like?’
‘I went to her place yesterday and I saw her this morning before I went out, she didn’t tell you?’
He shook his head. ‘Lyssa’s a secrets woman. She prefers to be the one asking for information. She doesn’t offer much unless you ask directly.’ Meeting her eye, he made no attempt to get out of the truck. ‘You went to see her? Twice?’
‘I went to her office yesterday and yes, we… I guess you could say that we had a session.’ Relief flooded his expression before he smiled.
‘Babe, that’s… I’m proud of you.’
Just hearing those words directed at her made a nip form in her sinuses and any doubts she had about returning to Doctor Cutler disappeared. Going to Lyssa and talking about her trauma meant so much to Blaser because he cared about her and she wouldn’t let him down.
‘Thanks,’ Bri said, unclicking her seatbelt and reaching for the door handle.
Blaser got out and around the hood to open her door for her, she automatically linked her fingers through his as they walked toward the rear entrance of Risqué. It was only when he shoved the door and held it open for her that she realised holding his hand wasn’t natural… rather, it wasn’t appropriate.
'Any girls I should look out for?' Bri asked, trying to be discreet about slipping her hand out of his.
Being subtle didn’t work, he glanced down when her hand disappeared from his and he too must have had the same thought about how inappropriate it was because he seemed to ignore his urge to grab hold of her again. He cleared his throat but said nothing about what had just happened.
‘If you're looking for the inside scoop on the locker room, you'd have to talk to Crystal,’ he said.
‘Crystal doesn't like me,' Bri said, walking at his side down the corridor of the backstage area, passed a flight of stairs. ‘Which probably isn't the best start for me.’
‘You went to school with Crystal. You guys used to be friendly.’ His tone suggested that he wanted further explanation about that, but he wasn’t going to get it from her.
‘Those days are gone,' she said, passing him to move down the corridor.
He snagged her arm and she swung back to him. Wondering why he’d pulled her back, Bri prepared herself in expectation of a kiss. Instead, he nodded toward a door and she guessed they’d reached their destination.
Blaser hadn't opened this club until after he was out of jail. It was strange to be such an integral part of something you knew nothing about. She had pored over every detail of this place with him while it was still a dream and being here now that he had done it made her sorry that she hadn't been a part of this journey.
Before they went through the door, Blaser actually knocked on it. He didn’t wait for a response, he just went in, but he’d alerted the occupants to his pending entry. Coming in after him she took in the lockers and strewn clothes, this was the women’s changing area. Women were all around the place in various stages of undress, but he didn't blink at the flesh on show. She guessed that he was used to seeing every inch of these women.
He passed the lockers perpendicular to the entrance and with a hand on the small of her back he guided her around to sit on a couch, which shared the door wall.
‘Everyone together,’ he called but all of the women were already gravitating toward him anyway.
He had that kind of force in every room. Either men wanted to hit him or women wanted to mount him, Blaser evoked extreme emotion wherever he went.
‘Where's Crystal?’ a tiny little woman asked, propping herself on the high arm of another red leather couch.
‘Keeping things moving out front,’ Blaser said.
‘I thought that Lyssa and Colt were out there,’ the little woman said.
‘They are,’ Blaser said, eager to move on. ‘Suzette just came in, so the women are chattering about something and—‘The women laughed. ‘Yes, Colt is up to his eyeballs and if I leave him out there on