Obsidian Beauty (The Obsidian Series Book 1) (3 page)

Abigail now needed to figure out a plan: where to live, what to do for work, and whom to talk to. She decided the best place to start was the bar. It was a local hotspot, according to the gas station attendant, called Moet’s. It was an older bar with feeling. That was what the older lady said. She doubted the place would be anything but a countrified watering hole, although it was better than the alternative.

The bar turned out to be pretty much what she’d imagined, but it had a warm feeling to it. The bartender was a middle-aged woman with an appealing smile, the kind of person you wanted to tell your troubles to and see if she could impart some wisdom on you. At least that was what Abigail was thinking as she took a seat on a bar stool.

“Let me guess, you saw an ex today and he or she was looking good?” The bartender certainly didn’t beat around the bush. Wow, talk about intuition.

“Something like that.” Abigail smiled and grabbed a menu to have something to look at instead of the woman who could read her so well.

“Honey, the food here is shit. You don’t want any of that. You like whiskey?” Abigail was shocked someone would talk about their own restaurant’s food that way, but she nodded.

“I’m Abigail. I just arrived into town today. You were right. He was looking good, and I want to kill him.” She watched the bartender pour her a shot and a second shot, which she assumed was for herself. She was pretty, and Abigail could tell she had been a knockout when she was younger. Some lines were starting to form around her eyes, but her high blond ponytail kept a youthful glow about her.

“Stella Moet, my husband owns Moet’s, but the cook we have is pitiful. That’s why I wouldn’t eat here until we found a better one. Slim pickings in this town, you know.” Stella set both shots in front of Abigail and winked. “One for luck and one for drunk.”

Abigail smiled as Stella went off to help some other patrons at the end of the bar. She liked how nice everyone seemed to be in South Carolina. In Florida, it was hit or miss, and up north, no one was friendly, especially when they were hustling in New York. New Yorkers could tell when someone wasn’t from New York, and they let you know it.

She was totally lost in her thoughts and didn’t notice someone had settled onto the stool beside her. Finally, when her eyes met the man who’d appeared beside her, she couldn’t help but notice him. He was handsome, and she actually thought she could feel herself being pulled into his kind, vibrant green eyes. She wanted to say something clever about staring at strangers, but when she opened her mouth, that wasn’t what came out.

“Hi there,” she said, immediately hating herself. Who says that?

“Hi yourself. I’ve not caught your eye in this place before. Are you new to town?”

For a minute, she debated on telling him her real reason for being there. What the hell was wrong with her? Two seconds of eye contact and she wanted to spill the beans?

“Yes, I just got in today, actually. Do you know of any hotels nearby that aren’t too crappy and take a credit card?”

He raised an eyebrow, causing his eyes to crinkle a bit, and she felt a little pulse go through her as he bit his lip in thought. She really needed to get it together. It had been a while, but she was pretty sure before prison a man couldn’t affect her like this at first glance. Well, that wasn’t true. Benton had. Handsome green eyes was talking, and as usual, her thoughts were causing her to miss out.

“So, I can take you there if you want,” the stranger told her. Abigail nodded, not sure what she was agreeing to. Hoping it was an escort to a decent hotel, she signaled Stella for two more shots. The first two had gone down quite well. This time she had a drinking buddy.

“Now, Deputy, don’t be turning your charm on my new friend here.”

The man turned to Stella and gave her a grin. Even his teeth were perfect. Staring at them, it dawned on her what Stella said. He was a cop! She needed to get away from him before he found out what she was planning.

“I’m Scott,” he said, holding his hand out to her. “Scott Jenkins.”

She took it timidly, which wasn’t like her at all. “Abigail, Abigail Rivers. I just got out of prison.” Why the hell did she say that? There was no good reason to say something like that to a cop, and especially a good-looking cop she just met. “I mean, it feels like I just got out of prison.”

“Ah”—he nodded—“breakup happened today?”

Sure, she could go with that. After all, there was a breakup of sorts. Her mind flashed back to the kiss Benton had given her before he left.

“You could say that.” She tossed a shot back and pushed the other toward him. “On me.”

He took the shot while looking at her like some puzzle he was trying to find all the pieces to. For another minute, she almost told him the truth about Benton, prison, and everything else. Man, she was really vulnerable right now. Getting drunk around such an attractive man when she hadn’t been around any men in years might not be a great idea.

“You’re kind of a nervous girl, aren’t you, Abigail?” She must have looked insane twitching and stuttering over her words.

“I’m going to tell you the truth, Scott.” She took a deep breath. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in a bar.”

“Yeah, it can be hard to get back out there after a breakup.” He nodded, and she didn’t correct him.

Before she had downed the next few shots, she probably should have left, because she all of a sudden became a fountain of truth. At some point, she just blurted it out.

“Mayor Sizemore is my boyfriend, and he never broke up with me, but somehow he’s married.”  She immediately regretted her admission because there was no way to explain where she had been for the length of his marriage.

This seemed to strike a nerve with him for some reason. Scott became quiet and stared at the shot glass in front of him.

“I hate that son of a bitch.”

“Wow, you hate him. That’s a strong word. What did he do to you?”

“I’d rather not talk about it and ruin the evening. Are you about ready to go?”

She felt the effects of alcohol take hold of her and was a little dizzy. Suddenly she really had to pee. “Go where?”

“I told you I was going to show you the house, and you could stay there while you looked for a place. You are also in luck because Stella just told me she was looking for a new waitress. See, you even have a job to get you a little startup cash.”

Abigail had only had one job, and that was while in prison. She had never been a waitress. She had never had any experience as a waitress. “I don’t know how to do that!”

Stella came out from the back having heard what they were saying.

“That’s okay, honey. I’ll teach you what you need to know, and we don’t ever get that busy. Half the town is too religious to come in here, and a large percentage of those left are too high and mighty.”

Abigail wondered why they were being so nice to her. She felt proud as she successfully stood up from the stool and steadied herself.

“Okay, green eyes, show me your casa.” That came out sounding more like a proposition than Abigail had intended. They obviously weren’t going to drive. “You calling a cab?”

“Of course not. We’re going to walk.” He put money down on the bar for Stella and led the way out the door.

“Of course we are.” Abigail wasn’t too keen on walking. They moved slowly along the sidewalk. The air was heavy. It left a fine layer of sweat on her skin and made her instantly want a shower.

“You can walk anywhere in this town,” Scott said. It was really that small. The whole town was in one little block. As they walked, they passed the sheriff’s station, and he looked in the window. The sheriff was sitting behind the desk. Abigail could see his eyes were closed.

“Is he sleeping at work?” She noticed the desk beside his and wondered if that was where Scott spent his days.

“He is. He wakes up when it counts, so I leave him alone mostly.” They continued walking a bit longer before they turned down a side street and stood in front of a small, cabin-like home. “Here’s the rental I was telling you about.”

“It looks cozy.”

“When my wife and I were first married, we lived here. With plans to start a family, we needed more space, so we moved there.” He pointed to a house two doors down, which looked a little larger than this one. She wasn’t sure how she felt about being this close to his wife. Would she have to interact with her? Furthermore, why did it matter if she did? Realizing she had been quiet for way too long, Abigail was going to ask him what his wife did.

“You’re married!” The words that came out were not what she planned. Her voice was high and squeaky, very unlike her.

“No, I was. She left me five years ago and never gave a decent reason for it. I am trying to get in your pants, though, Abigail. I don’t want to talk about my wife.” He winked at her as she moved toward the house.

This actually caused Abigail to laugh at how inappropriate he could be. “You’re trying to get in my pants, huh? Too bad I’m wearing a dress then.” She pushed the wooden door open after he unlocked it for her and stepped inside. It reminded her of Billy and Lila’s home the way it was one room.

“Okay, it’s time for me to hit the hay. Have a lot of plotting to get to tomorrow.” She tried to usher him out, but he was attempting to hang around.

“Don’t you want a tour?” He grinned as he edged into the living room a little more. She sighed, looking around. There was no doubt he had redecorated the area when his marriage ended. It had lots of trout and bear décor spread about. There wasn’t anything feminine about it.

“I see the bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. There isn’t anything else, right?”

“You have to see the back porch and how you can see all the stars.” He moved through the house to the back and slid the door open for her. She followed, knowing he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Scott was right. She could see all the stars and the view was amazing. Their hands accidentally touched on the banister, and she jerked away quickly. It wasn’t because it scared her, but because she felt little chill bumps rise up where his skin had touched hers.

She needed to get him out of there in a hurry. Obviously not being around a man for a long time made her more sensitive to them, and she needed to keep her head in the Benton game.

Leaning in to her, he lowered his voice. “You know, if you need someone to cuddle with…first night in a new place and all.”

She shivered a bit but pushed him toward the door. “It’s time for you to go. I will see you tomorrow, and we’ll figure out more of our plan.” Once upon a time, she would have bathed in this man’s attention. Even though she was only eighteen when she met Benton, she’d had a lot of experience with men. After their dad passed away, her brother had tried to keep her away from boys. She always climbed out of her window as soon as he was asleep. He’d never been able to keep her out of trouble though he tried hard.

The bed was calling her name, but she never made it off the couch. She fell asleep thinking of how much she had changed while she had been away. 

When Abigail woke up, she had a slight twinge in her back from sleeping at such an odd angle on the couch. She showered until the water ran cold, and she felt ready to face the day. Her plan was to figure out where the closest mall was. She needed to shop for some clothes for her new job and to seduce her ex-lover with.

Since her car was at Moet’s, she would ask Stella to tell her where she could find the mall. The walk over was another way to help her wake up for the day. It was a muggy day again, and she was already starting to sweat from the short walk. Entering the bar, she wasn’t expecting to see Scott already there and in his uniform. He looked good.

Despite men in uniform being cruel to her, throwing her in and out of cells, and sometimes openly sexually harassing her, she was still turned on by the sight of a uniform. There was clearly something wrong with her. She was glad she had fixed her hair before leaving the house. She’d have to find the local drug store and get some basic makeup to make herself more presentable.

“Hi,” she said and sat on the stool next to him, taking a large inhale of his coffee.

“Hi yourself.” He smiled as Stella appeared with another cup of coffee just for her. She could have hugged her for it. “I figure with whatever skills you possess and my police skills, we can get the job done.”

Abigail wanted to say something hateful about his comments but bit her tongue. The skills she possessed were not exactly legal and better kept secret from a man of the law.

“How are you two doing today?” Stella winked at her, getting the wrong idea. Abigail forgot how gossipy a small town could be. Knowing what she was thinking, she shook her head at Stella, indicating to her she was wrong about them.

“We are fantastic, Stella. How are you?” Scott asked. He finished his coffee, and she refilled it for him.

“I can’t complain. Abigail, are you ready to start tomorrow?” Stella questioned. Abigail looked around the small bar, picturing the tables full of demanding customers.

“As ready as I’ll ever be. What’s the dress code like exactly?”

“Jeans and a black T-shirt will work just fine.” Stella smiled easily at her, and she decided she was going to like working for her. “You won’t meet my husband until tomorrow night. He likes to check out my new hires, but I think he is really going to like you.”

“How could he not?” Scott said.

“So, I need to know where the nearest mall is because I’m going to need some work clothes and some clothes in general. I can’t go back to Sassy Girls.”

Stella laughed. “I don’t blame you. The nearest mall is about two hours from here if you want to drive that far. Hold on, I’ll get you a map.” Stella walked back to the office, and Scott turned toward Abigail.

“So, you are going to let me help you take down the big guy?”  His question came out more like a statement.

“I am for three reasons only. One, I don’t know the area well. Two, I might need protection if things get hairy. And three, you look good in that uniform.” Why did she say that? Now he was smiling like the Cheshire cat.

“If you want to wait for me to get off duty tonight, I can take you to the mall. I mean, if you need help getting there.”

“Scott, I’m a big girl. I can go to the mall by myself. Besides, we have a date tonight.” She smiled at him.

“We do?” He put his arm around her and pulled her toward him.

“Yes, at the Lucky Leopard.” She moved away from him, leaving him confused.

“The strip joint?” He stood up from his stool and stared at her.

She grabbed his cell and entered her number into it, then texted herself.

“Yes, sir, it’s the first place we are going for information. We’ll meet here to discuss the backstory, so come over when I text you.” She smiled as Stella brought back a map and showed her where to go. Walking out the front door toward her car, she left Scott to think over what that meant.

He followed her out. “Hey, Abigail, hold up. I know a thing or two about prison and criminals. I pretty much know it takes one to know one. The things the mayor did—that you know about—you were in on them, too, weren’t you? Did you go down for them? I feel like this goes deeper than just revenge on a man for cheating on you.” He was waiting on her to tell him what he already knew, but he needed to hear it from her. It would mean she trusted him.

“Nope, you’ve got me all wrong, Scotty. I’ll see you tonight.” With that, she hopped in her car and left him staring after her.

“I’ll find out if you are lying,” he said to himself, going back in to finish his coffee.

A few hours later when she got back into town, Abigail was pretty pleased with her purchases. There were two dresses, lingerie for when she finally was alone with Benton, makeup she was thrilled about, and work clothes. She hadn’t spent too much money and the drive to and from the mall, while long, had given her time to clear her head.

She met up with Scott at Moet’s, and they came up with their backstory. They were a new couple, but she needed money out of Benton and that’s why they were there. She was sure she could appeal to the woman inside of the stripper. Their story had to work.

***

Abigail drove, and Scott directed her to where the place was located. The dress she was wearing rode up her leg a little, and he had an overwhelming desire to put his hand on her thigh. He didn’t, though. Keeping his hands to himself was the best scenario. If he couldn’t get it together, he might have to sit on them.

“This place we are going to is kind of shady. What do you think we are going to find out?” he asked.

“Everything,” she said, “shady is perfect for him.”

He tried a different approach. “Have you ever visited these types of places with him?”

She smiled as she looked over at Scott’s seemingly innocent question. “Where do you think he met me?”

He was staring at her again, and now he was picturing her in stripper heels strutting across the stage. Being able to see it in his mind didn’t make it any easier for him to wrap his head around.

“You were a stripper, like, an actual stripper?”

“I was, just topless, though, no full nude stuff. I was a stripper when we met, and for the first year we were together. There’s good money in it and if you are lucky enough to find a safe place it’s not a horrible way to make a living,” Abigail replied.

“How old were you when he met you?” Scott was still kind of shocked but also intrigued.

“I was eighteen when I started stripping, and when he stumbled into my life. Stop picturing me naked and focus on the task at hand,” she teased.

“I wasn’t.” He had been, but he needed to stop. This girl was dangerous. She was using him to get back at her ex-boyfriend, who she still wanted back after she got him arrested. That was the definition of a dangerous girl. He had done some research on her before they went on this little mission and was waiting for the right time to spring it on her.

They pulled into the Lucky Leopard, which, from the outside, didn’t look like anything more than a normal bar, until you noticed the classy leopard print sign on the outside and the neon nudie moving sign beside it. They walked in without any bouncer stopping them and took in the place. There were red booths everywhere with a bar to the right and a stage complete with two poles in the center.

***

In the back, Abigail noticed a door with leopard print curtains hanging on it. They needed to get behind those curtains. She would have to get a private dance with the girl Benton was secretly seeing, and then she could try to get the information. Hopefully bringing a grand in cash would be enough to get the information she needed.

“Now what?” Scott was watching one of the dancers who had just come out on stage. She hadn’t taken off her clothes yet, so he wasn’t all the way distracted.

“Now we find whoever Benton has told all his secrets to.” Abigail was moving toward the bar as Scott kept his eyes on the stage and tried not to bump into the tables.

“We find her and then what?”

“Then we get a lap dance.” She smiled. They were the only patrons in the place besides two guys sitting in front of the strippers, so it wasn’t difficult to get there.

“We get a lap dance?” He was obviously not following along.

She laughed and asked the bartender for two rum and cokes.

“What do you ask for when you want a private dance from one of the strippers?” she asked one of the guys sitting around. The guy was large, and she would almost bet he doubled as the bouncer on busy nights.

“You say you want to see the leopard’s spot.”

“Really?” She thought the phrase would be a lot sexier.

The bartender nodded, rolling his eyes.

“Okay, then the leopard’s spot it is. Now we just have to find our girl.”

They each took a seat on a bar stool and turned toward the stage. The girl putting on a show was a redhead with smaller breasts. She wouldn’t be Benton’s type.  After a raunchy show to Whitesnake, the redhead was off the stage to make way for a brunette. This one wouldn’t be his type either. She could enjoy her drink. Scott watched Abigail with interest while he sipped on his drink. Every once in a while, he would glance over at her and stare for a minute. She was sure no girl had ever made him take her to a strip club. Oh well, he’d probably never met a woman like her before. She was about to ask the bartender what other types of strippers worked there when the
Bunny Hop
song came on and a Playboy Bunny lookalike came hopping out onto the stage. She had bleached blond hair and huge boobs—she was their girl.

She squeezed Scott’s arm. “That’s our girl.”

His eyes widened as he practically drooled over her. She felt a little twinge of jealousy and wondered where the hell that came from. They were in a strip club. Of course he was going to look, but the little green devil was still snaking its way into her mind.

“Wow.” He leaned forward to get a better look.

She was surprised he didn’t crawl across the floor toward the stage.

“Is she the only blond stripper you have here?” Abigail asked the bartender to make certain she was the girl.

“Yep, Candi with an I is the only blonde we have. The rest are brunettes and redheads. It’s some type of trend.”

Abigail smiled at the way he told her the stripper’s name was spelled. This was definitely Benton’s woman.

Once Candi-with-an-I was done with her show, the strippers went to mingle with the crowd, trying to find who was willing to pay for a lap dance. A few more people had come in while the dancing was going on, so they had more men to sift through.

When Candi made her way over to them, Abigail put up her hand to motion her to come over and bend down to talk to her.

“My boyfriend and I would like the leopard’s spot, if we could.”

The stripper looked Abigail over and then Scott. “Oh, you can absolutely have the leopard’s spot,” she said seductively and motioned for them to follow her.

As they followed her through the curtain, Abigail grabbed Scott’s hand, and he jumped. Man, he was bad at pretending. She would remember that for future excursions with him. They immediately knew why it was called the leopard’s spot as there were red couches covered with leopard print throw pillows and a leopard print rug. Abigail almost felt like she would get dirty from being in the room, but they didn’t have a choice.

She watched as Candi poured three glasses of champagne and handed one to each of them. Turning the music on, she started with Abigail by rolling her body in front of her and bending over so her breasts were in her face. She moved on to Scott next, pushing his legs apart so she could move in between them with more rolling of her body.

It was at this point Abigail started to ask questions. “So, Candi, I have a problem, and I was wondering if you could help me with it.”

“What kind of problem do you need help with?”  She turned her back to Scott and bent over.

“How much is this amazing show you are giving us exactly?”

“It’s three hundred for the leopard’s spot, including the lap dance and the champagne. If you want something extra, it’s more.” She was straddling one of Scott’s legs, and he was sitting on his hands. It was funny how he didn’t know what to do with them.

“I will give you two hundred more for a total of five hundred dollars if you give me some information on one of your regulars. “

Candi moved back over to her, sitting in her lap and leaning back against her. “I’m listening.”

“My ex has been in here several times, and I’m trying to get him to pay child support. All I need is a little dirt, something to help me get little Bobby some braces.”

Candi thought about that for a minute. “So you’re really not into strippers?”

“Oh, no, I am. I totally am. I fully expect you to take the money out of my mouth.” Abigail needed her to know she would still enjoy her company to keep her engaged in conversation. Scott looked over at her in surprise, and she winked at him. “My ex is Tom Sizemore.”

“Shit,” Candi said and stood up, turning around to face her. “I should have known. That man probably has illegitimate children all over the country. How old is your son?”