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“The point is that I own my own company and therefore things get done only when I do them,” she says sharply.
I like her temper. I also like the way she smells, which I only notice after we’re free of the food scents of the restaurant.
I breathe deeply, trying not to make it look obvious. Vanilla. And something else that I can’t put my finger on.
Yet.
The car pulls away from the curb, leaving the hotel behind us and hopefully any further visits from the police. It was easy to agree to help Cady; I probably would have done it even without her coming to see me, especially seeing how the police treated her.
I get the sense Cady doesn’t ask for help very often. And it’s probably difficult for her to accept it when offered.
There’s a lot more about Cady than she lets on. More than the billionaire businesswoman who came from nothing to make the big deals in land development. More than the former escort who gave it up and probably knows more about sex than I do in my little finger.
Oh, that’s a lot of pressure.
I’ve always liked puzzles and word games and figuring out stuff. And Cady is the best puzzle I’ve been faced with in a long time. Even in this short time, I’ve gotten peeks of what may be underneath and, like a dangling thread in a sweater, I want to pull until she begins to unravel.
“I disagree,” I say. “You may be amazing at what you do, but you’re not Super Woman. You have people to do things. Do you never sleep? Eat dinner? Date?” I throw that one in to gauge things.
“I only sleep for about six hours at a time, have been known to eat dinner at my desk, and don’t date.”
I don’t have to pretend my shock. “Don’t date? You can’t be serious.”
Cady turns from where she’s been staring out the window. “I’m very serious about dating, which is why I don’t do it.”
“That might change, now that you’ve met me.”
She laughs almost like she’s surprising herself. The sound makes my balls tighten in the best way. “How can you be so confident without sounding cocky?”
“You don’t think I’m cocky? I must be doing something wrong. My father constantly accuses me of being insufferably cocky and arrogant. So, of course, I’ve perfected the trait over the years.”
“You don’t get along with your father?” There’s interest in her voice, in her expression. But…
“Cady,” I admonish. “Why would you want to spoil the beginning of a perfect day with talk of my father?”
“I can get on board with no talk of fathers,” she says with a knowing look, which makes me want to find out more about her own.
“And no talk of business,” I instruct. “Although that is going to be a tough one since I’m fascinated by what you do.”
Her phone is still in her hand, but at least she’s focused on me. “What exactly do you think I do?” she asks.
“I know you own a bunch of clubs. I know they’re supposedly some of the best places to work before you take care of your people,” I tell her. “It’s impressive what you’ve built.”
“Thank you.” Cady sounds surprised and I ask why. “No one looks at the clubs except to point out and criticize that most of them are places where women take off their clothes.”
“Yes, but you’ve created environments where it’s safe for women to do that. They’re not getting exploited working for you. You give them choices and security in a career that most wouldn’t get anywhere else.”
“I do. It was a lot different when I started dancing.”
I really, really want to ask why she was a stripper, but I know if I even mention it, this wonderful thread connecting us will break.
Cady leans forward. “Do you know I commissioned a new stripper shoe—you know what they are, right? The shoes for pole dancing with the platform and the huge heel?”
“I may have seen them a time or two.”
Please don’t ask me about my experience at clubs where women spin around the pole with the finesse of professional athletes, I silently beg. Because if Cady asks that, I’m going to have to dive deep into the hazy memories of beautiful women, having too much to drink, too much time on my hands, and the idiocy of youth.
The more time I have to look at Cady, the more positive I am that if I take that deep dive into my past, I’m going to find out I’ve seen her dance.
