A few cars lined the street in front of the club. She was relieved to see Slade’s Jeep was nowhere in sight. However, a certain Harley did catch her attention. It had been pulled up on the sidewalk right outside the entrance.

She opened the front door and her eyes tried to adjust to the dim light. She instantly noticed Mr. Tats standing directly to the left. He looked the same as the day before, clear down to another black t-shirt and a pair of worn-out Levi’s. She was flustered to find herself close to him. She didn’t like that he made her feel out of control.

Giving him a quick nod, she marched toward the stairs leading to the dressing room. Lolli danced on stage to her favorite song, Christina Aguilera’s “Candyman.” The bar was full for a weeknight. The thought of making a few dollars gave her mood a slight edge. She took a quick survey of the room before heading down to the basement.

Jewella sat a few feet from Mr. Tats getting her drool on and Mickey was in the DJ booth giving them both the evil eye. He jerked his head in Baby Jade’s direction, summoning her like an insignificant flunky. She turned from the stairwell and headed toward the booth.

“Look, I know it’s not your job, and blah … blah … blah. But I need you to hang out with the new guy.”

“What?” She looked back at Mr. Tats and, of course, he was boring a hole right through her, again.

“Don’t give me any shit, not tonight. You’re the only person I have to step up.”

“I thought you had this covered? And you’re right. It sure as hell isn’t my job. I have six sets tonight.” Baby settled her hands onto her hips.

Mickey stopped flipping through the music binder. “I’m not gonna feel sorry for you. I’m here day in and day out.”

“It’s your club. I work for tips. Why does he need a babysitter?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he asked, his finger wagging toward the opposite side of the room, suggesting Baby Jade was stupid. Jewella had now pulled her stool up next to Mr. Tats. She held his hand in hers, palm up, and pretended to do a reading. She rambled to anyone who would listen that she was a witch. It was also her way of getting her hands on the new guy.

“Oh, I see. It’s a babysitter for her, not for him.”

“Call it what you want, you’re doing it,” Mickey said with defiance. It was clear she had no choice in the matter.

“Fine, but I’m not giving up any of my sets. Not with this crowd. I’m not losing any money while keeping an eye on your skank of a girlfriend.”

He huffed. “Deal.”

Baby glanced around the room. “What’s with the crowd tonight anyway?”

“What’s the matter? You were hoping to give Big Mickey here a private show?” A vulgar smirk spread across his face as he grabbed his crotch.

“Don’t be such a dick.” She backed up a few inches. The man was repulsive.

“It’s a bachelor party.”

“On a Wednesday night?”

“Turns out some guy’s leaving for deployment on Friday. He was supposed to get married in a couple months, but they don’t think he’ll be back until next year. They’re getting married tomorrow. And there you have a bachelor party.”

“Wow, that sucks for the bride. Must be a bummer to have your husband leave the day after your wedding.”

“Don’t care. Glad he picked Bottoms Up to spend his last free night. And brought twenty of his best buds. By the way, there’s also a few dudes I’ve never seen before on the other side of the pool tables. I wouldn’t let him know this, but I’m kinda glad the new guy started tonight. There’s a weird vibe in the air.”

“Speaking of which, have you told the new guy about his ball and chain?” she asked.

“Yup, he’s waiting on you. Oh, and Baby, don’t leave his side unless you’re dancing.”

Baby Jade walked away after giving Mickey a sarcastic salute. She made her way to the dressing room and changed clothes. As the entertainment, Mickey made sure the girls knew they had to be entertaining on and off the stage.

She slipped out of her street clothes and into a black lace teddy. Tossing her clothes in the drawer, she wrapped herself in a black silk robe that barely covered her rear. Baby Jade loved the way the black color showed off her skin. She piled her massive waves on top of her head and used an ivory clip to hold them in place, sweeping a few loose curls behind her ear. She slipped on a pair of black leather stilettos and headed back upstairs.

Background music filled the room. The place was rowdy and packed. Everyone seemed to be in a celebratory mood while waiting for the next performance. Coral was downstairs getting ready for her set, excited by the big crowd. Lolli had gotten done and did a great job getting the crowd all worked up. The buzz was good for the place, maybe it was what the girls needed to turn around morale.

Baby Jade scanned the room for Mickey. She found him behind the bar getting out a tray of hot wings, his famous party platter. It must be for the bachelor party. She mingled and talked to a few of the men in the crowd, making sure they had everything they needed as she helped hype up the next set. She hoped Coral had a good performance. The girl needed a win.

Mickey found her in the crowd and shot her a glare, darting his gaze to Mr. Tats and his new sidekick, Jewella. She threw up her finger, giving him the one-minute signal. She didn’t want to piss off the large group of possible tippers. This could bring in a pretty penny for everyone, and unexpected penny was always appreciated.

After checking on the bachelor party, she made her way around the room.

“Hey honey, you gonna be on that pole tonight?” Baby Jade heard from a group of men surrounding a couple of pool tables, but she couldn’t make out where it was coming from.

“Absolutely, make sure you stay for the show.” She smiled although she didn’t know where to direct her attention.

“Oh with an ass like that, I wouldn’t miss it. Give us a little pre-show.”

At that moment, she saw one of the men move and in less than a second, he was standing so close she could smell the liquor dripping from his hot breath.

“Yeah, a little something on the side. Come on, give us a peek.” The man’s hand snaked up the front of Baby Jade’s robe. She tried to step back out of his reach but backed right into another guy from the belligerent crowd.

“Where ya goin’? No need to run off,” the one said from behind, reaching around the front, grasping at her breasts. Baby attempted to steady herself as fear crept in, making her legs shake. She tried to pull loose in case she needed to throw an elbow or a knee.

“Yeah, we wanna have a little fun,” another said from the fast growing circle. Before she had time to gather her bearings, they had her surrounded.

“Don’t touch …” She barely managed the words before hearing a crash come from behind her. Baby turned around, startled to see Mr. Tats. He had the grab happy man laid out on a table, his forearm across the man’s throat, the other arm drawn back ready to strike.

Before she knew it, Mickey was at Mr. Tat’s side with one hand tucked behind his back. She knew he was palming the butt of a Colt 45.

“What the hell’s going on here?” Mickey asked.

“Hey, man. Your guy’s crazy. We weren’t doin’ nothing and he went all psycho on us.” All the surrounding idiots nodded in agreement. Mickey looked to Mr. Tats for clarification. He got nothing because Mr. Tats refused to take his gaze off the brute he still had pinned to the table.

Mickey whipped his head back toward the group, “Baby?” he asked.

“The new guy was doing his job. He was protecting me from these assholes. They cornered me and got all handsy. He’s legit, Mickey.” She doubted he would believe her.

“Bitch, you need to shut the hell up! We were minding our own business and this dumbass went crazy. You need to do something about him or we’re callin’ the cops.”