Dance For Me (Strip in the City, Book 2)

34 • Hot Anticipation

Dominick

The next month went by in a blink. And by the time October hit, nearly everything in my life had changed. Well, everything except my job at The Hope Foundation.

For someone who wasn't fond of change, I was getting used to it.

I had one person to thank for opening my eyes to the good side of change: my girlfriend. It was crazy to think about the impact that one person had on the trajectory of my life. I loved this girl with all my damn heart, and I was planning on telling her just how deeply I felt about her tonight.

She was everything I wasn't. But at the exact same time, she understood me like no one else could.

Even before I trusted her and let her get close, she'd helped me grant a terminally ill girl a wish, and she'd helped my grandma renovate her club and make the business more marketable.

Step by step, she'd shown me that I could trust her with more than one night.

I'd even done something I never thought I'd do. Something I'd been saving up for a long time but hadn't had the push I needed to pull the trigger. Something big that I thought would impress her parents, whenever I finally met them. Something that I'd been struggling to keep from Tanushree. But that surprise was going to have to wait a little while longer.

Now that her fall show was over, and Tan wasn't dancing four ballets week, we were out to celebrate another change.

After two months of work, Tan's interior designer friend, Sef, and his partner, Hope, were about to reveal the renovations that had been done at Blanche's Boudoir. He'd kicked Mimi and me out last week to put the finishing touches on his design, and we were excited to see how it all came together.

Well, maybe excited was the wrong word for me. I was nervous the design had removed all the charm of Blanche's Boudoir, and I wouldn't recognize the place. I sure as hell didn't recognize the exterior. A huge sign hung out front, surrounded by buzzing yellow Edison bulbs. Now, anyone who walked by would know what this place was.

Together, hand in hand, we stood outside the front door to Mimi's club while Rhonda, Flo, and my grandma finished their cigarettes. Tan was wearing this tight little black tube dress that clung to the subtle curves of her body. The dress was just short enough that I didn't want her sitting anywhere else but in my lap.

Everyone seemed happy. Especially Mimi, who was chatting excitedly with her friends at the brand new seating area that had been installed in the vestibule beside the front door.

The wood pallets and the makeshift table had been cleared out, and a social media-worthy backdrop for patrons to take their pictures against graced the once plain brick wall.

Aesthetically, it was hard to argue that the changes were for the better. For so long, this place had gotten by on word of mouth. Kinda like a secret. A secret that shielded me from everyone who ever disappointed me or could disappoint me. Now, it wasn't a secret anymore.

"You're being exceptionally quiet. Even for you."  Tan said, leaning in and kissing the side of my cheek. "Everything okay?"

"I'm just thinking. That's all." The truth was I wasn't sure how I felt. I was nervous, sad, anxious, and happy all at the same time.

Tan squeezed my hand and gave me the space I needed to work through my thoughts. She was good like that. Letting me be quiet instead of needing to fill the silence with chatter. I squeezed her hand to let her know I appreciated what she was doing for me, then tilted my head back to stare at the brand new sign.

It wasn't as flashy as the Oiled Olive, but it was much flashier than I was used to. I wondered how things were going to change if we started getting newer, younger clients. I knew how to perform in front of the regulars and knew that Mimi's friends came to support me and enjoy each other's company. Now, I was going to have to be a real performer.