She held the door open for me and followed me into the dank hallway. Once we were in the small dressing room, she took a good look at me and shook her head. “Didn’t you bring anything to change into?”
“Um, no. I was planning on wearing this.” I opened my coat and flashed her my short silver dress.
She rolled her eyes. “Newbies.” Waving at a rack of barely there lingerie, she added, “Pick something from these loaners, but make sure you put it back when you’re done. And those shoes… They have to go.” She crossed the room and opened a cabinet. “Size?”
“Six.”
She rummaged around while I rifled through the shoddy outfits on the rack. There was no flipping way I was borrowing anything from the other girls. All I had to do was wait for Minnie to leave and I’d slip out to the edge of the stage and spy my vamp.
“Here.” She spun around and handed me a set of clear plastic shoes. “Why aren’t you dressed yet?” Minnie stalked over to the rack and yanked out a sequined tube dress. “Here. This is close to what you were going to wear.”
I held it up to my torso and wondered how it was going to cover my tits and my crotch at the same time.
Minnie tugged my coat off and had the zipper down on my dress before I even registered what was happening. “Nice blade,” she said, sounding impressed. “You comfortable enough to use that if someone rolls up on you?”
I rewarded her with an audacious grin. “Wouldn’t carry it if I wasn’t.”
Respect flashed in her knowing gaze as she nodded. “Good for you.” Then she eyed my ass with an appraising look. “You’ll want to keep an eye on that G-string. You wouldn’t want it to walk away on its own. “
“Walk away? You mean the patrons might swipe it?” I shuddered, thinking about some random dude pressing his face against the scrap of fabric.
“Them or one of the other girls. The expensive stuff seems to always get swiped.”
“Um, gross.” If I’d thought some dude sniffing my used panties was disgusting, the idea that some other woman would wear my ass-crack floss made me want to gag.
“You said it, sister. Now put that thing on and go shake your ass.” She stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest as she waited for me.
I shimmied into the tube dress and stepped into the clear, six-inch platform shoes.
Minnie let out a sigh and pounced on me, doing something to quickly tame my wet hair. She stepped back and eyed me critically. “Not exactly ready for a centerfold shot, but you’ll do for a round on the stage.” Her eyes narrowed in on the blade still strapped to my thigh that the tube dress was doing nothing to hide. “Gonna keep that thing on?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation even as I eyed my coat, my fingers itching for my sun agate.
“Just be sure you don’t stab yourself while sliding down that pole.” She grabbed my hand and started tugging me toward the door. “Time to get on stage.”
“Wait.” I twisted out of her grip and ran back to my coat. Once I had the agate in my hand, I stuffed it down my bra, knowing full well there was no way I’d be exposing myself no matter what Minnie and the club bouncer thought. All I needed was the element of surprise and that vamp wouldn’t know what hit him.
“Come on. Hurry. They’re waiting.” Minnie pushed me out the door, and I found myself in a small alcove, barely hidden by the stage’s curtain. In fact, a few of the patrons on the far side had already seen me and one of them stuck two fingers into his mouth and produced an ear-splitting whistle. What the hell had I been thinking? This was in no way an advantage to scouting out the vampire. In fact, I was basically trapped. I either strode out onto the stage where I’d be on full display—in more ways than one—or I made a small scene and ran back into the dressing room.
Better to play the part. If the vampire knew a tracker was after him, he’d never believe I’d show up as a stripper. Taking a deep breath, I strutted out on the stage, swaying my hips to “Candy Shop” by 50 Cent, grateful the song wasn’t a faster rock number. It was much easier to strut around the stage making jerky pelvic motions than it would’ve been if I’d been expected to actually, you know, dance. I took my time scanning the club. Plush seats lined the stage and the walls while linen-covered tables filled in the center. There were expensive-looking chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and the floors were lined with wall-to-wall carpet. It was a far cry from the sticky floors and plastic chairs one would find in most of Bourbon Street’s strip clubs.
I grabbed the pole with one hand and whipped myself around, pausing for just a moment in time with the music. The action allowed me to study a tall man in the back of the club. He was in the shadows, making it difficult to make out his hair color, but he was distinct from everyone else, his movements more graceful and his presence commanding. There was no doubt in my mind he was my mark. And he kept eyeing the front door as if he was waiting for someone.
Was he waiting for his next meal to walk in, or had someone tipped him off I was coming for him? The song continued on and I made ridiculous jerking motions, some of which seemed to resonate with at least a couple of people in the front row because dollar bills had been laid down on the stage. I knew that meant I should give them some individual attention, but that wasn’t happening. I wasn’t getting paid enough for this shit.
I did, however, decide they deserved a little more pole action before the song ended, and I put my considerable athletic skills to the test as I leaped forward and used only my arm strength to climb to three-quarters of the way to the top. Then I wrapped my knees around the pole and let go, bending backward so that my head was pointed straight down to the floor. I was just about to let myself slide down, using only my legs to stop me, when my goddamned sun agate fell right out of my bra and bounced across the stage, its light shining like a fucking beacon.
There was a loud gasp as all the supernaturals in the room recognized the artificial sunlight. Half a dozen newbie vamps screamed and ran for the exit. But not the vamp I’d identified at the back of the club. No, he was staring at me curiously, then he stepped forward into the light, revealing his bright red hair, a small, satisfied smile on his full red lips.
“Shit!” This was some sort of a setup. There was no doubt in my mind. I grabbed the pole with both hands and let myself quickly slide to the stage. My eyes stayed locked on the vampire as I hurried over to grab my agate. But as soon as I reached for it, one of the patrons grabbed it and snarled at me.
Shifter. A mean one too, judging by the snarl on his face. He held it up, showing it to me. The sunlight had faded, but the agate still glowed. “Look what I found. Since you didn’t show us those sweet tits of yours, I think I’ll just keep this little gem.”
“Keep?” I scoffed, my hands digging into my hips. “I don’t think so, wolf. Hand it over, or I’ll kick you in the balls so hard you’ll be choking on them.”
“Feisty.” He leered, his lips turning into a predatory smile. “I like the ones who fight back.”
“Then you’re gonna love the shit out of me.” I jumped off the stage and kicked out, hitting him right in the chest with my clear plastic stripper shoe.
He fell backward, and both of us hit the floor, knocking tables and chairs over. The collision bothered neither of us, and in seconds we both rolled and landed back on our feet.
“Ready to hand it over, or do you want me to make good on my promise?” I asked.
His eyes narrowed and he made a show of stuffing the agate into his front pocket.