Free Tease Me by Dawn Atkins Page A

expected, isn’t it? If you love something, you miss it. But I’ve moved on. I’ve got college ahead of me.”
    “You don’t sound so sure.”
    “It’s a little intimidating. The courses are tough. And psychology is competitive as a field. It’s hard to establish yourself.”
    “If you were happy where you were, why push it?”
    “Because I want more.”
    “College isn’t the only place to learn. Life’s the best teacher.”
    He felt her study him. “It’s one teacher, true.”
    Hell, he’d sounded defensive. “Whatever floats your boat, I guess. I picked up what I needed to know about cars from working on them. With my dad at first. Then later just on my own. Same with music.”
    “So, you never considered college?” she asked.
    “I’m not college material.” He winked at her as he parked, then climbed out and went to open her door.
    But she wouldn’t let it go. “Sure you are. If you want that.” She looked up at him, absolutely sure of what she’d said. She had great eyes. They made him want to say, “Whatever you say. Just keep staring at me like that.”
    “I’m doing what I want right now.” For now anyway. He gave her his hand.
    She allowed him to pull her to her feet, then let go right away—that I’ve-got-it-no-sweat act she put on. She looked up at the bar entrance, then the Moons logo. He tried not to grin at what she was about to discover. “So, this is it…? Moons.” She smiled happily.
    “Yep. This is it.” He hoped she’d laugh when she figured out about the bar. He took the canvas cover out of the trunk and she helped him cover the car with it, lookingdamned sexy in that baggy blouse in the purple dusk. The movements made her breasts jiggle like a firm mousse. He didn’t hold smallness against a good breast. No, sir.
    He held open the Moons back door and Heidi entered, blinking against the sudden gloom. This early, there wouldn’t be any dancers, except maybe Nevada, but soon enough Heidi would catch sight of someone topless and she’d want out of there.
    He spotted Duke’s nephew Stan talking to Taylor about something. What angle was he working? Most of the guy’s friends used drugs, Jackson was sure, though never on the premises, and he’d bet a few were connected. He trusted Taylor to keep him apprised of anything amiss.
    “Very flashy,” Heidi said, surveying the space. “And you have entertainment?” She nodded at the main stage.
    “Oh, yeah. Lots of that.” He almost laughed.
    “So many stages…And there’s where you play music?” She pointed at the overhanging DJ booth to the left.
    “That’s the place,” he said. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Nevada and another dancer step out of the dressing room and head to the main stage. They were deep in conversation, evidently about Nevada’s costume, since they were both plucking at its edges. It consisted of two ribbons of black fabric that barely covered her nipples and a virtually invisible thong. Nevada pulled herself up the pole, head down, still talking to the other dancer. Then she reached behind her head to untie the strings of the top and bared her breasts, demonstrating the costume, no doubt, just as Heidi looked in her direction.
    “Oh, my.” Heidi turned startled eyes to him. “Those women are—”
    “Strippers…right, though they prefer exotic dancers .”
    “Then this is a—”
    “Men’s club, like I said.”
    “But I thought you meant rowdy or seedy…or…I didn’t…” She returned her stare to the stage. “Wow.” She kept watching.
    “I tried to tell you that you wouldn’t like it, that it wasn’t your kind of place….”
    “That’s a difficult move.”
    Nevada had pulled herself high on the pole, graceful as a circus star. “Yeah. Nevada’s had gymnastics training.”
    “She’s the one who bought my makeup, right? She’s very skilled.” Heidi hadn’t taken her eyes off the stage. “The frills on that top don’t fall right for the moves she’s