“You wearin’ those sex pants?” Jamie asked, eyebrow lifting.

Oh, my God. What was up with him and these pants?

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ll most likely be wearing this, since I’ll be leaving right from here,” I shot back. “Not sex anything. Sorry to disappoint you.”

“Ain’t disappointing me,” he said. “Know how I feel about that uniform, Legs.”

“Yeah. You shared that.”

“Also know what’s underneath,” he added with a smirk.

I scowled.

I was going to regret that game plan until the day I died.

Jamie’s phone beeped. He glanced at it and then tucked it away again, saying, “Gotta go, babe. I’ll see ya tonight.”

“Fine. Whatever,” I sighed.

There was no point in fighting it. It would just take up more time, and I had work to do.

I made for the door, expecting Jamie to open it so we could both get back to our jobs, but instead of doing that, he blocked it with his shoulder the second I reached it.

We collided, my hands flying up to his chest and pushing away, but I met resistance when he wrapped his arm around my waist and yanked me closer.

“What are you doing?” I asked, voice tight and startled, looking up at him while putting pressure on his hand at my back.

“Thought I’d get a kiss before I go,” he said casually, as if this were a normal thing between us and we shared kisses regularly.

I sucked in a breath. “What?” I whispered.

“A kiss, Legs. I want one.”

“But we don’t do that.”

“Feels like a good time to start.”

His face slowly moved in, drawing closer and closer as his gaze focused on my lips.

My heart was beating like crazy and my stomach was clenching tight, not in fear or disgust, but in anticipation.

I wanted Jamie to kiss me. I wanted to feel it again. His mouth and his need. I wanted it.

I could go back to hating him after we were finished. Immediately after we were finished.

Body trembling, I closed my eyes.

I was going to do it. I was going to kiss Jamie McCade.

“How’s that ache now?” he whispered against my ear. My eyes flashed open. That was when I heard his deep, amused chuckle.

Mother—

“You are such a jerk!” I hissed, shoving hard against his chest.

Jamie staggered backward, still laughing. Then he opened the door and flashed me one of the biggest grins I’d ever seen him wear before sauntering back out into the dining area.

And I got back to work and back to hating him immediately, as if I never even stopped.

* * *

I’d never been to a strip club before. Male or female varieties. And they were both in Dogwood Beach. So I didn’t really know what to expect of The Dollhouse.

After showing my ID to the bouncer at the door, I paid the cover and stepped inside.

The room was cast in a pink glow, keeping it dark except for the two stages. They had additional lights above them to shine down on the dancers. A bar ran the length of one wall, and in the corner on a raised platform was a DJ booth, pumping tunes into the air. Fabric hung from the ceiling and separated the back VIP area, I was guessing. There was a very large man standing guard there and only letting certain people pass. Chairs were pushed up close to the stages for prime viewing seats, and behind them there were small round tables with stools pulled up so that people could sit together.

That was where I spotted Quinn and her group.

“Tori!” She jumped up and waved me over, then pulled me into a hug when I reached the table. “Thank you so much for coming!”

I hugged her back. “Anytime, babe.”

Quinn leaned away and smiled, flashing dimples that matched her brother’s. She was wearing a black bodysuit with sleeves down to her elbows, see-through stockings, and black combat boots, had her eyeliner winged out and her hair extra spiky. She faced the other three women sitting with her and went about with introductions while keeping her hand on my back.

“Guys, this is Tori. She’s the kick-ass chick I told you about. Knows Jamie. He’s totally staking claim, but she’s not hearing that. And if she starts playing with your hair, let her. It feels amazing.”

I turned my head and gaped at her.

Not because I disagreed with what she’d just said—she was spot on with the Jamie thing—but because that had to be the strangest introduction I’d ever received.

Quinn shrugged, catching my reaction, then started pointing around the table. “This is Chante, Jen, and Andrea.”

“Hey,” I greeted each of them, lifting my hand in a wave.

They were all in short, tight dresses and, by the looks of them, spent ample time on makeup and hair. The three were young like Quinn and seemed to be just as friendly by the way they were smiling at me.

“What’s up?” Chante said.

“Nice to meet you,” Jen offered.

“Hey,” Andrea threw out last. “That was really cool what you did for Quinn. Thanks for looking out for her.”

“Of course.” I gave Andrea a smile, then slid it to Quinn. “Here. I didn’t know what you liked, so I just got you an Amazon gift card. You can pretty much buy anything from there,” I told her, pulling the small card out of my pocket and handing it over. “Happy birthday.”

“Oh, my God! You didn’t have to do that!” She threw her arms around me again and squeezed me tight. “Thank you. You’re so cool,” she whispered next to my ear.

I hugged her back and wore an even brighter smile when she pulled away, letting her see it. I really liked Quinn.

She did a little dance with her gift card before reclaiming her seat.

I glanced around the room and smoothed out the ends of my hair, not looking for anyone in particular.

“Jamie not here yet?” I asked.

I was surprised he hadn’t greeted me out in the parking lot. Figured he’d be watching out.

“Oh, he’s here.” Quinn laughed, drawing my head around. She waved her hand in the air dismissively. “I paid for him to get a private lap dance just before you walked in. He was killing the vibe.”

“He was taking all the attention away from you, you mean?” Chante asked playfully, knocking her shoulder into Quinn’s.

“Yeah. Like I said. Killing the vibe,” Quinn returned.

The girls kept up the banter, Jen and Andrea joining in, as I looked behind me in the direction of the VIP area and the big scary man guarding it.

A private lap dance, huh?

I smiled. Perfect.

Then I turned back to the girls and declared, “I’ll be back. I think the birthday girl needs some attention.”

Quinn’s eyes started shining bright.

“Oh, Lord,” Jen laughed.

“Yes, she absolutely needs some attention,” Quinn said, wiggling in her seat. “All the attention!”

“You already have it,” Andrea claimed. “What’s new?”

I dug some cash out of my wallet and then sat my purse on the table, asking, “Watch this for me?”

The girls nodded.

Then I spun around and padded across the room, stepping up to the big scary VIP guard.

“Hey,” I said, smiling. “My husband is back there and he’s got three kids at home and one baking in the oven. Do you mind if I go remind him of that?”