Losing Control (15 page)

“You’re right, the redhead is a douchebag,” she told Jasmine. “He asked me for a lap dance and then grabbed his crotch and thrust it at me. How much longer do I have to do this job again?”

“One more semester and then however long it takes you to find a job, girlfriend. You’re on your way,” Jasmine tried to encourage her. It hurt her to see the fire in Bianca’s eyes die a little bit when men treated her like this. “Do you want me to take the table?”

“No,” Bianca sighed. “I came in here tonight to make money. I’m not gonna let some guy who’s wasted ruin it for me.”

“You need me to at any time tonight and you just let me know.”

An hour later, Bianca was nearing the end of her rope. She wanted this night over and she wanted to see Jagger, not necessarily in that order. It surprised her how much she
needed
to see him. He’d come to have a very calming effect on her. When she was down or stressed, she wanted to see him. Usually just having him around helped, sometimes it was just seeing the glint of mischievousness in his eyes. She was almost ready to text him when her neck started tingling.

Turning around, she saw him walk in. He wore leather chaps over worn jeans and black motorcycle boots. His leather cut fit over a long-sleeve white thermal shirt and black leather gloves covered his hands and fingers. A black beanie covered what she knew was gorgeous dirty blond hair. She would bet it was windblown because his face held the redness of cold from outside. A black bandana hung from the back pocket of his jeans. He took one cursory glance around the club before his eyes landed on hers. The smile that he seemed to reserve for her now broke across his face. She smiled back, wanting nothing more than to beat feet across the crowded room and throw herself into his arms.

“Your group over there is getting restless.” Sparkles sauntered up to her, closing a robe over her body. “I just gave redhead a lap dance and he called me Bianca. You better go shut that shit down.”

Bianca’s smile faded, and she turned around with new determination. “Okay guys, no more drinks, you’re at the limit. Do you have a DD?”

One of the guys in the group raised his hand. “That’s me. Just let me settle up with you and I’ll get them out of your hair,” he grinned good-naturedly at her.

Thankful that one of them seemed to still have his faculties about him, she handed him the bill and took the time to explain that the gratuity was already included and they weren’t required to leave her anything else. She hoped that would make them get out even faster.

Just as she was about to be done, redhead whistled at her and crooked his finger in her direction. She fought not to roll her eyes but walked over anyway, knowing that it was probably the worst idea she’d had in a long time.

“Yeah?”

“I got your tip hot stuff.”

Shaking her head, she indicated the receipt she held in her hand. “Already got it, thanks though.”

She had inadvertently gotten a little too close, and redhead was quick, even when inebriated. He put his hand behind her neck and pulled her down even closer before hooking a finger in her shirt and stuffing a bill in her bra.

Within seconds, she’d been moved, and Jagger’s hand was around the redhead’s neck.

“You want to take care of this or do you want me to?” Jagger asked, his teeth clenched.

“Normally, I’d say let me, but I’m tired tonight and this guy has been on my nerves since he got here. You take care of it, baby.” She winked at him as she said it.

“With pleasure.”

He jerked the guy towards the back rooms. “You boys might need to call his soon-to-be wife and tell her where her man can be picked up. I’ll be done in about thirty minutes.”

Dominic laughed as he escorted the rest of them out of the building.

Taking a deep breath, Bianca walked over to the bar and had a seat to wait on Jagger. Jerking the money out of her bra, she saw that it was $100. Normally she would have thrown it in redhead’s face, but she figured after everything she had been through, she deserved it. She took a moment to glance around the club, to see who else had shown up. Almost immediately her eyes locked with Money Bags, who did nothing more than smile and wave. She swallowed loudly. That was the scariest wave she’d ever seen in her life.

Chapter Twenty

“Y
ou wanna go home with me?” Jagger asked as he came out of the back room, putting his cut back on.

She was still glancing periodically at Money Bags, but gave Jagger her full attention when he came to stand in front of her. Casually, he took one arm and placed it on the bar, before placing his other arm on the other side, effectively boxing her in.

“I would love to, but I have stuff I need to do tomorrow,” she sighed, putting her hands in his belt loops and pulling him towards her.

He leaned down, nuzzling her neck with his mouth. “That sucks,” he groaned. “I was really hoping to spend some time with you tonight”

Agreement was on the tip of her tongue. “How about you come home with me?”

His eyes flashed in genuine surprise. “You sure?”

“If you are. I mean, if you can’t because you need to be at the clubhouse, I understand.”

“No, that’s not it at all. I’m actually off duty right now. You just want me to follow you over on my bike?”

“Yeah, that way if you need to leave you can. You’re not commandeering my car again.”

An innocent look spread across his face. “Me?”

“Yeah you.” She leaned up, kissing him softly on the mouth.

He went in for one more, wrapping an arm around her neck and putting his other hand at her hips. “I’ll see you when I get there.” He pulled away.

“Yeah, see you.” She stood up, throwing her apron behind the counter. “Sparkles, will you tell Wanda I’m out for the night?”

“Will do.”

Bianca made her way out to her car, stopping in her tracks when she saw a note tucked under her windshield wiper. Glancing around, she saw that Jagger hadn’t made his way outside yet.

Bianca Hawks, glad to see you around my school. Hope to see more of you soon. Interesting to know your boyfriend is a member of a motorcycle gang.

It wasn’t signed, but it didn’t have to be. She knew exactly who had left this message. Mr. Money Bags had thrown down a challenge, and now she had to figure out exactly how she was going to answer it.

“These stairs are a fucking death trap,” Jagger complained as they made their way up to her apartment.

“I know,” she sighed. Everyone who came to see her
always
complained about them.

“Tyler and I will be over here sometime tomorrow to fix them. They need an extra support.”

She raised her eyes. “You can do that kinda stuff?”

“Yeah,” he answered a little too quickly. “Well, Tyler can, and if he can, then I can.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that Tyler could probably do a million things that he couldn’t do, but she decided that maybe she should keep that to herself. “Whatever you say.”

She unlocked her door and let him in. “Hang on, I forgot my mail.”

Going back down the stairs, she went to her small mailbox and rifled through the junk mail that was there. Taking it to her trash can, she threw it away. Glancing up and down the street, she froze, seeing a white van turn onto her street and almost stop.

“What’s wrong?” Jagger asked from where he stood.

For one night, she wanted a quiet time with him. “Nothing, just thought I saw someone I knew,” she shook her head, hurrying up the stairs.

He held the door open for her as she made it to him. It was then that the white van drove by. “That white van drive by out here often?” he asked. It looked just like the one that had run him off the road.

“No,” she answered quickly.

His brows drew together, but he didn’t push it. Walking inside, she put her stuff down and went to turn the heat up. It was a little chilly.

“Sorry dinner got ruined,” he apologized, having a seat on her couch.

“It’s alright. I don’t have any plans the rest of the night, and I don’t have class tomorrow morning. Maybe we could just hang out,” she shrugged.

They had spent plenty of time together already, and she had slept at the clubhouse in his room, but this felt completely different. They hadn’t been in her environment, and she obviously didn’t feel comfortable because her demeanor was 180 degrees different from before.

“Sounds good to me.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

“You tired?” she asked, looking at the dark circles under his eyes.

“A little. That protection run took forever and I got shot at.”

Her face paled and her heart beat double time. “You got shot at?”

“Yeah, but nobody got hurt. Obviously I’m okay.”

“Obviously, but I’m not sure how I feel about you being shot at.”

He opened an eye and shrugged. “It’s not the first time. I’m sure it won’t be the last. It kinda goes along with what I do, ya know?”

She did know, but this was scary. “I’m gonna go take a shower,” she announced abruptly.

Reaching out, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to him. She had no choice but to straddle his lap to keep from falling over and hitting his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“We’re not back to this again are we?”

“Back to what?” she played dumb.

“B, you got a problem, you
have
to tell me. I can’t read your fuckin’ mind, nor do I want to. I’m pretty sure you think a lot that you never say.”

That was the truest statement that anyone had ever said to her and showed just how well he knew her. This relationship was getting more serious by the minute.

“I just don’t like hearing that you’re shot at.”

“And I don’t like men putting their hands on you or sticking money in your bra, but you’ve already told me what you think about me being jealous.”

“Did it change anything?” she asked.

He tilted his head. Warmth bled out of his eyes. Now they were cold and a little more sinister than she liked to see. “I took care of that guy tonight. I wanted to chop his dick off because it was hard for you, but I decided to let him remain a man. I won’t be that nice when the next one comes around. I can’t control my jealously when it comes to you, and I think it’s pretty fuckin’ clear I don’t like you workin’ in that place, but I understand that you have to do what you have to do. Like, you are who you are, I am who I am. If I’m not asking you to change, then you can’t ask me to change. I’ll deal with men if I need to, I’ll beat the shit out of them if I have to, but I won’t stand for another man
touching
you. We clear on that?”