STRIPTEASED: A Standalone Reverse Harem Romance (Roommates Book 1)

Ten minutes earlier

“Wow.”

Maddie had said that at least twice since the twins left our table.

“Which one was the one who kissed you?”

“Austin.”

She glanced over in the direction the twins had gone, but all we could see were drunken women. Well, mostly women. There was an older man sitting at the next table and some guys in the back partying with some very loud, boisterous women. I was pretty sure that the alcohol fumes would be deadly back there.

A waitress—one I’d met at Knox’s birthday party—brought over a plate of nachos. We hadn’t ordered it, so it must’ve been from Tonio.

I moved my drink and picked up my book to make room. I couldn’t help running a finger along the spine of the paperback. I’d written this. This story had only existed inside my head until I’d written it down, and now other people could read it. Granted, not a ton. Sales were a bit slow, but that was okay. I was already working on polishing up one of my older stories. Ronnie said the key was to build up a substantial catalog of books.

Suddenly aware that I was staring at my book the way Maddie had just been staring at the twins, I put it away.

We ignored the guy on the stage who’d just shed his pants as we ate the nachos. I couldn’t wait to see the twins’ new act, but in the meantime, it was nice to catch up with Maddie. We had to shout to hear each other, but we managed.

“How are the wedding plans coming?” I asked. Maddie’s sister had been engaged for over a year.

Maddie shrugged, not looking encouraged. “I don’t know what’s going on. They won’t let us do anything for them. No engagement party. No bachelorette party—nothing.”

That seemed strange. I hadn’t met Maddie’s sister Gina, but from what I’d heard, she’d been happy to have Maddie as her maid of honor. “Maybe they’re just not into parties?”

“Possibly, but I’m a little worried about Doug.” She lowered her voice, which didn’t work very well in a crowded strip club.

“What do you mean? You said he’s nice.”

“He is, and he’s really good to her, but… it kind of feels like he’s hiding something.”

“Like what?”

She shrugged and took a sip of her drink. “I don’t know. He’s not on social media—that’s a little strange, isn’t it?”

“I’m not either.” Well, I had a few accounts, but I only remembered to check them about once a month.

“And Gina hasn’t even met his family. They live on the West Coast, but that’s no excuse. They’re engaged, and he’s met our parents.”

That sounded a little too close to home for comfort. Clint and I had gotten engaged before he introduced me to his family. I hadn’t met them until we moved here and look how that had turned out.

Maddie seemed to realize that she was dredging up old memories. “I’m sorry, Emma, I shouldn’t talk about that kind of thing… especially here.”

God, that was right. This was the place where I’d been when I got the text from Clint. I glanced over at a table in the middle, ignoring an older man with a comb-over who smiled as if I’d flirted with him. I stared at the table at which I’d been sitting when my life changed.

Until Maddie started talking about engagements, I hadn’t even thought about that. I only associated this place with my guys. If you’d told me back then that I could have positive associations with this club, I wouldn’t have believed you.

The stage lights dimmed and women cheered as the previous stripper’s act ended. Eagerly, I turned toward the stage, not wanting to miss the beginning of the twins’ act. Women were still cheering and shouting. Some were even pounding on the tables.

And then a single spotlight illuminated a small patch of the stage where Denver stood perfectly still. God, he looked handsome. Seeing him every day hadn’t exactly made me take the twins’ looks for granted, but I’d mostly grown used to them. But now it was like I was seeing Denver in a new way. He had on skin-tight black jeans and a gray hoodie over a white undershirt—providing lots of clothing for him to shed during the routine.

Music started, softly at first, and Denver stretched his arms up over his head, as if he’d just woken up. Then suddenly, he appeared to have two sets of arms, and I realized that Austin was standing directly behind him. The music swelled and more spotlights came on. And then they started dancing.

If you could call it dancing, that is. It seemed to be a combination of dance and gymnastics, complete with leaps, splits, and even handstands.

“God, they’re good,” Maddie said with a note of longing in her voice.

“Damn straight, they are.” There was a note of pride in mine.

“Are you ladies enjoying the show?” a masculine voice said—but it wasn’t any of my guys. I looked around and saw that the older man at the next table had scooted his chair closer to mine.

“Yes,” I said and turned toward Maddie, hoping he’d get the hint and leave us alone. Did he really think women came to strip clubs to get hit on? We came here to watch the magnificent male bodies up on the stage and imagine that we had men like that in our lives. Except I didn’t have to imagine it—I did.

My attention returned to the section of the stage on our side of the room. Austin was working up a sweat as he jerked his body in time to the music. It was clear that Denver had put a lot of the kinds of very physical, acrobatic moves that his brother loved into the routine.

“They’re amazing,” Maddie said. “Are they that hot when they’re at home?”

“Yes,” I said honestly. “Though perhaps they don’t showcase their talents quite as much when they’re sitting on the couch watching TV.”

She laughed. “If I found one guy who looked like that on my couch—let alone two—I’d never leave home. You must be tempted to jump on them all the time.”

“What’s got you tempted, baby?”

Oh crap. The comb-over guy had edged even nearer. Why couldn’t he take a hint?

Maddie caught my eye and then looked over at him. “You’ll have to excuse us. I have something important I need to talk to my friend about.”

He nodded, waving a hand as if to give us permission. “Sure, sure, you gals chat it out.”

I moved my chair closer to Maddie’s. “Thanks.”

She scooted toward the wall to make room. “You’re welcome, but it’s actually true. There is something I need to talk to you about.”

“There is?” Surprise had me turning my gaze from the stage to look at her instead. “What’s up?”

“Well, talking about Gina’s wedding—if it ever happens—reminded me about that veil you gave me.”

It took me a second to realize what she meant. “What about it?”

“It was your mother’s, Emma. You gave it to me when you were still reeling after the breakup. I never should’ve accepted it, and I want to give it back.”

“Gina doesn’t like it?”

“She loves it,” Maddie said. “But it’s yours and you should have it.”

“I don’t need it.” As much as I appreciated the thought behind Maddie’s words, I wanted to focus on the twins, not on things that were tinged with sad memories.

“You might someday. Please just let me—”

“Whoa!” A large hand touched my arm, and I flinched. The comb-over man, who had to be in his late forties, was staring at the stage. “Look at them shake those things! Does that turn you on, little lady?”

I pulled my arm out of his grasp, but he was still right next to me, crowding me. My head swung to the back of the room, looking for Knox. I finally spotted him standing between two women who were clearly trying to kill each other. Feeling a bit panicky, I looked over at the bar, but there were so many people around it I couldn’t even see Tonio.

Maddie was as close to the wall as she could get, so there wasn’t anywhere else for me to go.

A large hand clamped down on my thigh and I shrieked. I tried to jerk away, but the creep’s fingers were already sliding up my inner thigh, pushing my skirt up as he went.

Desperately, I looked around just in time to see Austin racing toward me. He didn’t slow as he approached the front of the stage. Instead, he leaped into the air, soaring over two rows of rabid fans and landing between tables of astonished-looking customers.

The intrusive hand vanished as Austin grabbed the creep by the throat. Chairs were knocked over as he pinned him to the wall beside our table. Shock filled me as I tried to take in what had just happened.

Austin was shouting at the guy, but I couldn’t make out all the words over the loud music. It was clear he was angry. Really angry.

Then Knox was there, and for the first time, I could see what he meant when he said he scared people. Right now, he looked scary as hell as he took hold of the man who’d bothered me, pinned his arm up behind his back, and manhandled him toward the door.

Austin looked as if he wanted to follow them out and beat the crap out of that guy, but I grabbed his hand. “I’m okay.”

He looked down but I didn’t think he was truly seeing me. His eyes were narrow, and he looked dangerous. I’d never seen him like this before.

Then Tonio ran up. His first concern was for me, but when I indicated I was okay, he turned to Austin just in time to stop him from pounding after Knox.

“Emma, are you okay?”

I turned to find Denver crouched between Maddie and me. Both of them were watching me worriedly.

“Yes,” I said automatically, and then I stopped to assess if that was true. I felt shaky, and every place the man had touched felt like my skin was burning. “Yes, I think I am.”

Maddie took my hand. “I can drive you home if you’d like.”

That was the last thing I wanted to do. At home, I’d be all by myself. I wanted to be here, where my guys were.

“I’m okay, really,” I insisted. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to finish your routine, Denver.”

“Don’t worry about that,” he said.

I glanced up at Tonio and Austin. Tonio was saying something to his shirtless friend, keeping his hand on Austin’s arm as if to hold him back. “I’m worried about your brother, though.”

Denver nodded and stood up, squeezing my shoulder once before moving to his twin. For the first time, I noticed how many people were staring at us. The music was still going, but the spotlights only illuminated the empty stage.

Now Denver was whispering rapidly in his brother’s ear. I didn’t know what he told him, but a change came over Austin. He nodded, some of the tension seeming to drain out of him. He and Denver turned to the shocked women around them and did their best to set them at ease. The twins smiled, apologized for the commotion, posed for selfies, and used their considerable charm until everyone was smiling again. They even ordered pitchers of beer for the nearest tables once Tonio was back behind the bar.

By the time the next stripper was announced, most of the audience seemed to have put the incident out of their minds.

Knox made his way through the crowd. “Come with me,” he said to Maddie and me.

“I don’t want to go home,” I told him.

“You’re not.” He waited while Maddie and I gathered our purses and jackets. Knox led us to the bar, his large frame easily cutting through the crowd.

He moved right through the wall of people surrounding the bar, and suddenly, there were two stools available. I don’t know how he did it, but luckily no one around us appeared to have been too violently displaced.

Tonio came over and Knox spoke to him tersely. “Don’t take your eyes off her.”

“I won’t.”

Tonio was true to his word. The only time he let me out of his sight was when I needed to use the restroom, and even then, he got one of the waitresses to take me back to the staff bathroom rather than letting me wait in a long line.

Maddie left a little after midnight, refusing Tonio’s offer to call her a cab.

The twins performed one more routine—an older one they knew like the backs of their hands—and it made me sad that the premiere of the dance that Denver had worked so hard on had been ruined.

At last, the audience cleared out. Between Tonio and Knox, they got everyone out the door and either into their own cars, a designated driver’s, or a cab or Uber.

I was talking with Tonio as he straightened up behind the bar when I felt a large presence behind me. Knox’s huge hands settled gently on my shoulders, and he leaned in close. “Are you sure you’re okay, princess?” His fingers started to knead my tight muscles, and it felt heavenly.

“Hey, that’s my thing,” Tonio complained. “You give Emma hugs—I give her shoulder rubs.”

I smiled at my favorite bartender but didn’t ask Knox to stop. Then I realized I hadn’t answered his question. “I’m okay, honestly. But can we go home soon?”

Home.

That word echoed inside my head. When I’d first moved in with the guys, I thought of it as their house. Now it felt like my home, too. I couldn’t remember exactly when that had changed for me.

“We could take you home now, if you’d like, or we can wait for Austin and Denver.”

I frowned and looked over at the hallway that led backstage. “They should be out soon, right?” Most of the other strippers and waitstaff had already left.

“They’ll be out in a bit. They had to meet with someone,” Tonio said.

That seemed odd. “They meet with people at two in the morning?”

“Sometimes.” His eyes flickered past me to Knox. “What happens is, sometimes an audience member bribes the backstage manager for a chance to talk to the twins.”

“That’s terrible,” I said. Austin and Denver expended so much energy during their act. I couldn’t imagine them wanting to stick around afterward.

Again, Tonio exchanged glances with Knox. “Well, they usually pay at least a couple hundred bucks, and the twins get a cut.”

“Do you know who’s back there with them?”

“No,” Tonio said.

Wait, was it a woman? That thought didn’t sit very well.

Knox spoke up, his strong fingers still working on my shoulders. “Why don’t you let us take you home? You’ve had a stressful night.”

“I’m okay.” I wasn’t sure if stressful was the right word, but there had certainly been a lot of surprises tonight. “Honestly, seeing Austin fly through the air over the heads of all those women shocked me almost as much as that awful man grabbing me.” It still seemed a bit surreal. He’d gotten so much height it almost looked like he’d launched himself from a trapeze.

Knox’s fingers stilled and he lowered his head, resting it gently on the back of mine. “I should’ve been there.”

“It’s not your fault,” I said instantly. “You were breaking up a fight.”

“Don’t blame yourself, man,” Tonio said. “We’ve known for years that there should be more security on Fridays and Saturdays, but management’s too cheap to spring for it.”

I reached up and placed my hand over one of Knox’s. “You can’t be in two places at once.”

“Wish I could’ve.” His voice was a soft breeze on my hair.

He sounded so sad that I knew I had to cheer him up. “Guess what came today?”

I fished my book out of my purse.

As I’d hoped, it got Knox’s attention, and he moved to my side. “It looks great.”

I grinned. “Thanks. I have an excellent cover designer. He doesn’t charge much, either.” Knox had not only taken the cover photo, but he’d designed the rest of the cover, too.

He smiled as he turned a few pages. “It looks really good.”

When he was done, he held it out to Tonio, but the bartender didn’t take it. “I already saw it.”

“You did?” I said, surprised. “But the package came after you all left for the club.”

Tonio grinned. “Two young ladies approached me earlier and asked me to sign the book for them.”

“What?” I think my jaw actually dropped. “They just happened to have copies?”

“They belong to Austin and Denver’s gym,” Tonio said. “Those guys have been telling everyone they meet about your book, didn’t you know? And the women ordered copies because—”

I grinned. “Probably because they would’ve bought anything the twins told them to.”

“Probably. Anyway, one of the twins told them that we’d shot the cover ourselves, so they brought them to the club tonight.”

“Why’d they want your autograph?” Knox asked.

Tonio put his hands on his hips, puffed out his chest, and looked off in the distance. “Because I’m the cover model.”

I couldn’t help giggling. “That’s not a romance cover model pose, that’s a superhero pose.”

“Same difference,” Tonio said. “I was going to get you to come over to sign their books too, but then all hell broke loose.”

Wow. I couldn’t even imagine autographing a book I’d written. I wish I’d gotten a chance to do that.

Tonio turned, and I followed his gaze. The twins were walking toward us, Denver in front, his step light and bouncy. Austin trailed behind him.

“Glad you two still know how to put clothes on,” Tonio said. “Did your guest leave?”

“Had a car waiting out back,” Denver said. “Hey, is that your book?” He hurried forward to examine it while Austin hung back.

I handed the book to Denver but walked over to his twin. Austin met my eyes as I approached but didn’t say anything.

“Thank you.” I wrapped my arms around him, pressing my head against his chest. After a long moment, his arms encircled me. He stroked my hair as we clung to each other. He didn’t make any jokes. Didn’t squeeze my ass. He just held me.

The others were probably ready to leave, so I pulled back gently. As he released me, I rose up on my toes. I was going to kiss his cheek, like he’d done to me earlier tonight, but at the last moment, I changed my mind and planted a kiss on his lips.

I reached for his hand and we walked over to the others who were waiting by the door.