Free Secret Love (Love Stings Series Book 2) by Evan Grace

Carrington sits down across from me, and we dig in.
    We sit in a companionable silence. These eggs are the best I’ve ever had, and I moan with each fork full. She smiles at me and then takes a big bite of her bacon.
    “Was there a problem at the club?”
    “No, he just wanted to let me know we’ve got a big party coming in tomorrow night.”
    It’s a lame as hell excuse, but I can’t tell her anything else, and I don’t know how to tell her that the party requested she be the main entertainment. She may still have to dance privately for them, and I don’t want her feeling awkward.
    She watches me from across the table, and I wonder if she even believes the shit I’m saying. “Oh, okay.” She picks her plate up and grabs mine for me. I hear her scrape the plates off and then rinse them off.
    “You don’t have to clean up,” I tell her, walking into the kitchen to make coffee. “Can you stay for a little bit? Maybe sit outside and drink coffee?”
    “Yeah, sure.” Her mouth spreads into such a wide smile that I can’t help but return it. This girl is something else.
     
    ***
     
    It’s six o’clock when I step into the club. Sundays through Thursdays, the club is pretty quiet. The dancers are okay but nowhere near the caliber of the girls who dance on Friday and Saturday. We have two bartenders working and no waitresses. I give one of the bartenders, Kyle, a chin lift and make my way back toward Rafe and Tucker’s office.
    A quick knock on the door and I pop it open. I find Rafe sitting behind his desk and Tucker standing next to him. They’re both looking at the computer screen. Neither of them looks up, but they signal for me to come in with their hands. I sit down in front of their desk and wait for them to talk to me.
    Rafe looks up at me and gives me a chin lift. He sets a thick envelope on the desk in front of me. I pick it up and peer inside. It’s a large stack of hundred dollar bills. He reaches out to me with a piece of paper.
    “Here’s the address. You’ll be hooking up with a guy named Tony. He’ll take the cash and then he’ll have a small duffle bag for you.” I pick up the address. “Damien, we’re trusting you with this. Don’t let us down.”
    “Don’t worry, you can trust me. I’ll be back ASAP. Do they know to expect me, not you?”
    “Yeah, they know our head of security is coming. Take this with you just in case.”
    Tucker opens a drawer and pulls out a .22. I take it from him, check the clip, and tuck it into the back of my jeans, pulling my t-shirt out so it covers the gun. I take the money and take my leave. Out in the parking lot, I stick the money in the glove box of my Jeep. I punch in the address on my GPS.
    It’s a twenty-minute drive, giving me lots of time to think about things, about Carrington. I shouldn’t be fucking her because if I were to get compromised, it could be bad for her. I’m a selfish bastard though, and I don’t care since I’m not done fucking her out of my system yet. In all seriousness, I want to help her pass her boards so she can stop fucking dancing. As much as I love watching her and fantasize about her dancing just for me, she deserves so much better than that life.
    I pull down a street filled with McMansions. Each house is big and looks identical to the next. The GPS tells me I’ve reached my destination when I pull up in front of the monstrosity at the end of the street. If their plan was to look inconspicuous, then they’ve failed. The house itself looks normal, but the landscaping is ridiculous. The shrubbery is shaped like animals, and there are so many flowers gracing the yard that I can’t even tell if there’s grass.
    There is also the large man wearing his sunglasses at night, standing by the front door. I get out of my jeep and make my way toward the front door. The guy with the sunglasses is watching me as I make my approach.
    “Can I help you?” His voice is deep.
    “Yeah, Rafe sent me.” I’m not scared, but