His Southern Temptation - By Robin Covington Page 0,21

G-string bottom, looking her up and down with a practiced eye.

The door behind them opened, and a man, tall and broadly built with a bald head, stepped into the room. He looked around, scanning the crowd with a blank expression that didn’t quite mask the curiosity in his eyes. He was looking for someone, or something, and the severe set of his mouth told her he wasn’t happy that he didn’t find it.

“Can I hel—” Taylor was cut off by the tightening of Stacey’s fingers on her arm and when she glanced down, the slight shake of her head.

“Any of you girls seen Sarah Morgan lately?” The stranger may have phrased the question openly, but he was looking at Taylor. A prickle of unease coasted across her skin. She had a feeling this was a guy she didn’t want remembering who she was.

“No. We told you already.” Stacey’s expression echoed the challenge in her voice. “She’s gone. You know anything about that?”

The other dancers gasped at her bold question, and Taylor grasped her shoulder, trying desperately to transfer her warning through her touch. Everything about this man said “don’t fuck with me,” and she bet he could back it up.

The guy barked out a humorless laugh, the sound cracking out in the relative quiet of the room. He walked farther into the room, his shoes silent on the linoleum floor, eyes hard-locked on Stacey. The stranger stopped right in front her, close but not touching, as he maintained his cold assessment. When he spoke it was like a thunderclap into the hush, his hand shooting out to grasp Stacey’s chin in a painful-looking grip. Taylor started to move forward, but one of the other dancers grabbed her arm, holding her back. “You’ve got a mouth on you, little girl. I suggest you use it to tell Sarah that Bruce is looking for her and that she’d be real smart to get in touch with me. She took something and I want it back.”

Stacey wrenched out of his grasp, her expression murderous, but the tremor in her hands gave her away—she was as scared as the rest of them. “You better get the hell out of here before I scream down the place and have the cops all over you.”

“Whatever, bitch. Just remember what I said.”

Having delivered his message, he turned on his heel, slamming the door behind him. He was gone, but the meaning of his words hung in the air.

“Are you okay?” Taylor asked, pulling Stacey into a hug. “Who was that?”

“You just stay away from him.” Stacey clung to her for a moment, but quickly pulled out of her embrace. She visibly straightened her posture, her voice taking on the “mama bear” tone she adopted with all the girls. She wasn’t going to let anyone see her sweat, and Taylor admired her spunk. With a baby daughter at home, Stacey was as strong as they came. “That man doesn’t bring nothing but trouble.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. He freaked me out,” Taylor said, not having to fake the shiver that coursed through her. “Who’s Sarah Morgan?”

“She’s a girl who didn’t take my advice.”

“What do you think she took from him?”

“I don’t think Sarah’s got whatever he’s looking for. That girl couldn’t shut up about the stupid stuff the guys she was screwing gave to her. If she’d hit the jackpot she would have run her mouth off about it before she took off.” Stacey pushed her forward, her tone communicating she wasn’t saying anymore. “You better go and get ready to dance.”

Taylor faked a smile and made a big show of waving her off. She was dying to push for answers, but something told her now was not the time. Stacey knew what was going on, and patience would result in getting the answers she wanted. “I’m going, Miss Bossy Pants. See you later.”

Taylor stepped out into the dingy, dark hallway and checked to see if the bald guy was lurking in the shadows. She didn’t know exactly who he was, but she wasn’t faking her reaction. He gave her the serious willies, and she was going to steer clear of him.

The music was loud as it pulsed into the backstage area, but it didn’t mask the roar created by a bunch of loud, drunk, horny patrons. It was her biggest night so far, and the whisper of nerves surprised her. This wasn’t a real job, but Lucky would be watching, and his opinion mattered. She