Page 18 of Thirst

“Yeah?” he asks, smirking with pride. “I'm glad to hear it. To be honest, I've been anxious to get back here. I was worried I’d miss you on stage, but I made it just in time. That outfit is fire.”

“Thank you,” I say again as I sit down next to him. I know Von will be watching closely like he always does, and I plan to dance for Amari eventually, but for now I just want to sit next to him and drink him in again. He smells sexy as hell just like last time, but the cologne is different from before. Tonight, he's wearing a gold necklace and a diamond-encrusted gold watch. “You look good. I'm loving the gold. Most guys rock silver or platinum, but I notice you seem to prefer gold.”

“You're attentive,” he says. “Yeah, I'm not the biggest fan of silver, or of doing the thing everybody else is doing. It’s a bit old fashioned, but I guess I'm a bit old fashioned myself, so I prefer gold.”

“Old fashioned, huh? How old are you exactly?”

Amari’s left eyebrow raises as he hesitates for the first time since I met him. The side of his mouth pulls into a barely-visible smile that only lasts a second. “Thirty. How about you?”

“Twenty-five. “I don't mean to get in your business, but how the hell do you own a casino at thirty years old?”

The smirk returns and fades quickly. “A stroke of good luck. I've been in business a long time, and I was in the right position when the previous owner was on his death bed. He was a friend of the family, and I'd worked there in administration since I was a kid. So, as a favor to my parents who had died, he left it to me. He didn't have any kids of his own, so he wanted to make sure it went to someone he knew well.”

“Wow, that was really nice of him. I'm sorry about your parents. To have lost them both and only be thirty years old must be really tough.”

He nods, glancing down at the floor. “Yeah. But their memory lives in me. I think their death made me as strong as I needed to be in order to survive this … life.”

“Well, I'm sure they're looking down on you with mountains of pride. Their son is a casino owner and the best dressed man in every room he enters. Do you notice how many of the women here are staring at you?”

Amari doesn't even bother to look around. “I suppose. But I'm not here for them.”

“What, you're only here for me?” I ask, hoping with every bone in my body that he says yes.

“I was hoping that was obvious,” he replies.

My entire being warms at his response, and I pinch my lips together so that my elation isn't so obvious. But with his dark brown eyes always watching me so closely, I know he sees it. He smirks with confidence oozing from his beautifully dark skin, and it makes me wonder how it’s possible that someone who looks so good is focused only on me. He clearly could have anybody he wanted.

“Okay, I know I asked you this last time, but there has to be a catch, right?” I force myself to ask.

Amari frowns. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, look at you,” I say, gesturing up and down with my hands. “You might just be the finest man I've ever seen, and I don't say that lightly. While I'm beyond flattered that you have such an interest in me, I believe in things being too good to be true. So is this something you do regularly—fixate on a girl on some billionaire type shit, and drive her wild before you drive her insane? I'm all for an adventure, but I'd prefer to know to keep my feelings out of it if this is just a fun little fling you do often. I'm not hating if this is your M.O. I'm just saying that it’s not the norm for me, and I don't wanna be blindsided. So, just be honest, okay? What do you really want from me?”

Amari’s eyes haven't moved an inch since the moment I sat down, so it’s no surprise that he's still looking at me with such focus. I see amusement in his gaze, but it shifts into something much more earnest and sincere as he repositions himself, throwing one leg over his knee and displaying dazzling white shoes with gold clasps on top.

“I love that you were real enough to ask,” he says. “So I’ll be real enough to be honest.”

I sigh, preparing myself for the letdown that I knew was an inevitability. But it’s what I need to hear, because I can't let myself get sprung on customers.

“This isn't something I do often,” he says, shocking me. “In fact, it isn't anything I've ever done. Don't get me wrong, I'm no angel. I'm quite the devil, in fact. I've had my share of relationships, with most of them ending amicably. But my attraction to you is … different. I hate to say something as cliche as I can't explain it, but it’s true. I’m drawn to you. Even when I'm not here. It’s strange, really. I might even say I don't like it. Being this interested in you could make things … complicated. But I'm still here.”

Glee has its way with me and I smile so big that my cheeks feel hot. I didn't know what he was going to say, but I never thought he’d say that. He's feeling me for real, and I’d be lying through my teeth if I said I wasn't feeling him, too.

It’s a struggle being a stripper. You get into the game knowing that every interaction you have is bullshit. Men are trash, and they treat women as such, especially when they see the girls on stage as nothing more than objects to be used and discarded. In turn, that’s how I've taught myself to view the men who find their way here. I see them the same way they see me—objects to be used for their money, and then discarded once I've gotten my share. No feelings allowed for anyone within these walls.

But Amari seems different. I can't say that he is different. I can only say he seems different, because you just never know. Maybe one day I’ll learn something about him that will crumble the house of cards. But for now, that gaze of his works magic on me, and I can't win the battle against my interest in him.

“Okay,” I say after a sigh, just as I glance over Amari’s shoulder and see Von staring at me with Shay at his side—two haters watching in disgust.

Amari follows my gaze and looks back. I see the two of them exchange a look for the first time, and Amari chuckles quietly. When he faces me again, he rolls his eyes. “He wants you to dance.”

“Yeah, I'm sure that’s exactly what he's thinking.”

Amari nods. “It is. You should do it. I don't want him saying anything to you.”

“Alright,” I say, preparing to stand as a new song starts. “Just in front?”

“Nah,” he answers. “I want you to get on top. If they wanna watch, give them something to watch.”