Strip Tease by Karen Erickson Read Free Book Online Page A

surrounded them as they entered the building and Janelle
coughed, waving her hand in front of her face. The place was
packed, the crush of bodies making the room stifling hot and she
longed to tug the scratchy wig off.
    “Let’s go find a booth.”
    Nate grabbed her hand and led her through
the throng of people. She had no choice but to follow him, enjoying
the sensation of his big hand engulfing hers. Electricity seemed to
flow from his palm into hers, making her shiver.
    “Would you care to be seated?” A tiny woman
appeared before them, her delicate face covered in a red sequin
mask, big blue eyes blinking up at them.
    “Please.” Nate’s voice was gruff, his gaze
meeting Janelle’s for a quick second before he looked away.
    She wondered if he was uncomfortable with
the blatant sexuality that surrounded them. The woman who led them
to their table was scantily clad, wearing a black satin and lace
corset, frilly drawers and a black garter belt with sheer black
stockings. Her firm butt cheeks shook with her every step and
Janelle had to admit she was sexy.
    What did the straight laced detective think?
Not that she knew for sure if he was straight laced but still. He
acted like he had a stick up his ass most the time.
    “Here you are.”
    The woman turned and swept her arm toward
the empty booth. It was small, intimate, a single candle glowing on
the round wooden table and the seats appeared to be covered in moss
green colored velvet. “I hope you enjoy the show. It begins in
fifteen minutes.”
    Janelle slid into the booth first, surprised
and delighted by the plush softness. Nate joined her, dangerously
close since the booth was so small. His thigh pressed against hers
and she jerked away from him, tugging on the hem of her dress to
cover herself as much as possible.
    “Care for something to drink?”
    Their hostess smiled, her ample breasts
pushed so high in the tight corset Janelle swore if the woman made
one wrong move, she’d see nipple.
    “Ice water,” Nate answered.
    Humph, figured. Did the guy know how to
loosen up? “Do you have a martini menu?”
    The hostess nodded, tucking a strand of dark
blonde hair behind her ear. “We do. May I recommend the chocolate
martini? It’s our bartender’s specialty.”
    “I’ll take one.” Janelle smiled and the
woman smiled in return, licking her lips suggestively.
    “Perfect,” she purred before she sauntered
away, her hips swaying provocatively.
    “I think she was flirting with you,” Nate
said, a stunned expression on his face.
    “I think so, too.” Janelle glanced around,
staring at the gigantic round stage that dominated the room. Green
velvet curtains hung closed in the back, a single spotlight shone
on the center of the stage and she wondered what kind of show was
scheduled for tonight.
    Would Ginger be performing? Was she even
here?
    “This place is nothing like Billy D’s,” she
said.
    Nate sat up straight, tugging on the snug
collar of his shirt. “That’s because it’s, uh, a fetish club.”
    Janelle blinked. “What?”
    “Yeah, it’s a fetish club. They have theme
nights, sometimes they have BDSM performances, burlesque troupes,
all kinds of stuff.”
    “How do you know this? Have you been here
before?”
    “Once. There was a fight here a couple of
years ago and I was called to it. The place is pretty clean, really
not much trouble. Everyone understands what it’s about and they
give each other the proper respect.”
    Hmm. She’d never heard of Temptations and
she was once considered part of the industry, though more on the
fringe. “So what’s the theme tonight?”
    “I have no idea. Everyone who works here is
wearing a mask, so that must have something to do with it.”
    She watched couples walk by, most of the
women draped in satin and lace or sexy lingerie, many of them also
wearing masks. The men were nondescript and Janelle wondered if
might be some sort of ladies night.
    The lights dimmed, the color changing to a
muted