Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 62528 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62528 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
She pulled up to the club and parked, repeating her mantra: I can do this. I can do this.
“Okay. Here goes.” She marched inside, heading straight for the theater. She hadn’t gone backstage yet, but one of the entrances was just off the main hallway.
Jac entered what looked like a mix between a common hangout area and a costume closet, noting the scent of caramelized sugar and something fishy.
“Dash? Mink? Is anyone here?”
No one replied, but the first show wouldn’t start for two more hours.
Maybe it was best to find Dash’s dressing room and wait for him. At least she could grovel in private there.
Jac turned the corner down a short hallway with several doors. The last one had Dash’s name on it. She went inside and flipped on the lights. The room was small with a red couch against one wall and a vanity on the other. Behind the door hung his white robe and his little black thong.
“Oh boy.” She leaned in, checking to see if there was any padding in the thong. A package that big couldn’t be real.
To her shock, the tiny banana hammock was made of thin fabric. Zero enhancements.
I wonder if he has a prosthetic hidden around here. She walked over to the vanity and slid open a drawer. Inside was a big bottle of lotion called Glitter Man, “for the man who’s unafraid to sparkle.”
That explains his glowing tan. She picked up the bottle, giving it a whiff. It smelled like caramelized sugar. And that explains part of what I keep smelling around here. The fishy smell was still a mystery though. That and the bulge.
She put back the bottle and moved to the next drawer. Inside was an oval chunk of blue leather about the size of her hand.
A codpiece. I knew it! She leaned in to inspect it closer, noticing the thing had a strange texture, like alligator skin or something. “What a weirdo.” She closed the drawer.
“May I help you?” said a deep, unhappy voice.
Jac jumped and turned to find Dash’s towering, six-three frame in the doorway. He wore snug black jeans that caressed his powerful legs and a black T-shirt that hugged his strong pecs. His tanned arms were works of art, equipped with two brawny biceps and ropes of muscled forearms. The man just oozed strength and virility, right down to the tousled caramel-brown hair and groomed stubble.
Oh shit. “That wasn’t—I mean—I didn’t come here to snoop. I was just…”
“Snooping through my things?” he snarled with those perfectly plump lips.
This was not going as she’d planned, meaning she hadn’t prepared any thoughtful dialog to explain why she’d just invaded his privacy and how she should get her job back anyway.
“Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me,” she said.
He cocked a light brown brow. “What secret?”
“You know…your secret.” She winked at him.
He actually looked concerned—furrowed brows, lots of blinking.
Hold on. Could this codpiece be the leverage she needed? Maybe Dash was terrified of his fans discovering the truth about his junk.
“So you figured it out. But how?” Dash asked.
“I just looked and knew.” I mean, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what that blue thing was.
“Have you seen one before?” he asked.
“Errr… hasn’t everyone?”
“Maybe in the movies,” he replied. “But in real life?”
She shrugged. It wasn’t like codpieces were mystical creatures. “We’re not talking unicorns here.”
“Not even in the same realm.”
She chuckled nervously, thinking that maybe this was the time to state her case. “Hey, so, I didn’t come here to go through your things or cause you any embarrassment, but I really need—”
“I told Heebie to be careful. Modern humans are more perceptive and open to the impossible than ever before.”
Humans? Perceptive? “Sorry, but what does Heebie have to do with your codpiece?” she asked.
“Codpiece?”
“Yeah, that blue thing in your drawer.” She pointed to it. “What did you think I was talking about?”
He stared for a moment. “Uh, my codpiece, of course.”
“No, you thought I was talking about something else, which means you have another secret.” What was it?
“I do not know what you’re talking about.” He stepped inside, clearing the doorway. “It’s time for you to go now. You aren’t supposed to be back here or anywhere on the premises—unless you come as a guest and buy a ticket.”
She couldn’t leave. Not yet. “I came here because I really need my job back, and if you could just listen for a sec—”
“Hell no.” He laughed. “Now leave, or I’ll throw you out myself.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
He flashed a wicked smile that exposed his front teeth. They were the whitest teeth she’d ever seen.
So vain. I bet he bleaches them daily.
“I would dare.” He took a step closer, towering over her five-five frame.
Suddenly Jac realized he was dead serious. “Dash, please. I came to apologize for yesterday and assure you I won’t be a problem.”