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“That’s the honest to God truth. What do you want from me?”
“I want you to take me to the real Beau.”
“Okay, I will. But after you give me a chance. If I take you to Beau right now, I know, you’ll forget all about me. Just like I was invisible to you in high school.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Seriously, I know how in love you two were, but I’ve always wanted you, Maddie.”
“You say Beau’s in some trouble now, again. I want to help him.”
“He’s not in trouble. He is trouble. Just go to this thing with me and... maybe I can help you start that career.”
“What thing?”
“I need a date to the Country Music Awards. It’s in a couple weeks. After that, I’ll take you to the real Beau Strick.”
Chapter 8
2 Weeks Later
Sky
“You coming out to Royal Road with me is epic. It’s nothing like working with Ralph at Shakey’s.” Leonora drove us. She insisted I wear a blindfold.
“For fucks sake.”
“You’re not invited so I can’t show you the location. Seriously, I show up and you’re not blindfolded. Sus.”
“How would you know it’s a great place to work? You’re still a noob,” I said as I tied her scarf over my eyes. Leo had worked for Royal Road for less than a week.
“I’ll make rent tonight.”
“The money that good?” I asked the pitch black.
“Yeah. Although I feel like you don’t do this for the money. I think you’re doing it for the excitement.”
Leonora didn’t have anyone taking care of her like I had my mom, so I understood what she meant. And yes, the thrill was a big part of it. I was trying to feel alive again. “I need money. I need to get back to L.A. yesterday.”
“You’ll have no problem. I’m securing a bag. Hell, I’m Scrooge Mcduckin’ up in there. What really hits different is all the bad biker daddies in real. And the other men, if they not hot, they be ballin’. No cap. What I don’t get, is why you came all this way and want to leave.”
“I wanted to see mom settled, I guess.” Now that she was dating a star, she was settled enough for me. When mom told me to catch up with my cousin Leonora, she had no idea my cousin was stripping. I knew, because Leo and I had stayed in touch since we were little. Stripping was sure as hell something I’d never done before, but I could dance, as in I took ballet in grade school, so I thought, what the hell. No one knew me in Tennessee, anyway. “Mom treats me like a kid. She worries about me since…” I don’t talk about how my boyfriend died. Leonora knew all of that. “But I don’t think I’ll leave Shakey’s.”
“Why are you dating Ralph? If there’s one thing I’ve learned, never date your boss.”
“He’s fun,” I lied. I really didn’t want to upset Leo since she had to work tonight. What I didn’t say was that my therapist said it was time I date again. It’d been two years since Luke died. Dr. Loggers said, I needed to move on, or I was going to kill myself like Luke did. And I surely didn’t tell my cousin that Ralph was an asshole, and I apparently had a type. Since we’d hooked up, Ralph said he wouldn’t let me leave Shakey’s. Something about that turned me on.
Leonora also didn’t know another reason I wanted to come to Royal Road with her. I was looking for my deadbeat dad. A picture of Beau Strick, the country music star my mom was seeing was saved on my phone in case this place didn’t get good reception. Come to find out, the dashingly handsome middle-aged man wasn’t the real Beau Strick. He was Bubba Strick, the twin of my mom’s high school sweetheart who went to prison. So, the real Beau Strick would look like Bubba but as an old burly biker. All my life, mom said my father didn’t want a thing to do with me, so she would never tell me who he was. I was sure it was her high school sweetheart. The timing seemed right, and a mean ol’ biker fit that bill, too.
Leo and I reached the gates. Her window rolled down and a deep voice came in. “Hey, Leo. What’s going on here?”
“Hey Gunn. I have a guest. A girl to audition,” she said, just so they’d let me in. I didn’t plan to audition. “This here’s my cousin, Sky Wynburn.”
“She a dancer?”
“Yep. Works at Ralph’s.”
“You’re not supposed to bring anyone.”
