What Lola Wants (London Dolls Book 1) by JoAnne Kenrick

want to be coy, to be a lady. But you know me. Any man has me in bed and I’m naked and jumping him before he can ask me what my name is. It’s nice to pretend to be proper. That’s who I am, deep inside me somewhere.”
    Against her will, Louisa’s gaze flitted to Dennis and she blurted, “I am not that kind of girl.”
    “So you and my brother weren’t making the sofa scream for mercy last night?”
    Heat rose to her cheeks. “Maybe.”
    He jabbed her ribs. “A chance to dance on stage as someone else will help you break through this whole ‘I can’t dance because it reminds me of Al’s
    crap.”
    Jane threw her arms in the air. “That’s what I’ve been saying. Use your time on stage in character as therapy. Think of what you need in your life to feel good about yourself. What will liberate you from the restraints that prick has embedded into you?”
    “You should do whatever Lola wants to do, make it big and fantastical. Go all out.” A proud smile adorned Dennis’s chiseled features. “Be whoever you want to be.”
    “That’s the problem. I don’t know who I am or should be.” She pouted. “What if I can’t do it? What if I go out there, do my thing, and look like a duck quacking for breadcrumbs?”
    Jane knelt beside her. “I’ve never known you to fail at anything in your entire life. Remember that awful woodcraft class you accidentally signed up for instead of cooking? You hated it, but you worked that wood regardless and got an A.”
    “I’ve got some wood you could work.” Dennis winked.
    His sister whipped a palm over his head, tousling his blond locks. “Don’t talk to my friend like that.”
    Ignoring the sibling banter, Louisa stood and stuck her chest out. “You’re right. I can do anything I set my mind to.”
    “That’s the spirit, my Lola. Hey, she should shop at your store, Sis. Seeing all those crazy outfits might spark an idea.”
    “Her store?” She flicked her attention to her friend. “You have a store?”
    “Ah, yeah, I may have forgotten to mention that I own Lady Jane’s Dress Burlesque on Knightsbridge.”
    “Really?” Not knowing this major detail in her friend’s life riddled her with guilt. She slumped. “What else aren’t you telling me?”
    “Nothing, except, well…”
    “Spit it out.”
    “Tell her, Sis.”
    “Come on, tell me, Jane?”
    “Dennis is my silent partner. He owns half the store and does the accounts, leaving me to do what I was born to do.”
    “Which is?”
    “Bedazzle everything I can lay my hands on, of course.”
    She tapped them both on the shoulder and smiled. “You two always did make a perfect team, sure you’re not twins?”
    “Yeah, we’re sure. Not with the three-year difference between us. And while we’re being honest and dishing, your mum called. She wants to see you. Anyway, I gotta go. See you at the theatre for practice in two hours.” Jane ducked out of the flat.
    “What does she mean, my mum called?” She turned to Dennis, her teeth gritted, hands balled. “How would my mum have Jane’s number?”
    “Didn’t you know? I would have thought she’d have told you. Your mum calls her from time to time for a check in about how you’re doing. It started after you left. Jane called your mum to see if you two had been in touch, and it continued from there. I guess she didn’t know how to approach you with the subject.”
    “We used to share everything with each other.”
    “Things between you two, they’re not the same. Give it time, you’ll soon be back on track.”
    “Things have changed around here, Dennis. But in many ways, not so much.” She would be damned if she would let her mum ruin her life for her just as she was getting back on track. “A dress shop co-owner, huh?”
    “I don’t own it. Like she said, I do the books. The rest is all her.” He rubbed her shoulder, concern in his eyes.
    “Speaking of ‘all her,’ should I bare all on a burlesque stage?”
    “Lola, I want to see