Cado (11 page)

“Hey, Mikey,” I greeted the bouncer working the front door as I exited the cab. “Bert around?”

Mikey uncrossed his thick tattooed arms and winced. “Yeah, but he’s in a pissy mood in general, and really pissed at you. You might—”

I went up on my tiptoes and rubbed Mikey’s shaved head. “For good luck.” I smirked and he chuckled.

“Fuck, good luck then.” He pushed the door open for me and I strode in.

Bert was right where I thought he’d be, in his office. He glowered when he looked up to see me approaching. “Hi-ya, Bert!” I said with forced cheer. “I guess you probably want to talk to me.”

“I can’t believe you had the nerve to show your face here again,” he growled.

I flopped in the uncomfortable chair across from him. “Oh come on, I literally just got out of jail. I took a cab straight here. I—”

He slapped his open palms down on his desk. “You skipped out on the rest of your shift last week and then you disappeared without a word. Next I hear you’re in jail. I don’t know what—”

“Seriously—none of that was my fault. In fact none of the weird shit that’s been going on with me is my fault.” I paused, gathering myself. Obviously a different approach was in order. Bert seemed like the kind of guy who would fall for my waterworks routine. My lower lip began to tremble and my eyes burned with tears. “Look, Bert…please,” I forced my voice to warble. “Someone is targeting me. I don’t know what’s going on but I need this job. I didn’t do anything wrong. Why do you think the police let me go? Someone is setting me up and—” I choked back a sob. “Please don’t let them win. Please don’t fire me. I can’t leave town and I need the money. Just…please.” For the finale I blinked to dislodge the tears from my eyes. They slowly trailed down my cheeks as I stared at Bert with my best puppy dog eyes.

Bert cleared his throat as he shifted uncomfortably. After another moment he snatched a tissue from the box on his desk and handed it to me. “You don’t have any idea who it could be? Maybe a customer?”

I shook my head and wiped at my eyes with the tissue. “No—I—please don’t fire me, Bert.” He was softening, I could tell.

He swore under his breath. “I’m going to catch shit from the other girls for this. You’ll probably have to deal with some of it yourself since they’ll be bitter thinking I’m giving you special treatment. But fine—you still have a job.”

I smiled through my tears. “You won’t regret this.”

He snorted. “I already know I’m going to regret not letting you go, but I’m not heartless.”

“Can I go on tonight? My stuff is still here.”

He processed that bit of information for a second before responding. “It’s been here the whole time?”

“Yeah. I told you that—”

He raised his hands. “I don’t want to know anymore. Just get ready for tonight and try not to cause any more trouble for the club.”

“Got it, no more trouble.” I turned and hurried from his office. No more trouble. Well, wasn’t that going to be the tough part, not just while at Club Elite, but in all parts of my life.

I swiveled my hips before grabbing the pole and hefting myself to almost the top. I flipped over, hanging by my legs. While upside down I shimmied my top off, caressing my tits to the rapt attention of everyone sitting around the main stage. I loosened my legs and slid down the pole so I could reach the ground. I pushed off into a handstand, lowering my arms so I could bend my body over into a split. Once right side up I flopped onto my back and peered over at the crowd while arching my tits up into the air. Money littered the stage while still more fluttered to the ground. I finished my set with my signature crawl on all fours. It was a simple move, one that literally a baby could do, but men, and women for that matter, always went crazy when I prowled towards them in that manner. As long as it brought me the green, I was more than willing. Especially if I didn’t have to risk any pulled muscles in the process.

My song ended and I pulled myself to my feet. I was sweaty and I needed a drink before heading to the back VIP stage. I was arranging my gown, and I use the term very loosely, when someone grabbed my arm. “Hey,” I snapped. “Hands off.”

“That’s not what you said last night, or this morning either.”

Surprise washed over me. I knew he’d be back, but I hadn’t expected him so soon. “Moretti.” I met his dark gaze as his slid over my scantily clad body. “What are you doing here?” He wasn’t wearing his uniform, I noticed. So he was making a personal visit, was he? I smiled.

His gaze bore into mine and I couldn’t help but respond to him, after all, I had spent the better part of the last twenty-four hours with him inside of me. “I’m doing the same thing most of the men here are doing, I suppose.” He glanced over my shoulder at the throng of men around the stage. “You really know how to draw a crowd, don’t you?”

I ran my fingers down his bare arm. “Jealous?”

“Extremely.”

I tilted my head and smiled teasingly. “I really didn’t expect to see you here. I thought you’d avoid a place like this like the plague.”

“Mmmm…” he grunted. “I got bored.”

“Reeeeaaally,” I drawled.

“Yeah, thought I’d come check this place out.”

“Aaaand, what do you think?”

He leaned into my personal space and my breath hitched. “I think that I’m going to ask you for a private dance.” I opened my mouth to protest but he talked over me. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay for it. In more ways than one,” he muttered the last part and I couldn’t help but think that he hadn’t meant for me to hear it.

I’d already come to the conclusion that Lucian was who I really wanted, but Moretti was fun. He made me feel lighter somehow, almost…normal. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt that way before him. My life was so complicated that it was a breath of fresh air just to live in the moment.

I glanced over at the VIP stage. “I have to put in an appearance on the back stage for a song. After that, I’m all yours. You can sit there if you want.”

He followed my gaze with his. “It doesn’t look like there’s room.”

I snickered. “Well, I am very popular.”

“I’ll wait for you at the bar.” He turned and strode off without another word.

Things just got more interesting. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do about Moretti. We’d had a good time together…a really good time. The thing was, I knew I shouldn’t string him along just because I wanted to have some fun and not think about what tomorrow would bring. He wasn’t one of my customers, even though he was intending to play one tonight. I needed to cut him loose…but after I said a proper goodbye to him. A girl needs to get her kicks somehow, and someone who looked like Moretti and fucked the way he did wasn’t the worst way to get them.
I so need to sort my bi-polar emotions out.
I’d never been so indecisive until Lucian had fucked with my life and my head. But I would worry about all of that…later. That was kind of the point of living in the moment.

I sidled up next to Moretti at the bar and grinned at him. “Hey there, big boy,” I said in my best May West impression, before winking. “You ready?”

Moretti took a swig from his Iron City bottle and nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”

I slid my arm into the crook of his elbow and lead him to the private rooms. Marcus was working and stepped out of our way while delivering me an easy smile. “Good to see you’re all right, Karma. Some of us were worried,” he rumbled.

“Thanks, Marcus, it’s nice to know you care. See you later.” Moretti and I breezed into one of the private rooms, not my preferred room, but I was just happy to still have a job.

I shoved at Moretti playfully. “Have a seat.”

He obeyed immediately, obviously eager for what was going to come. “So how does this work?” Moretti asked after another swig of beer. “I just sit here and you dance for me?”

“It works just like any other strip club, or pretty much. Contrary to what some believe, the girls here don’t sell sexual favors. Although…” I purred. “It’s totally a different case for you.”

“I’m not paying for your sexual favors,” Moretti husked. “Not when I can get those for free.”

I simply snorted as my response. Moretti wasn’t trying to offend me, or at least I hoped he wasn’t, so I was going to just let his reaction to my flirting go. “Oh, you’ll pay for them one way or another,” I couldn’t help mumble under my breath.

The velvet curtain was ripped back abruptly. I whirled around indignantly. “Hey, you—” My voice stuck in my throat when I saw the intruder. “Lucian,” I grated.

“Excuse me, this room is already occupied. You going to be a problem?” Moretti snapped as he drew up to his full height, narrowing his eyes.

“No problem here.” I glared at Lucian. His eyes were riveted on Moretti. He didn’t even spare me a glance.

“Leave, now,” he commanded. “That will save
you
from having to find out how I deal with my problems, which you are becoming.”

“Look buddy, I don’t know who you think you are but—”

Lucian snapped his fingers and Moretti disappeared. A startled scream burst from my chest. “What—what the hell did you do to him?”

Lucian pulled the curtain closed and strode towards me, his eyes glowing an electric blue. “Nothing. I simply sent him home. He’ll wake up in the morning with a killer headache and just assume he has a massive hangover.”

“You had no right to do that. Now it’s time for
you
to leave. I’m not going to let you run shotgun over my life.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at Lucian. I tried very unsuccessfully to not let my gaze run over the rest of him. I took in his finely tailored black suit, red dress shirt and tie. His eerie eyes cast shadows over his features, making them appear sharper and almost threatening. He exuded so much raw power; it both frightened and turned me on. A man like him usually made women do one of two things: One: run for the hills. Or two: offer themselves up to be ravished. I was a millisecond away from doing one of those options; I just wasn’t sure which yet.

“You don’t really want me to leave. You’re just angry because you feel like I’m trying to be controlling. I can let you be in control. I like it when a woman’s on top.” Lucian’s full lips turned up into a sneer. His comments coupled with his infuriating expression pushed me way past angry.

“Yeah, that’s so not happening,” I hissed through clenched teeth.

“Oh?” He quirked an eyebrow as if confused. “You don’t want to be on top?” He shrugged. “Which position would you prefer then? I find that I’m open to any of them with you…it doesn’t matter…as long as I get to be inside of you.”

Well shit
. I was so turned on but I didn’t want him to know that. Letting him know would definitely give him the upper hand, something that I was desperately trying to make sure he didn’t get…at least not completely. “That’s not how you get into my pants. I actually like men who treat me with respect.”

Lucian moved slowly towards me. “How have I been disrespectful towards you?”

“So you don’t know what the word means then? Because obviously that’s the only explanation for you thinking that you have been respecting me the entire time since I met you.”

I reached the end of my road, or rather, my back hit the wall. I found myself suddenly caged in by Lucian’s large body. I gulped.
Why does he have to smell so good on top of everything else? He’d be so much easier to resist if he smelled like B.O.

Lucian cupped the side of my face in his warm palm and I turned into the heat as my eyes slid shut. He leaned into me to whisper, “I would give you the world. I would do anything you asked of me. If you just give yourself to me completely.”

“What does that even mean?” I rasped.

He brought his knee up to part my legs and leaned into me. I gasped when my wet panties pressed against him. “It means exactly what it sounds like. Give yourself to me completely. Be mine in every way possible. Then and only then will I be your willing slave.”

With my eyes still shut I asked, “My willing slave?”

“Yes,” he purred. “I would do anything for you—anything. But not until you’re mine…forever.”

I ignored the foreboding feeling in my gut. Lucian’s words about being his and all of that had scared me before but now they were much more intense. The biggest question…bigger than any of the rest was—“Why me? Why do you want me? You don’t even know me, not really. Is it because we’re both freaks? Is that why you think I’ll understand you? Or because you think we’re both twisted with the vigilante thing? Or both?” If he would just explain to me what was driving his obsession then there was a possibility I could talk him out of it. Before I thought the best solution was nailing and bailing him, but after everything he’d done… putting as much distance between us was the only solution. Someone like Lucian might seem sexy in theory, like in a book or movie, but in real life it was beyond creepy. My hormones would just have to cry me a river for not letting them do what they wanted me to do with Lucian.