To Die For - Davidson King Page 0,3

like a boss.

“Everyone’s having a great time.” I sipped my drink, sad when I hit the bottom, knowing I’d have to go back to the bar.

“You’re not up on the stage tonight?” he asked. I was one of the patrons who had a free pass to dance on the stage whenever I wanted—per Atlas’s say-so. I was that good. Hell, I owned a dance studio, so I’d better know what the fuck I was doing.

“Nah, not feeling it tonight. Disco isn’t my groove.”

Toby narrowed his eyes and leaned in closer. “Then why did you come this evening, Sparkles?”

I’d never told Toby my real name was Lane—he’d never asked, and it wasn’t some big secret. I just sort of loved being Sparkles here.

“Great drinks.” I held up my empty glass.

“Or…” He tapped his chin. “Great bartender?”

I knew where he was going with this, but I could play too. “Shane is a remarkable addition.”

He chuckled and lightly tapped my shoulder. “I’m talking about Max! Don’t be an idiot. I don’t know why you won’t give the guy a chance.”

“Um, seriously?” I arched a brow. “He probably has STDs that haven’t even been named yet.”

Toby’s shoulders shook, and the music was too loud to hear his laugh, but I knew it was a good one. “Stop! I mean, yeah, he likes sex, which there is nothing wrong with, but maybe he’s waiting for you to finally say yes?”

I rolled my eyes, about to answer that ridiculous comment, when Atlas’s voice boomed from the stage.

“Are we having a good time?” he said into a golden microphone. He wore a purple glittering suit that shone brilliantly against his dark skin. His braids were half-up, and from here I could see his bright smile.

Toby had lost all interest in me and was staring at his man on stage, who was owning the room that was cheering and loving him.

“I’m looking for some dancers to do a Disco Dance-off up here on the stage. Do we have any volunteers?”

That was my cue to slip back and wait. I’d grab a drink after the dancers were picked. While Max made the best martinis, I circled the other way to avoid him. When Atlas had his dancers, I slipped between two people and saw Shane.

“Hey, what can I get you?” he asked. I ordered another strawberry martini, sipping it the second he handed it to me. Not as good as Max’s but it would suffice. I dropped another ten on the bar and moved to where I could see the dancers compete.

I chuckled into my drink as I watched some seriously awful disco moves, but the whole place was wildly entertained. This was why I loved Joker’s Sin—there was nowhere else like it. You left your burdens at the door, becoming whatever it was you wanted to be as you crossed the threshold. In my case, it was Sparkles.

With an early class in the morning, I said good night to Toby shortly before closing, and Ciro, who was in charge of security for Joker’s Sin, saw me to my car like the perfect gentleman. I drove home knowing I would get the four hours of sleep I needed to at least be partially human when I arrived at my studio in the morning.

Ashley’s Haven was my dance studio. A dream come true that opened up two years ago. I wasn’t sure how successful it would be, but it turned out there were no other studios with such diverse classes. I taught dancing, ranging from parent-and-me classes to classes for the elderly. I found the elderly and the parents with infants and toddlers liked their classes in the morning, with afternoon and early evenings preferred by teenagers and couples.

At first it was just me running it by myself. I did registration, teaching—all of it. After about eight months, I was stressed. That was when I hired another teacher, Alexandra, and a few months after that, an assistant to help us keep things organized. Nolan was a lifesaver, and between the three of us, Ashley’s Haven was a well-oiled, fun, highly sought-after studio.

I’d just finished getting my tap shoes on when the door opened, and my first class began to stride in. This was the three- and four-year-old class, and originally Alexandra had taught it, but after one too many headaches due to nonstop tapping, I took over.

“Good morning, my little tap-dancing terrors, how are you today?” I stood with a smile, loving how the moms and dads laughed. They knew