Vicious Cycle (Vicious Cycle #1)(67)

I slunk over to the pole, my hands gripping the metal for dear life. Because of my ballet training, I was somewhat of a natural when it came to pole dancing. I swirled and bent and twisted my body, giving them a real show.

As I was arched over on my back, straddling the pole, the one line I had been waiting for came up. At “Just like Jesse James,” I rose, and then with my free hand, pointed a trigger straight at Deacon. The amused look on his face faded. Realization suddenly dawned on him of exactly who I was.

He was out of his chair in a flash.

Thankfully, I had prepared for that.

As I sat in the cheap leather chair waiting for the strippers to come out, I felt something I hadn’t ever experienced before at the Lounge. Guilt. Yeah, I’ll admit I felt pretty f*cking guilty coming tonight after my fight with Alex. Our first real fight as a couple, and it was over strippers.

“What’s wrong with you?” Bishop asked as he flopped down beside me.

“Nothing,” I grumbled. On my other side, Rev snorted. Turning in my seat, I glared at him. “You got something to say?”

“Just that you’re an idiot.”

“Is that right?”

“Yeah, it is. You have someone as wonderful and amazing as Alex at home, and you come down here?”

“Oh, come on, Rev. D’s just watching. It’s not like he’s going in the back for a lap dance like he used to.” Bishop smacked me on the back. “You aren’t, are you?” he asked in a low voice.

“No, I’m not,” I growled.

“See? No harm there.”

Rev leaned forward in his seat so he could see us both. “I think there’s a lot of harm in what he’s doing … or what he’s done.”

After swallowing the rest of my beer, I cocked my brows at Rev. “Sounds like you’ve been talking to Alex.”

Rev shook his head. “Actually, it was Case. He came up to the roadhouse saying that Alex was bawling her eyes out at his house before eight this morning.”

I grimaced. I knew she had disappeared with Kim, and instead of going after her, I’d thought the best thing to do was to let her calm down. Then she hadn’t come home the rest of the day or answered my calls or texts. I knew she was all right, though, because she was with Kim.

“Yeah, well, she’s got a lot to learn when it comes to me and my business.”

“You’re an *.”

“So I heard this morning.”

Bishop snickered at my comment while Rev shot me a death glare. “Somebody should beat some sense into you.”

“Is that right? Are you the man to do it, brother?”

“If it means keeping you from hurting Alex, I’d sure as hell do it!”

Bishop rose out of his chair to stand in front of us. “Easy, now. I don’t think we’ve ever had brothers thrown out before a show even started.”

“Whatever,” I grumbled.

Rev didn’t respond. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest. “It wasn’t like I meant to hurt her feelings,” I finally said to fill the silence.

“She deserves better,” came Rev’s soft reply.

“Guys—” Bishop started in warning.

I shook my head. “No, Rev’s right. She does deserve better than me.” I knew that I had no place being at the Lounge. I should have been trying to find Alexandra to make things right. I started to rise out of my seat to leave when Case pushed me back down.

“You need to stay and enjoy the show.”

It took me a moment to speak, considering how shocked I was to see him. He never went to the Lounge. “I need to make things right with my old lady.”

“See a little tits and ass first to get you fired up to go talk to her.”

“I don’t wanna see any tits or ass besides hers, which unless I make it right with her, I’ll never see again.” With Case practically trapping me in my seat, I sighed. “Whatever.”

The music blared over the loudspeakers. It was an unusual choice. When the curtain opened and I got a look at the girl, my surprise grew even more. She wasn’t like the usual girls we auditioned. This chick looked almost classy, like she had come out of the highest-paid clubs in Atlanta. I couldn’t imagine what the hell she was doing here.

As she started down the stage, my dick stirred in my pants. I hated myself for having a reaction to anyone besides Alex. After she whipped open her duster and tossed it off the stage, I couldn’t look away. It was like she had some magnetic pull. She had fabulous, natural tits that were barely covered by her skimpy bikini top. Her long dark hair fell over her shoulders. The color made me think of Alex’s.

If I was truthful, there was so much about this girl that reminded me of Alex. With half of her face covered with the glittering mask, I couldn’t tell just how much she looked like her. But her body was a dead ringer for her, too.

And then it was like a bucket of cold water doused my head. With a teasing smile, the girl pointed a trigger finger at me as the song said, “Just like Jesse James.” And then I knew it was Alex shaking her half-naked ass on the stage at me. I barely had time to process my emotions before I lunged out of my chair. Alex merely watched me as I hoisted myself onto the stage. “What the f*ck do you think you’re doing?” I demanded as I stomped over to her.