Kimberly Dean - Private Dancer

Her chin jerked upward. Once again, he’d shifted gears on her.

Her fingers finally wrapped around her keys, and she looked at the door. Once again, Hunt stood silently watching her. He leaned against the wall, seemingly at ease, but that image of a lounging black panther returned to her mind’s eye. She could feel its intense gaze upon her as its tail swished back and forth.

‘Leesha?’

The soft sound of her nickname had her looking back to the desk. There were two panthers here, she had to remember. One somewhat domesticated, the other not.

‘I’m sorry. You really should talk to my father about this. I could set up a time and –’

‘Do you want to close us down? Because there are families who depend on paychecks from the Satin Club to survive. We pay our employees very well.’

‘Our intent isn’t to make anyone want,’ she said immediately.

A grunt came from the side of the room, the first sound that Hunt had made. When she threw a worried glance his way, she found his gaze raking down her body. With wanting .

She shifted uncomfortably.

His look finally settled on her breasts, hot and blatant. The crisscross design of her top was fashionable and not all that exposing, but it did dip lower in the neckline than she normally wore. The bodice was fitted and complimentary – if she wanted to showcase her breasts, she finally realised. She wore a bra, but she could feel her nipples stiffening and swelling.

Unable to stand his attention, she sat in the chair facing Mr Crowe. Bas. She swept her hair over her shoulder. These two unsettled her, but she needed to get the situation back under control. She’d come here to speak to them and, although she was distracted, that finally seemed to be what the club owner wanted, too.

‘Would a donation to the church help?’ Bas asked.

She shook her head. ‘Money isn’t the issue.’

‘Then what is?’

His gaze was solidly on her face, but as Alicia settled her clutch in her lap, even she was aware of her body’s response to what was happening around her. Trying to be discreet, she pulled at her top.

And nearly moaned.

Her nipples were so sensitive.

‘The sexual …’ Her words were so soft they were nonexistent. ‘The sexual nature of what goes on here.’

‘Do you consider sex a bad thing?’

His words were steady and clear, not embarrassed at all.

She cleared her throat. ‘Not between a married man and woman, but –’

‘But you’ve had sex, haven’t you?’

If her embarrassment had been bad before, it went white-hot now. She stared at her lap, unable to meet his green stare. She couldn’t answer that question, not from a man she didn’t even know. It was private. Confidential. And with what her father and church preached, she shouldn’t be able to answer yes.

‘Yet you’re not married,’ Bas continued. Her lack of virginity was a foregone conclusion to him but here it wasn’t an issue. Outside, in her world?

She cringed.

‘Sex is not evil, my dear. Sex is about gratification, for both men and women and any combination thereof. God gave us the wonder of sex in order to procreate. It’s only man who made it complicated.’

Well, they’d done a doozy of a job. Alicia crossed her legs, but that only increased her tenderness. Her private woman place felt so hot and achy. This kind of talk was so foreign to her, so taboo. Pressing her legs together helped, but she wanted to rub. She needed to rock against the chair, something, anything, hard.

‘Couldn’t you change the style of dance?’ she suggested hopefully. ‘Make it a dinner club with shows and performances?’

Behind her, Hunt made a sound that sounded like a scoff. It was quiet, but it reminded her he was there.

As if she could have forgotten.

Sex with him wouldn’t be complicated. No, it would be straightforward, raw and hungry. Why had she given him her back?

‘Dinner theatre wouldn’t be financially feasible,’ Bas said, shaking his head. ‘The production costs would go up for staging, lighting and music. We’d have to drop our exclusivity clause for members and open up to the public. Even then, with our location, we wouldn’t draw a large enough crowd to keep us in business for more than three months.’

‘Don’t forget wardrobe costs,’ Hunt added.

Bas laughed at that, and the low rumble made Alicia rub her thigh. They were being so pleasant and respectful, but the undercurrents in the room were tugging at her. Sloshing her to and fro.

‘Wardrobe costs would definitely skyrocket.’ Crowe leaned forward, balancing his chin in his hand as he watched her. ‘So again, I’m at a loss as to what I’m supposed to do to satisfy your church.’

The questions he was asking were valid. He was running a business. Admittedly, it was a business some might not like, but he had employees who depended on the incomes they made here.

‘Would you consider apologising?’ she asked. ‘Admitting your indiscretions?’

‘What indiscretions?’ For as polite as he was being, his voice had an edge now that she’d only heard arise when he’d spoken to her father.

‘The dancing …’ she said weakly.

‘You like the dancing.’

She jolted in surprise. The edge in his voice had become a lash.

‘You enjoyed what you saw out there,’ he said, challenging her to deny it. ‘You thought it was beautiful and intriguing. I saw it.’

He had. She hadn’t been able to keep her body from responding to the rhythm of the music. ‘That doesn’t mean I approve.’

‘Bullshit.’ His hand slipped from under his chin and slapped against the desk. ‘I’d lay money on the fact that you liked it so much, you want to try it.’

Her gaze jumped to his. ‘I do not.’

‘Thou shalt not lie, honey cakes.’ Those green eyes of his sparked, and his stubborn chin jutted forward. This was the fighter she’d seen, the uncivilised scrapper. ‘You don’t follow your made-up rules any better than I do. I felt your hips working out there. I could feel the rhythm taking over your body. You want to dance.’

‘Of course, I do. I’m a dancer, but not like –’

‘Exactly like that.’

Her mouth clamped closed. She couldn’t argue like this. She did want to dance again. They’d set off something inside her last week. She’d been all around town looking for a studio where she could train again, shake off the cobwebs and wake her body up. All she’d found were prima donna studios that catered to pre-teens. She didn’t need to learn how to do an arabesque, she just needed the floor space and time to practise. But she didn’t want to move like –

Thou shalt not lie.

He’d trapped her again with her own beliefs.

She had been fascinated by what she’d seen on that stage. The sensuality the redheaded dancer had displayed had shocked her at first, but then she’d sensed the honesty in the movements. It was the one overriding theme she’d noticed when she’d first walked in the door. This place was open and honest about sensuality, something she’d never been allowed to, or had the audacity to, explore.

‘I could never –’

‘You could. I invited you here, and you accepted.’

‘I wanted to talk.’

‘And we’re talking. I’m trying to understand why you and your people feel the need to repress what others want to do. Why do you ignore your own needs? Why is pleasure such a bad thing to you?’

‘It’s not a bad thing.’

‘But sex is?’ He sighed. ‘You want to dance, Alicia. Let’s just start with that. Why don’t you dance for me?’

Her eyes went so wide, they went dry. ‘What? No, I couldn’t.’

‘For yourself, then. On the stage, any style you want. You pick the music. Our customers would love you, and I can’t stand the thought of you holding yourself back. All that talent going to waste? It’s a shame.’