about Tony popping up or the women he wanted to sell, I knew it was out of my hands. I refused to live every day of my life in fear because of what could happen. I’d enjoy my time with Beast and trust him and the other clubs to do their jobs. This wasn’t my first rodeo. I’d seen what could happen to women in this world, and I also knew that no matter how vigilant you were, it would only take one second of being distracted for something to go horribly wrong. All I could do was be prepared to fight if the need arose. But secretly, I hoped Beast and the others handled it without me having to lift a finger. After all, it’s what they did best.
Chapter Nine
Beast
I’d forgotten about asking the Savage Knights to come. Having Lyssa fall into my lap, and the trouble she’d brought with her, had shifted my priorities a bit. With Tony in the wind, there wasn’t much I could do right now, and I didn’t want the club to miss out on deals I’d already put into motion. We weren’t hurting for money, but I wasn’t about to sit on my ass and not proactively bring more funds in either.
Thankfully, Seeker hadn’t been pissed about Lyssa dropping him on his ass. I could have reprimanded her in front of everyone, made a big show of how sorry I was my woman was out of control, but it would have been a lie. I liked the fact she could handle herself. As my old lady, I needed her to be strong and resourceful, and Lyssa was both.
I knew she was curious why they were here. Since it wasn’t related to her issue, I wasn’t saying shit about it. The Savage Knights owned a few strip clubs in Nevada and were looking to expand. Except theirs were a little different from the one we ran here. I wasn’t sure if Lyssa would approve. They offered certain services to special clients. All completely consensual. The girls would never be forced to do anything they didn’t want to do, but those who wanted extra cash would have the opportunity, which also meant more money going to the club’s pocket since both clubs would take a percentage.
I’d offered to purchase a place nearby for a split of the profits. We were going in fifty-fifty on Cherry Pie, which was set to open within the next month. I’d put an offer in on the building a month before Lyssa had strolled through my door, and I’d signed the papers shortly thereafter.
Seeker would be hanging around for a little while to help get the strip club off the ground and bring in some talent. The “gift” he’d given me had been one of their girls from back home, looking for a change of scenery. I knew Brick had two others lined up from around here, but we needed more than three dancers. It was an issue for another day, or better yet, one someone else could handle. It wasn’t like I needed to micromanage my brothers. Once I gave them a task, they knew what the fuck to do and left me in peace unless I had to sign off on something.
Which meant I should have the rest of the night alone with Lyssa.
We’d barely cleared the door before she’d started removing her shoes and clothes. I followed the trail up the stairs to our bedroom except she wasn’t in the bed like I’d expected. I heard the shower going and removed my clothes before heading that way. I opened the shower door and stepped inside as she tipped her head back and rinsed the shampoo from her long tresses.
“Didn’t you shower before we left?” I asked. “Not that I don’t enjoy seeing you all naked and wet.”
“I smelled like smoke. I can’t stand cigarettes. They smell horrible, and if I die from secondhand smoke one day, I’ll come back to haunt every bastard responsible.”
Right. I’d found out the hard way she didn’t like cigarettes and I’d made sure I didn’t smoke around her. Granted, I hadn’t realized exactly how much she hated the smell until just now. I’d thought it was more of an irritation to her eyes since I’d seen her blink rapidly whenever someone was smoking near her. It just gave me a good reason to quit. I’d tried before, and succeeded for several months, until I’d caved and lit one up.
I reached for her