Taking our business to the east coast was proving almost impossible. There
were other places to look, some down the coast and others up, but I really wanted to have one here in Myrtle Beach. I was patient, and I’d wait. Something would come along. Just like the princess on the stool over there.
There were rooms here, rooms we could claim permanently, for a price, or we could use them as our whims took us. The rooms that were claimed permanently could be decorated and kitted out however we liked. I’d take one of those rooms tonight, I decided as I looked her over. Give her a little taste of what was to come.
Roxie shifted off of her stool and took her friend’s hand once again. I straightened in my chair as they came in my direction. I sat up straight and waited, my face impassive. Roxie’s face was a mask of triumph as she finally brought the woman to me. They walked up to my table, in a darker corner of the bar, and stood there.
The woman looked at me, her eyes taking in the shape of my face, the bulge
of my shoulders in the suit I wore, and the length of my fingers on the table. An arched brow told me she liked what she saw.
“Hello, Roxie. Who’s this delicious little morsel you’ve brought to me?” I was much taller than the woman, and now that she was close, I could see that her body was perfection, even if her hips weren’t very full. I would love every moment my hands were on her.
“This, my friend, is Stephanie. She’s just joined us here at Elmo’s, and I thought you’d like to meet her.” Her voice was cool, but I could hear the amusement in it. She’d seen how I’d stared at Stephanie then.
If that was her real name. She didn’t look like a Stephanie to me, not with those beautiful gray eyes, but I wouldn’t judge.
“Hello, Stephanie.” I turned my gaze to the woman and looked her over and
over again.
“Hello, Mr. Dark.” Her voice was barely above a husky whisper, and I felt a throb of desire.
“Mr. Dark?” I asked, confused, but willing to play along.
“Yes, you’re tall, dark, and handsome. I think it suits you.” The words came out on a flirtatious note.
I knew she’d be more than lovely at my feet, on her knees, with her head bent in submission. The image was so vivid in my head I faked a cough and pushed my hips under the table a little more.
“I can tell you my real name, if you’d prefer?” I offered, but she shook her head.
“No, Mr. Dark works, for now.”
“For now. Indeed. Would you like to sit?” I held a chair out but didn’t rise.
“I’ll leave you two to get acquainted then. Freddy’s just arrived, and I want to say hello.” Roxie left us with a wink in my direction, and I turned to the delightful company I’d just been left with.
“Can I get you something?” I asked, and she nodded. She seemed to be a little nervous now that Roxie was gone, but she didn’t panic.
“Rum and Coke, please.” She twitched the material that was wrapped around
her body and got settled in.
It only took a moment to get her a drink, and I came back with a confident
smile. “Here you go, as requested.”
“Thanks.” She took a drink of it before she put the glass down. “Look, I’m
new to this, and really nervous, so if I say something stupid…”
“It’s fine,” I interrupted I didn’t want her to get upset and possibly run off.
“You aren’t the only girl to walk through those doors for the first time. Just relax. We all know why we’re here, but there’s no need to rush into anything.”
I put my hand over hers and felt her warmth. I wanted her even more now that I’d heard her voice and seen those incredible eyes up close. She smiled, a little bashful now, but she leaned into me. She moved her bottom lip, and I knew she wanted to bite it; I wanted her to bite it, but she didn’t. Instead, she looked away.
“It’s nicer than I thought it would be,” she said and turned back to me. “I expected something like you’d see in a movie.”
“No, this isn’t one of those places, and it’s not a drug den. Drugs aren’t allowed.” I took a deep breath before I spoke again. “It kind of reminds me of the old gentlemen’s clubs you can read about in novels set in the Victorian era.
I’ve actually seen men reading newspapers and talking quietly here. It’s, well,
genteel, almost.”
“Except for the stage,” she pointed out, and I laughed.
“Except for the stage,” I repeated with a low chuckle. “But it’s not a bad place. Well, except for the dance club part on this floor. That can get pretty wild, but that’s only open for special events.”
“I see. And how does all of this work then?” She leaned forward, her elbows on the table as she picked up her glass to finish her drink.
“Roxie didn’t tell you?” I was a little surprised at that. Roxie normally took care of all of the new girls and told them the lay of the land.
“I know how it’s supposed to happen, but real life is always different from what you expect, isn’t it? I’m not sure how to proceed, exactly.” Her eyes had been on mine as she spoke but had fallen down to her hands now that she was finished.
“Well, it’s all up to you, Stephanie. If you should just so happen to find a man you like, you sit down, have a drink,” I paused to tilt my scotch at her, “and talk about it.”
“And what if the man doesn’t want me?” she asked, a question in her eyes.
