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"You know, Des. Outside of Adwin, he's the most helpful. He's on babysitting duty for the first newbie," explains Ashari.

"It's not babysitting," states Adwin. "We're helping our brethren succeed. When they hit their goals, we all do."

My heart softens at his words. "You're such a sweetie. It's a damn shame I'm not your mate."

Phoenix shifters have one mate, and sadly, I've never felt more for him than brotherly affection.

"You'd run Adwin into the ground with your horrible attitude," interjects Ekon.

My nose rises, and a snarl leaves my lips. "I can be sweet."

"Didn’t you try to bite me last week?”

My nose turns. “Please. Like I would put my mouth on someone who sleeps with everyone.”

“Mean as hell.” Ekon places his hand on his heart. “Like a fucking rattlesnake," he adds.

My middle finger rises, and I flick him off. It doesn't deter his attitude at all. He snickers and blows me a kiss as he walks away.

Adwin pats my back and follows the same trail Ekon took, leaving Ashari and me at the front.

Ashari looks at me and then in the direction they went. "If you two don't just fuck already."

I roll my eyes. "You think I would give that man some pussy? Are you insane?" I question, heart thumping out of control.

Ashari seems to be completely ignoring the non-fraternization rule the owners of the club, Nyx and her identical twin, Eos Parker, have.

"You forget," Ashari starts, pushing his locs behind his ears. The human ear on his face lengthens, turning the color of midnight. Scales coat it in seconds. "I hear everything, Yue. Whether I want to or not."

I purse my lips, knowing better than to lie to a dragon shifter, but I'll take this attraction to my fucking grave. "Shut up."

Ashari's ear transforms into that of a normal human, and he rolls his eyes. "Better to fuck and get whatever it is out of y'all's system than to keep doing this."

My lips part, and it's on the tip of my tongue to tell him to mind his damn business, but a wide grin spreads over his face. I follow his gaze, landing on Nyx. "I could say the same to you, you know."

His smile only grows. "See you later, Yue."

Shaking my head, I return to my seat, hand clutching the notebook. The bouncers open the door a second after dusk, and women glide inside, gaining entrance to the hottest male strip club in the state, maybe the damn world. Cold air dances throughout, hitting my body and doing nothing. It's late January in New Orleans, almost time for Mardi Gras. Women line up, filling the inside of the room in seconds. This closed off area can hold about twenty people before they have to wait outside. And wait outside they will to get in here.

A short woman with curly brown hair passes me a twenty, the cover fee to get in. Our fingers touch, and a whirlpool of knowledge slams into my brain. She's forty-eight, single, and ready to mingle. She also makes almost one hundred thousand dollars a year.

"You need my license, right?" she asks, getting it out anyway.

It's a human custom to check them, and since I don't want us to be shut down, I make a show of glancing over hers. "Forty-eight," I say, whistling and then scanning her body. "Girl, where?"

She giggles and nibbles on her bottom lip. "Do you know when Ekon is getting on stage tonight?"

My teeth grind together, and my fingernails scrape my palm when I make a fist. "No clue," I grit out. "But Adwin will be performing a new set tonight."

"Oh," she replies. "Okay."

Regardless of what I do, the ladies here have favorites the moment they meet the guys. While this one wants Ekon, the same number wants Ashari or Adwin or Desmond.

"You're free to go in," I whisper, pointing at the door.

She beams, racing toward the entryway. Music pushes through the small area the moment she opens it before it disappears along with her. Wiggling a finger, I add another line to Ekon's growing numbers and take the next customer. It's barely been an hour, and we're already at six hundred patrons for the night. I add another twenty to the growing sack before waving my palm over it. The wads of cash disappear, heading straight for Nyx, the counting twin. A blue ring on my finger vibrates, letting me know she's received it. A purple ring, set on my other hand, vibrates. This one is from Eos.

An eager woman appears before me. "Hi. I'm just—"