Strip Tease (3 page)

She held out her hand, palm up, a wary
expression on her face. “The money, please? I can’t start without
it.”

Of course, like she’d do this for free. It
should’ve been the slap of reality he needed to push her off his
lap and do his damn job.

Instead, he reached into the front pocket of
his jeans, pulling out a roll of bills provided by the department
for use in his investigation. A high roller hanging out at an
expensive gentleman’s club needed to look the part, and a wad of
flashy cash was the perfect prop.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the money
and it reassured him. Reminded him who he dealt with and what
motivated her.

Hell, her mind probably raced at the thought
of how much drugs she could buy with the money she’d make tonight.
Ginger’s junkie reputation was notorious throughout the club. One
of the most popular dancers at Billy D’s, her drug problem was
apparently not an issue with her employment.

Withdrawing two crisp one hundred dollar
bills, he slipped them into her hand, his fingers brushing against
the soft skin of her palm. Her fingers closed around his and the
money and he glanced up, found her watching him with unmistakable
interest in her startling clear blue eyes.

“Thank you.” Her hand slipped away from his
grasp and she tucked the money into a tiny pocket on the front of
her skirt. She zipped the pocket closed and gently rested her hands
on his shoulders, her hips starting to shift in a slow circle. The
hem of her skirt brushed against the fly of his jeans and he drew
in a swift breath, making her smile.

“You like that Nate-dawg?” She drawled his
name, the stupid nickname his new friends had given him. Her lush
mouth curved sexily and he nodded mutely.

She smoothed her hands along his shoulders,
moving up until they sunk into his hair. Cupping him, her fingers
massaged his scalp, her hips gyrating against his, slow and easy.
The deep cleavage of her breasts beckoned him. Tempted him to dip
his fingers between them and see if her skin was as soft as it
appeared.

Her movements became faster and she released
her hold on him, lifting her arms and thrusting her chest toward
him. She flipped her ponytail with quick fingers before moving her
arms behind her back, playing with the fastening of her bra.

Nate waited with agonizing anticipation,
waiting for those luscious breasts to spill. Breasts that he’d seen
from afar multiple times but had suddenly become beyond intriguing
up close and personal.

Breasts that were inflated, surgically
enhanced like so many of the strippers she worked with. Normally
that didn’t turn him on. He wasn’t a fan of artificial, too large
breasts. But tonight, for whatever reason he couldn’t figure out,
he was definitely interested.

His body tense, his cock all but gasping
beneath the confines of his jeans, he waited in choked agony,
secretly enjoying the game she played.

The skinny straps of her bra slid down her
slim arms and she held the cups in place, a teasing expression on
her face. “You wanna see?”

“I definitely wanna see,” he said, leaning
against the headrest so he could take it all in. He yearned to
clasp her about her slim waist and grind his hips into hers, but he
held himself back. Knew he had to. It wouldn’t be right and
besides. She’d leave and he’d never get to see those magical
tits.

One strap slipped to the crook of her elbow,
then the other strap fell, her hands still clutching the satin
cups. A subtle shift and then her hands dropped, the bra falling
away. Revealing the most beautiful breasts he’d ever seen. Smooth
golden skin stretched over the full globes, topped with long, rosy
pink nipples. Her nipples stood at attention, begging for his
touch. His mouth. They were perfect, just the right size, a nice
handful for each palm, pert and high but not too high...

Nate sat up straight, awareness lancing
through his sex-fogged mind. Ginger didn’t have perfect natural
breasts. She had big phony ones that nearly reached her chin. They
looked completely out of place on her skinny, strung out frame.

This woman, who looked exactly like Ginger,
was
not
Ginger.

Wrapping his hands around her slim waist, he
stood, lifting her off him and setting her aside. She stumbled, her
high heels hindering her footing. She would’ve fallen to the ground
if he hadn’t caught her.

Who was this woman? No wonder he had the
unusual reaction. It wasn’t Ginger.

“Who the hell are you?” His voice was gruff,
he sounded downright hostile but he didn’t care. He felt tricked,
betrayed, upset he lost his chance to question the one person he
needed to further his investigation.

He was also relieved, excited and unbearably
aroused—oh yeah, and confused. This woman had to be related to
Ginger. She looked so much like her, it was uncanny. Identical twin
maybe?

Nate frowned. How had he missed that
important bit of info?

“Hey, what are you doing? Get your hands off
me!” She jerked out of his grip, eyes flashing blue fire.

Even angry, she was fucking gorgeous.

“You’re not Ginger Peters.”

She lifted her chin, her eyes narrowed,
bottom lip trembling. She’d been called out and caught. “Yes, I am.
Who the hell are
you
? And how do you know my name?”

“Trust me, you’re not Ginger. You’re nothing
like her. Now tell me who you really are.”

“No.” Glancing down, she gasped as if she’d
forgotten she was bare breasted. She crossed her arms over her
chest to hide them and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Fine.” Nate reached into his back pocket,
pulling out a pair of handcuffs. “You don’t want to answer my
questions then you’re coming with me.”

Her eyes widened and she backed up a step.
“What are you doing?”

Nate glanced around, hoping like hell no one
noticed. The room was virtually empty and dark, so he moved
quickly, grasping both of her wrists behind her back with one
hand.

She glared up at him, fear and surprise
clouding her gaze. God, she was beautiful. If this was a different
situation, if they had met any other way, he would’ve asked her
out. Something.

At the very least, he would’ve tried to get
in her pants.

Her hands jerked against his grip, bringing
him back to reality. “Fuck you, let me go!”

“Shut up,” he hissed, holding her
tighter.

“You have no right to do this.” She tried to
escape again but he held her so tight, she was going nowhere.

“I have every right to do this. I’m a cop.”
His lips settled into a thin line. “And I’m placing you under
arrest.”

“You’re coming with me.” Nate repeated,
glancing around the room once more. Releasing his grip on her
wrists, he grabbed her again, his fingers curling around her upper
arm.

“No way are you a cop.” Janelle glared at
him, anger overtaking arousal. What had she gotten into? No, what
did Ginger get herself into that a cop was following her?

If she got arrested, she could lose her
job.

She scanned the carpet quickly, her gaze
alighting on the crumpled white shirt lying there. Bending quickly
at the knees, she snatched it up with one hand and slipped the
shirt around her shoulders, covering her chest from his lingering
gaze.

Just moments ago, she’d been tempted. Having
him close, the warmth from his big body seeped into hers, his
intoxicating scent made her dizzy. Seeing his reaction while she’d
taken off her bra had given her an exhilarating sense of power. His
eyes glazed with lust, his entire body tense and poised to
spring.

Her naked breasts, nipples tight and so
close to his beautiful mouth had nearly been her undoing. The
exquisite rush of adrenaline that had filled her, fizzing through
her veins when she saw those sensuous lips part. She imagined
moving closer, her nipples brushing against his mouth, his tongue
sneaking out to lick...

A shiver moved through her and she glanced
up to find Nate the cop glaring at her, his eyes full of questions
she didn’t want to answer. And he was so tall. She had four-inch
heels on and she didn’t consider herself short. The man was a
complete giant.

“You want proof I’m a cop?” Nate curved his
arm around her waist, hand tentatively pressing against her lower
back as he angled her toward the French doors.

“Absolutely. And where do you think you’re
taking me?” Her reserve began to melt at his touch, much to her
disgust. She let him walk her toward the double doors without a
fight, his gaze intense as he scanned the room covertly. A sudden
air of determination edged with danger shimmered off him.

Very cop-like behavior. He had to be telling
the truth.

“Out on the balcony. I need to ask you a few
questions.” He opened the door, allowing her to walk through it
first and a little shiver shot down her spine. A regular gentleman.
She didn’t know they still existed.

Hello, a gentleman
cop
who was
looking for her sister. She needed to get over the warm fuzzy
feelings she had toward this too handsome man. No way could any of
this be good.

“What do you want to know?” She turned to
face him, buttoning her shirt with fast fingers so he couldn’t
catch anymore glimpses of bare skin.

His eyes kept dropping to the movements of
her hands, his gaze lingering on her chest, her breasts and she
cleared her throat, hoping he’d get the hint.

He did. A steely glint lit his dark eyes and
he crossed his arms in front of his broad chest. “Where’s
Ginger?”

“
I’m
Ginger.”

“Cut with the bullshit, I know you’re not
Ginger. Who are you?”

Her eyebrows lifted but she didn’t answer.
If he was smart enough, he’d figure it out.

“Her sister?”

A single brow lifted. He was getting
warmer.

“Twin sister?” His brows rose as well.

“Identical twin sister,” Janelle answered,
rolling her eyes. “If you’re such a great cop, why didn’t you know
about me?”

“What’s your name?” He ignored her question,
his mouth grim as he ran his hand along his cheek, over his jaw.
She swore she heard the rasp of his stubble-covered skin against
his palm, could imagine his face pressed against hers...against the
inside of her thighs. Tickling her, making her yelp with
pleasurable pain when he licked her between her legs...

No
. Janelle shook her head, pushing
the sexual thoughts straight out of her mind. Not going to happen.
She didn’t need this complication. And being sexually attracted to
him would make it worse. She’d questions as vaguely as possible and
get the hell out of there.

“Do you have some sort of identification or
a badge you can show me? Shouldn’t you read me my rights or
whatever?” she asked.

“You’re not under arrest.”

“But you said I was.” Relief surged through
her.
Thank God.
The very last thing she needed to deal with
was an arrest record.

“I lied.” He shrugged those impossibly wide
shoulders with a nonchalance that made her want to slap him.

Her life was on the line and all he could
was shrug.

A hiss of impatience escaped. “Show me your
badge, something that proves you’re police. I’m not saying another
word until you do.”

With a sigh, he reached into his back pocket
and pulled out a slim black leather wallet, flipping it open to
reveal the unmistakable badge of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Accompanying it, an identification card stating he was Detective
Nathan Banks.

Crap. He really was a cop after her sister.
But why?

“Name?” He snapped the wallet shut and
shoved it into his pocket.

“Janelle Pearson.”

He cocked his head. “Right, Peters is her
stage name. Where’s Ginger?”

Well, he didn’t waste any time. “I don’t
know.” She lifted her chin, her mouth tightening. It was the truth.
She only knew Ginger had called a few hours ago begging Janelle to
cover for her at this stupid, stupid party.

“So you took her place tonight? Is this
something the two of you do often? Switch places, play tricks on
people?”

“No, not often. And we’re not trying to
trick people.” Janelle looked away from his too intense gaze,
taking in the bright city lights that lay out before them like a
sparkling, never-ending quilt. It was a beautiful view, but she
couldn’t enjoy it, not while being interrogated.

She’d only wanted to help Ginger, despite
her wariness over always bailing her out. Now she wanted to
throttle her twin for getting her involved in this mess. She also
wanted to smack the pushy-sexy cop and tell him to screw off.

Secretly, she wanted to grab the pushy-sexy
cop by his T-shirt and haul him in close, press against his hard
chest and revel in the sensation of his mouth on hers, his hands
wandering all over body.

Stupid.
Figured the first time she
had the hots for a guy in what felt like forever, they’d be for a
cop who wanted to use her to get to Ginger. That had been her
problem her entire life, so why think it would change?

“Why did you take Ginger’s place tonight?”
Nate’s questions knocked her from her thoughts and her shoulders
drooped, exhaustion overwhelming her.

“I’ve always taken care of my sister. I know
she has problems, but she means well, she really does try to clean
up and get straight.” Janelle sighed and shook her head. She didn’t
mean to reveal that much personal information. “I covered for her
tonight because she asked me to. She mentioned her boss would be
angry if she didn’t show up.”

“Why couldn’t she show up? Did she give you
a reason?”

“No.” Her gaze met his, her stomach twisting
into knots. Something was going on. She didn’t know what, but she
could see it in the detective’s eyes. Ginger was in something deep
and she’d dragged Janelle right into it.