Tess's Tale (The Chanel Series Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

other side of my mother.
    I grabbed some clothes and made my way down the hall to the bathroom. A noise from Liss’s room made me pause. Had she called out to me?
    I was reaching out to the door handle again when I heard Liss say, ‘I’m hungry.’
    ‘Shall I go fix us something?’
    I backed away from the door as I heard Thor.
    ‘Silly boy.’ Liss was practically purring. ‘I’m not that kind of hungry.’
    ‘Lissity-Jane,’ Thor’s voice held mock outrage, ‘didn’t your mother ever tell you that that sort of behaviour was rude?’
    ‘Oh she did, but I was never a good listener.’
    ‘Lucky me.’ Thor’s answer was accompanied by the sound of a bed’s springs squeaking.
    I scuttled towards the bathroom door, trying not to think about what was going on in the room next door while I showered. It made sense of something I had observed last night though. Liss had watched her girls like a hawk, keeping an eye on the men propositioning them, but not once had I seen Liss leading a man up to those little rooms. She may have been the Madam of the house, but she only had eyes for Thor.
    After I had dressed and waited what I thought would be an appropriate length of time, I made my way to the small kitchen. Thor was already there, dressed in a short, pink bathrobe as he cooked an omelette. The ruffle finished mid-thigh, looking particularly ludicrous against the coarse, black hair covering his legs.
    ‘Hungry?’ He pointed to a small table covered in a loud floral tablecloth. Three places were already set and a pot of coffee sat brewing in the middle.
    ‘Starving,’ I said, trying not to think about the part of their conversation I had overheard. I was only partly successful and I felt a blush erupt on my cheeks.
    ‘Thor makes the best omelette in Las Vegas,’ Liss said as she came into the room behind me. She was wearing a longer version of Thor’s dressing robe and had a satisfied smile on her face. She crossed to the cooktop and, standing on tiptoes, brushed a kiss across his cheek.
    I didn’t mean to stare, but the sight of the two of them, loving each other, was like a river to a parched man. I wished with all my might that Mom could have had even a day of what these two obviously shared.
    Liss took the seat opposite me and buttered a piece of toast. ‘Coffee?’ She picked up the pot and, when I nodded, poured us both a cup of the thick, strong brew.
    I added milk and sugar, holding the cup between my hands while I watched Thor cook our breakfast.
    ‘So,’ Liss said when we had finished eating, ‘what time did you want to show us what you’ve got.’ She burst out laughing and pointed at me. ‘Oh, you should see the look on your face.’
    ‘Don’t tease her Lissity,’ Thor said, but he had a big grin on his face.
    ‘I’m talking about your voice, not your boobs,’ Liss said.
    That only made me feel marginally better. I had a feeling my breasts were more impressive than my voice, and that wasn’t saying much.
    A sick feeling started up in my gut. ‘About my voice,’ I said, ‘I don’t know if it’s any good.’ What if I couldn’t sing? Would they kick me out? Then where would I go?
    ‘Hey.’ Liss reached over and took my hand. ‘We don’t care if you can sing or not. And even if you’ve got a set of pipes on you that would make Tina Turner green, but you don’t want to use them, that’s fine too. You live here now for as long as you want.’
    The look on her face matched the pressure of her hand, intense but warm. I sagged back against my seat and said, ‘If I do have a set of pipes on me then I’m going to use them.’ I stopped and flashed her a quick grin. ‘I sound okay in the shower.’
    ‘Honey,’ she said, throwing her head back and laughing, ‘we all sound good in the shower.’
    About half an hour later the three of us descended to the club. Thor started restocking the bar while Liss and I climbed up onto the stage.
    She switched on the microphone and tapped it a