Stripped Bounty Read Online Free Page A

good, casting her spell on the crowd, the energy from them filling her insides, fueling her to take it another notch higher.
    Shifting, she changed her position to a front split and arched backward. In that position, she undid the rest of the buttons on the shirt and peeled the two halves open. With her top discarded, she bent forward, rolled over and up to her feet.
    She’d had just enough cash left to go and buy a black, strappy bikini-style top and matching G-string. The skirt and dress shirt, she’d already had.
    She’d worn them to her husband’s funeral.
    How apropos she now wear them to make a living—a living Joey had never had a problem with. He’d liked the money too much. Selfish bastard! Not like he had a say anymore. Years ago, he was the reason she’d quit. She’d done it to spite him. Now he was the reason she was back on the pole.
    Rosie shoved the thought aside and strutted, slow and easy, down stage and right to a group of men waiting, dollar bills in their hands. Her ass might be hanging out, but she hadn’t removed her bra-top yet. And already she was making money. Relief washed over her as she turned and squatted down in front of the small group and let them tuck the money they held in the side straps of her G-string. “Thank you.”
    Rising, she smiled over her shoulder and shot them a wink before stepping away to the other pole. She gripped the steel in both palms, swung her body and flipped herself upside down. As she rotated, Rosie hooked a knee around the bar and let the momentum of the movement spin her.
    Keeping her arms out to accentuate the motion of her body, she completed a few more revolutions before rising and righting herself once more.
    Godsmack’s “Keep Away” began and as Rosie allowed her body to slow in its revolutions, she extended out of her position until once again she was on the floor. She pushed up off the ground and moved center stage. Rosie scanned the crowd, searching for him again.
    And found him.
    He hadn’t moved, and he was still watching. Good.
    In the next moment, she unhooked the back clasp on her bra as she scooped up the skirt she’d discarded earlier with her free hand. In one seamless motion, she slipped off the strappy top and slid the black skirt in front of her bare breasts.
    Rosie teased the crowd. As she’d always done. As dancers were meant to do.
    That was the whole point of a striptease, wasn’t it? Maybe she’d shown him that. She sure as hell did the crowd. Whistles sounded from the club floor and more patrons lined the sides of the stage—dollar bills at the ready.
    Still on her knees, she spun away, giving them her back, but then arched backward to lie on the stage. With one hand tangled in her hair, the other still holding the black fabric to her chest, Rosie undulated her hips, her long legs extended in the air.
    After twining them together at the knee and then apart a few times, she slammed the soles of her feet down on the ground, thrust her hips high in the air and tossed the skirt aside. Rosie rolled backward, her legs coming over her body as she pushed herself over and up to her feet.
    Adrenaline pulsed through her, and her body hummed from the energy in the crowd. With her hair hanging over one eye, she turned and faced the crowd, finally giving them what they wanted: her bare body. Bare except for the strappy, black G-string.
    Rosie walked forward, stopping to roll her head, swinging her long hair around. She’d missed this. The show. The response from the crowd. The high that came from gaining their attention. All of their attention. The feeling was unexpected but no less true. With a bounce and pop of her hips, she swayed in time with the hard beat of the song before moving to each customer lining the stage. As the song played out, she let the searing sound of the guitar and the deep tone of the singer’s voice roll through her as each man at the edge of the stage tucked dollar bills in the straps on her hips.
    When the