
their dance.”

Kandice’s words
hung in the air as the two dancers stood silently, in awe of the atmosphere.

That’s what I
want – to celebrate my sexuality and athleticism. This is where I want to be.
I thought to myself as Kandice’s words washed over me, casting some
kind of spell.

The chandeliers
dimmed, the lights above the stage lit up, illuminating the area around each
individual pole, next to which stood Melissa and myself, wearing a white Double
Ruffle Charmeuse mini skirt, a matching halter top and finished off with a pair
of ultra-sexy black Pleaser Kiss d’Orsay pumps. As the ambient music faded,
followed by the unmistakable beat of Madonna’s
Human Nature
being
channeled through the main sound system. The effect of the lighting and the
subtle vibration of the music were intoxicating. The room fell silent
immediately and all eyes in the room were on me and Melissa.

I can do
this. I can do this.
I kept repeating like some kind
of mantra. I still couldn’t believe I was doing this. I’d never before imagined
myself doing any kind of performance in front of people, never mind pole
dancing for a club full of horny guys.

It was time to
work the steel.

With our backs
against the cold steel pole and one arm stretched overhead, we began to sway
our hips to the hypnotic beat of the music before seductively sliding down into
a squat position. Just like we’d practiced in class, we traced a tantalizing
path with our free hand from knee to butt, showing off our silky smooth, toned
thighs.

The crowd
erupted with applause, welcoming our act. My heart leapt into my mouth and I
almost felt sick with nerves, but, somehow, the applause gave me confidence. I
was giving them what they wanted and I was actually being applauded for my
performance.

Now that the ice
was broken, I noticed Melissa looking more confident, too and she gave me a
quick look which I read as
I’m doing fine. No need to worry about me. We got
this
.

We continued
with our sexiest, virtually perfect performance, using a routine we had
practiced in class many times, but had yet to master without error. Until now.
Tonight, the energy from the captivated and spellbound onlookers made it all
come together and gave us the energy and confidence we needed to perform like we
had never performed before. Flawlessly.

I was
mesmerized. Or hypnotized. Whatever the fuck it was, it was like it had some weird
power over me. I was transfixed on the girl on center stage. Of the two
dancers, only one had my undivided attention. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

The way she
looked. The way she moved. Her hair. Her eyes. She was perfect in every way.
I’d never seen anyone like her in my life. I’d never seen anyone move so
seductively, either. Legs that seemed to go on forever. Toned and lithe.
Delicious, full breasts which were the most picture-perfect, natural breasts
I’d ever seen.

And that smile.
That was one special smile. I could wake up to that smile and those gorgeous emerald
green eyes for the rest of my life and be the happiest man alive.

What was it
about her that took my breath away? I’d seen plenty of hot girls in my time.
What was so special about this one? Why did she leave me breathless? Then there
was the hollow, empty feeling in my stomach. What was the deal with that?

Without even
hearing her voice, I knew exactly how she would sound. I knew I wanted to hear
her voice, wanted to hear what she had to say. She had an
aura
that I
couldn’t quantify, an alluring quality that touched my heart because I knew, I
just
knew
that I was attuned to that quality. Attuned to
her
.

There was
something special in the way she moved, her self-assured athletic elegance and
the way she seemed to be enjoying a complex dance routine she had clearly spent
much time and effort conquering. I was beyond fascinated. I’d never felt so
drawn to a woman before in my life and the feelings I was experiencing were
overwhelming. Now
this
was a woman I could see myself connecting with.
Stunning, motivated, toned and fit. She ticked a lot of boxes.

That’s when I
started to laugh. The strangest thought crossed my mind.

“Hey Dad,” I imagined
myself saying, “The merger and the engagement’s off. I’m marrying that girl I
picked up at the strip club. Sorry to disappoint.”

The look on his
face would be priceless. Actually, it would have a price. The billion dollar
company I’d no longer take over.

Watching her
dance, it felt like she was dancing for me alone. I tuned out all the other testosterone
filled, horny-as-hell guys in the room. There was only me. And her. All I could
see was her.

As I worked my
way through my routine, I paused for a few seconds in my Figurehead pose and my
eyes locked on those of a guy in the audience.

It can’t be
him. No way.

Well-groomed, wearing
a stylishly tailored suit that did little to obscure his nicely shaped upper
body.
No way
.

Jet black hair
with soft curls that begged to have my fingers run through them just to
experience what it felt like. Handsome, yet more ruggedly handsome than
magazine-cover handsome. And his eyes—even with the stage lighting she could
see he had spectacular eyes, piercing blue. He was looking at me. Nobody else.
Just
me
.

Is it him?
Does he recognize me? No, it can’t be …

I didn’t have
time to think about him. I had a routine to perform and I had to do a Side
Climb up the pole, a slow and controlled Extended Butterfly Inversion and
eventually a Half Attitude spin.

No time to be
checking out the Man Candy, there’s way too much going on right here,
girlfriend.

But as I
continued my performance, I couldn’t get him out of my mind.

Could it
really be him? No way he’d be in a place like this. He gets plenty of the real
thing. There was never any shortage of tail for my man-whore of a stepbrother
.

“Want me to hook
you up, Buddy?” I heard a voice behind me and felt a hand slap me good
humoredly on the back.

“Hook me up?” I asked,
turning to see Jack behind me with a big shit eating grin on his face.

“Yeah, I know
the owner. I could arrange to hook you up, if you want.”

“Nah, that’s
fine. I just liked how she moved, that’s all. It’s no big deal,” I said,
shrugging as if I couldn’t care less.

“OK then, but if
you change your mind, you know where to find me,” he said, removing his hand
from my shoulder and returning to a nearby group of corporate lawyers who,
thankfully, seemed far more interested in the other girl.

I couldn’t blame
them, either. She was really something. The other one, though,
my
one,
had that extra something. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. She had
something that drew me to her. I began to wonder if that’s what people meant
when they talked about love at first …

I quickly pushed
that ridiculous idea aside. That’s the kind of romantic nonsense my mom used to
talk about when I was a kid. What would she say about me ogling a pole dancer
in a strip club, if she was alive to see it? I think she’d probably be alright
with it and tell me to follow my heart and not to listen to my father, who, she
always said, might be a brilliant businessman, but didn’t have a romantic bone
in his body.

After being distracted
with thoughts of her all weekend, I knew what I had to do and hated having to
do it. There was no other choice. I was on a mission and nothing was going to stop
me. I got up to go for a 6 mile run at 5am Monday morning, I was so amped. Then
I hit the gym at 6am as usual before heading to the office

“OK Jack, I’ve
changed my mind,” I said without preamble as I simultaneously knocked on Jack’s
door and entered his office at 8:00am sharp. If ever there was a time to use my
position as T. J. Reynolds III to my advantage, it was now.

“About …”

“You know, about
setting me up with the girl from the club —”

“Oh, the pole
dancer. Sure thing, I should have guessed from the way you were swooning over
her the other night. What did you have in mind? A private party? A bit of one-on-one
lap dance action?”

My bright idea was
losing traction before it even got out of the gate. There was no way I could tell
Jack what I really wanted. Not only would he and the other guys think I’d lost
my mind, but there was a fair chance he’d use it against me at some point. I
didn’t trust any of them. They hadn’t survived in this cut throat industry
because they were anybody’s best friend, that’s for sure.

It was best to
play along being ‘one of the boys’ and tell him what he expected to hear. Just
like the good old college days.

“Yeah,” I said
in a hushed tone, like I didn’t want anyone else to know what we were planning.
“I want a little private show before I’m tied down and can’t do the strip clubs
any more. You get that, right?” I winked as tapped the side of my nose with my
index finger.

“Say no more.
I’m on it. Leave it to Jack.” He was already opening the contacts on his phone
as I walked out of his office.

If I wasn’t so
desperate, I wouldn’t be asking him for help. Jack was a weasel. Always looking
for an easy way to get ahead at someone else’s expense. I didn’t trust him. But
I didn’t have a choice. I just hoped this
favor
didn’t come back to bit
me.