Past Regrets: Love and Friendship, Book 2 (3 page)

Nodding, Julia continued to catalogue the problems. They needed to gut the entire building and start again. Hire some new strippers. Maybe do some advertising. Get proactive instead of settling for the same old methods, which weren’t working. She frowned. Her mother had a knack for the business and could instinctively tell if a woman had what it took to make a good stripper. For the club to go so far downhill and her not know… Guilt rose to the surface again. She was a bad daughter. She should’ve checked on her mother more often.

At her side, Susan faltered when a drunken man blundered past on the way to the restrooms. “I think I’m up for the challenge,” she said, her blue eyes bulging as she took in her surroundings.

Maggie swung around in a slow circle, studying every gaping deficiency. She turned to face them and broke into a grin. “Let’s do it.”

Damn, Julia wanted to weep again. She peered through shimmering eyes at her friends. “The margaritas have rotted your brains.”

“I agree with Maggie,” Christina said.

Julia glanced at Susan, the normal naysayer and voice of reason. “Are you sure?”

Susan nodded emphatically. “I want to do this.”

“I still think you need your heads read by a professional, but let’s go and find my mother. Maybe she’ll be able to talk sense into you.” Julia strode up to the bar with her friends at her back. Gratitude she couldn’t express clamped around her ribs, making it difficult to breathe. They were the best, but they had no idea what was involved in running a strip club.

A buxom barmaid sauntered up to them as she gulped down the handful of crisps she’d shoved in her mouth. “Yeah, what will it be?”

“Where’s Elise?” Julia asked. The woman needed to lose both the food habit and her attitude.

“She’s out the back.” The woman indicated a door behind the bar with a jerk of her finger. “Wait, you can’t come back here.”

“I’m Elise’s daughter,” Julia said. “Stan will vouch for me.” She stalked to the door, aware of the others hurrying after her.

“Julia?”

Julia paused, shocked by her mother’s weak voice. She entered the office and found her mother resting on a couch. She’d lost weight and her blusher stood out in two red circles against the paleness of her cheeks. Her long blonde hair framed her face with lank strands and the distinct gray streaks snared Julia’s attention. Her mother was vain when it came to her hair and in the past had ruthlessly dealt with any hint of gray.

“Mum, how are you?”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine or you wouldn’t be in here resting. Why didn’t you ring me?” Julia unleashed her worry with sharp words.

Her mother’s chin lifted. “I sent you a letter.”

“Mum, I live ten minutes away.”

“I wanted to tell you everything, and a letter was easier. I didn’t want to watch your expression or hear you judge me.”

“Oh, Mum.” All her childhood embarrassment and their past arguments receded, now unimportant. Her friends were right. They needed a plan, and it might be the thing to take her mind off Ryan. As soon as the divorce came through, she could move on, and meantime, she’d work on helping her mother. “You don’t need to worry about hiring a new manager, not when I can do the job for you.”

“I can’t ask you to give up your job. You have your own life.”

“I’ll take a leave of absence,” Julia said in a no-nonsense voice, ignoring the tiny sliver of panic struggling to slip free. Her entire life was spinning in the wrong damn direction. “Leave everything to me and you concentrate on getting better.”

Chapter Two

Ryan arrived at Julia’s apartment the next morning much later than he’d planned. On returning home the previous night, both he and Caleb had crashed, lack of sleep catching up with them. He rang the bell, but as he’d expected, there was no reply. Finally, he returned to their apartment to find an agitated Caleb.

“Where have you been?”

“I went back to Julia’s apartment. Either she didn’t return home or she’d already left for work.” Hell, he hoped it wasn’t the first alternative. The thought of Julia in another man’s bed kicked like a cranky mule. His hands itched with the need to hit something. Someone. “I’m not an invalid. I made it there and back without getting lost.”

Caleb scratched a hand through his scruffy black hair. “I was worried.”

“The doctors in Germany said I was fine. Most of my memories have come back. Hell, if I can remember the words to our songs there’s nothing wrong with me.”

No matter how much he denied it, Caleb was babying him and smothering him in the process. Ryan knew his friend worried, but he was good, or he would be as soon as he connected with Julia again. “When are you going to Tauranga?”

“Tomorrow.”

“And you’re staying a week?”

“Yeah, Jeff and Neil have both gone home to Wellington. They rang while you were out. They’ll be back the week after next so we can knuckle down and sort out new songs for the album.”

Ryan absorbed the info and nodded. That gave him a week to do his own thing up here in Auckland. “I thought I might get stuck into the song writing.”

“And Julia?” Caleb passed him a coffee.

Ryan cradled the mug in his hands. “When I catch up to her I’ll talk, tell her what happened and ask her to drop the divorce proceedings.” He half-expected Caleb to jeer at him, to inform him he was a fool.

“Chicks on tap get old after a while.”

Caleb’s comment surprised him into a beat of silence. “I don’t think Neil and Jeff would agree with you.”

“Think how much worse it’d be if the public knew we were
French Letters
.”

“True.” Ryan sipped his coffee. “It’s great walking down the street without anyone recognizing me.”

“Yeah, there’s a lot to be said for mystique and stage makeup,” Caleb agreed. “Do you have any ideas for songs?”

“I have half a dozen done already.” Ryan couldn’t help the spurt of smugness that crept into his tone.

“When? Wait, they’d better not be friggin’ soppy ballads.”

Ryan shrugged, knowing it would annoy his friend.

Caleb let out a pained groan and clapped a hand to his head. “No! Say it isn’t so.”

“Maybe one or two.”

“But you’ve written some rock songs?” A plea.

“Of course.” And he thought they were some of his best work, but the ballads, inspired by Julia, his mystery woman, were beyond brilliant, even if he did say so himself.

“Go get them. You’ll have to wait until your girl finishes work before you can see her anyway. We might as well make use of the hours and get a jump on the arrangements.”

At four thirty, Ryan stood and stretched his hands above his head. He groaned, his muscles protesting after sitting for so long. “Time to go and catch up with my wife.”

“I’ll give you a lift. I intended to take my car out of mothballs and give it a run anyway.”

“You’ll leave as soon as she arrives? Give us some privacy.”

Caleb inclined his head, grabbing his keys as if Ryan had already agreed with him. “Come on.”

They pulled up outside the apartment just as a group of women piled into a cab. “Isn’t that Julia?”

Ryan’s eyes feasted on his shapely blonde wife, pictured her sparkling brown eyes and sultry smile. “Yeah, follow that cab. I’m not waiting around here all night again.” His heart gave several hard thumps before resuming its normal beat.

Caleb shot him a sideward glance. “You can’t accost her in public either.”

“I’ll give her my phone number and ask her to meet me tomorrow for lunch so we can discuss things.” Or maybe he’d drag her to bed and keep her locked in his bedroom until she changed her mind about the divorce.

Skepticism bloomed on his friend’s face, and Ryan’s frustration boiled over. “Don’t look at me like that. You foisted yourself on me.” He sucked in a quick breath, then let it ease out slow. “Sorry.”

“They’re heading down town. Maybe they’re going for drinks at one of The Viaduct bars. I hope not. Parking is a bitch around there.”

“No problem. You can let me out and go home.”

Caleb didn’t reply, concentrating on driving instead. “Hell, they’re not going to The Viaduct.”

They drove up Nelson Street and ended up near Karangahape Road, known locally as K’ Road. Ryan stared at the buildings they passed with increasing puzzlement. The street had a sleazy reputation since many of the strip clubs and adult stores were located in the area.

“They’re getting out here,” Caleb said.

“Why?” Ryan watched Julia plus two other women exit the cab. His hungry gaze roamed her body. She made her black trousers and plain white shirt look sexy.

His
.

No matter what she said, they had to give their marriage a chance.

Another cab pulled up in front of the first, and the passengers—a man and woman—joined Julia and her friends. They spoke briefly and entered the black door of a nondescript building. A neon sign flickered irregularly, several of the letters not working properly.
The Last Frontier
, he made out after concentrating on the blinking light.

“Why do they have keys for a strip club?” Caleb asked. “Damn, there’s no parking. Wait! No, I see one. The white Nissan is pulling out.”

“I have no idea why they’re here.” Ryan waited impatiently while Caleb pulled into the parking space. As soon as the car came to a halt, he clicked his seatbelt free and opened the door. “Let’s go.”

Julia had disappeared inside. With ground-eating steps, Ryan was at the door in seconds. He tested the handle. Locked. He pounded on the hard surface.

“Hell, Ryan,” Caleb said. “If you keep that up, you’ll put your fist through it.”

The door flew open without warning and he came face-to-face with the guy he’d seen earlier. The man was big, a few inches taller than him, and built solid like a rugby player.

“Who are you?” Ryan demanded.

“We’re not open,” the man said.

“I want to see Julia.”

The man’s brows rose. “Who are you?” He tossed Ryan’s question back at him.

Ryan shot him a glare, counseling himself to patience when he really wanted to shove the man out of the way. “Ryan Callander. Julia’s husband. I’m here to see my wife.”

Chapter Three

“Are we in agreement?” Julia asked after running through the final items on the list she’d made during the day.

“Brilliant,” Susan said with a trace of awe. “I love the idea of branching out into classes and doing hen’s nights is a stroke of genius.”

Christina nodded. “Are you sure the burlesque will work? Are there other places that do it or are they strictly strip clubs along K’ Road?”

“I did a bit of quick research online. There are no places offering burlesque performances in the area, but it’s big overseas. I thought burlesque might widen our appeal and get more women in the place,” Julia said. “What’s taking Connor so long?” She took two steps toward the door and came to an abrupt halt. Her pulse roared in her ears like a thundering train, shock threatening to buckle her knees. She staggered a couple of steps before reinforcing her shaking limbs enough to bear her weight.

“Ryan?” she croaked.

“Julia!” Ryan crossed the room in seconds flat and grabbed her into a tight embrace before she could react. His familiar scent rolled over her, masculine with a hint of spicy green and the outdoors. He pressed her head to his chest, apparently content to hold her against his trembling frame. For long seconds she let him, too stunned to react. Then her shock gave way to fury, and she lashed out with her foot, kicking him in the shin.

“Ow!” He released her abruptly, an aggrieved scowl distorting his pretty face. “What did you do that for?”

Cripes, she’d broken her foot, not that she’d admit it to him. She gathered the pain and hurled it back in harsh words. “You can’t come waltzing back after nearly a year and expect me to welcome you. Didn’t you receive the divorce papers?”

“I don’t want a divorce.” His blue eyes bored into her. Determined. Steady. He glanced at their avid audience. “Maybe we should take this somewhere private?”

Julia dug in her heels, feeling contrary. He had no right to burst into her life again. And as for orders—forget it. She squared her shoulders and glowered at him. “They’re my friends. They can hear anything you have to say to me.”
Aw, heck.
Ryan.
She’d thought she’d hate him…
No!
She did hate him. “You cheated on me.”

“When did Julia get married?” Susan asked.

Curiosity buffeted Julia in waves, coming at her from all directions.
Great. Just great.

She lowered her voice, steeling herself against his charisma. One look at his dark hair, blue eyes and strong runner’s body and her willpower seeped through the soles of her favorite high-heel pumps.
Go figure
.

“I can’t talk to you now. We should discuss this with our lawyers present.”

A total contradiction of her previous words. Off-balance, surprise and a tinge of outrage ran hotly through her veins, yet she wanted to grab him and lay one on his sexy lips. She wanted to lick along the tail of the dragon winding around one biceps and explore the scaled body tattooed on his shoulder. How could he do this to her?