Free Electrified by Rachel Blaufeld, Pam Berehulke Page A

only asked me to bring this message back to Sienna. I looked at it, and it wasn’t anything rude, so I agreed. I know, it was stupid.” The guy stood at the ready, obviously worried that Big Mike was going to pound him. And from the look on Mike’s face, he wasn’t far off in that estimation.
    Mike’s huge fists were hooked on his hips, his eyes narrowed at Billy as he said sternly, “Dude, I get it, but nothing gets delivered to Sienna, just like no one gets back here either. This is private space, and Sienna is not in the habit of taking names and numbers.” He leaned into Billy’s face and dropped his voice lower in warning. “Do not let this happen again.”
    Worried that the two of them were about to go to blows, Sienna stepped outside her dressing room door and interjected, “Uh, guys, I’m standing right here. What’s going on, Mike?”
    Billy lowered his head in shame. “Sorry, Ms. Flower, but some guy gave me this slip of paper for you with his number on it. He only asked if you wanted to go for coffee and to give you his number. I thought it might be okay to bring it back, but I made a mistake. I won’t do it again.”
    “Okay, Billy,” Sienna said carefully, not wanting for Billy to get into trouble on her account. “Yes, Mike is right. I don’t normally take messages or numbers, but no one got hurt or bothered, so no worries. Since you’re already back here, let me take that.” She brought her hand up to take the slip of paper, then crumbled it in a ball, but held it tight in her palm. “By the way, what did the man look like?”
    Mike swung his surprised gaze on her as she accepted the piece of paper, which was about as unusual as her walking the floor on a Friday night. For the second time that evening, Sienna was breaking her own personal code, and he knew it.
    Great . Not only were Asher’s hackles up, but now Mike’s were, too.
    Billy didn’t answer, he just looked to Mike to see what he should do after the dressing-down he’d just received for bringing the note backstage.
    Mike ignored him, and with curious eyes glaring down at her, answered for Billy. “I saw him. It was the man at the table you stopped by earlier.”
    “Oh.” Sienna paused to collect her thoughts, not wanting to raise any more speculation. “Thanks, guys. I’ve seen him here before. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, he’s just a harmless fan. He asked me to have a drink with him tonight and I turned him down. He was probably just looking for another chance.” She gave them both a smile that she hoped looked genuine, and went back into her dressing room.
    As she settled onto her chaise longue, her one indulgence in her private dressing room, she realized she still had the slip of paper in her hand. Sienna knew Mike wasn’t going to let this go. He had been with the club since she came to work at the Tunnel. Big Mike might cover up the silver-spoon upbringing he was always trying to shed with a scary face and demeanor, but he was also a softie like Asher when it came to her. He would never let anything make her scared or sad, and had been telling her this since she first came to work for Asher, promising he would always protect her. The bouncer was younger than she was, but he had taken her under his wing with a tenderness that at first had surprised her.
    “Sienna, sweetie, we’re gonna take care of you, Asher and me. Nothing is gonna scare you. Nothing,” Mike used to say as he drove her home to that gross motel when she first started to dance. It wasn’t as if he had designs on her. Big Mike was a one-woman man even back in the day, and his girlfriend lived with him. He just cared for Sienna and considered her family, unlike the wealthy parents he had turned his back on years before.
    And just like family, she knew he wasn’t going to drop this.
    Sienna unfolded the slip of paper.
     
    Name is Carson. Coffee on Saturday or Sunday? Nothing too crazy. I promise.
     
    That was all it